Got your attention? I thought it might. You have probably heard of goji berries, but have you tried them? Unfortunately they have been the victim of over hype since they arrived on the market, which may have put some people off trying them. That’s a real pity because when you look past the hype, they really are an excellent addition to a healthy diet.

What Are Goji Berries

Theses bright red berries have been cultivated in China for more than 600 years, but only become commercially available over the last 10 years. Fresh goji berries are not available outside their locally grown area as they don’t hold particularly well. Instead they are dried for export. Some goji berries can be heavily treated with pesticides, so it’s best to go for organic.

The tasty dried berries look like a red colored raisin and taste like a mix between a cranberry and a cherry.

Why They’re So Good

Goji berries have a lot going for them in the health department:

• They contain 18 amino acids – the building blocks of protein. Essential for growth, maintenance and repair of the body.

• Low G.I. – so they won’t spike your blood sugar, unlike most dried fruit.

• High in antioxidants – said to contain 500 times more vitamin C than oranges by weight. That’s a whole lotta’ vitamin C! And more beta carotene than carrots!

• High In Fibre – dried goji berries contain 4 grams of fibre per 28g serving ( roughly 1 tablespoon or 1/4 cup)

more on benefits of fibre here

So How Can Goji Berries Help You Burn Body Fat And Look Younger?

Goji berries stimulate the pituitary gland which releases human growth hormone (HGH). What’s so good about HGH? HGH improves memory, helps us to get restful sleep, gives us a more youthful appearance and burns body fat.

What Is HGH?

HGH is a natural hormone produced in high amounts in our bodies when we’re young, but begins to decline rapidly after the age of 25. Which would explain some of the reasons why people generally experience poor sleep quality, gain weight and start to show the first signs of aging.

Now I’m not saying that eating a spoon full of goji berries will magically turn back the clock and give you six pack abs, and there are other ways to naturally boost HGH such as resistance training and high intensity interval training (HIIT), but if you your goal is to boost your health while looking and feeling great then the benefits of adding goji berries to a balanced diet are a definite plus in my opinion.

How To Use Them

Goji berries taste great alone but you can add them to pretty much anything to enhance flavor and texture. I love to spinkle them on top of my oatmeal or mix them into some natural plain yogurt. They taste great with a little raw chocolate or mixed with nuts and seeds too.

So give them a try, and let me know what you think.

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This entry was posted on February 5, 2011 at 2:57 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Posted in Body Fat Diet by davidgowing No Comments Yet