Berries are one of the most nutritious foods out there. They're a convenient snack, a tasty treat when you're craving something sweet, and an easy addition to any healthy diet to boost your vitamin and mineral intake. But with so many different types of berries available, it can be hard to decide which ones are truly among the healthiest. 

Goji, acai, and blueberries may be the berries you hear about the most, but what exactly makes berries healthy? We've already given you a hint! It's all about their nutrients - vitamins, minerals, and plant compounds given to us by nature in small, colorful packages that provide a variety of health benefits. If you're not already familiar with the health benefits of berries - here are a few of them!

All the benefits of eating more berries

Blood sugar

It's not often that sweet foods actually have benefits for blood sugar levels, but berries must be nature's gift to those of us with a sweet tooth! Raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries (to name a few) are packed with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fiber, all of which play an important role in the body's control of blood sugar levels.
Research has even shown that by eating these berries regularly, insulin sensitivity and glucose clearance from the blood can be improved.
What exactly does that mean? Well, by improving sensitivity and clearance, consuming berries actually has a multifactorial benefit on blood sugar that works double-positively for our health. It doesn't get much better than that!

Heart health

In many forms of alternative medicine, many types of berries have been used for thousands of years due to their health benefits, such as goji berries, acai berries, and blueberries. There's a reason they've been popular for so long - these berries have health benefits for the entire body, as well as for the heart.

Nutrients like anthocyanins are the pigments that give berries their strong red, blue, and purple hues, and are one of the main contributing factors to why they are so heart-healthy, aside from their fiber, antioxidant, vitamin, and mineral content.

Anthocyanin intake through these various berries has been associated with reduced oxidative stress and inflammation, improved lipid profiles, as well as stronger blood vessels. So when it comes to heart health, berries should definitely be thought of as a key player in mediating the risk factors involved in cardiovascular disease. 

You may recognize blueberries as an ingredient in some of our products, such as in our OptiMSM + C. 

Eye health

Speaking of eyes, we can't forget the power of berries for eye health. Remember those anthocyanins we just mentioned? They're also great for protecting against a variety of eye conditions.

While the common, cultivated blueberry is often mentioned for its impact on eye health and macular degeneration, it is the wild blueberry that deserves your attention! When it comes to conditions like myopia, cataracts, glaucoma, dryness, and eye fatigue, blueberries have long been used to support the retina. On top of that, one of the most well-known effects of blueberries is their ability to improve night vision, although there is still a lack of sufficient research on this. It is believed that the anthocyanin and antioxidant power in these berries supports collagen production and retinal structure, while also providing extra protection from UV rays for the delicate vessels of the eye. Whether you prefer wild blueberries or cultivated blueberries, they are both among the healthiest berries (or foods in general) for eye health. 

The immune system

Our immune system requires a nutritious diet to function optimally. When you look at the nutritional content, you will be pleasantly surprised to learn that the health benefits of berries include immune support - for many reasons! These colorful treats are often packed with antioxidants that can be used to "deactivate" harmful elements in the body that would otherwise be harmful to our cells.

Many types of berries - blueberries, blackberries, cranberries - also have some pretty impressive anti-inflammatory effects. When it comes to the immune system, inflammation is a natural process and a protective mechanism, but when inflammation becomes chronic, it becomes a burden on our immune system and can significantly affect human health as a whole, and we don't want that! As you will soon find out, berries are also good for our gut system, which also plays a big role in our immune system. 

Stomach and intestinal health

Many fibrous foods are good for gut health, but there are some that surpass the rest when it comes to keeping our microbiome healthy. In this case, we’re talking about cranberries! Not only does cranberries have the antioxidant and anthocyanin power of many of our previously mentioned berries, they also have the ability to modify the microscopic ecosystem of our gut! If you haven’t heard of the gut microbiome before, this is the term used to describe our vast bacterial network that resides in our digestive system. These bacteria contribute to many aspects of our health, including our mental, cardiovascular, and obviously our digestive capacity. 

We’re still learning about the many effects of gut bacteria, but when it comes to cranberries, we know a few promising things. First, cranberries alter the balance of gut bacteria in favor of reducing chronic low-grade inflammation. They also shift the bacterial balance to support a healthy body composition. You might be wondering, how is that possible? Well, there are many different types of bacteria that naturally occur in the gut. Some are better at extracting energy from undigested food particles, which favors weight gain.

Some are able to inhibit the chemicals that break down food particles, such as fat, which favors weight loss. Your gut bacteria as an individual will be different from your neighbor's due to differences in lifestyle, diet, genetics, medication use, and many other factors, but when it comes to addressing overall health, we can use certain foods to our advantage when they have the ability to change the gut environment.

Pretty amazing, right? As the medical community is still learning about the far-reaching effects our gut bacteria have on our overall health, it's more important than ever to eat foods that support our microscopic gut bacteria!

Heard of cranberries before? You may have noticed our Mind Body Boost which contains a range of vitamins and minerals to support energy levels and performance. Cranberries are a perfect fit for this formula, not only for their gut health benefits, but also for their powerful antioxidant effects which make them a health-supporting superstar!

How often do you include berries in your diet? With the wide range of health benefits that berries provide, this is an important question. Even if berries are not your usual snack, supplements that harness their amazing health benefits can be a very convenient alternative - that's where we come in! Combining nature's gifts with the highest quality nutrients is always our goal, so if you're ready to reap the health benefits of our Nordic ingredients - read more about our products here !