Super-foods - Raspberries

It's been a long time since I've done an informative blog post, so I wanted to give it another try! Health and fitness are very dear to me, that should be obvious if you read my posts, so I like to share with others what I've learned along the way.

Let's imagine the following scenario:

You have had a long day at work and you want to unwind. Your favorite tv show just

so happens to be on in marathon format so you plop down on the couch and zone out.

Of course, years of conditioning and bad habits make you want something to much on

so you ruffle through the pantry and come out with a bag of chips/package of cookies.

Four hours and eight episodes later you finally shake the crumbs from your shirt and only

then do you realize that what started out as a full bag of snacks is now just a crumb filled wrapper.

If you're anything like me, this is when the guilt sets in. I'll be quite honest, I've been known to sit down to Supernatural on Netflix with a box of Crunch N' Munch and come out with a tummy ache and empty box. Mindless snacking is something that I personally feel we as a society do way too much. But, bad habits can be hard to break so instead I'd like to introduce you to the solution. 

Raspberries!

Why raspberries you ask? Oh friends, let me tell you how wonderful these little gems are!

Nutritional Facts for Raspberries

Let's say our serving size is 1 cup, trust me that's a generous serving.

• Calories = 64, one raspberry is one calorie!
• Fiber(grams) = 8
• Sugar(grams) = 5.4

Okay, what is so special about that? Instead of just flat out telling you, I'm going to compare that data to a personal favorite of mine, grapes. See if you can't spot the differences.

• Calories = 104, approximately 3 calories per grape
• Fiber(grams) = 1.4
• Sugar(grams) = 23

Holy cow look at the difference in sugar content! About half as many grapes(approx 34) has more than 4 times the amount of sugar as 64 raspberries. If that wasn't enough, look at the fiber count, the raspberries pack a huge punch! Not only do you get to eat more, but you're going to stay full for a lot longer! Want me to sweeten the deal a little? That one cup serving of raspberries has 44% of your daily Vitamin C in it!

Ways to Use Raspberries

• Add a few berries to your morning cereal! 
• Use them in your morning smoothie to add fiber and help you stay full on busy days!
• Add them to 1/2 cup of ice cream to help satisfy your sweet tooth!
• Crush them up and make your own raspberry vinaigrette!

I could go on and on with ways to use raspberries, but I really only want to stress one way. Remember the scenario from earlier? What if you replaced those chips with a carton of raspberries? How much better would you feel about yourself, even if you still ate the whole thing? I wouldn't be too worried about that though, all that fiber will have your tummy telling you to quit long before you reach the bottom of the carton. 

I hope you enjoyed this post, and maybe even learned something? My inspiration and nutritional info came from the following sites:

http://www.fitsugar.com/Foods-Lots-Fiber-30493499?image_nid=30493499

http://www.nutritionvalue.org

Thanks for reading!

Lauren