Berry, Berry Interesting…
I love all things berry—except the price of them when they are out of season! Truthfully, for years, this is what kept berries off my food shopping list during those “off season” months. A number of years ago, however, I changed my mind about laying out the extra cash to purchase these tiny morsels. Here’s why: I kept “bumping into” article after article, and study after study, which described the incredible nutritional and disease-fighting power contained in each plump berry.
Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries…they all contain tiny seeds. Within these seeds is where their Creator has stashed powerful omega-3 fatty acids. The bright colored flesh is also chock full of phytonutrients and antioxidants which, along with the omega-3’s, improve the strength of our immune systems, fight against aging (from brain to skin), and ward off life-threatening diseases such as cancer.
And so, my experiment began. I keep my family supplied with one or more berries year-round, and guess what? Our health markedly improved! The common cold became very uncommon in our home. Rarely did someone spike a fever. No one got the flu, came down with bronchitis, or were struck with a stomach virus—none a one of us—for over a decade!
When I thought about what all those illnesses and physician co-pays would have cost us in time and money (not to mention the inconvenience and suffering), I realized that a few extra dollars spent on pricey berries was, in the long run, worth every penny*!
*If fresh berries are truly out of reach in your budget, substitute with frozen ones from your grocer’s freezer. In the case of blueberries, wild, frozen berries are even BETTER for you than the fresh, cultivated kind!