When we attended Dr. Andrew Weil’s Nutrition & Health conference in Phoenix last year, the positive impacts of colorful veggies and fruits on chronic diseases were a major topic.
And berries, which sit at the top of the antioxidant scale, were a particular focus of discussion and advocacy.
One reason we offer organic berries is the fast-growing archive of research affirming their long-reputed health benefits.
Each variety of berry offers its own uniquely beneficial “phytochemical” profile and delightful flavor, so we recently decided to add another tasty, antioxidant-rich berry to our selection.
Certified pure ... and deeply delicious
Our deeply delicious 100% Organic Blackberries are grown by a small-scale farmer in Oregon.
This sweet, dark purple fruit offers wonderfully rich flavor and an abundance of antioxidants, fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, folic acid (a B vitamin), and manganese.
|
A sweetly vivacious native American variety
Known as the California blackberry, Pacific blackberry, and Oregon caneberry, Rubus ursinus is a species of blackberry native to western North America. Many botanists suspect that it is an ancestor of the loganberry and a parent of the boysenberry.
Our blackberries come from a cultivar called ’Nightfall‘, which was developed by the University of Oregon and the USDA-ARS breeding program from a wild, native blackberry stock. |
Known as the “cabernet” of berries, blackberries feature an earthy, wine-like flavor.
They're delicious served over ice cream, yogurt, and other fruits, or used in berry-based recipes for pies, cobblers, and sauces. (See our Blackberry Recipes in this issue of Vital Choices.)
In addition to being certified 100% Organic by Oregon Tilth, Inc. they’re kosher-certified by KOAOA and pre-washed so they’re ready to thaw and enjoy. (Despite great care, small leaf or stem fragments may occasionally remain.)
Blackberries rank as antioxidant aces
Blackberries rank even higher than blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries on the antioxidant scale. In fact, their concentrated antioxidant content is exceeded only by our extra dark chocolate and culinary herbs and spices.
This distinction makes blackberries anti-aging superstars that can enhance the health of our brains, arteries, and more.
The extraordinary antioxidant capacity of blackberries stems from their very high levels of polyphenol compounds, including the same ones that make tea and dark chocolate so healthful (e.g., ellagic acid, ellagitannins, quercetin, gallic acid, anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins).
Blackberries are composed of many individual “drupelets”, each like a small berry with one seed.
Compared with blueberries or strawberries, this aggregate structure adds extra skin and seeds to blackberries, making them among the highest fiber plants known.
Sources
§ Hager TJ, Howard LR, Liyanage R, Lay JO, Prior RL. Ellagitannin composition of blackberry as determined by HPLC-ESI-MS and MALDI-TOF-MS. J Agric Food Chem. 2008 Feb 13;56(3):661-9.
§ Halvorsen BL, Carlsen MH, Phillips KM, Bøhn SK, Holte K, Jacobs DR Jr, Blomhoff R. Content of redox-active compounds (ie, antioxidants) in foods consumed in the United States. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Jul;84(1):95-135.
§ Wada L, Ou B. Antioxidant activity and phenolic content of Oregon caneberries. J Agric Food Chem. 2002 Jun 5;50(12):3495-500.
