· By Sarah Conklin
Goji Berries - A super, food!
Ahhh, superfoods. Marketing rigamarole for foods that pack more nutritional punch than the average joes. It gets tossed around every grocery aisle and healthy living article generously, so much so that it’s almost become weightless fluff. It’s unfair really, the eye rolling that’s come from its overuse, because most times, the foods really are pretty dang super! The same way an arduous journey where people face larger-than-life challenges and maybe a fire breathing dragon or ruthless sea monster has been relegated to describing a trip to the beach or an extraordinarily well-made burrito.
Technically (according to marketers, not necessarily experts), a superfood is a “food assumed to confer health benefits resulting from an exceptional nutrient density.” This list, written by registered dietician Ansley Hill, has 16 foods worthy of the title (even if it’s made up) with some notes on said nutrient boost.
Including, berries! And so, goji berries! And so, here we are!
The goji berry (also known as wolfberry) is a nightshade native to Asia and has grown in popularity in the past few years due to its high antioxidant properties and some old folklore over its alleged medicinal benefits. Boasting a long list of essential vitamins and trace minerals, they also have the highest concentration of melatonin, which aids in sleep cycles, of any dried fruit!
Some more nutritional reasons why goji berries are so super:
- Rich in trace minerals copper (nutrient transport), iron (blood cell function, protein and enzyme synthesis), selenium (immune function), and zinc (growth, development, healing)
- Antioxidants: The third most of any dried fruit, behind pomegranates and barberries
- Highest concentration of melatonin in any dried fruit
- Specific antioxidant zeaxanthin is thought to protect against vision loss
- Digestion: A good source of fiber!
- Taste: Is good
Sure, part of the reason we include organic goji berries into the Sassy Molassy and Game, Set, Matcha! is for their good looks and the fun, lively pop they add to each bite. But really it’s that list, and the functional benefits they offer.
Not because (allegedly) Himalayan monks used to pop these berries to aid in meditation and vitality, or that (allegedly) a Chinese man lived to the ripe old age of 256 by eating them daily, or that Pinterest says they (allegedly) make the “best smoothie you’ve ever had literally in your life.”
Goji berries are in Sassy Molassy and Game, Set, Matcha! because we think they’re super. A super, food.
Ansley says the term ain’t going anywhere, and hell, we’re guilty of using it ourselves. But at least now there’s some walk where the talk is in the goji berry department.
