Now is the season when mulberries are on the market in large quantities, and the small fruits that are purple and black and translucent are sweet and sour when ripe, plump and juicy, and there are many ways to eat them. It can be washed and eaten raw, and it can also be juiced, served with yogurt, and soaked in wine...... Particularly versatile. What is the nutrition of good-looking and delicious mulberries? In this article, let's talk about mulberries.
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Nutrition of mulberries
Mulberry cultivation on the mainland has a long history, having been cultivated about 5,000 years ago and is the country with the largest number of mulberry varieties in the world. Mulberry is recognized as a healthy fruit and enjoys the reputation of "the best health fruit of the 21st century".
1
Dietary fiber
The dietary fiber content of mulberries is at an excellent level among fruits, with an insoluble dietary fiber content of up to 4.1g/100g, and the total dietary fiber content of blueberries, which are also berries, is 2.4g/100g.
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Eating some mulberries properly can bring us a good sense of satiety, and can promote gastrointestinal peristalsis, which is beneficial to intestinal health. The key is that the calories of mulberries are not high, only 57kcal/100g, which is comparable to the calories of blueberries and apples, and it is still very friendly to friends who are losing weight.
2
vitamin C
The vitamin C content of mulberries is 36.4mg/100g, which is about the same as oranges, much higher than blueberries, which are also berries, and nearly 4 times that of blueberries. Eating 100g of mulberries can provide 40% of the average adult's daily requirement for vitamin C (about 20 mulberries).
Image source: Photographed by the author
3
selenium
According to the data in the "Chinese Food Composition List", mulberries are rich in selenium, which is 5.65 micrograms per 100 grams, which is higher than common fruits such as apples, peaches, pineapples, pears, grapes, etc., and is 56.5 times that of blueberries.
Selenium is an essential trace element in the human body, which participates in the regulation of thyroid function, metabolism, blood circulation, and can also maintain normal immune function.
4
anthocyanidin
The anthocyanin content of mulberry is related to variety, color, maturity, growth environment and other factors, generally 14~347mg/100g, and the darker the color, the higher the content. Purple-black, purple-black mulberries are the most abundant in anthocyanins, far more than blueberries, black rice, purple corn, grapes and other foods.
Anthocyanins are polyphenols that have antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic and other activities. Eating more anthocyanin-rich foods can reduce the body's inflammatory response, protect cardiovascular health, and prevent cognitive decline.
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Anthocyanins can also play a role in protecting eyesight, not only allowing vision to adapt to the dark environment as soon as possible, but also improving myopia and alleviating blurred vision caused by eye fatigue.
However, mulberry anthocyanins are easy to fade and degrade under the action of oxygen, light, heat and other factors, so they will be lost in drying, juice making, sterilization and other processing links. If the juice is squeezed directly, the preservation of anthocyanins is quite good, but it is best not to throw away the pomace.
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5
Resveratrol
Resveratrol is a natural polyphenol that contains resveratrol in mulberries at a content of 6.854mg/100g.
Resveratrol can help us antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, and has a good scavenging effect on free radicals. It is also very beneficial to cardiovascular health, inhibiting platelet aggregation, regulating lipid metabolism, and preventing the occurrence of thrombosis.
On the whole, mulberries are nutritious, and they are relatively cheap and cost-effective.
"Cottage mulberries" are poisonous, don't eat them!
Although mulberries are worth eating, don't be confused with Marsan, although the two are somewhat similar in name, appearance, and color, but Marsan is a "copycat version of mulberry", and it is easy to be poisoned by mistake.
Marsanberry fruit contains marsantoxin, hydroxymarsantoxin, hydrogenated marsantoxin, etc., which cause a series of poisoning symptoms such as excitement, spasms, and vomiting by stimulating the human cerebral cortex. Under normal circumstances, accidental ingestion of 15~60g of masan fruit will cause a toxic reaction, with symptoms such as headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and other symptoms in mild cases, shock and even death in severe cases.
Image source: Reference [10]
How can you tell the difference between mulberry and marsan?
Although the two fruits are similar in color when ripe, mostly black-purple, there is a big difference in appearance. Mulberry is a polymer fruit, which is formed by the aggregation of multiple small fruits, the appearance is not smooth, it looks pitted, and the fruit is generally about 1~2.5cm long, while the fruit of Marsan is the size of a pea, round, with a smooth skin and a diameter of 4~6mm.
Summary:
Now is the best time to appreciate mulberries, hurry up and seize the opportunity to supplement the nutrients. When buying mulberries, you should choose darker colors, which will be richer in antioxidants such as anthocyanins, and the skin of mature mulberries is more fragile, so do not rub them with your hands when cleaning, and rinse them under running water for a while.