A Healthy Diet Must Include Fruit & Berries

If humans reverted back to the diet, they ate before processed mass produced food became the accepted norm they would be much healthier, and probably happier as a race. The diet would consist of a higher percentage of seasonal locally grown fruit and vegetables. A higher proportion of which would be fruits and berries; some fresh and some preserved.

the body's immune system prevents excessive build-ups of free radicals by neutralising them with antioxidants it gets from food

Super Food Fruits & Berries

All fruits & berries should be considered superfoods, they harness the sunshine and deposit vital nutrients into the body. Eating more fruit and vegetables improves health; this is an undisputed fact. What's also a fact is that not all fruits & berries are equal. Super fruits and berries offer and abundance of nutrition, antioxidants, and fibre; making them the perfect snack 'on the go' for us today.

All Fruit Is Good

Try not to fall into the trap of thinking fruit has to be exotic and expensive to be nutritionally beneficial. Some exotic super fruits contain higher concentrations of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, but eating fruit of any description is better than not.

A benefit of the onslaught of globalisation is that exotic fruits, grown in only a few regions of the world, are now readily available. Meaning everyone can access the healing benefits that the powerful nutrients in these fruits offer.

Here are a few exotic fruits that are becoming commonplace in the markets of Europe and North America:

• Dragon fruit
• Goji Berries
• Acai Berries

Fresh & Dried Fruit V's Vitamin Supplements

With so many vitamin and mineral supplements on the market that make audacious claims about the benefits of taking them, why do we bother to eat fruit at all? Why not just use supplements? Well, because whole fruit, whether dried or fresh contains much more than just vitamins and minerals.

Fruit contains complex variations of the vital nutrients the body needs, these simply can not be replicated in dried corn-based vitamin tablets.

Over and above the vitamins and minerals, fruit contains high levels of antioxidants, fibre, and phytochemical. While berries are ripening on sun-drenched mountains, they absorb nutrients from the soil, sun and fresh air in such a way it's impossible to replicate in a laboratory.

Phytochemical's & Antioxidants

Phytochemical's are what give exotic fruits and green leafy vegetables their deep, vibrant colours. There are more than a thousand different phytochemical known to man, and each one of them has antioxidant benefits.

Free Radicals

Free radicals are molecules that form in the body when the body is exposed to processed foods, pollution, smoking and pesticides and many other substances we come in contact with on a daily basis. The body's immune system prevents excessive build-ups of free radicals by neutralising them with antioxidants it gets from food.

If the level of free radicals is allowed to built up in the body, they can start a chain of events that will cause cells within the body to mutate. Potentially develop into cancers, heart diseases, and any number illnesses.

Antioxidants are used by the body to break down free radicals that have built up. Eating fruits that contain high levels of antioxidants helps lower concentrations of free radicles, meaning the immune system doesn't get overwhelmed and can do its job of rebuilding damaged cells and healing the body.