It's not too often that you see a food with the nutritional profile of goji berries. Also called wolfberries, goji are the fruits of Lycium barbarum and Lycium chinense plants and have been cultivated for over 2000 years in Asia. They are so precious to this culture that they have been nicknamed "red diamonds" for their unusually high nutrition value.

Let's look into these special gems a bit further, to give you an appreciation of what they can deliver for your health, and of course, your tastebuds.

The nutritional punch of goji berries

When you get a glimpse of well-sourced dried goji berries you can instantly tell how nutritionally dense they are just by looking at them, and when you look at their nutritional profile, it's easy to understand why they are so revered in many Eastern cultures. To give you an idea, a good handful of goji berries can deliver:

• 18 amino acids, including all 8 essential amino acids, which makes it a complete protein
• Six essential fatty acids (EFAs)
• 22 trace minerals and 11 essential vitamins (including A,C, B-complex, and E)
• 140 percent DV of vitamin A, 100 percent DV of iron, copper, and riboflavin, 91 percent DV of selenium, 24 percent DV of potassium, and 18 percent DV of zinc.
• Superior source of antioxidants, and often rated #1 in ORAC food scores (25,000)
• More vitamin C per ounce than oranges
• Great source of fiber

When this nutritional powerhouse hits your body on a consistent basis, it can translate into some very nice health benefits. Let's take a look at some of those now. [Learn more about superfoods like goji at Superfood,news.]

The health benefits of goji berries

With so much nutrition packed into this tiny little berry (like 500 times more vitamin C than an orange by weight), it's not too big of a surprise that the body often reciprocates the nourishment. When you start to use goji berries on a consistent basis, you could start to see the following benefits:

• Promotes a healthy immune system
• Supports healthy liver function
• Nourishes eye, skin, and hair health
• Supports a healthy heart
• Supports healthy kidney function
• Uplifts mood

Being such a high antioxidant food, it is also an excellent free radical scavenger, which can support a healthy aging process as well. So how do you work these health promoting berries into your diet?

Using goji berries in your diet

Since goji berries are an incredibly versatile food, there are numerous ways to work them into your diet on a daily basis. You don't even have to get creative, as a handful of goji berries (with their mild tangy taste that is slightly sweet) are fine just on their own.

However, if you want to get creative, simply throw some goji berries in your smoothie, trail mix, cereal, oatmeal, jam, salads, tea, or bake with them. They go great in this Coconut Brownie Recipe, which ups the antioxidant ante with the raw cacao (21,000 ORAC score) also in the recipe.

Of course, not all goji berry sources are clean and nourishing since they are primarily sourced from China. One needs to be extremely careful of various contaminants (including heavy metals) which may be lurking in that bag of nutritional goodness. Thankfully, you can avoid that risk by getting Health Ranger Select Organic Goji Berries, which ensures you get a clean harvest due to the meticulous testing and strict requirements that need to be met before they are provided to the public.

Make no bones about it, a clean source of these "red diamonds" is going to add a tasty and nutritional punch to your diet. If there ever was a superfood Holy Grail providing happiness and a feeling of youth, goji would be a strong contender for that distinction.

Sources include:

Naturalnews.com

Healingthebody.ca