Hailberry

"Five pieces of fruit and veg a day". It is the mantra of every health professional you come across these days, and a few market stall holders (although the latter may not be motivated entirely by concern for your health). The fact is a minimum intake of 400g of fruit and veg a day (one portion is 80G) will help you live longer.

Don't take our word along - just listen to the WHO and you won't get fooled again. World Health Organisation studies show that people who have a high intake of fruit and veg have a lower incidence of heart disease and some types of cancer. "But in the UK we only average 3 portions a day" explains Dr Michael Van Straten, author of Organic Living.

Some of us shun our daily quota of fruit because, as good goes, its messy and not much fun. Admit it, a pear lacks the novelty of a cheedy-crust square pizza. But you don't need to create a pile of peel, pith and pips everytime you want a fruit fix. For example, a dozen blackberries is an 80g portion and so is four tablespoons of blueberries or a fistful of gooseberries. See - you're well on the way to living longer and staying healthier with a berry bonanza - and there's nothing to give you the pip among that lot. Berries also score low on the glycaemic food index, so unlike other fruits, they won't spike your insulin levels.

"Berries aren't just a fruitful addition to desserts" says Michael Wilson, head chef at Watersreach restaurant at The Quays in Manchester. "Their acidity cuts through the strong flavours of meats such as duck and venison and they can make a great addition to savoury salads too. "IF you are treating yourself to a dessert, however sprinkling on a handful of berrieswill bump up the vitamin and fibre content. And they'll do the same to a thirst-quenching smoothie.

Here, then are the best berries you can squeeze in your diet.

Save your sight
Bilberries are rich in natural anti-oxidants and are renowned for their eyesight improving properties. Try adding a generous dollop of bilberry sauce to poultry or game, or get some Bioforce Bilberry Tincture and simply add a few drops to a glass of water.

Battle the big C
If animal tests hold true, raspberries could reduce your cancer risk by 80%. "We found the compounds within berries enhance the body's ability to break down carcinogenic (cancer causing) agents" explains Dr Gary Stoner of Ohio State University. They're also a good source of vitamin B6, which plays a vital role in the formation of red blood cells.

Beat the blues
Blueberry cheesecake is the ideal way to get over a bad day. Research from the UK Tufts Food Laboratory found that people with low folate intake (an acid in the vitamin B complex found in blueberries) are more likely to suffer from depression. They also neutralise free radical damage that can cause piles - something blue Smarties can't boast.

Pack in potassium
Blackcurrants are one of the richest sources of vitamin C and are also packed with potassium - a natural aid to reducing high blood pressure. "Added to yoghurt, they make the perfect summer dessert" says Michael Wilson.

Pee pain-free
Cranberries are highly valued for their ability to treat infections of the urinary tract. Snack on dried cranberries, or when you head to the pub in the evening swap your pint for a Sez Breeze (vodka, cranberry and grapefruit juice).

Live a lot elder
Elderberries combat the free radicals and antioxidants that impair the body's ability to fight illness. And they contain the extract anthocyanin, a proved stress reducer. Treat yourself to some elderberry wine.

Combat germs
Just 100g fresh gooseberries will provide well over half your RDA of vitamin C. And their high acid content means little goodness is lost during the canning process, so the tinned version is equally nutritious. "Their tart flavour makes them great in pies" adds Wilson.

Don't get stoned
"Strawberries help us to eliminate uric acid from the body, a build up of which can lead to kidney stones" says Van Straten. They're at their most flavoursome from April to August. Eat them with low-fat creme fraiche or treat yourself to a Pimms with all the trimmings at the pub.

Boost it
A spoonful of tinned blackberries gives a health boosting touch of flavour to your fibre filled but dull breakfast cereal. They also contain the sperm boosting antioxidant vitamin E, and they're rich in ellagic acis, a flavanois that recent studies suggest may prevent the growth of cancer cells.

Currant flavour
Just 100g of redcurrants supply your RDA of vitamin C. Though they lose this when cooked, they retain their iron, potassium and fibre content. They're in season only in August so grab a punnet and add then fresh and washed to your salad, or eat your roast chicken with red currant jelly.

Vital statistics
1. In order to improve their night vision many British pilots would feast on Bilberry jam before going out on missions during World War 2.

2. If you wake up with a Barry White rasp, grab some blackcurrents, their skins contain anthocyanosides, an antibacterial pigment that combats sore throats.

3. Researchers have discovered that strawberries help to protect the brain from stress and limit the effects of age related decline.

4. In Italy, elderberries are boiled in water as a folk remedy for stimulating bowel function, while the Swedes swear by dried blueberry soup as a treatment for diarrhoea.

5. Tennis fans at Wimbledon eat 27,000 kilos of strawberries each year. Last year a punnet of ten strawberries costs £2.

6. More than 95 million kilos of blueberries are grown commercially each year. North America and Canada produes 95% of the worlds supply.

7. The phrase "playing gooseberry" dates back to the mid-1800's. back then it simply meant that you were acting as chaperone to a young couple out dating in the parks or market gardens.

8. Until the early 1600's the only strawberries available in the Uk were tiny wild ones the size of blackberries. The modern strawberry was created in Versailles, France when a strawberry from the US was crossed with a fruit "cousin" from Chile.

Playing for keeps.
Never be berryless by storing them properly

Fresh is best
For an instant antioxidant hit, add fresh blackberries, strawberries or blueberries to your cereal each day. A European Journal of Clinical Nutrition Report in March 2003 found that men who are berries on a daily basis had a 32-51% higher blood level of quercetin, a flavanoid with potent antioxident and anti-carcinogenic properties.

Keep them flat
Be sure to remove fresh berries from their packaging and wash them before you refrigerate them. Keep them on a plate or tray "Just avoid leaving them on metal surfaces as the metal can react with the fruit acids and ruin them" says Wilson. "And never leave fresh blackberries to sit at room temperature - they will soften and bleed."

Scrub up
Nutritionists suggest washing non-organic berries with a little washing-up liquid and warm water, then rinsing them withi cold water to ensure no traces of pesticide remain.

Buy dry
Dried berries are a quick, hassle free way to get your vitamins, but they're often high in fruit sugar. Sprinkle a small handful into yoghurt or porridge for added flavour and texture.

Go natural with can
Because the freshness and vitamins are sealed inside the can, tinned fruit can also count towards your five portions a day. Just make sure you choose canned fruit in natural joice or water rather than syrup. John West's range of tinned fruit includes Blackberries in apply juice, which containts just 33 calories per 100g serving.

Create the coolest drink
Frozen berries retain almost all the nutrients found in fresh ones, but there are significant losses in other beneficial compounds inclucing quercetin. On average, frozen berries contain 18-25% less of the powerful flavanois than fresh ones, but frozen fruits give smoothies a thick and creamy consistency and a cool refreshing kick, making them the ideal post-gym refreshment.

Be conservative
As with freezing, heating berries also cuts the quercetin content. Conserves retain much of the original vitamin content, however and can be a handy way of fitting extra berries into your diet. Opt for conserves rather than james where possible as they have more fruit and less added sugar. The best? We say raspberry. This naturall astringent (skin cooling) fruit will combat fevers and counter gum disease, stomach upsets and diarrhoea.

Cover it with compotes
Available alongside yoghurts in most supermarkets, compotes - stewed fruits - are a great way of getting your daily fruit intake. For a tasty fruit mix, try Yeo Valley's blend of organic apple, blackberry, strawberry and raspberry. Simply add a spoonful to yoghurt, cereal or low fat ice cream.

Now that you have the components to the ultimate health kick, here is one way that you can get the best out of them

The sportsmans smoothie
50g fresh strawberries, 50g fresh blueberries
50g fresh raspberries
1 banana
2tsp lemon juice
150ml skimmed milk
150g plain yoghurt.

How to make it
Chop the banana and strawberries, then place in a bender with the other ingredients and half the milk. Blend for 15 seconds, add the rest of the milk and blend again. "For an extra special kick to this smoothie, try warming the milk first with a bit of white chocolate." says Wilson.

What makes it so good:
This drink is an excellenbt course of vitamins C, B1, B2, and B6, folic acid, copper, potassium, zinc, magnesium and phospherous and provides useful amounts of iron and calcium. It's also naturallyisotoni, containing about 4 - 8 g of carbs in every 100ml, it has the same concentration of dissolved particles as the body's fluids, making it an ideal rehydrating dor before, during and after exercise.

July 2004