Summary
While the Welsh-grown blackcurrant is no longer commonly used in foods, health experts say the "forgotten fruit" it is even healthier than the highly-praised blueberry, offering almost four times the vitamin C found in oranges and a wealth of health-promoting antioxidants that fight everything from flu and cold sores to cancer and heart disease.
Original source:
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Details
THE humble Welsh-grown blackcurrant is set to steal the blueberry's crown as nature's greatest superfood.
Once the staple ingredient of summer pudding, but ignored in the kitchen for years, the small dark fruit is enjoying a renaissance because of its high antioxidant content.
But the fruit, used widely to flavour children's squash and fruit drinks, can also help to protect against flu, slow down the ageing process and keep the heart healthy.
Jimmy McConnel, who has grown blackcurrants at Whitehouse Farm near Monmouth for 44 years, said, "The health benefits of blueberries have become well-known in the past few years, but the blackcurrant has almost disappeared from the consumer's consciousness.
"It may be small but, according to dietitians, the Welsh blackcurrant is bursting with more health-promoting antioxidants than almost any other fruit or vegetable, including blueberries.
The health-giving properties of blackcurrants are mainly due to the fruit's high source of anthocyanins - the dark colour of blackcurrants reflects its high anthocyanin content - which can guard against flu and cold sore viruses.
"Blackcurrants are an excellent source of anthocyanins, important health-promoting antioxidants, known to help protect against ill-health, especially cancer and heart disease.
"Eating blackcurrants or drinking blackcurrant juice as part of a healthy diet, is an easy, natural way to improve your antioxidant intake and maintain a healthy lifestyle."
The antioxidants found in
blackcurrants also play an important role in helping to slow down the ageing process - they may not increase lifespan, but they can increase the chances of living to the maximum lifespan.
And rats which were fed with berries rich in antioxidants showed improvements in their short-term memory and improvements in their balance, co-ordination and running speed.
About the author: Mike Adams is a natural health researcher, author and award-winning journalist with a passion for sharing empowering information to help improve personal and planetary health He has authored and published thousands of articles, interviews, consumers guides, and books on topics like health and the environment, and he has published numerous courses on preparedness and survival, including financial preparedness, emergency food supplies, urban survival and tactical self-defense. Adams is an independent journalist with strong ethics who does not get paid to write articles about any product or company. In mid 2010, Adams produced TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural health video sharing website offering user-generated videos on nutrition, green living, fitness and more. He's also a noted pioneer in the email marketing software industry, having been the first to launch an HTML email newsletter technology that has grown to become a standard in the industry. Adams also serves as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a non-profit consumer protection group, and pursues hobbies such as martial arts, Capoeira, nature macrophotography and organic gardening. He's also author a large number of health books offered by Truth Publishing and is the creator of numerous reference website including NaturalPedia.com and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. His websites also include the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the innate healing ability of the human body. Known by his callsign, the 'Health Ranger,' Adams posts his missions statements, health statistics and health photos at www.HealthRanger.org
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Tuesday, July 12, 2005
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