Are Goji Berries Good For You?
The truth about goji berries: are goji berries worth it?
On today’s episode of Live Lean TV, I’m sharing the truth about goji berries: are goji berries good for you, and if so, are goji berries worth it?
It’s real, the goji berries health craze has been in full effect since the early 2000s.
Unfortunately, with this rise in popularity, many marketers have jumped on board, and some are making very exaggerated claims about the health benefits of goji berries.
So first, let’s talk about what goji berries are, the actual health benefits of goji berries, and if goji berries are worth the cost.
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What are goji berries?
Dried goji berries are a mildly sweet fruit that look like red raisins.
Although goji berries, also known as the wolfberries, may be newer to the western world, they also have been used in eastern medicine for many years.
Medicinal treatment claims included:
- cleansing the blood
- treating diabetes
- fighting cancer
- reducing allergies
- improving insomnia
- reducing kidney, liver, eye, and skin problems
Sounds like the goji berry is real superfood right?
Well lets dig deeper.
Health benefits of goji berries:
Goji berries are a good source of antioxidants:
Food high in antioxidants are key in the battle against free radical formation in the body.
Free radicals are created in the body via poor diet, the toxins in the environment, stress, smoking, and even excessive exercise.
This excessive free radical production can attack the body’s cells, which can potentially increase the risk of disease and cancer.
Therefore reducing the excessive production of free radicals is important as it decreases the risk of cancer as well as having anti-aging effects.
However, here’s the issue.
When the goji berry health craze began, many marketers began making bold claims that goji berries were ranked number 1 on the ORAC scale for being the food highest in antioxidants.
The ORAC scale, which stands for oxygen radical absorbance capacity, was a measure of the antioxidant capacity of specific foods.
But in 2012, the USDA removed the ORAC scale as they claimed it had no relevance on human health.
However, with that said, goji berries are still a good source of antioxidants, just like other traditional berries such as, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.
Goji Berries are a good source of vitamin A
Vitamin A is important for the functioning of your organs, including eye sight, as well as your immune system.
A one ounce serving of goji berries provides:
- 140% of your daily value (DV) of vitamin A
Goji berries are a complete protein
Unlike most other fruit, goji berries contain 18 amino acids, including all the required essential amino acids.
This makes the goji berry a complete protein source.
A one ounce serving of goji berries provides:
- 4g of protein
Goji berries are a good source of fiber
Consuming foods high in fiber improves gut health and digestion, keeps you regular, balances blood sugar levels, and keeps you feeling full, therefore reducing cravings.
A one ounce serving of goji berries provides:
- 3g of fiber
Where can you buy goji berries?
Most grocery stores sell dried goji berries, but you can also buy goji berries online.
Just make sure you buy goji berries without any added sugar, additives, or sulfites.
How do you eat goji berries?
We like to add goji berries to salads, trail mix with nuts, and also to our homemade no bake protein bars.
My protein superfood powder from Rootz Nutrition (use coupon code: LiveLeanTV), also contains a superfood blend including goji berries.
It’s also best to consume the dried goji berries rather than goji berry juice.
Most of the goji berry juices are very calorie dense, only contain small amounts of actual goji berries, and are loaded with sugar.
Always eat foods in their most natural state.
Bottom line: are goji berries good for you? are goji berries worth it?
Although goji berries are good for you, unlike a lot of the exaggerated and unproven claims by marketers, they are not the complete solution to all your health problems.
Plus, goji berries can be expensive to eat every day, so just enjoy them on occasion.
When it comes to nutrition, the key to living a healthier and longer life is simple.
It comes from eating a well rounded diet of whole foods consisting of antioxidant rich, micronutrient dense foods, high in protein, high in healthy fat, and high in fiber.
So if you think eating a handful of goji berries is going to cure all your health problems, think again.
Remember, they’re just berries.
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In other words, they are just one small tool in a huge tool box of healthy foods.
Focus on eating real food, in the right quantities for your activity level, move your body to get stronger, and recover with sufficient sleep.
That’s your cure to Living Lean and being healthy.
If you’re ready to join the thousands of other Live Leaners all over the world, go take our Live Lean Body quiz to discover the best workouts and nutrition plan for you, based on your goals, fitness level, and access to equipment.
Thanks for watching and keep Living Lean.
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Brad Gouthro is the founder of Live Lean TV, a media company focused on helping men and women “Live Lean” 365 days a year. Brad’s programs and content have helped millions of people all over the world learn how to get in shape, and more importantly, sustain it for life.