Raspberries are a small, sweet fruit with a tart undertone. Their cheerful pop of color and delicious flavor can make any ordinary meal feel special. And, each delicate raspberry is packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber.
Raspberries can be found in four different colors: red, black, purple, and gold. Red raspberries are the most common type found at the grocery store. Fresh raspberries are generally available from June to October, but frozen raspberries are available year-round and contain the same amount of vitamins and minerals.
In addition, raspberries can also offer substantial health benefits.
Health Benefits
Raspberries pack a lot of nutrition into a small space. They provide potassium, essential to heart function, and proven to lower blood pressure. The omega-3 fatty acids in raspberries can help prevent stroke and heart disease. They also contain a mineral called manganese, which is necessary for healthy bones and skin and helps regulate blood sugar.
Diabetes Management
One cup of raspberries provides 8 grams of fiber, far more than most fruits in the produce aisle. Fiber can help lower blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure. Foods high in fiber tend to be more satisfying and keep you feeling full longer after a meal, so they can help with weight management.
Raspberries contain much less sugar than most fruits — just 5 grams in an entire cup, making them less likely to raise your blood sugar levels.
Raspberries add a sweet taste to dishes, which can reduce your desire to sweeten food with artificial preservatives helping you lose weight and control your blood sugar levels.
Disease Prevention
Raspberries are high in antioxidants that can protect cells from damage by free radicals. Free radicals are unstable atoms that injure your cells as they try to stabilize. The damage they cause may play a role in the aging process, arthritis, cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and many other conditions.
Antioxidants stabilize free radicals, making them harmless. Fresh raspberries are among the top sources of antioxidants for your diet. Black raspberries offer the most antioxidants, followed by red and then golden raspberries. The deeper the color, the more antioxidants the berry contains.
Healthy Skin
Raspberries also contain Vitamin C, which is vital to collagen production, a protein that makes up 75% of your skin. As you age, collagen decreases, causing wrinkles and sagging.
Raspberries are loaded with Vitamin C, which may also help prevent and repair skin damage from the sun.
Nutrition
Fresh or frozen, raspberries are a great source of:
Nutrients per Serving
One cup of fresh red raspberries contains:
- Calories: 64
- Protein: 1 gram
- Fat: >1 gram
- Carbohydrates: 14 grams
- Fiber: 8 grams
- Sugar: 5 grams
Things to Watch Out For
Pre-mixed raspberry yogurt can contain up to 25 grams of carbohydrates and 18 grams of sugar per serving. Most brands add more sugar than raspberries. The same amount of plain Greek yogurt and ½ cup of raspberries provides almost double the amount of food with only 14 grams of carbs and less than 10 grams of sugar.
How to Prepare Raspberries
Each of the four types of raspberries — red, black, purple, and gold — are distinct in taste. Black raspberries are sweet with a flavor somewhere between a red raspberry and a blackberry. Purple raspberries are a cross between the red and black. A golden raspberry is pale yellow and has a unique, mellow flavor described as a combination of honey, apricot, banana, and raspberry.
Try topping your oatmeal, pancakes, waffles, or cereal with raspberries. Use them to sweeten smoothies, muffins, or fruit salad. Or just enjoy a handful as a sweet and tart afternoon snack.
Here are a few ways to use raspberries in recipes:
- Sprinkle a handful of raspberries and granola on top of greek yogurt to make a parfait
- Preserve raspberries to make a sweet jam to spread on toast
- Add raspberries to your favourite white chocolate cookie recipe
- Spruce up your lemonade or iced tea with fresh or frozen raspberries
- Bake overripe raspberries into a raspberry bread
- Combine raspberries, brown sugar, flour, and butter to make a raspberry crumble
- Spruce up your salad with a raspberry vinaigrette dressing
