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Berry good for you

Nutrition team

Coming home from berry picking late in the summer with juice smeared all over your face may be a far distant memory for many people, but the benefits that these delicious fruits give us today are just the same. Berries are virtually fat-free, low in sodium and high in vitamins, especially vitamin C and folic acid, and are great for helping to make up the five portions of fruit and vegetables you are recommended to eat each day.

What's more, there are many, many varieties available in the supermarkets now - from raspberries, to black berries and cranberries and they are all extremely versatile in the way they can be used. Here are a few of the stats on some of your favourites:

Blackberries

25 calories (104 kJ), 3.1 grams of fibre, 15 mg vitamin C and 34 mcg folic acid

Blackcurrants

28 calories (121 kJ) , 3.6 fibre, 200 mg vitamin C

Blueberries

43 calories (180 kJ) 3.8 grams of fibre, 14 mg vitamin C and 2.8 mcg folic acid

Cherries

48 calories (203 kJ), 0.7 grams of fibre, 11 mg of vitamin C, 7.7 mcg of folic acid

Cranberries

49 calories (205 kJ) 4.2 fibre, 13.5 vitamin C, 1.7 mcg folic acid

Raspberries

25 calories (109 kJ), 2.5 grams of fibre, 32 mg vitamin C, 26.2 mcg folic acid

Strawberries

27 calories (113 kJ), 1.1 grams of fibre, 77 mg vitamin C, 17.8 mcg folic acid

*All information per 100 grams of berries. The adult daily recommended intake for fibre is 18 grams per day, for vitamin C it is 40 mg and for folic acid is 200 mg per day.

Berry good ideas

Add to muffin, scone or pancake recipes

Scatter on your breakfast cereal

Add to natural yogurt for a healthy snack or dessert

Decorate your favourite cake or pudding

Pies, crumbles and more pies and crumbles!

Banana berry blend

1 pot (125 grams) of low fat natural yogurt
100 ml of orange juice
100 grams of berries of your choice
1 ripe banana
2 tablespoons of honey
1 tablespoon of wheat germ (optional for added fibre)

In a blender combine all ingredients. Cover and blend at high speed until smooth. Serve immediately.

Nutrient analysis – 163 calories 0.7 grams of fat.

Did you know?

As well as being a good source of fibre and vitamin C, recent research has shown that cranberry juice is useful in the prevention and treatment of urinary tract infections by preventing bacteria from sticking to the lining of the urinary tract.

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