Goji Berries
What are Goji Berries?
The Goji Berry, Wolfberry or Lycium barbarum for the botanists out there, is a small, piquant and highly nutritious berry found around Northern China. This little red number boasts a number of impressive claims, including over 20 different minerals, an antioxidant and vitamin c rating higher than green tea and any fruit you can think of, and guess what? Goji berries are also a complete protein! Vegetarians and vegans over the world rejoice! For something so small to pack such a punch you’d expect them to taste awful right? You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the sweet, tart flavour.
Gimme Some Goji Berry Stats
Goji berries contain 500 times more vitamin C per ounce than oranges. They are the highest known food source of carotenoids, and they even contain Cyperone, which alleviates menstrual discomfort and normalizes blood pressure. Need some more reasons?
Goji berries contain 19 amino acids, 21 trace minerals, the entire vitamin B complex, vitamin E and even the antifungal, antibacterial compound Solavetivone. According to Traditional Chinese medicine, the Goji Berry is thought to enrich yin and work on the liver, lungs and kidneys, as well as increase the flow of Qi in the body.
What Do I Do With These Goji Berries?
Some simple ways to incorporate the magnificent Goji berry into your daily diet are to add them to dried fruit mixes or fruit salads with yoghurt for for a snack, drop a few in a cup of green tea and chew them at then end of your drink, add them to foods such as curries the same way you would sultanas, or for a more luxurious treat dip them in organic dark chocolate and savour to the very last berry.
You’ll be hard-pressed to find them in their fresh state out of the areas they are grown, but we think dried Goji berries are so tasty you’ll make them a permanent fixture in your diet. And with so many health benefits you can’t lose.
Getting My Goji Goodies
There are some things you might to look our for when shopping for Goji berries, since you want to be sure you’re getting berries that haven’t been processed in a way that kills off all that nutritional content right? If dried berries are a gaudy red colour, they’ve been treated with sulphites so perhaps move more towards the dull, pinky-red looking varieties. Also, if you can find organic Goji berries you’ll be doing yourself (and the environment) a huge favour by eliminating pesticide ingestion and maximizing nutrient content.
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