The kids are THIS CLOSE to being out of school, which means summer has truly begun. The sun is out (sometimes), the temps are rising (again, sometimes) and more and more fresh produce is appearing at the farmer’s market.
I think my favorite part of the summer food scene is the berries. As a rule, I don’t buy any ‘fresh’ berries during the winter, because they just aren’t that good. Frozen do fine in a smoothie, and so I prefer to wait on the fresh until they are worth my chew—and the price tag! So, when summer finally gets here, I go nuts buying pint after pint of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. They’re bursting with flavor and nutrition, and versatile enough to top my daughter’s oatmeal AND my spinach salad!
We all know berries are packed with antioxidants (hello, bright colors!) and are relatively low in calories. But one thing you may not know is that they are also high in fiber. Fiber plays an important role in our diet and digestion. There are two kinds of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Just like their names suggest, one type dissolves in water, the other doesn’t.
Soluble—the dissolving kind—is found in oats, peas, carrots and a variety of other fruits and vegetables, including berries. Soluble fiber mixes with water to form a gel-like substance and helps slow the movement of food in your digestive tract, which promotes feelings of fullness and satiety. Insoluble fiber, which doesn’t dissolve in water, is found in whole wheat, wheat bran, nuts and many vegetables. Insoluble fiber helps soften our stools, promoting regularity. Both types of fiber also help prevent Type 2 Diabetes, by promoting insulin sensitivity. When increasing the amount of fiber in your diet, it’s important to also drink more fluid.
Back to berries. Raspberries and blackberries have the most fiber, with about 50% of the carbohydrates coming from fiber. About 20-30% of the carbs in strawberries and blueberries comes from fiber. Berries are also low in calories, mostly due to their high water content, containing about 50-75 calories per cup, depending on the berry. They are high in vitamin C, antioxidants (which prevent damage from free radicals) and can help reduce blood sugar.
Berries are about to be in season around here, and there are lots of places to take your little ones to pick their own! Here are a few local ‘u-pick’ farms:
-Thorpe’s Organic Family Farm, East Aurora, 716-655-4486
-Greg’s U-Pick Farm, Clarence Center, 716-741-4239
-Blueberry Treehouse Farm, West Falls, 716-833-8733
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