Whether you’re trying to lose your winter weight before swimsuit season or you just want to shed some pounds, it’s never too late to eat healthier, lose weight, and feel better. And, when it comes to choosing the best foods for weight loss, health experts recommend real, whole foods that can fight inflammation and add all of the right nutrients to your diet. Specifically, berries have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that can prevent obesity-related disorders and help with weight loss.
To discover some of the most superior berries out there to snack on for weight loss, we checked in with health experts Trista Best, a registered for Balance One, Alicia Galvin, RD, resident dietitian at Sovereign Laboratories, and Lisa Richards, a registered nutritionist and creator of The Candida Diet. They told us that blueberries are the best anti-inflammatory berry you can eat for faster weight loss. This is because blueberries are rich in vitamins and antioxidants that fight inflammation. Find out more below!
READ MORE: These Are The Best Anti-Inflammatory Ingredients To Eat Every Day, According To Dietitians
Blueberries Are The Best Anti-Inflammatory Berry For Weight Loss
There's so much to love about berries. They make a great snack on their own or a fantastic ingredient in a range of recipes. Blueberries are packed with antioxidants that offer a range of health benefits, especially when it comes to reducing inflammation.
The antioxidants found in berries (like blueberries) are significantly important to our overall health. Best says that they work in the body to prevent, reduce, and even reverse free radical damage. "If this damage is allowed to occur and to persist, it can lead to poor health in a wide variety of ways," she explains. "These ways are both internally and externally as this damage causes an increase in aging in both our appearance and our internal health."
Galvin agrees that blueberries are a healthy source of antioxidants and fiber. "Antioxidants are nutritional components that help scavenge free radicals," she says. "Free radicals can cause DNA damage, age the skin, and promote inflammation— all of which become more important to manage as we age." And, the fiber and prebiotics that blueberries have also feed our good gut bacteria.
"Berries are some of the lowest sugar fruits you can consume, so they can provide a bit of sweetness to the diet without spiking blood glucose levels like some other higher sugar fruits do," Galvin continues. Antioxidants, she says, have been "shown to be protective" for brain health, supporting cardiovascular health, slowing aging, and reducing inflammation.
"[Blueberries'] specific antioxidants are flavonoids, plant compounds that give these berries protection and when consumed, give us similar protection on a cellular level as well," Richards adds. "These versatile berries are also high in nutrients while being low in calories. This makes them an ideal ingredient to shakes, desserts, yogurt or ice cream toppings, or just eaten by themselves." Richards also notably points out that blueberries have been "linked to reducing blood pressure, blood sugar, and overall risk of chronic disease."
The Bottom Line
So, experts like Richards, Best, and Galvin say that blueberries are the best anti-inflammatory berry for weight loss. They're high in fiber, nutrients, and antioxidants, yet low in calories and fat, making them filling and satisfying. Blueberries can help curb cravings for unhealthy snacks and reduce overall calorie intake, which can lead to weight loss.
Best gets it right when she says, "If there was one fruit you had to focus on eating regularly over all others for its ability to lower disease, I would recommend blueberries," Best concludes, reiterating that they are rich in flavonoids, antioxidants, and can lower the inflammation level in the body significantly. And, of course, if you're still suffering from inflammation, check with your doctor to make sure it's not a symptom of an underlying condition.
