Goji Berries - A Nutritional Super-Antioxidant High Protein Berry

Have you seen those things in the health food stores that look like shriveled up mini RED raisins? They are called "Goji Berries" and they are one of the highest antioxidant berries you can find on the planet. They may also be called "Wolfberries" and come from Asia, in places like China, Mongolia and the Himalayas, where they have been consumed and used as a medicine for thousands of years.

Goji Berries have been an important part of Tibetan medicine and have been used for about two thousand years as a natural means of treating kidney and liver problems, and cleansing the blood.

They also have been used to help treat eye problems, skin problems, allergies, insomnia, chronic liver disease, diabetes and cancer. Goji berries are also a general strengthening tonic and are believed to be excellent for virility and sexual health as well.

Why are Goji berries so great? Some of the many nutrients these little powerhouse berries contain are:

* 18 amino acids, making these berries high in protein

* 6 important vitamins

* 5 different types of fatty acids; including two essential fatty acids - linoleic acid and alpha linolenic acid

* 5 powerful carotenoids - beta carotene, zeaxanthin, lutein, lycopene, and cryptoxanthin

* Important pigments (phenols) with high antioxidant properties

Goji berries are one of the highest antioxidant foods on earth.

Goji berries contain high quantities of super antioxidants like beta carotene and zeaxanthin. Zeaxanthin does a lot of great things, but one of its big jobs is to protect your retinas in your eyes. You've heard of age-related macular degeneration? It is the leading cause of vision loss in older people and easily preventable by diet alone.

Antioxidants slow down disease processes and the aging process by stopping the free radicals that are generated from the environment, poor food choices, smoking, stress, excessive exercise, too much sun exposure, and more. Free radicals injure cells and damage DNA, which can then cause the cell to grow abnormally, which leads to illness and disease.

Goji berries are rich in B vitamins, and also contain large quantities of vitamin E.

And, because Goji Berries contain 18 amino acids, they are also high in protein (at about 13%), so they make a pretty satisfying snack. They contain more beta carotene than carrots, more iron than spinach, and twenty-one important trace minerals.

A serving of Goji berries can contain 7 grams of fiber and 6 grams of protein!

Goji berries are unique nutritional standouts, and they have specific medicinal qualities that are just now starting to be studied. Much is still unknown about the phytochemicals, polysaccharides, and complex nutritional compounds that they contain.

Can the mighty goji berry help anti-aging?

Goji berries have been called super berry because the are rated the highest for their anti-aging properties, and rated #1 on the ORAC scale which is the 'Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity', which measures the antioxidant level in foods. When compared to blueberries, goji berries showed an ORAC rating as much as 5-10x that of blueberries!

You can find Goji berries at most health food and supplement stores.