In our neighborhood here in northern California, there are many places where we can forage wild blackberries from late summer into fall. When I go out to harvest wild blackberries I am reminded to be mindful of the thorns that these plants have on their stems and leaves. Blackberries are in the rose family, so it is not surprising to find thorns on these plants. Here is a nutrient analysis of one cup of blackberries (144 g):
| Blackberries – 1 cup | Adult Daily Requirements | |
| Calories | 62 | varies |
| Calcium | 42 | 1000 mg, 1200 mg |
| Iron | 0.9 | 8 mg for men and postmenopausal women, 18 mg for premenopausal women |
| Magnesium | 29 | 310 – 320 mg for women, 400 – 420 mg for men |
| Potassium | 233 | 4,700 mg |
| Zinc | 0.8 | 8 mg for women, 11 mg for men |
In reality, I eat more than one cup of blackberries in one sitting, so here is a nutrient analysis of 3½ cups of blackberries (504 g):
| Blackberries – 3½ cups | Adult Daily Requirements | |
| Calories | 217 | varies |
| Calcium | 246 | 1000 mg, 1200 mg |
| Iron | 3.1 | 8 mg for men and postmenopausal women, 18 mg for premenopausal women |
| Magnesium | 101 | 310 – 320 mg for women, 400 – 420 mg for men |
| Potassium | 816 | 4,700 mg |
| Zinc | 2.7 | 8 mg for women, 11 mg for men |
Often, people in the raw food community ask me if fruits are good source of minerals. The answer is that it depends on the fruit and how much one is eating of that fruit. As we can see, blackberries eaten in quantity can be a significant source of the minerals stated in the table above.
Not only can blackberries be a good source of certain important minerals, they are also well known for being a good source of antioxidants. Antioxidants are molecules that can neutralize free radicals before they cause damage to our cells.
A 2006 study measured the antioxidant content of over 1,000 foods and listed the 50 with the highest antioxidant content per 100 grams. Blackberries are number 19 on the list with 3.99 mmol antioxidants per 100 g. Foods that were higher than blackberries include ground cloves, oregano, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, walnuts, basil, and others. For a full list please watch the video associated with this blog post or view the study listed in the reference section.
There is a challenge with measuring the antioxidant content of foods per 100 grams, given that one must consider how much of these foods one would actually eat in one sitting. Does it make sense that someone is going to eat 100 grams of cloves in one sitting? No, usually when one adds cloves to a recipe, the amount is usually around 1 teaspoon (2.1 grams) or a similar amount. However, it does make sense that one would eat 100 grams of blackberries (a little less than ¾ cup) or much more as mentioned earlier. When antioxidant content was measured per serving size, blackberries topped the list at 5.75 mmol antioxidants per cup, followed by walnuts, strawberries, artichokes, cranberries, and others. Ground cloves were further down on the list at number 10 with 2.64 mmol of antioxidants per teaspoon. Per serving, blackberries had the highest in antioxidants per serving than all other foods tested, which would include other high antioxidant berries like blueberries and raspberries.
What are some of the antioxidants found in blackberries? One type is anthocyanins, which are famous for their blue coloring. Other examples of anthocyanin containing foods include blueberries and raspberries.
Here is a video explaining this information with some added facts on the nutrient content of figs:
References:
Halvorsen BL, Carlsen MH, Phillips KM, Bøhn SK, Holte K, Jacobs DR Jr, Blomhoff R. Content of redox-active compounds (ie, antioxidants) in foods consumed in the United States. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Jul;84(1):95-135.
Nutrient content of blackberries: USDA nutrient database
But isn’t fruit controversial for some reason?
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