About our berries ...

Did you know that your cells are being bombarded every second of your life by dangerous particles called free radicals? In less time than you can blink an eye, these free radicals can alter your DNA in ways that cause cancer or change LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) so it sticks to artery walls. These free radicals can damage collagen and make your skin prone to wrinkles. Over time, changes such as these accelerate your aging.

Now we are telling you that research has proven that you can fight back. That fight starts when you decide to load your diet with antioxidants - the natural way of eliminating those free radicals - by eating lots of fruit and vegetables. That's where the incredible blackberries and blueberries come in. 

Blackberries have the highest LDL inhibitory effect, followed by red raspberries, sweet cherries, blueberries and strawberries, according to the research done. Blackberries are low in calories and are fat free. Blackberries contain between 30 and 60 calories per half-cup serving. A half-cup serving yields about 15-20 mg of vitamin C, over 5 grams of fiber, 30-35 mg of calcium, 20-22 mg of magnesium and phosphorus, 34 mg of folate, no sodium and are a natural source of salicylate, an ingredient found in aspirin. One of the best reasons to eat blackberries is that they taste so very good.

In tests at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston, blueberries beat out 39 other common fruits and vegetables in antioxidant power - even such heavyweights as kale, strawberries, spinach, and broccoli. Much of that power comes literally "out of the blue" - from anthocyanins, the pigments that give blueberries their deep blue hue. Blueberries are bursting with them. So impressed is Ronald Prior, Ph.D., head of the USDA Photochemical Laboratory at Tufts and the scientist who discovered the secret power of blueberries, that he now recommends adding ½ cup of blueberries to your diet every day - a far cry from our current average intake of 2 ½ cups a year! The most intriguing news about blueberries is this: There's a possibility they can actually reverse the loss of short-term memory that happens as we age, says James Joseph, Ph.D., a USDA scientist at Tufts. Dr. Joseph explains that as rats age, they forget to find their way through mazes that they previously had learned to navigate. But when he and his colleagues supplemented the diets of some older rats with blueberry extract for two months, they actually improved their navigational skills in the same mazes. The rats' balance, coordination, and running speed also improved. Though these results are still very preliminary, Dr. Joseph calls them very exciting. "The next step: to identify the compounds responsible for this effect and eventually test them in humans". Tests at Rutgers Blueberry Cranberry Research Center in Chatsworth, NJ have found that blueberries contain a compound called condensed tannins that can prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs). In Japan, blueberries are known as "the vision fruit" - reputed to help relieve eyestrain. Research in Europe indicates that European blueberries can improve night vision and help eyes adjust to bright lights. At Tufts, Dr. Prior plans to study the ability of blueberries to prevent macular degeneration, a disease of the retina and the leading cause of blindness in people over age 65. (Prevention Magazine, June 1999). 

Aren't these reasons enough to come to Bailey's Berry Patch during berry season and pick to your heart's content?