Raspberries: small, red, healthy power berries

Raspberries

Small, round and with hairy, tender skin, dark red raspberries glow temptingly in the garden in summer. As a child, did you ever wander along the garden fences and occasionally reach through the slats with your delicate little hands and snatch a few raspberries, completely unnoticed? Or were you one of those fortunate people in whose garden magnificent raspberries grew on the bushes and you grew up in what can only be described as a raspberry paradise? Maybe you still have, or finally have, your own garden or balcony full of small, red berries?

Regardless of how you get the delicious berries today, resisting them is barely possible – they just taste too good! What’s more, they’re really healthy too! Next we will tell you how and why raspberries are good for our health.

Raspberries, a medicinal plant

Like countless other fruiting plants (strawberry, cherry, apple, pear) the raspberry (Rubus idaeus) is a member of the rose family. This family has various genuses like “rose” which describes the actual rose (both wild and cultured), or “rubus”, which covers more than a thousand species, including blackberries and indeed raspberries.

Even today, the Eurasian wild forest raspberry can be found in mountainous areas, mostly at the edge of the forest and in forest clearings, dotted with particularly aromatic fruits. As early as the Stone Age, wild raspberries – according to archaeological findings – were one of the most important fruiting plants for early humans and were also prized as a medicinal plant.

In the Middle Ages, wild raspberries were cultivated, and they were grown and bred in monastery gardens. Since then, numerous different varieties have been created by crossing raspberry varieties from all over the world.

Not all raspberries are red

In this country, it’s more or less self-evident that raspberries are red. But did you know that there are both wild and cultivated plants with orange, yellow or even black fruits?

Many varieties have been created by crossing Eurasian raspberries with black-fruiting raspberries such as Rubus occidentalis from North America, where the fruit is black in colour as a result.

Nevertheless, practically only red raspberries can be found on sale here. Hobby gardeners can, however, find countless different coloured varieties in the garden centre that they can grow and rear. So, if you have a garden, a terrace or a large balcony, and you love raspberries, maybe it is worth trying out a variety other than the familiar red berry.

Why are raspberries called Himbeere in German?

Have you ever wondered where the German word Himbeere comes from? Possibly not, because hardly anyone asks themselves such questions on a day-to-day basis. However, the story of the berry’s German name is quite exciting. And what is even more interesting is that raspberries have a number of other names, both in Switzerland and in neighbouring countries.

Raspberries are called many things, depending on country or region. Have you ever heard Haarbeeri or Sidebeeri? That’s what raspberries are called in certain parts of Switzerland. In Austria, they are called Hindlbeer or Imper, and in Germany, they also say Himmere or Holbeer.

So where does the word “Himbeere” come from, exactly? It evolved from the Old High German “Hintperi” and translates as something like the hind’s berry. Sounds a bit peculiar, doesn’t it? Apparently the name can be traced back to wild raspberries being an important component in the diet of deer.

Now we already know something about these small, delicious berries – but not that they actually aren’t berries at all. Do you find that annoying? Yes, you read that right, the fruits known colloquially as berries are actually not berries at all, but an aggregate fruit, like blackberries and strawberries. If you look at a raspberry closely, you will see that it consists of many small drupes, or fleshy fruits that stick together and each contains a single seed. The seeds are one of the things that make raspberries extremely good for you.

Incidentally, true berries include types of fruit that you would probably never have thought of as berries: citrus fruits, dates, bananas, kiwis, melons and avocados.

What is in raspberries?

Like practically every other fruit, raspberries are rich in water, but contain very little sugar and still less fat compared to other fruits. These small power berries score highly even regarding fibre, which is predominantly found in the seeds: 100 g raspberries provide 13 percent of the daily requirement of fibre.

The nutritional values for 100 g fresh (raw) raspberries:

  • Water: 84.0 g
  • Protein: 12 g
  • Fat: 0.6 g
  • Carbohydrates: 7.0 g
  • Dietary fibre: 6.7 g
  • Calcium: 220 mg
  • Vitamin C: 25 mg
  • Iron: 0.7 mg

Raspberries – a light temptation

Compared to other fruits, raspberries are low in calories, supplying a mere 52 kcal per 100 g of fresh fruit. For the purposes of comparison: Zug Canton’s favourite fruit, cherries contain maybe twice as many calories, while bananas have 95 kcal per 100 g.

Small power berries

The red fruits contain many different vitamins, which is why raspberries are frequently described as little vitamin bombs. For example, 200 g raspberries will give you 50 percent of your recommended daily intake of vitamin C and 14 percent of your vitamin E. Both these antioxidants boost the immune system, have anti-inflammatory properties and reduce the risk of certain types of cancer.
As well as vitamins, raspberries also contain small quantities of many minerals. Here magnesium, iron, copper and manganese stand out the most. If you eat 200 g of fresh raspberries, you have already consumed 22 percent of your daily requirement of copper and manganese. You can find a list in English of the vitamins and minerals in raspberries here.

The health benefits of raspberries

Since antiquity, a health-boosting effect has been ascribed to raspberries: they regulate the digestion, stimulate the appetite, and act as both anti-inflammatories and diuretics. Furthermore, the fruit is also said to have blood purifying and blood-formation properties due to its high iron content.

#Digestion: raspberries are good for our digestions and can be helpful for constipation. The fibre and, to a certain extent, the fruit acids, contribute to this. Both are important for the metabolism and ensure that your food can be digested as well as possible. The tiny seeds within the fruits are the reason why raspberries count as a high-fibre fruit. Raspberries contain both soluble and insoluble fibres such as cellulose and lignine. These have a positive effect on gut motility.
As well as regulating the digestion, raspberries also increase the feeling of being full, which reduces the risk of becoming overweight.

#Heart and circulation: according to the most recent scientific knowledge, raspberries boast great potential for preventing heart and circulation diseases. Due to their nutrient content, the small fruits may contribute to restoring the body’s equilibrium, probably by regulating blood pressure and the energy balance. Furthermore, body cells are protected from damage in stressful situations. The phenolic compounds in raspberries also have an anti-coagulant effect and benefit the endothelial cells found in all the vessels in the cardiovascular system. Improved endothelial function reduces the risk of atherosclerosis and high blood pressure.

#Prevention and treatment of cancer: because of the considerable content of secondary plant substances, berries are one of the most effective foods to eat to prevent cancer. Cancer research considers black raspberries in particular are especially important due to their even higher anthocyanin content and their consequently pronounced anti-tumour activity. The first studies show that black raspberries are not just helpful in preventing bowel cancer, but also in treating it.

#Brain: studies have found that raspberries are among the best brain foods. This is partly due to the rich anthocyanin content, which protects the brain from free radicals and inflammations. What’s more, anthocyanins may contribute to improved cognitive function.

How many raspberries do you need to eat to get the health benefits?

As so often happens with fruit and vegetables, the dosage isn’t entirely simple, because you can’t tell how high a fruit it is in, say, anthocyanins, by looking at it. However, here are some good tips for orientation purposes:

  • The anthocyanin content increases as the raspberries ripen.
  • Studies found that a minimum 50 mg anthocyanins per day was necessary to obtain the health effect.
  • Red raspberries contain a maximum of 100 mg anthocyanins per 100 g fruit. By contrast, black raspberries contain between 200 and 600 mg per 100 g.
  • At least 25 g black raspberries or 50 g red raspberries seem to be required per day to benefit the intestinal flora and digestion. It should be noted that the fruits should be absolutely fresh.

Now you have learned some new thing about raspberries, we would like to give you a few more tips and tricks, as well as a raspberry recipe.

Raspberry tips and tricks:

  • Season: a distinction is made between summer-fruiting and autumn-fruiting raspberries, depending on the variety. In Switzerland, summer-fruiting raspberries ripen in June and July, while the autumn-fruiting season begins in August and lasts into October.
  • Storage: raspberries are very delicate fruits, which is why their shelf life isn’t very long. Therefore it’s best to eat raspberries when they are as fresh as possible. You should also remember that raspberries, unlike other fruits, do not ripen after they are picked. When storing raspberries, don’t forget that they are very sensitive to pressure. Always pick out and discard damaged raspberries immediately. Depending on when they are harvested, raspberries will keep in the vegetable drawer in the fridge for up to 3 days. The fruits are not sensitive to cold. The optimum storage temperate is between 0 and 1 °C. You should wash raspberries carefully under running water and only directly before eating them.
  • Freezing: if you have bought or picked too many raspberries and won’t manage to eat them all while they are fresh, the fruits will also freeze well. You can freeze them whole or processed, e.g., as raspberry purée. When frozen the fruits will keep for at least 6 months.

Hey Zug Recipe by Evelyn Leemann (presenter on Sunshine Radio):

Raspberry muffins for lazy cooks

  • 175 g raspberries (fresh or frozen)
  • 1 large egg
  • 140 g cane sugar
  • 150 ml milk
  • 120 ml oil
  • 250 g flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 packet vanilla sugar

Method: beat together the egg and sugar until foamy. Fold in all the other ingredients except the raspberries. Finally add the raspberries and stir in (they don’t need to be defrosted). Put muffin cases into the muffin tray and fill with the mixture. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes.
(Source)

 

References:
Burton-Freeman, B. M., Sandhu, A. K., & Edirisinghe, I. (2016). Red Raspberries and Their Bioactive Polyphenols: Cardiometabolic and Neuronal Health Links. Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.), 7(1), 44–65.
Kristo, A. S., Klimis-Zacas, D., & Sikalidis, A. K. (2016). Protective Role of Dietary Berries in Cancer. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland), 5(4), 37.
Kula, M., & Krauze-Baranowska, M. (2016). Rubus occidentalis: The black raspberry--its potential in the prevention of cancer. Nutrition and cancer, 68(1), 18–28.
Ma, H., Johnson, S. L., Liu, W., DaSilva, N. A., Meschwitz, S., Dain, J. A., & Seeram, N. P. (2018). Evaluation of Polyphenol Anthocyanin-Enriched Extracts of Blackberry, Black Raspberry, Blueberry, Cranberry, Red Raspberry, and Strawberry for Free Radical Scavenging, Reactive Carbonyl Species Trapping, Anti-Glycation, Anti-β-Amyloid Aggregation, and Microglial Neuroprotective Effects. International journal of molecular sciences, 19(2), 461.
Müller, S. (2021). Raspberries are so healthy. Blog article, Health Centre. https://www.zentrum-der-gesundheit.de/ernaehrung/lebensmittel/obst-fruechte/himbeeren
Roberts, K. M., Grainger, E. M., Thomas-Ahner, J. M., Hinton, A., Gu, J., Riedl, K., Vodovotz, Y., Abaza, R., Schwartz, S. J., & Clinton, S. K. (2020). Dose-Dependent Increases in Ellagitannin Metabolites as Biomarkers of Intake in Humans Consuming Standardized Black Raspberry Food Products Designed for Clinical Trials. Molecular nutrition & food research, 64(10), e1900800.
Skrovankova, S., Sumczynski, D., Mlcek, J., Jurikova, T., & Sochor, J. (2015). Bioactive Compounds and Antioxidant Activity in Different Types of Berries. International journal of molecular sciences, 16(10), 24673–24706.
Zhang, X., Ahuja, J., & Burton-Freeman, B. M. (2019). Characterization of the nutrient profile of processed red raspberries for use in nutrition labeling and promoting healthy food choices. Nutrition and healthy aging, 5(3), 225–236.

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