Goji Berries Are Good Food
Thursday, November 20th, 2008
Fruits and vegetables are recommended staples of any well balanced diet. As of late, it seems that the public is made available to more and more exotic fruits and vegetables. Up until lately, not many people have heard of fruit such as the acai berry. However, now it is hard to avoid this berry. Advertised in just about everything lately from energy drinks to the best diet pills, this exotic fruit boasts powerful properties. Much similar to Hoodia Gordonii , the acai berry is known to help people lose weight, and its benefits have been proclaimed by such stars as Rachel Ray.
Like the acai berry, the goji berry has been introduced into mainstream culture. Native to Asian, subtropical regions, the goji berry grows on evergreen bushes. Used by people native to the regions of Tibet and Mongolia, for thousands and thousands of years, the goji berry has been used to treat everything from sex drive to cancer.
Similar to chemical properties as domestic fruits and vegetables, they are rich in antioxidants, particularly carotenoids such as beta-carotene and zeaxanthin. These properties are good for eyesight and preventing the formation of “free-radical” cells. In one published study by a group of Chinese oncologists, the goji berry was shown to increase the effectiveness of cancer treatments.
Goji berries are often sold in a dried form. They have a sweet and tart taste and a texture similar to raisins. They can be consumed raw, or as a juice. Goji berries are often used in Chinese cooking as well.