Are Aronia berries good for you? Aronia berries, otherwise known as chokeberries, are fruits that aren’t brought up enough in conversations about superfoods. While the little berries don’t often come up in conversation, it’s one of the newer and more exciting additions to the super fruit group. They can also pack delicious flavor into everything from pies to smoothies and can be consumed as Aronia berry supplements. These berries can be a little tart when ripe, are native to North America and have plenty of health benefits. They have been used in traditional recipes, such as pemmican (a type of dried meat), and as a symbol of strength and resilience in various tribal legends and stories. Let’s take a look at what Aronia berries can do and why you should add them to your healthy diet.
Can Help Regulate Blood Sugar
Blood sugar is an essential topic for many, as blood sugar regulation is critical for various health reasons. It’s important to monitor when your blood sugar is too high or too low as it affects everything from your risk of diabetes to other health issues. Fortunately, the manganese in Aronia berries can help the body regulate the sugar levels in the blood.
Strengthen Immune System
In today’s day and age, it’s crucial to strengthen the immune system. A healthy immune system can help the body fight off various diseases. Unfortunately, an unhealthy lifestyle such as weight issues, lack of sleep, or little exercise can worsen the immune system. Aronia berries carry a punch of antioxidants that can help strengthen the immune system. A daily dose of Aronia berries, whether in juice, smoothie, or supplement form, can help prevent issues such as urinary tract infection.
Reduce Cancer Risk
There is a list of different types of cancer, and people are always looking for ways to reduce their risk. Aronia berries are one of the superfood berries to look into because they contain enough of the daily recommended antioxidants that help protect cells against the type of cancer-causing cell damage.
Decrease Risk of Diabetes
One of Aronia berries’ exciting benefits is its anti-diabetic effects due to its various ingredients from polyphenols to anthocyanins. Polyphenols, a micronutrient, have some degree of influence on the levels of blood glucose in the body. Managing blood glucose is a necessary process when trying to manage diabetes. Anthocyanins also help improve the body’s ability to resist insulin and keep liver health, a combination that can reduce the risk of diabetes or help manage existing blood sugar issues.
Protects The Liver
Speaking of the liver, it’s no secret that it’s an essential organ in the body for many reasons. The liver helps process food, manage the movement and breakdown of fat through the body, and removes toxins from the body. Aronia berries have benefits for the liver with anthocyanins and help reduce the risk of liver fibrosis. Live fibrosis occurs when the liver is trying to repair itself but ends up damaging itself by creating abnormal scar tissue. After a certain point, liver fibrosis is irreversible, making it essential to get a healthy amount of anthocyanins in the body.
Helps The Lungs
One of Aronia berries helps the lungs by helping strengthen the immune system, as mentioned before. When the immune system is healthy, it helps reduce the risk of contracting the flu. When the body contracts the flu, the virus attacks cells in the lungs, which can cause severe long-term damage to the lungs. The nutrients in Aronia berries also reduce the risk of cancer or tumors in the lungs with its powerful antioxidant effect. That’s because the berries help reduce oxidative stress in the lungs. When there aren’t enough antioxidants for the lungs, the cells in the lungs can become inflamed due to air pollution or other environmental issues. These risks can worsen if a person exposed to industrial chemicals, pesticides, radiation, or tobacco products.
Skincare Benefits
Everyone is always looking for food or products to help them maintain healthy skin. Manganese isn’t just good for regulating blood sugar, but it helps with the body’s ability to form collage for skin cells. The antioxidants in Aronia berries also have another function of preventing free radical damage to the skin, a useful anti-aging benefit. Manganese, along with the vitamin C found in Aronia berries, also help with skin glow and collagen.
Healthy For Bones
Speaking of vitamin C, it’s an essential vitamin for the bones, joints, and teeth. We need the daily recommended amount of vitamin C because our bodies aren’t able to produce it. Our bones also develop differently from different parts of our body; its complicated process of health and healing requires various vitamins and minerals to maintain its composition and structure. The vitamin C found in Aronia berries helps this process of bone health.
For Digestive Health
Whenever you look up tips for digestive health, you see ”fiber” listed on almost every list of suggestions. That’s because fiber helps move waste along your colon, which keeps it flowing. It prevents constipation, watery stool, and reduces the risk of any colon-related cancers. Fiber also helps regulate blood sugar by managing the absorption of sugar during the digestion process. Aronia is a good source of fiber.
Heart Benefits
LDL, otherwise known as bad cholesterol, and triglycerides are harmful to the heart at high levels. They’re both lipids found in your blood. For example, triglycerides form from unused calories that end up getting stored into the fat cells. High levels of triglyceride can indicate heart issues, diabetes, and other health issues. Aronia berries can contribute to a decrease in triglycerides and bad cholesterol. This combination is the right one for maintaining a healthy heart.
Frequently Asked Questions
Aronia berries have high levels of antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals that can support heart health, boost immunity, improve digestion, and reduce oxidative stress.
Aronia juice can provide the same health benefits as consuming whole Aronia berries, but in a more concentrated form. Drinking Aronia juice can also help increase your daily intake of antioxidants and other important nutrients.
Aronia powder is made from ground Aronia berries and can be added to smoothies, baked goods, and other food and beverage products to increase their nutrient content. Aronia powder also provides the same health benefits as consuming whole Aronia berries or drinking Aronia juice.
Aronia berries contain high levels of anthocyanins, which have been shown to support heart health by reducing inflammation, oxidative stress, and high blood pressure.
Aronia berries are generally safe and well-tolerated, but some people may experience digestive discomfort or allergic reactions after consuming them. If you are pregnant or have a medical condition, consult your doctor before consuming Aronia berries.
The optimal serving size of aronia berries varies depending on factors such as age, gender, and overall health. As a general guideline, consuming 1-2 cups of Aronia berries per day can provide a good source of antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Aronia berries are often referred to as a superfood due to their high levels of antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. However, the term “superfood” is not a scientifically recognized term and it is best to focus on consuming a variety of nutrient-rich foods as part of a balanced diet.
Yes, Aronia berries can be eaten raw. They can also be consumed as juice, powder, or added to baked goods, smoothies, and other food and beverage products.
It may not be easy to find Aronia berries at a local grocery store as they’re still relatively new to the superfood scene. Fortunately, demand for Aronia berries will increase as people find more and more benefits for them. However, you can order Aroniaberry products in our online shop, they can be added to everything from smoothies to desserts and tea. They can also be found in powder or supplements. Aronia berries are rich in powerful antioxidants and are a great addition to any healthy diet. More health benefits are listed on our Aronia Berry Page.
