When we hear the phrase “superfood” it’s hard not to think of chia seeds, spirulina, berries, kale and other foods we’ve come to associate with good health. But few people know about the golden berry, a perennial plant that bears yellowish-orange fruit originating in South America, where it has been used for many generations as food and especially as a very important medicinal ingredient for local doctors. The golden berry can be identified by its small size, its bright color, and its sweet-sour taste, and alongside these, it also has a large number of health benefits that make it a food that should be known and eaten. Read on and discover the special features of the golden berry that will help you live a long healthy life.
The origin of the golden berry is in South America, mainly from the Andes of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. It has been growing for thousands of years in these mountains, where altitude conditions, terrain, and weather allow it to grow naturally and in large quantities. The fruits of this plant are rich in many nutrients such as iron, fiber, vitamin C, antioxidants, protein, vitamin B3, phosphorus, calcium, beta-carotene and many others. These fruits can be integrated into the daily diet of healthy salads, cakes, bread, jams, sauces, shakes and can even be dried and added to some trail mix. There is no problem eating golden berry regularly, but be careful not to consume more than 45 grams of it a day.
One of the most significant benefits of the golden berry and one of the reasons it is considered a superfood is that it has high levels of antioxidants, which according to studies help to prevent certain chronic diseases. Like carotenoids and polyphenolic compounds, the antioxidants found in golden berries can neutralize free radicals that damage healthy cells and may even turn them into cancerous cells. In addition, because it is rich in antioxidants, the golden berry helps to prevent fibrosis (a pathological process of creating connective tissues in damaged organs or tissues as part of a failed body repair attempt) in different parts of the body and according to studies on mice, golden berries help prevent kidney and tissue problems caused by oxidative damage.
If you suffer from arthritis, gout, muscle aches, chronic pain or even hemorrhoids, the anti-inflammatory compounds of golden berries can soothe the pain and improve your overall health. Studies from the National University of Colombia show that there is a direct link between the anti-inflammatory compounds in gold berries and phagocytosis (carried out by cells called phagocytes that ingest foreign bodies such as bacteria, viruses, monoclonal fungi, etc.) that help fight infectious agents entering our body. In addition, these compounds help improve heart health by reducing the risk of arterial and vascular inflammation and prevent the development of atherosclerosis and various cardiovascular diseases.
While most people think that fat is bad, humans actually need a wide variety of essential fatty acids for proper functioning of many different body processes. For example, oleic acid and linoleic acid, which are abundant in golden berries, help reduce the amount of bad cholesterol (LDL) in our bodies and stabilize the overall cholesterol levels to ensure a healthy and functioning heart. In addition, the phytochemicals found in golden berries, polyphenols, and carotenoids, along with pectin fiber, also help maintain a normal cholesterol level in the body, along with regulation of high blood pressure if necessary.
The golden berry is considered to be a healthy and low-calorie food that is recommended to be included in your diet if you want to lose weight because it contains only 53 calories per 100 grams. Also, the recommended daily intake of sugars and fiber is 90 and 30 grams respectively, and golden berry can provide you with about 15% of the daily intake of these nutrients. At the same time, eating golden berries does not burden the body with extra calories and fat, so it encourages success in your diet. Make sure you don’t consume more than 45 grams of them a day because studies in Turkey indicate that excessive eating of these berries may cause high blood pressure and other problems.
The golden berry is rich in bioethanol, a unique organic compound that is an antioxidant and has anti-inflammatory properties. This compound can slow or even reverse the spread of cancer cells in the body, so a daily intake of golden berries will stimulate anticancer activity and prevent the development of the disease. A study of healthy cancer cells conducted at Taiwan's Tainan Hospital shows that this compound prevented the development of cancer, prevented cell death (apoptosis) and stopped the circulation of cancer cells. In addition, a study of human liver cells conducted at Kaohsiung Medical University in Taiwan shows that golden berry extract can kill cancer cells through mitochondrial processes responsible for producing chemical energy and storing and preserving the hereditary material.