OPG Ivan Butorac

Description

POWERFUL HASKAP BERRIES (Siberian blueberry) THAT THE JAPANESE

SAY PROLONGS LIFE.

Haskap is a fruit that deserves a place on every table and in everyone's diet, especially for the youngest and the elderly, as well as all those who care about their health. With its blue appearance, it resembles a cross between a blueberry and a plum.

Our body can function properly only if it has sufficient amounts of vitamins and minerals, and Haskap is exceptionally rich in these—more than any other type of fruit.

The original name Haskap (or HasuKappu) is not Japanese but comes from the language of the Ainu people of Hokkaido Island, and according to some translations, it means "eternal youth and longevity."

The fruit ripens very early, before other fruits (around May 15). It is most often consumed raw but is also processed into jams, fruit juices, and syrups. It is highly valued as an addition to dairy products, yogurt, and ice cream because the frozen berry melts quickly in the mouth, and it has almost no seeds.

Take a look at how much goodness is packed into just 100 grams of Haskap:

POTASSIUM (K) - 190 mg per 100 g, one of the most important electrolytes, essential for the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system and kidneys, nerve impulse transmission, bone and teeth strength, muscle function, and the metabolism of carbohydrates and proteins.

CALCIUM (Ca) - 38 mg per 100 g. Calcium plays a crucial role in the formation of teeth and bones (99% of calcium is stored in bones and teeth). The remaining 1% participates in important physiological processes in the body (muscle contraction, heartbeat, blood clotting, and nerve impulse transmission).

PHOSPHORUS (P) - 25 mg per 100 g. It participates in almost every biochemical reaction, maintains the normal pH value (acidity) of the body, and is necessary for energy production. It is required for the growth and development of all body cells and is a component of our genetic code.

IRON (Fe) - 0.6 mg per 100 g. The largest percentage of iron in the body is found in red blood cells (erythrocytes), specifically in the part responsible for oxygen supply. If there is a lack of iron in the blood, oxygen supply is disrupted, leading to fatigue, weakness, irritability, sluggishness, headaches, and more.

In addition to these minerals, Haskap also contains copper, zinc, magnesium, and manganese.

VITAMIN E - 1.1 mg per 100 g. Fat and vitamin E always go hand in hand because vitamin E prevents the clotting (oxidation) of fats and their deposition on the walls of blood vessels, thus preventing the formation of clots that can cause a stroke. Due to its strong antioxidant effect, vitamin E is a natural fighter against cancer.

VITAMIN C - 44 mg per 100 g. The benefits of this vitamin are well known. If you fill a handful of Haskap and eat it as a snack, you will meet a third of your daily vitamin C needs. It also contains other vitamins such as A, B1, B2, B6, pantothenic acid or B5, niacin (B3), folic acid (B9)...

But Haskap is the fruit richest in ANTHOCYANIN—a natural pigment that gives it its color and, according to many studies, plays an extremely important role in preventing numerous diseases.

The Japanese have been consuming Haskap for centuries, believing it to be a fruit that prolongs life. The reason lies precisely in the amount of anthocyanin. To start, let's quote a few sentences from the Croatian Food Agency's website:

Anthocyanins are powerful antioxidants known to prevent the formation of free radicals in the body, destroy them, and repair cell damage caused by these free radicals. Recently, they have also been linked to other health benefits, such as lowering blood glucose levels in diabetics.

In the region where this type of Haskap grows naturally, there is a long-standing folk tradition of using it for atherosclerosis, hypertension, and gastrointestinal disorders. Recent scientific studies support this. The berries are a rich source of vitamin C, anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, and other flavonoids, and have antitumor, antimutagenic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antiallergic properties.

- Anti-inflammatory effects

There is increasing evidence that foods rich in anthocyanins prevent and help with certain inflammatory conditions, such as gingivitis or arthritis.

- Vision

Anthocyanin improves circulation in the eye capillaries, enhances night vision, slows macular degeneration, and slows vision deterioration in diabetics.

- Inhibitory effects on colon cancer

Analysis of the effects of natural anthocyanin extract has shown that this antioxidant inhibits the growth of colon cancer cells.

- Cardiovascular system

Adding berries rich in anthocyanin to your daily diet has been proven to improve circulation and help maintain veins by repairing damaged proteins that make up the walls of blood vessels and neutralizing harmful enzymes.

WHY IS ANTHOCYANIN SO AMAZING?

A group of Slovak scientists conducted a study in 2009 measuring anthocyanin levels in berry fruits. All dark-colored berries have high amounts of this pigment, but the scientists were surprised by the result of the then little-known Haskap berry.

This fruit, now well-known to us as Haskap or Siberian blueberry, far surpassed all competitors and set a record in terms of anthocyanin content, which amounts to 1300 mg per 100 grams of fresh fruit.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY – HASKAP IS EXTREMELY TASTY FRUIT—FRUIT WHOSE TIME IS YET TO COME BECAUSE IT HAS THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF ANTIOXIDANTS (20,000–25,000 ORAC—a measure of a substance's capacity to neutralize free radicals) among all foods. For comparison, chokeberry has 16,000, dried grapes 2,830, regular blueberries 2,400, strawberries 1,540, and raspberries 1,220.

Automatically translated from Croatian