Berries are the Best 

Berries such as blueberries, cranberries, strawberries and raspberries are rich in disease-fighting phytochemicals that prevent and even reverse serious diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stomach ulcers and even help lower cholesterol levels. Berries contain a variety of phytochemicals and antioxidants with research showing that berries are among the fruits highest in antioxidant content and that they are excellent sources of several phytochemicals that seem to help block cancer development. The key is to be eating these berries in their raw, whole fruit form. 

All berries are good sources of vitamin C, with one cup of raspberries,strawberries, or blackberries giving you close to half of the amounts currently recommended for a whole day for adults. One of the ways vitamin C protects our health is its function as an antioxidant. Antioxidants attract and neutralize highly reactive molecules called free radicals that could otherwise damage body cells in ways that initiate cancer development, heart disease and age-related eye damage. 

There are several groups of phytochemicals among them are anthocyanins, ellagic acid, and pterostilbene. Together these phytochemicals inhibit growth of lung, colon and leukemia cancer cells without affecting growth of healthy cells, block metabolic pathways that can lead to cancer, and affect metabolic processes to decrease development of both cancer and heart disease. 

An essential question remains: Do normal portions of berries give us enough phytochemicals to get protective benefits or do we need to eat larger portions than standard 1/2 cup servings? Some research does suggest that concentrations normally found in the blood after eating berries are enough to substantially decrease cancer cells’ growth and to stimulate their self-destruction. But with berries so yummy and abundant this time of year why limit yourself to just one half cup?

Brandied Berry Milk Shake 
Ingredients 2 cups vanilla low-fat ice cream 
 
1/2 cup blackberries 

1/2 cup blueberries 
1/2 cup sliced strawberries 
 
1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk 
 
1/4 cup brandy 
Preparation 
Place all ingredients in a blender; process until smooth. Makes 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup) 
Nutritional Information CALORIES 182(18% from fat); FAT 3.7g (sat 2.1g,mono 1g,poly 0.3g); PROTEIN 4.7g; CHOLESTEROL 19mg; CALCIUM 153mg; SODIUM 65mg; FIBER 1.9g; IRON 0.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 24.3g 

Note: This recipe can be made without the brandy, but why would you want to?