Small Fruits With Big Benefits

Fruits provide nutrients vital for health and maintenance of your body. Because fruits and their essential nutrients are under consumed, we’ve added them to every one of our products.

Step One Foods includes these three dried fruits for their positive health benefits:

Cranberries

Cranberries are among the top five foods with the highest antioxidant content per serving.[i] It should be no surprise that all six Step One Foods products have dried cranberries, as antioxidants are one of the four essential building blocks of heart health. Antioxidants can lower your risk of developing atherosclerosis and other chronic health conditions.

Blueberries

Scientific studies show that blueberries contain polyphenols. Research suggests that polyphenols have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that lessen the inflammatory process associated with chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease, cancer, and age-related cognitive decline.[ii] Step One Foods Oatmeal contains dried blueberries. 

Dried Grapes

Raisins are also a significant source of polyphenol antioxidants, which interfere with cholesterol­ absorption and help fight disease. They are also packed with insoluble fiber, which helps regulate the digestive tract. These powerful dried fruits can also be found in all Step One Foods.

Adding fresh fruit to your diet doesn’t have to be difficult. It can be as simple as adding sliced berries atop your pancakes, adding a handful of fresh blueberries to your oatmeal, or even grabbing an apple or banana on your way out the door.

Let us know on Facebook how you creatively incorporate fruit into your diet.

References:

*Please note that dried fruits have less vitamin C than fresh fruits, but they still contain a lot of the beneficial antioxidants, fiber and micronutrients found in fresh fruit.

[i]Halvorsen, BL, Carlsen MH, Phillips KM, Bohn, SK, Holte K, Jacobs DR, and Blomhoff R. Content of redox-active compounds (ie antioxidants) in foods consumed in the United States. Am J Clin Nutr 2006;84:95-135. Full article available at http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/reprint/84/1/95

[ii]Prior RL, Cao G, Martin A, Sofic E, McEwen J, O’Brien, C, Lischner N, Ehlenfeldt M, Kalt W, Krewer G, Mainland CM. Antioxidant capacity as influenced by total phenolic and anthocyanin content, maturity, and variety of Vaccinium species. J Agric Food Chem. 1998; 46 (7) :2686-93.