Wednesday's Super Food: Berries!

Berries have long been considered a super food: packed with vitamins, minerals and a high-antioxidants content, the rich pigment of blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are an important part of every diet. But what about the new SUPER berries on the market?? Are acai and gogi berries really better than our Canadian favorites?

Gogi Berries {go-jee}

Native to China, these berries have been an integral part of Chinese Medicine for thousands of years. Gogi berries contain high amounts of iron, vitamins A, B, C, and E and are high in protein. They also contain incredible amounts of powerful anti-oxidants (selenium, germanium, beta-sitosterol, beta-carotene). These anti-oxidants have been shown to fight cancer, reduce inflammation and protect eyesight. Dried gogi berries are readily available, whether at your local health food store or Bulk Barn. They are similar to a very chewy, not so sweet, raisin and can be added to salad, soup or cereals.

Acai Berries {ah-SIGH-ee}

Also known as the Amazonian palm berry, native to Brazil. This super food contains 19 amino acids, omega-9 fatty acids and more antioxidants than red wine. A 2006 study found that the "acai fruit destroyed human cancer cells" in a laboratory setting.

Are They Better Than Blueberries?


The international standard of measurement for the antioxidant power of food is called the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) value. Acai has an ORAC value of 25,300 and Acai has a value of 18,500 while blueberries have a much lower ORAC score of 6,552.....meaning it has much less anti-oxidant power - on paper but there are other things to consider:
locally grown fresh fruit is likely to contain similar anti-oxidant power to super fruits that have travelled long distances...at a far cheaper price.

While acai and gogi can be part of a healthy diet, the texture of these fruits aren't great and they are often dried, frozen, and/or mixed with other things...like sugar. Be sure to read labels!

So, if you love these super fruits go for it! They're full healthy goodness, but so are all darkly pigmented fruits and vegetables. Cherries, blackberries, purple grapes and blueberries are all great choices for optimal health.

Have a great hump day!
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