I’m crowning the berry the king of the cold-fighting fruit.
Y’all know my diet consists of mainly animal flesh, eggs, veggies and fruit. Sure, I’ll throw in a few slices of sprouted wheat toast with almond butter in the mornings, and I’m no stranger to a steaming pot of black coffee, but my staples are consistent.
I dig all fruit, but it’s not all created equal, nutritionally. Berries reign supreme. From mercola.com:
Berries are among the best fruits on the planet. Not only do they taste great, but they are densely packed with a variety of potent phytochemicals that can do wonders to normalize and improve health. They are also high in fiber and relatively low in sugar, so they won’t stimulate severe insulin swings if eaten in moderation.
It blows my mind that a lower sugar food can produce such intense sweetness. Take the strawberry. A cup contains just 7 grams of sugar, 47 calories and insane amount of vitamin C.
I’m on the road in San Francisco as we speak. I’ve recently overheard my colleagues talking about getting colds. “I’ve been shaking too many hands,” one of them said. They are reaching for a product called “Emergen-C.” From their website:
Emergen-C Old School! Our original formula and still our best seller, featuring essential nutrients, including 1,000 mg of vitamin C and other immune supporting antioxidants zinc and manganese, 7 B vitamins to enhance energy naturally, and electrolytes to replenish post-workout
Hmmm, this sounds a lot like the nutritional profile of a berry. From besthealthmag.ca:
One serving of strawberries contains 51.5 mg of vitamin C—about half of your daily requirement,” Edwards says. “Double a serving to one cup and get 100 percent.” Vitamin C is a well-known immunity booster, as well as a powerful, fast-working antioxidant.
Taking massive amounts of vitamin C, particularly in the form of a “flavor improved raspberry fizzy drink,” isn’t going to stop you from picking up that cold. From the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews:
Vitamin C has been widely sold and used as both a preventive and therapeutic agent.
This review is restricted to placebo-controlled trials testing 0.2 g per day or more of vitamin C. Regular ingestion of vitamin C had no effect on common cold incidence in the ordinary population.
I get it, a lozenge, powder or pill is a convenient shortcut, but a basket of blueberries from your local grocery store isn’t exactly a giant undertaking. More importantly, you’ll be doing a lot more for your immune system by ingesting reasonable amounts of vitamin C from your foods instead of mega-dosing on supplements once in a while. From the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition:
…recent scientific evidence indicates that an increased intake of vitamin C is associated with a reduced risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and cataract, probably through antioxidant mechanisms…The totality of the reviewed data suggests that an intake of 90–100 mg vitamin C/d is required for optimum reduction of chronic disease risk in nonsmoking men and women.
I don’t need to sell you on the flavor of a bowl of mixed berries, right? I’ve never met a man or woman who hates berries, but if you’re that one out there, throw a few handfuls in a smoothie with some frozen pineapple and an orange and you won’t even notice the taste.
If you’re the type who gets colds when you travel for business, I have a challenge for you. On your next trip, snack on berries on the plane, in your hotel and throughout your stay. I’m betting you return healthy, even if you’re shaking hands.
If I’m wrong, you know where to find me.
Kap
Ed H says
Add cherries to the list too. My evening snack of blue berries or cherries mixed with yogurt and a couple of tablespoons of chia seeds is both healthy and high on the yum scale….
Gabe Kapler says
Dig that, Ed.
slappythefishman says
I really love your advice on berries…but when on a plane…I always bring either prickly pears (cactus fruit) or Dragon fruit…they are jam packed with Vitamin C and healthy dosage of Fe and Mg… they are enclosed in a skin so you can toss them in a backpack….you can cut them with a plastic knife…you can eat them with a plastic spoon…there are only two issues…you have to bring a bag for the skins and at least on one side of a round trip a person sitting next to you is going to stare….oh well
Gabe Kapler says
My man. Thanks for chiming in.
billstraehl says
The problem with blueberries is that they taste good too…oh, wait a minute! Gabe it looks like you’re having way too much fun covering the series! Nice to hear a panel that knows what they’re talking about. I’ve got to go with the Giants because Posey went to FSU, but then Cain is from here also…
Gabe Kapler says
Ha. Nice work, Bill.
Joel says
I’m a picky fruit eater. But I do love my berries. I am with Ed, too. I have a snack or a lunch of full fat yogurt (Trader Joe’s) mixed with some berries and a few roasted hazelnuts (and maybe 1/2 tsp of raw honey).
Gabe Kapler says
Good stuff, Joel.
Kevin McNeil. says
No use eating that fruit without a little fat for those nutrients to travel with. Banana in the morning with yogurt and some fish oil. Pineapple or mango with my eggs mid morn. More pineapple with red bell pepper and 8 oz chicken at lunch. An apple with mixed nuts mid aft. Spinach and kale salad for dinner with 5 oz white wine. Evening snack of blueberries and raw milk and 40 g of Kirkland dark chocolate super fruit. If I get sick my Dad used to live on the bluff across from tower 9, so I definitely know where to find ya.
Kevin McNeil. says
Should have said salmon with that kale salad. My editor is out sick.
Gabe Kapler says
Strong value, Kevin. Thanks.
Kyle G. says
I absolutely love most fruit but love all berries. In my backyard a few years ago we planted some 5 blueberry bushes, 4 raspberry bushes and just got 3 blackberry bushes this past year. Solid crop yield after a year or two and they taste great!
(Hint: be careful with raspberry bushes, they grow like crazy and must be for lack of a better word tamed?)
Gabe Kapler says
Excellent, Kyle.
Mike says
How do you get your berry fix on during the out of season months? Ever go for the frozen berries?
Gabe Kapler says
Cali, year round berries.
M.squared says
Mike –
Costco has some really good frozen-organic mixed berries that I have been getting for a while. I like to put them in my Ezekile flax cereal with some almond butter and almond milk.
Kap-
Good stuff. I learned a lot about the power of berries due to some medical family matters.
I make sure my mom gets a quality serving each day at breakfast. You have reinforced my thoughts here. Thanks.
Gabe Kapler says
Dig. Solid stuff as always.
darby wright says
Good stuff. Will take your advice. I have 3kids someone’s always has a cold
Lisa Daniels says
I began making juice in the morning in September. Arugula, spinach, bananas, berries, plums, pears, coconut water, and aloe water. The first time I drank it, I literally felt 20 years younger immediately after I drank it. I drink my juice in the morning and two hours before I got to sleep. I will not go one day without following my regimen. Also, I will miss watching you during World Series coverage.