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Bring on the Berries!

Apart from their delicious taste, what are the benefits of eating berries and why do we put them in our chocolate bars?

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With spring in full swing it’s the perfect time to tuck into our fresh, fruity, berry flavour Ombars. Organic berries and raw chocolate make a heavenly combo. But apart from their delicious taste, what are the benefits of eating berries and why do we put them in our chocolate bars?

Full of Nutrients

It’s fairly common knowledge that eating more plants of all kinds can help reduce our risk of several health issues. But berries in particular pack a powerful nutritional punch! In four of our chocolate flavours you’ll find organic raspberries, strawberries, goji berries, blueberries and acai berries, all of which are a great source of fibre and are high in vitamin C and A1. In fact, one portion of strawberries (roughly 8 berries) provides more vitamin C than an orange!2

Vitamin C is important because it’s necessary for the growth and repair of tissues in all parts of our bodies, from skin and teeth right down to our bones. And the body can’t produce vitamin C itself, or even store it in the body, so it’s important that we get a good dose of vitamin C from our food3.

Vitamin A is important because it helps maintain our eye sight and immune system. It also helps the heart, lungs, kidneys and other organs to function properly4. So yeah, it’s pretty much vital!

Full of Antioxidants

The berries we use in our fruit-flavoured Ombars are also full of antioxidants. That beautiful blue-red colour of goji berries, blueberries, acai berries, strawberries and raspberries is a sign of the natural antioxidants present in the fruits6. And in particular, acai berries, goji berries and blueberries are some of the most antioxidant-rich plant-based foods available!5

Antioxidants are important because they neutralise the damaging effects of free radicals in the body. What does that mean? Well, if these free radicals are not neutralised by antioxidants in the body, they can damage cells and lead to several diseases including diabetes, cancer and heart disease7. In other words, eating more berries is definitely a good idea. So of course we’ve added them to our chocolate!

In Our Chocolate

Freeze-dried Berry Powders

At Ombar we like to pack in the plant-based goodness to achieve the most nourishing chocolate bar possible. So we use organic berries in the form of whole, dried fruits and freeze-dried berry powders to flavour some of our chocolate bars.

Freeze-drying is a process that removes the moisture from food while preserving its nutritional value8. By using freeze-dried berry powder, we can create chocolate that has the perfect texture and flavour, while keeping the nutrients of the berries intact.

Want to try our berry-flavoured chocolate bars? You can find them at your local health food shop, or shop online here to order direct from our factory.

Interested in which vitamins and minerals can be found in the berries we add to our chocolate? Check out the list below…

Raspberries9:

  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin A
  • Folate (B9)
  • Vitamin E
  • Iron, Potassium
  • Manganese
  • Vitamin B-6
  • Calcium
  • Magnesium
  • Phosphorus
  • Zinc
  • Copper

Strawberries10:

  • Vitamin C
  • Manganese
  • Folate (B9)
  • Potassium
  • Vitamin A
  • Iron
  • Copper
  • Magnesium
  • Phosphorus
  • Vitamin B6
  • Vitamin K
  • Vitamin E

Goji Berries11:

  • Vitamin C
  • Iron,
  • Vitamin A
  • Zinc

Blueberries11 and Acai Berries 12:

  • Vitamin K
  • Manganese
  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin A
  • Calcium,
  • Fibre,
  • Chromium,
  • Zinc
  • Iron,
  • Copper,
  • Magnesium
  • Potassium
  • Phosphorus

References:

  1. (2018). The Total-Body Benefits of Berries. [online] Available at: http://www.eatingwell.com/arti... [Accessed 9 May 2018].
  2. (2018). Strawberries 101: Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits. [online] Available at: https://www.healthline.com/nut... [Accessed 9 May 2018].
  3. C, V. (2018). Vitamin C: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. [online] Medlineplus.gov. Available at: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/a... [Accessed 9 May 2018].
  4. od.nih.gov. (2018). Office of Dietary Supplements - Vitamin A. [online] Available at: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factshe... [Accessed 9 May 2018].
  5. Axe. (2018). These Foods, Herb, Spices & Oils are Absolutely Bursting with Antioxidants. [online] Available at: https://draxe.com/top-10-high-... [Accessed 9 May 2018].
  6. WebMD Boots. (2018). Goji berries: Health benefits and side effects. [online] Available at: https://www.webmd.boots.com/he... [Accessed 9 May 2018].
  7. (2018). 5 Impressive Health Benefits of Acai Berries. [online] Available at: https://www.healthline.com/nut... [Accessed 9 May 2018].
  8. Lachner, D. (2018). Freeze Dried Food Nutritional Information. [online] LIVESTRONG.COM. Available at: https://www.livestrong.com/art... [Accessed 9 May 2018].
  9. LD, M. and University of Illinois-Chicago, S. (2018). Raspberries: Health benefits, nutrition, dietary tips, and risks. [online] Medical News Today. Available at: https://www.medicalnewstoday.c... [Accessed 9 May 2018].
  10. (2018). 8 Healthy Facts About the Goji Berry. [online] Available at: https://www.healthline.com/hea... [Accessed 9 May 2018].
  11. Axe. (2018). Top 7 Health Benefits of Blueberries + Blueberry Nutrition - Dr. Axe. [online] Available at: https://draxe.com/health-benef... [Accessed 9 May 2018].
  12. (2018). 5 Impressive Health Benefits of Acai Berries. [online] Available at: https://www.healthline.com/nut...#section4 [Accessed 9 May 2018].