Raspberries

It is berry season and the fruit looks good this year. Although we have island berries, the ones pictured above came from the lower mainland. Which, if it weren’t for the ferry ride, would be within the 100 mile diet that everyone is so excited about.

I do want to be encouraging when it comes to the 100 mile idea. I think it is great! Far better than to focus on organic food only, as some people mistakenly do. Organic is great if it’s local; if it’s not, then you are not getting the best for your dollar. I’d rather buy local and spend more then buy organic from California. When it comes to many grocery choices, I don’t by organic at all. I like to buck the system and sit somewhere on the realistic sidelines of grocery economy and tip top quality. It takes a bit of effort to make those types of choices with everything you eat but I find it’s worth it. Plus, I am not perfect and making perfect food choices isn’t always fun. Having a bit of cake and eating it too is an important part of life so keep your choices balanced and ‘real’. If they aren’t, you won’t be able to be consistant.

These berries are not organic. They are farm raised and from a BC family of companies. They are picked and chilled immediately and available only on the west coast of Canada; fresh. The company is beginning to ship their product frozen to other areas. I bought mine at Thrifty Foods in Victoria, BC and they were fantastic. Plump, juicy and sweet. Yum.

I found a nutrictional fact sheet on the berries and thought I’d include it here:

What you can’t see in the chart is that they are high in magnese which is an important mineral as well as potassium, magnesium, copper and iron. Potassium in an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase. Copper is required in the production of red blood cells.

Perhaps my favourite element not listed in the nutrition facts is Xylitol. It’s a low-calorie sugar substitute extractable from raspberries. Xylitol contains just 9.6 calories, as compared to one teaspoon of sugar, which has 15 calories. However, best of all, Xylitol absorbs more slowly than sugar and doesn’t contribute to high blood sugar levels. It can be helpful in diabetics and also for dental health as the sugars can actually aid in slowing tooth decay. This is the only sugar substitute that I support and use. All from the raspberry!

So, what do I do with them? Aside from eat them out of hand, I like to make a quick sauce:

Recipe: Raspberry Sauce

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