With their dozens of types—raspberries, cranberries, blueberries, strawberries, mulberries, etc—berries come in different shapes and colours, but most of them have one thing in common: they can benefit your body in many different ways. Here are five important benefits of berries.

1. Berries can help you lose weight
   With its high fibre and water content, snacking on berries can help you to feel full. Skip chips and fries on that supermarket aisle and stock up on those berries.
2. Berries can help boost your immune system
   While it’s true that all fruits naturally contain antioxidants, berries indeed contain a particularly high level of antioxidants. Antioxidants are important in fighting free radicals, thus boosting your immune system and helping to prevent some diseases.
3. Berries can help you remain sharp
   Berries—especially blueberries and cranberries—are rich in anthocyanins, a substance that gives berries their colours. Anthocyanins is also believed to be able to slow down age-­related memory loss.
4. Berries have anti-­inflammatory properties
   Numerous researches have stated that quercetin, a substance that berries contain, has anti­inflammatory effects. This is beneficial for numerous situations, mainly for easing symptoms of arthritis.
5. Berries can help manage diabetes
   The aforementioned anthocyanins is suggested to also have positive effects on the metabolism of glucose and insulin sensitivity.

Text by Alexandra Karman
Stock photos from bigstockphoto.com

Source(s):

• http://www.joybauer.com/food­articles/berries.aspx
• http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=8
• http://www.everydayhealth.com/diet­nutrition-pictures/amazing­health­benefits­of­berries.aspx#07