Goji Berries

Goji Berries

Goji berries are a tiny orange red berry that grow on the shrub bush lycium barbarum, which is native to Asia.

Goji berries have a long history in traditional Chinese medicine thanks to a range of purported health benefits. Lore suggests goji berries have remarkable health benefits in traditional Chinese medicine, with the ‘liver channel’ and ‘kidney channel’ recognised in traditional theory and practice. More recently, studies have confirmed goji berries are a good source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, with particularly good levels of vitamin C.

Benefits of Goji Berries

Goji berry nutrition

The main draw for health goers is the impressive nutrition stats of these berries. Offering a generous dose of antioxidants, rich in fibre, and with a large range of vitamins and minerals, a small handful of these goji berries goes a long way. They are particularly high in vitamin A, with over half the recommended daily intake in just two tablespoons. They’re also rich in vitamin C, an important element in maintaining a healthy immune system.

Fight free radicals

A good source of antioxidants, goji berries are considered a high antioxidant potential fruit meaning they can help alleviate oxidative stress on the body to provide a range of health benefits. This means they’re great at helping the body fight free radicals, acting to protect DNA, proteins, and lipids.

Eye health

Including goji berries in a healthy diet may be beneficial to eye health, particularly when it comes to age related eye diseases like macular degeneration. A randomised controlled trial studied the effects of goji berries on macular characteristics and plasma antioxidant levels, concluding that 90 days of dietary supplementation in the form of goji berry juice increases plasma zeaxanthin and antioxidant levels and can protect the macula against soft drusen accumulation and hypopigmentation.

Support the immune system

Science has repeatedly shown antioxidants play an important role in supporting the body’s immune system. Goji berries’ rich vitamin A and C levels, along with other powerful antioxidant vitamins and trace elements, are suggested to positively impact immune responses.

Reduce inflammation

Studies have shown lycium barbarum (goji berries) are loaded with polyphenols, micronutrients packed with antioxidants and a variety of health benefits. Polyphenols are thought to positively impact oxidative stress in the body and therefore help fight inflammation, a known result of oxidative stress.

Protect and promote healthy skin

Beta carotene is an antioxidant that converts to vitamin A in the body. Antioxidant micronutrients have been reported to help protect the skin from sun damage, with this review published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition citing optimal supply increases defence against UV damage and positively impacts overall skin health.

Ways to eat Goji Berries

Typically consumed as a dried fruit, dried goji berries make a delicious and nutritious snack straight from the packet. Dried goji berries also make a fantastic addition to homemade muesli and granola, pairing well with a variety of raw nuts, seeds, and puffed grains or oats for a nutritious start to the day. Or add dried goji berries to your favourite nuts and seeds to create a healthy trail mix you can enjoy on-the-go. Dried goji berries are great in baking too - try mixing them into raw slices, crumbles, bliss balls, cookies, muffins, and more.

You can also enjoy goji berries raw with the most common way to have fresh goji berries being in the form of goji berry juice.

Goji berries are often included as an ingredient in herbal supplements thanks to their impressive nutrition profile. As a supplement, goji berries can be found in powder form, as a liquid supplement that’s made from the fresh berries, or as part of an oral herbal supplements (typically capsule/tablet form). Popular as part of traditional Chinese medicine, soaking dried goji berries in water will give you a mild-tasting slightly sweet goji berry tea.

Nutrition

Goji berries are packed full of vitamins and minerals, with the recommended daily intake of some of the most important nutrients found in just a few tablespoons of goji berries.

Goji berry nutrition stats reveal the incredible health benefits of this tiny berry. A powerhouse of nutrition, just 28g of goji berries provides the following:

  • Calories: 98
  • Protein: 4 grams
  • Fat: 0.1 grams
  • Carbs: 21.6 grams
  • Fiber: 3.6 grams
  • Sugar: 21.8 grams
  • Iron: 11% of the Daily Value (DV)
  • Vitamin A: 501% of the DV
  • Vitamin C: 15% of the DV

A small serving of goji berries goes a long way with just 28g providing a wealth of nutrition in the form of fibre, iron, vitamins A & C, along with a considerable amount of antioxidants and essential amino acids, and 4 grams of protein.  

Goji berries are considered a good source of fibre. Fibre plays a valuable role in digestive health, with soluble and insoluble fibre essential for good a healthy digestive system.

Iron is considered an essential mineral and is a vital component in haemoglobin, which is responsible for carrying oxygen around the body.

Vitamin A is necessary for healthy growth and development. Science has shown it can help vital organs function properly, promote healthy skin and hair, and is essential for eye health. While vitamin C can help promote a healthy immune system and help fight off infection. Considered an antioxidant it plays a role in protecting the body from damage caused by free radicals.

Essential amino acids play an important role in the body’s health and are the ‘building blocks’ for proteins in the body. They’re also required for other fundamental processes in the body such as the synthesis of hormones and neurotransmitters.

Goji berries are considered an excellent source of macronutrients along with a range of micronutrients. Studies have reported traces of riboflavin, thiamine, nicotinic acid, along with manganese, copper, magnesium, and selenium in the goji berry. The main components related to the purported health benefits of goji berries, in relation to their biological activity, are polysaccharides, carotenoids, and phenolics.

Lotus Organic Goji Berries 250g
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Lotus Organic Goji Berries 250g

Lotus Organic Goji Berries have a sweet and slightly sour taste.

Ingredients: Organic Dried Goji Berries.

Certified Organic by ACO.

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Goji berries are an orange red, highly nutritious berry grown on the lycium barbarum bush native to Asia. Goji berries can be enjoyed fresh, typically as goji berry juice, or more popularly as a dried fruit (dried goji berries are the most common product you will find when looking for goji berry products).

Goji berries boast a long list of health benefits with little to no side effects and are a rich source of many essential vitamins (particularly vitamin c) and minerals with impressive antioxidant levels. Goji berries have a long history in traditional Chinese medicine, with a number of ancient texts citing the health benefits of the goji berry, and have been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years.

Goji berries have been shown to have a variety of health benefits and have been studied in relation to their ability to help support the body’s immune system, fight inflammation, protect skin, support eye health as well as numerous age related issues such as macular degeneration.

Typically consumed as a dried fruit, fresh goji berries are also available. Goji berries can be enjoyed as goji berry juice, used as a powder stirred into smoothies or baked goods, and can be found in the ingredients list of many herbal supplements. Some of the most common ways to eat goji berries include adding them to homemade muesli and trail mixes, sprinkling on top of cereal, porridge, or smoothies, adding goji berries to baked goods for a boost of flavour and nutrition, stirred into yoghurt and steeping in hot water to make a goji berry tea.