A popular gifting item in today’s scenario is fresh fruit basket gifts. Consisting of assortment of fruits, it serves the purpose of a sweet present along with a healthy quotient attached to it. Lots of choices are available for fruits; however, one choice is really worth giving a try- the raspberry. With a beautifully red hue, this fruit is a pool of vitamins and minerals which make it an ideal healthy fruit. So let’s explore some of the nutritive and health benefits of this exotic fruit.

Nutritive Value

Raspberry is a good source of vitamins and minerals. In fact, these vitamins and minerals are essential requirements in the development of the body which can be easily achieved by having this fruit.

• Vitamins– Raspberry is a good source of vitamins. The main vitamins consist of Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Vitamin E. Vitamin C consists of about 43%, vitamin K about 11% and vitamin E about 7% of the total nutritive value of the fruits. All these vitamins are essential for the body. Vitamin C is a water soluble rich source of antioxidants which help to destroy the free radicals reducing the risk of the body for allergies towards allergy. Vitamin C is also very good for skin. Vitamin K is helpful in blood clotting and preventing internal bleeding of the body. It is also useful in bone built up. Vitamin E is also an antioxidant and helps to protect the tissues of the blood vessels.

• Minerals-Raspberry is a rich source of minerals such as manganese (41%), fibre (32%), copper, magnesium and omega 3 fats. Manganese is a quintessential mineral for producing certain enzymes which are essential for bone formation. Fibre is necessary for cleaning the tract of the intestine and removing all the unwanted food. Copper helps in body metabolism, effective utilization of iron and helps to prevent premature aging. Magnesium, on the other hand, helps in absorption of calcium and also aids in protein synthesis. Omega 3 is a part of the poly-unsaturated fats which help to reduce the risk of heart stroke and related diseases. Overall, the mineral content in raspberry is quite crucial for our body needs.

Health benefits of raspberry

In addition to the nutritive value, raspberry has umpteen health benefits. Some of them are as follows:

• Research suggests that raspberry has certain poly-nutrients which aid in  providing anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties

• There is a special compound found in raspberries called ketone which consists of rheosmin which increases the fat enzyme activity in the cells thus increasing their metabolism. As a result, it reduces obesity by a considerable amount.

• Raspberry has been found very effective in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes if 2 bowls are consumed per week.

• According to a recent research, the risk of cardiovascular diseases which are caused by inflammation can be prevented by compounds called anthocyanin which is found in high amount in raspberry.

• Raspberry anti-oxidants can help to fight cancer and reduce its risk by a considerable amount.

With all these health benefits, raspberry is surely a great fruit to have.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 17th, 2015 at 12:08 pm and is filed under Fruits Basket. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.