Health Tip of the day: Amazing Benefits of Goji Berries

Goji berry is a sweet-tasting, dark-red coloured fruit, this fruit has extraordinary healing properties that most people don't know about, it is considered as the world's most nutrient-dense food. For over 2,000 years Goji has proven to improve many health conditions and cure ailments. Goji is said to contain more vitamin C than oranges, more beta-carotene than carrots, and more iron than steak.

It is a common practice in Chinese medicine to prescribe it to treat liver, kidney, or eye diseases, along with other herbs medicine. Many Chinese people consume goji berries in their day-to-day lives because they believe that red coloured berry can keep them healthy, young, and energetic. Goji berries can be eaten as raw, as goji juice, as herbal tea (e.g. with Chrysanthemum), with yogurt, and with cereal etc.

Health Benefits of Goji

- Goji is known as the "longevity fruit." Its unique master molecule polysaccharides and powerful antioxidants fight against free radicals that cause damage on the body.

- Goji increases stamina and endurance, it helps to eliminate fatigue, especially when recovering from illness.

- Goji stimulates the secretion by the pituitary gland of hGH (human growth hormone), the youth hormone. The benefits of hGH includes; reduction of body fat, better sleep, improved memory, accelerated healing, restored libido and a more youthful appearance.

- Goji can help protect your DNA. Exposure to chemicals, pollutants and free radicals can cause DNA damage and breakage, leading to genetic mutations, cancer and even death. Goji's betaine and master molecule polysaccharides can restore and repair damaged DNA.

- Goji can help you lose weight. In a study done obese patient were given good quality goji juice in the morning and afternoon. Most patients significantly lose a lot of weight. Goji polysaccharides were shown to reduce body weight by enhancing the conversion of food into energy instead of fat.

- Goji can reduce the toxic effect of Chemotherapy and Radiation. Goji was shown to enhance the effect of radiation in combating lung cancer, allowing a lower dose to be used. Other research indicates that goji can protect against some of the noxious side effects of chemotherapy and radiation.

- Goji can help enhance sexual function. Studies have shown that goji significantly increases testosterone level in the blood, thereby increasing libido in both men and women.

- Goji berries are popular for their vision-improvement properties. It was found in the study that goji was able to reduce the time it takes for vision to adapt to darkness. The carotenoids in goji may also protect against macular degeneration and cataracts.

- Goji can prevent cancer. Goji's antioxidant and unique polysaccharides can stop the genetic mutations that can lead to cancer. Some scientists believe that goji may be an especially good supplement to prevent liver cancer because it exerts liver protection and anti-cancer effects at the same time.

- Goji can inhibit cancer growth. Goji also has the ability to cause the death of tumor cells by inducing apoptosis, a process in which cancer cells are broken down and recycled.

- Goji helps to manage and fight cancer. Patient taking a cancer drug together with goji has recovery rate of up to 250 percent better than those patient taking the drug alone. These advanced-cancer patient experienced amazing regressions of malignant melanoma, renal cell carcinoma, colorectal carcinoma, lung cancer, nasopharyngeal carcinoma and malignant hydrothorax. Remission of cancers in patient treated with goji lasted significantly longer than those treated without goji.

- Goji can help improve memory. Goji is considered as "brain tonic", because it contains betaine, which is converted in the body into choline, substances that enhance memory and recall ability.

- Goji can make you feel happy. It is said that the daily consumption of Goji can give a person a happy disposition.

Other Health Benefits of Goji Berry includes;

- Goji can help to strengthen your immune system and heart, help support normal kidney and liver function, maintain healthy cholesterol level, normalise blood pressure, prevent and control diabetes.

- Goji can also help to strengthen the muscles and bones, maintain healthy gums and improve your digestion and it can help you to get a good night sleep.

Nutrient Contents of Goji: 11 essential elements, 22 trace dietary minerals, 18 amino acids, 6 essential vitamins, 8 polysaccharides, and 6 monosaccharide. It contains 5 unsaturated fatty acids (essential fatty acids, linoleic acid, alpha-linolenic acid, beta-sitosterol and other phytosterols), 5 carotenoids (e.g. beta-carotene and zeaxanthin etc), xanthophy, and many phenolic pigments associated with antioxidant properties.

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What is a superfruit?

Superfruit refers to a fruit that has exceptional nutrients, rich in antioxidants and has an appealing taste that can provide health benefits for you. It is a marketing term that has been introduced and used since 2005 as a way to promote and market as a healthy fruit that is very good for man.

There are popular fruits out there w/c has excellent nutritional properties but are not known to be superfruits. Some of these well known fruits are: strawberries, blackberries, oranges to name a few. Maybe because they are not properly introduced or marketed properly as a superfruit.

Superfruit definition means that the fruit should have its native fruit qualities, scientific evidence supporting a health benefit such as antioxidant properties, promotion, marketing and distribution as well as protection of intellectual property, and come up with an appealing strategy to attact buyers and customers.

Resulting from a deliberate business strategy of a manufacturer to bring together marketing, science and potential health value to consumers, a superfruit product is specifically and scientifically designed in manufacturing and marketing.

To date, superfruits have been developed mainly as juices, but began in 2007 to appear as single piece products or as ingredients for functional foods, confectioneries and cosmetics. Current industry development includes applications for creating novel consumer products, such as energy drinks, dietary supplements, and flavors with nutrient qualities, e.g. fortified water.

Although used increasingly in new food and beverage products, superfruits have not been defined by scientific criteria that would allow consumers to objectively assess nutrient value and potential for furnishing health benefits. Consequently, the term superfruit is used liberally to include a growing list of common and rare fruits, some having sparse scientific evidence for being "super".

Here are a list of the 10 know superfruits in random order.

1. Goji
2. Acai
3. Pomegranate
4. Noni
5. Kiwi
6. Mangosteen
7. Cranberry
8. Avocado
9. Seabuckthorn
10. blueberry