Nutrient Brief: Raging Raspberries!

Tart, yet sweet, the raspberry is among nature's super-fruit.  An interesting fact is that the raspberry derives from the family of flowers belonging to the  rose.

Until recently, the raspberry has lived under the cloud of other super-fruits such as blueberries.  Thanks to the Dr. Oz show though, raspberries are going front and center for the ketones they contain to help you lose weight.  Rather than put the focus on unsubstantiated science of raspberry ketones (as there will never be a magic pill to lose weight), I'm going to put the focus on the health benefits of raspberries.

Like many other berries, raspberries are full of antioxidants (aka phytonutrients).  This gives them a high ORAC value (oxygen radical absorbancy value), which means the ability to "soak up" free radicals.  In particular, they contain phenolic flavonoids such as anthocyanin and quercetin (and many more).  There is so much antioxidant rich benefits of raspberries, I can't really give it due justice in this nutrient brief.  

Here are some quick nutrient facts:

• Raspberries are very high in fiber at ~8 grams per serving.
• A very low glycemic load of 3 out of a scale going up to 250 (i.e. very low in sugar, ~5 grams).
• They contain a little over 30mg of Vitamin C, meeting 50% of RDA.
• Most notably, they are contain high amounts of manganese, meeting 40% of your daily requirement.

Another interesting fact is the sugar alcohol xylitol (found in many sugarless products) is created from raspberries.  Though  I advocate the consumption of the raspberries versus using xylitol, it explains why thousands of tons of raspberries are produced yearly.  With the U.S. coming in third, Russia and Serbia produce nearly 50% of the world's raspberries.

In addition to eating raspberries, add them to your yogurt, oatmeal, smoothie, or even a salad.  Though you may lose  the fiber, raspberry vinaigrette is a delicious low sugar, low fat, and low sodium salad dressing.  

written by

Kelly Huggins, A-CPT

Exercise Science, BS

Fitness Together Fitness/Nutrition Coach