Beautiful berries – a guide to one of nature’s best

By Casey O’Dell – Accredited Practising Dietitian

Inside that delicious, juicy and colourful ball, there is so much nutrition! Berries are loaded with fibre, vitamin C, antioxidants and other minerals. Also, compared to other fruits the sugar content of berries is low, so you get plenty of bang for your buck when eating this satisfying fruit. Here are few of the most popular berries and their main features:  

Strawberries 

Strawberries are easy to find in most green grocers and supermarkets and are affordable all year round. 1 cup of strawberries has as much vitamin C as 1 cup of orange juice as well as calcium, magnesium, folate and potassium. They make for a perfect, sweet afternoon snack or after dinner with a little Greek yoghurt. 

Raspberries 

Raspberries are a little more fragile and are best in the Summer months when they are easier to get and more affordable. Those squishy little gems house a great deal of vitamin C, magnesium and folate. Remember they are delicate and don’t last too long so eat them quickly. Raspberries taste great in a fruit salad or with some shaved dark chocolate for a healthy dessert. 

Blueberries 

You get the most fibre and antioxidants out of blueberries which makes them one of the best. They are best in the summer months, but frozen blueberries are often just as nutritious, more affordable and available anytime. Blueberries are fantastic with cereal for breakfast or whizzed up in your favourite smoothie.  

Blackberries 

Blackberries look a lot like Raspberries but are larger and darker. They are seemingly less popular but when in season (the Summer months), they are delicious and house a whopping 7g fibre per cup, are high in calcium and potassium and are low in calories. Blackberries go well in smoothies and even cut up in salads to give it a tangy-sweet flavour.