Berries are the ‘top of the crop’ when it comes to fruit nutrition. They are loaded with antioxidants that help protect us from health conditions like cancer and heart disease. Blueberries and blackberries are especially high in antioxidants and rank very high in the ORAC score chart – a measuring system that rates the overall antioxidant power of a food. Blueberries rank so high that they are classified as a super fruit. Here is a great berry juice recipe you can make at home.
Berry Juice Recipe
2 cups of blackberries
1 cup of blueberries
1 cup of raspberries
Rinse berries and juice!
Blackberries and blueberries are a great source of antioxidants called anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are also plant pigments that put the dark purple color into blueberries and blackberries. As antioxidants, anthocyanins protects our cells from harmful unstable oxygen molecules (free radicals) that damage our cells and can cause cancer and heart disease. Anthocyanins are especially effective at protecting us from heart disease because of the positive effect they have on our arteries. Anthocyanins work directly with vitamin C in a process that strengthens artery walls and other blood vessels. This helps to protect us from cardiovascular disease and aids in other blood vessel related problems like hemorrhoids and peptic ulcers.
Blackberry juice recipes are an awesome source of vitamins A, C and E. These are the 3 key vitamins for boosting the immune system and for providing skin health.
Vitamin A is essential for creating and maintaining epithelial skin cells. Even the slightest deficiency can lead to dry flaky skin. Vitamin A also protects skin cells from free radicals found in air pollution and smoke.
Vitamin C is a co-factor in the creation of collagen. Collagen is the sticky substance that holds skin cells firmly together helping to keep the skin young firm and supple. As an antioxidant vitamin C also protects collagen from free radicals in the air in the same way that vitamin A protects actual skin cells.
Vitamin E is the third skin protecting antioxidant in this vitamin trio. Vitamin E is particularly effective at protecting the skin from free radicals delivered via UV light rather than the free radicals found in pollution and smoke. So getting plenty of vitamins A, C and E in your diet by drinking a berry juice containing blackberries each day is of great benefit to the skin!
