Powers: protects your heart; enhances eyesight; improves balance, coordination, and short-term memory; prevents cravings
Secret weapons: antioxidants, fiber, vitamin C, tannins
Prevent and Control: heart disease, cancer, obesity
Raspberries carry powerful levels of antioxidants, all-purpose components that help your body fight heart disease and cancer; the berries’ flavonoids may also help your eyesight, balance, coordination, and short-term memory. One cup of raspberries packs 6 grams of fiber and more than half of your daily requirement of vitamin C.
Blueberries are also loaded with the soluble fiber that, like oatmeal, keeps you fuller longer. In fact, they’re one of the most healthful foods you can eat. Blueberries beat out 39 other fruits and vegetables in the antioxidant power ratings. One study also found that rats that ate blueberries were more coordinated and smarter than rats that didn’t.
Strawberries contain another valuable form of fiber called pectin (as do grapefruits, peaches, apples, and oranges). In a study subjects drank plain orange juice or juice spiked with pectin. The people who got the loaded juice felt fuller after drinking it than those who got the juice without the pectin.
