Although the winter is upon us, you don’t have to stop consuming fresh fruit! Our friends at Steve & Dan’s Fresh BC Fruit have launched an online market where you can get their fruit delivered to your doorstep to help boost your health!
They recently started selling their frozen berries, including blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, so we want to share a quick reminder of the many ways berries can improve your health. Now more than ever it is important to give your immune system that extra boost.
- They contain several vitamins and minerals. Strawberries are particularly high in Vitamin C – a great immune booster for the colder months to boost your health. Berries are also high in manganese and folate.
- They are loaded with antioxidants. Blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries have the highest antioxidant levels of commonly consumed fruit.
- They are a great source of fiber. Berries contain soluble fiber, which helps slow down movement of food through your digestive tract, reducing feelings of hunger. This makes them ideal to incorporate into your meals to help with weight loss.
- They are low-carb and low-calorie. For a single cup serving, blueberries have approximately 85 calories, raspberries have 65 calories, blackberries have 62 calories, and strawberries have 47 calories.
- They have strong anti-inflammatory properties. Long-term inflammation can occur from increased stress, inadequate physical activity, and unhealthy eating habits, and can lead to diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.
- They may improve blood sugar and insulin levels. This appears to be true for both healthy people and those with insulin resistance. Berries are shown to improve insulin response when consumed with high-carb foods to boost your health.
- They can reduce cholesterol levels. This makes them a heart-healthy food! Berries can prevent cholesterol from becoming oxidized, which is believed to be a major factor for heart disease.
Berries are incredibly versatile, and their frozen berries are a great way to incorporate them into your meals. Try mixing them into a berry green smoothie or make banana berry nice cream and boost your health!
Steve & Dan’s fresh fruit will be available at two markets year-round – Bountiful Farmers’ Market and Old Strathcona Farmers’ Market. If you can’t make it to a market, you can shop their fresh fruit along with various other local vendors on their online market. Delivery is available on orders over $50 for regions within and around Edmonton.
