Have you heard about a mystical red berry packed with amazing health benefits? This berry has been a hot topic on TV, in health magazines, and more. You’ve probably had the berry in a smoothie or salad without realizing it.
This miraculous little fruit is the goji berry. The goji berry health benefits are what give this berry so much fame.
But the berry’s health benefits aren’t a new discovery. The goji berry was a common ingredient in many medicines in Ancient China.
Goji berries are bright red and offer a sweet and sour flavor that you can enjoy fresh, dried, or concentrated. Each form offers more benefits that range from weight loss to fighting cancer.
Do these little berries live up to their name? Check out these 9 great goji berry health benefits you can promote in marketing.
1. Packed with Nutrition
Each goji berry packs a punch when it comes to nutrition. They’re low in calories and provide you with plenty of protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Goji berries are one of the few fruits high in fiber and protein.
In about a 1/4 cup serving of berries, you’ll get only 70 calories along with:
- 12g sugar
- 9g protein
- 6g fiber
- 150% RDI of Vitamin A
- 63% RDI of Vitamin B2
- 42% RDI of Iron
- 27% RDI of Vitamin C
- 21% RDI of Potassium
- 15% RDI of Zinc
- 0g fat
This only a fraction of the vitamins and minerals goji berries provide. They also contain copper, selenium, carotenoids, thiamine, polysaccharides, and more. These nutritional benefits are necessary for proper organ function, cell development, and metabolic health.
2. Boosts Your Energy
Need a midday energy-boost but don’t want another cup of coffee? Why not have a refreshing glass of goji berry juice?
There’s a link between concentrated goji berry extract and improved energy with a positive sense of well-being. Researchers found goji berry extract can enhance your exercise performance and help you recover better and faster. This is beneficial to athletes and anyone who lives an active lifestyle.
Besides having more energy, regular consumption of goji berries can reduce stress, improve sleep quality, and mental health.
3. Improves Immune Health
Goji berries can help you stay healthy during this next cold and flu season. They’re not a cure, but the high amounts of antioxidants they contain can greatly improve your immune system health.
Antioxidants, along with vitamins A and C, fight free radicals and inflammation in the body. Antioxidants can improve white blood cell production. These cells play a critical role by fighting harmful bacteria and viruses in the body.
4. Improved Eye Health
Besides helping with your immune health, the antioxidants in goji berries also help your eye and skin health. Researchers are finding that the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin are responsible for promoting healthy eyes. They’re the antioxidants responsible for giving the berry it’s bright red color.
Throughout our lives, we encounter UV radiation and smoke which breaks down cells in our eyes and skin. Consuming foods high in antioxidants, like goji berries, can reduce eye damage such as macular degeneration.
5. Helps with Weight Loss
Fiber and protein are important for weight loss. Due to their high amounts of both, another goji berry health benefit is weight loss. They have a low glycemic index (GI) meaning they release sugar slowly into the body.
When you’re craving a sweet snack, try snacking on dried goji berries. They offer a little sweetness without the empty calories. They’re a healthier alternative to many other dried fruits as they are low in calories and contain very little sugar.
You can eat dried goji berries on their own or top them on your salads, yogurt, or smoothies. Goji berry juice may help improve your metabolism by boosting your metabolic rate.
6. Blood Sugar Control
If you have a sweet tooth, you might already know how excess sugar can mess with your blood sugar. Goji berries still offer a little sweetness while also helping to lower your blood sugar.
They can improve your tolerance to sugar and alleviate resistance to insulin. They also improve the function of the cells producing insulin.
If you’re using medications to help control your blood sugar, you should talk with a doctor before adding goji berries to your diet.
7. Improve Cholesterol Levels
Goji berry health benefits may include improving cholesterol levels. Researchers found that taking goji berry extract regularly can help reduce bad cholesterol in the body. It also increases the good HDL cholesterol.
Goji berries contain an anti-inflammatory agent known as beta-sitosterol. Researchers believe it plays an active role in lowering cholesterol levels. Beta-sitosterol promotes sexual health while protecting you against heart disease, allergies, chronic fatigue, hair loss, and arthritis.
8. May Prevent Cancer Growth
In recent tests, researchers are finding that goji berry extract can slow the growth of cancer cells. Goji berries may prevent the spread of cancer cells and in some cases, destroy them.
This is in part due to the high amounts of antioxidants. Antioxidants can lower IL-5 and IL 8 inflammatory cytokines found in the blood. Other fruits such as strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries have a similar effect.
This research shows the cancer-fighting benefits of concentrated goji berry extract. Consuming dried or fresh goji berries may not have as powerful of an effect.
9. Anti-Aging Benefits
The antioxidants found in goji berries offer several anti-aging benefits. By preventing free radicals from damaging your skin’s collagen, skin can appear younger and healthier for a longer period.
Pure goji berry juice can promote cell health by improving DNA synthesis. This slows the aging process in cells and protects them from DNA damage. Researchers believe many foods high in antioxidants, along with goji berries, offer many anti-aging benefits.
Enjoy Goji Berry Health Benefits Today!
The list of goji berry health benefits is almost endless. They also support healthy kidney function, bone health, liver health, and much more. You can safely consume them raw, dried, or as a juice.
Are you interested in trying goji berries or adding them to your business? Let’s get in touch! We’re happy to help you with any of your goji berry needs.
