This beautiful red berry is rich and delicious and much better than any sweets you can buy; fragrantly sweet and almost-melt-in-your-mouth texture.
I have recently planted a kitchen garden and I look forward to my early summer crop of raspberries and there is nothing nicer than the experience of eating a raspberry warm form the bush.
A member of the rose family and a bramble fruit like the blackberry, both loganberries and boysenberries are hybrids of raspberries. While wild raspberries are thought to have originated in eastern Asia, there are also varieties that are native to the Western Hemisphere. The seeds of these raspberries were likely to have been carried by travellers or animals during ancient times.
Meanwhile, berries are packed with antioxidants that can help to mop up an excess of potentially harmful free radicals. This is good news as free radicals have been linked to causing oxidative damage in the arteries. Berries are also high in fiber, which is important for a healthy heart, as fiber helps to maintain healthy blood cholesterol levels. Berries are without doubt, a fantastic heart-healthy choice. To keep our hearts healthy, it is important to eat less fat, especially saturated fat. Berries are naturally low in fat — an 80g serving typically contains less than 0.2g fat — and are free from saturated fat.
Vitamin C has many functions in the body. As well as acting as a powerful antioxidant in the body, this vitamin is needed to make connective tissue such as collagen. Collagen is a protein that helps to keep the skin smooth, supple and looking healthy. And there's no tastier way to boost your intakes of vitamin C than with berries.
Raspberries are a good source of fiber, manganese and vitamin C, vitamin B2, foliate, niacin, magnesium, potassium and copper. In addition, they contain significant amounts of the anti-cancer phytochemical, ellagic acid.
Calories in Raspberries:
1 cup = 60 calories
Add Raspberries to any pudding to make it healthier. Serve it to the family with ice cream or plain yoghurt. Raspberries can also go very well with chocolate cake or cheesecake.
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You sound very keen to recover your figure and reclaim your body, but you do have to have your postnatal check up first. If you have had a caesarean delivery it is advisable to wait 8 — 10 weeks before exercising. Once you have the all clear from your doctor you can gradually start to exercise, but it is difficult because your energy levels can be low due to breast-feeding and broken nights. E-mail me for a copy of my Mini-Morning Workout. It only takes 10 minutes and there are exercises to tone the whole body: minian@naturalhealthlines.com. Slowly work up to doing double the number of recommended stomach exercises. Try to go for walks in the park with the baby, as this will help tone the legs. Using an exercise bike would be good too. You have to start gradually as your body is still recovering from producing a baby.
— Alva
