Berry Lemonade Delight July 24 2014, 0 Comments

Berry Lemonade Delight

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon BerriFibre, Black Raspberry Powder or any of our great berry powders!
• Your favorite lemonade
• Lemon slices
• Ice

Directions:

In a large glass, make a slurry with one of our delicious berry powders: Put 1 teaspoon of powder in your glass and add a couple of teaspoons of water. Whisk together the powder and water until you have a smooth paste or slurry. Slowly pour in your lemonade and stir briskly. Add plenty of ice and a slice of fresh lemon. Put your feet up and enjoy a delightful BerriLemonade!

Protein Shake With A Black Raspberry Boost July 24 2014, 0 Comments

An Easy, Blender-free Way to add a Blast of Berries to Your Protein Shake.

Black Raspberry Applesauce Spread July 24 2014, 1 Comment

A Twist on a Classic Side

Applesauce is one of those underrated additions to so many different meals.  We love to throw some in with our oatmeal, or serve it with a great pork tenderloin for the perfect combination of sweet and savory.  If you are crazy for crunchy granola, applesauce is a delicious way to add some extra pow to a granola and yogurt breakfast.  When you add in some black raspberry powder, you get a beautiful purple applesauce with berry flavors blended in with the apples and cinnamon.

Ingredients:

• 1 - 2 teaspoons of Black Raspberry Powder, BerriSpectrum or any of our berry powders!
• Applesauce
• Honey, or your favorite sweetener, if you like

Directions:

Simply stir a few tablespoons of applesauce into 1 - 2 teaspoons of Black Raspberry Powder.  For an extra kick of sweetness, mix in some honey too. Spoon the Black Raspberry Applesauce Spread on top of your favorite yogurt with some granola for a healthy crunch.

Refreshing Black Raspberry OJ Spritzer July 24 2014, 0 Comments

Beating the Summer Heat 

As we slowly march into the middle of summer, we seem to stumble across those inescapably hot and humid days with more frequency.  Sometimes it is nice to whip up a quick, refreshing drink that tastes good but has more than just sugar in it.  We experimented with a lot of cool combinations, but one of our favorites was this simple orange juice spritzer.  It's easy to make, only has a few ingredients, and we've already put it to use on a few hot days in the last couple of weeks.

Ingredients:

• ½ - 1 teaspoon Black Raspberry Extract
• ½ cup of orange juice
• Club soda
• Ice
• Fresh orange slice

Directions:

Pour about ½ cup or more of orange juice into a large glass. Stir in ½ - 1 teaspoon of Black Raspberry extract and club soda.  Add plenty of ice, a slice of fresh orange and sip on a frosty spritzer with healthy black raspberry nutrients.

Enjoy!

Black Raspberry Cocktail July 24 2014, 0 Comments

Black Raspberry Cocktail

Ingredients:

• ½ - 1 teaspoon Black Raspberry Extract
• Your favorite Sangria or Wine Spritzer
• Ice Cubes
• Fresh fruit slices to compliment your drink

Directions:

Pour your favorite Sangria or Wine Spritzer into a large wine glass.  Stir in ½ - 1 teaspoon of Black Raspberry Extract.  Add some slices of fruit to compliment your drink.  Some fruit suggestions would be, orange, lemon, lime or apple.  Add some ice and relax with an antioxidant-rich cocktail.

Add our BerriFibre and Black Raspberry Powder to your packing list! July 24 2014, 0 Comments

Black Raspberry Milk and Cereal

Ingredients:

• 1 - 2 teaspoons Black Raspberry Powder
• ¾ - 1 cup of your milk of choice.  You can use powdered milk and cold water, if backpacking.
• Your favorite cereal or granola.

Directions:

Start by making a slurry with the Black Raspberry Powder. Put 1 or 2 teaspoons of powder into your camping cup or bowl. Add a few spoonfuls of milk and stir until you have a smooth slurry.  Slowly stir in some more milk and add your favorite granola or cereal.  Now it’s time to relax by the campfire with your sweet berry milk and crunchy granola breakfast.

Black Raspberry Vanilla Cream July 24 2014, 0 Comments

Black Raspberry Vanilla Cream

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup milk of your choice
• 1 cup of Vanilla yogurt
• 2 teaspoons of Black Raspberry Powder OR 1 teaspoon Black Raspberry Extract
• 1/2 - 1 cup of your favorite fresh fruit cubed
• 1 whole fresh or frozen banana
• ½ cup or more ice cubes if you want a frostier smoothie
• A spoonful of honey if you like

Directions:

Place all the ingredients in your blender in the order listed above. Blend and there you have it, a wholesome, delicious smoothie.

Black Raspberry Peach Melba July 24 2014, 0 Comments

Black Raspberry Peach Melba

 

Ingredients:

• ½ cup milk of your choice
• ¾ cup or 6 oz Greek peach yogurt
• 2 teaspoons Black Raspberry Powder OR ⅓ cup Whole Black Raspberries OR 1 teaspoon Black Raspberry Extract
• ½ cup or more of fresh or frozen peach slices
• ½ cup or more of ice cubes

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a blender in the order listed above.  Blend until smooth and creamy. Take a break and enjoy your peachy delight.

Black Raspberry Soda July 24 2014, 0 Comments

Black Raspberry Soda

Ingredients:

• ½ - 1 teaspoon Black Raspberry Extract
• Your favorite soda pop
• Ice
• Fresh lime or lemon slice

Directions:

Pour your favorite soda pop into a large glass and mix in ½ - 1 teaspoon of Black Raspberry Extract.  Add some ice and a slice of lime or lemon.  This is a quick way to enhance your drink and add some nutritious antioxidants!

Black Raspberry and Pomegranate Frosty with Fiber July 24 2014, 0 Comments

Black Raspberry and Pomegranate Frosty

If you want to double down on anthocyanins and love pomegranates, try out this frosty smoothie! Using frozen pomegranate seeds saves a lot of time.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup frozen pomegranates
• ½ cup cranberry juice
• 1 banana
• 2 rounded teaspoons of BerriHealth’s Black Raspberry powder. 
• 1 rounded teaspoon natural psyllium fiber supplement
• ½ cup ice cubes (more or less according to your taste)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and enjoy a delicious smoothie packed with powerful anthocyanin antioxidants!

Black Raspberry Cinnamon Apple/Pear Smoothie July 24 2014, 0 Comments

Black Raspberry Cinnamon Apple/Pear Smoothie

Ingredients:

• ½ cup milk of your choice
• ¾ cup or 6 oz of Vanilla yogurt
• ½ teaspoon or more of ground cinnamon (cinnamon is also very nutritious)
• 2 teaspoons of Black Raspberry Powder OR 1 teaspoon Black Raspberry Extract
• 1 apple (peeled or unpeeled) or 1 pear
• ½ cup of ice cubes
• A spoonful or so of honey if you like

Directions:

Prepare your apple or pear - a combination of both is delicious, too. The apple can be peeled or left unpeeled for extra fiber.  Core and cut your fruit into chunks. Place all the ingredients in your blender in the order listed above.  Blend until you have a smooth drink loaded with antioxidants from the black raspberries and also from the cinnamon!

Black Raspberry Kale Energy Booster July 24 2014, 0 Comments

It's Good to Get Some Green

Black raspberries are full of flavor, and also give smoothies a great berry color.  One of the benefits of this is you can add a variety of healthy vegetables into your smoothies without ending up with something too bitter or off-color.  If you want to sneak in some extra veggies into someone's smoothie, this recipe would certainly do the trick (not that we advocate such things).

Ingredients:

• ½ cup Orange Juice
• 1 loosely packed cup of kale or spinach
• ¾ cup or 6 oz plain or flavored Greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoons Black Raspberry Powder OR 1 teaspoon Black Raspberry Extract
• ½ cup frozen berries
• 1 frozen or fresh banana
• Ice cubes if you like
• Honey if you like

Directions:

In the order listed above, put all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. You can always add some more juice if your smoothie is too thick.  A great way to start your day or give you an energy boost in the afternoon!

A Peanut Butter Sandwich With Healthy BerriJam May 05 2014, 0 Comments

On A Quest For a Delicious, Healthy Jam

Why We Don't Sell Black Raspberry Capsules February 20 2014, 1 Comment

There are a lot of companies out there that have made the decision to sell black raspberry capsules.  Despite demand for the product, we made a decision years ago to not go this route. Even after capsules were pushed on Dr. Oz and other websites, we have stuck with this decision.  To explain why, here is a press release we put out last year on the issue:

Freeze-dried black raspberry powder continues to be used in numerous clinical trials and has great promise as a functional food for wellness. The American Association of Cancer Researchers Annual Conference in April, 2013 revealed even more research on black raspberries, from slowing colon cancer growth to reducing DNA damage in oral cancer survivors.

Unfortunately, many companies trying to capitalize on the wealth of research information on the beneficial effects of black raspberries are flooding the market with black raspberry capsules. These capsules contain miniscule amounts of black raspberry powder, cost much more per nutritional serving, and inhibit the effectiveness of black raspberries in the mouth, throat, and esophagus. Most importantly, there is no research that supports taking black raspberry powder in such small quantities, or in capsules.

The recent capsule craze took off in 2012 when a segment on The Dr. Oz Show, titled “Cancer-Fighting Supplements,” highlighted black raspberries in capsule form. A guest on the show, Lindsey Duncan, ND, CN, correctly stated that black raspberries contain anthocyanins—potent antioxidant compounds that provide many health benefits. However, Duncan inaccurately described the quantity of black raspberries present in supplement capsules.

“One 300-milligram capsule is equal to four cups of black raspberries,” said Duncan. The truth is, even after the freeze-drying process removes most of the water from the berries, 300 milligrams of freeze-dried black raspberry powder is still only equal to approximately one and a half black raspberries— which is not nutritionally significant, and certainly not close the approximately 320 berries it would take to get to four cups of black raspberries.

To get a nutritional serving of berries according to USDA Guidelines, it would take one half a cup, or approximately 40 black raspberries. For just one nutritional serving, one would have to take twenty-seven (27) 300-milligram capsules. While Duncan stated that, “You want to get it in freeze-dried capsules,” taking freeze-dried black raspberries in capsule form has never been shown in research to have any benefit.

It is also important to note that due to the small amount of freeze-dried black raspberry powder in capsules, it becomes not only hard to consume enough capsules to equal one nutritional serving of black raspberries, but makes them a far more expensive option as well. When purchasing capsules, it can cost well over 200% more for the same amount of black raspberries in powder or extract form.

Placing black raspberry powder in capsules also prevents the beneficial phytonutrients present in black raspberries from coming into direct contact with the tissues of the upper GI tract, limiting the berries’ effectiveness. Instead, unencapsulated black raspberry extracts and freeze-dried powders are the most effective means of consuming black raspberries. They can provide a valid nutritional serving of black raspberries in a form that comes in direct contact with bodily tissues.

Gary Stoner, PhD, Professor of Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin Division of Hematology and Oncology, and Professor Emeritus of the Ohio State University James Comprehensive Cancer Center, is one of the world’s leading researchers in black raspberries. Stoner’s research has shown that black raspberry powder may have cancer-protective effects on the tissues it comes in direct contact with, especially those in the mouth, esophagus, and colon. “The evidence that the compounds in black raspberries have a beneficial localized effect is compelling,” said Stoner.

While the small dosages found in black raspberry capsules likely won’t cause any harm, there is currently no scientific research to indicate that black raspberries are effective in such small quantities, or in capsule form.

Black raspberries, not to be confused with blackberries, are almost exclusively grown in Oregon, on the west coast of the United States. They have been studied extensively because of their high concentration of phytonutrients and antioxidants.

BerriHealth, Black Raspberries Mentioned in Wall Street Journal November 06 2013, 0 Comments

It is always exciting when the black raspberry gets some press.  The Wall Street Journal recently printed an article on “America’s Next Top Super Berry” that focuses on some healthy berries that the public may not have heard of.  The black raspberry was mentioned about halfway down:

“Once best known for flavoring ice cream, black raspberries are now playing a role in cancer research. Don Sturm has more than doubled the size of Sturm’s Berry Farm, in Corbett, Ore., in the past five years to 290 acres. He grows everything from blackberries to Marionberries, but much of his new acreage is devoted to black raspberries.

In 2009, Mr. Sturm formed a partnership with a cancer researcher, Gary Stoner, and a tech entrepreneur, Steve Dunfield. Their company, BerriHealth, sells black raspberry liquid extract and freeze-dried powder to university researchers testing the effects on cancers and chronic inflammatory diseases.”

Of course Don Sturm is someone we have talked about in the past as one of the best growers of black raspberries in the United States, so it is not a big surprise to see his name show up here.  Every time we go out to his farm and get to see the new black raspberry fields, or even ones that are just a year or two old, it’s hardnot to get excited about the future of the black raspberry.  Make sure to check out the Sturm’s Berry Farm website when you have a chance and see what other berries they grow.

To read the whole article, click here.

Black Raspberries and Colon, Oral, Prostate Cancer August 02 2013, 0 Comments

Last month there were a slew of new studies revealed at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting using black raspberries and all targeted different areas of the body.  Here are some blurbs from articles outlining studies done on actual people!

Black Raspberries and Colon Cancer:

“A key observation was that black raspberries appear to beneficially alter the activity of a patient’s fat metabolizing enzymes, as well as enzymes produced by microbes present in the patient’s gastrointestinal tract. This combination results in beneficial fatty acid metabolism and appears to have protective health effects for colorectal cancer patients. The original abstract on the study contains more detailed information on this process.”

Black Raspberries and Oral Cancer:

“This study provides compelling data that indicate biochemical markers of cancer-causing DNA damage were reduced in participants who adhered to the food-based regimen and supports other evidence from a phase 2 human trial linking application of black raspberry gel to precancerous lesions to a reduced risk of developing oral cancer.”

Firstly, both of these studies are done in areas where the compounds in black raspberries have direct contact with the affected tissue.  As we have talked about before, this is one of many reasons why black raspberry capsules are at best misguided and non-effective.  It is also interesting that these studies focused on two different mechanisms, reducing inflammation, and reducing DNA damage.  Black raspberries are more than just an antioxidant!  It is all the healthy compounds and nutrients combined together that makes them so good for you.

A quick comment before the last new research.  This next one is on a rat model, but has some very interesting information.  Firstly, the study is on black raspberries potentially helping with prostate cancer.  This is different than the first two articles because black raspberry powder and/or compounds never makes direct contact with the prostate, so the compounds must have been absorbed into the bloodstream at some point to get there.  Let’s take a look:

Black Raspberries and Prostate Cancer:

“The findings reveal for the first time that black raspberry metabolites accumulate in prostate tissue, indicating that the anthocyanins were absorbed, metabolized by the liver, and transported in the blood to the prostate. In a companion study, the researchers also found that ellagic acid, another major antioxidant in black raspberries, inhibited growth of human prostate cancer cells in the laboratory setting.

Although these data are promising, further research is needed to understand what effects black raspberry consumption might have in human prostate cancer subjects.”

This is very exciting research, but it’s too early to jump to conclusions yet.  Our bodies still function a little differently than rats.

One final thought:

It is exciting to see research done with a living subject instead of in a test tube.  After all, we can’t just simply fly in there Innerspace style and apply compounds directly to cancerous tissues.  When we eat things, our body breaks some compounds down, and destroys others.  Sometimes nutrients can pass right through us without getting absorbed.  One great thing about black raspberries is that they are, albeit rare and costly, still just berries.  You can eat them without having to look at a laundry list of side effects.  This allows researchers to more easily test what happens when people actually consume the berries, and that is what really matters. 

Black Raspberries and Ulcerative Colitis July 18 2013, 0 Comments

For this research installment, we wanted to pick a recent study on black raspberry powder and how it can help with ulcerative colitis (inflammation of the colon that can increase the risk of colon cancer). The great thing about this study is the full text is also provided for us to jump into. Despite that, let’s try and keep things short and to the point.