Recently, a novelty has appeared on the grocery market of our country - goji berries. These "wonderful berries" from ancient times are known in China and Tibet. There they are used as a medicine and used in the preparation of dishes of national cuisine.
Back in January 2014, few people were interested in or needed these berries on the Russian market. But after the program "Live Healthy" with Elena Malysheva, where she talked about their amazing properties, the hype began. The reason is the statement that with the help of goji you can lose weight by 20 kg per month. But this is just a tricky marketing move to promote the product on the market.
Lycium barbarum - what is it?
Goji is one of the valuable medicinal plants. Other names for shrubs - ordinary dereza (lat. Lycium barbarum) or Chinese (lat. Lycium chinense). Belongs to the nightshade family. The bush reaches three meters in height. The stems are curly and soft, but all are literally strewn with thorns. It blooms with small purple-pink bells. Fruits - small oblong purple-red berries, soft, with a sweet and sour taste.
It grows in almost all regions where a temperate and subtropical climate. Wild shrubs can be found on roadsides, wastelands and dry slopes. Used for hedges. It is cultivated in the northern and central regions of China and is used in traditional medicine of the East.
Are Goji and Barberry the Same?
Sometimes goji is confused with barberry or dogwood. But this is a big mistake. They belong to different plant families. And even with similarities in the appearance of the fruits, they have significant differences in structure, taste and composition.
Barberries have one large stone, sour taste and darken after drying. Goji has a sweet and sour taste, inside there are a lot of small seeds, and after drying they remain the same red. By the content of vitamins and minerals barberry is significantly inferior to the berries of dereza.
Beneficial features
Nowadays, information is spreading about the miraculous properties that are attributed to the novelty of sales - goji berries.
Chemical composition (per 100 grams of fresh product):
- ascorbic acid - about 2500 mg;
- Vitamin B1 (thiamine) - 10.23 mg;
- vitamin B2 (riboflavin) - 20.33 mg;
- vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) - 3 mg;
- Vitamin A (beta-carotene) - 3.96 mg;
- iron - 3.4 mg;
- calcium - 155 mg;
- phosphorus - 67 mg.
And the product also contains about 20 other trace elements, as well as organic acids, amino acids, polysaccharides, essential oils. Due to the high concentration of vitamins and a set of minerals, dereza ordinary Lycium barbarum successfully fights fungal diseases, inflammation and bacteria. Increases the working capacity, endurance of a person, reducing the impact on the body of physical activity. Strengthens the immune system, affects oxygen metabolism and blood flow, proper protein metabolism. Strengthens eyesight, regulates blood sugar, lowers blood pressure, increases sexual activity, strengthens memory.
Means for losing weight - is it true or a myth?
Lycium barbarum - a miracle slimming tool or another media myth? The unique chemical composition of goji berries is respected by nutritionists, but they do not have active ingredients with high fat burning indicators.
Being natural antioxidants, berries of Lycium barbarum prevent the formation of free radicals. They contribute to the body's production of natural growth hormone, which is necessary for burning fat, normalize metabolism, raise and strengthen the general tone.
A glass of drink drunk before going to the gym will play a positive role in losing weight and will help to do sports more profitably. But the berries themselves will never help to lose weight, they will only support the body with diets and sports. Note to women: goji help cope with cellulite. They will help men to improve potency.
Goji berries or ordinary dereza - a unique product that contains a large amount of nutrients. They can be used to support the body, prevent a large number of diseases and improve overall well-being. But consider them as a panacea for all diseases is not worth it. And it will be easier to lose weight with the help of Tibetan berries, playing sports and adhering to a diet.
How to cook and eat berries?
They can be consumed in dried or soaked form, added to desserts, eat with cottage cheese and yogurt. The daily norm of an adult is considered to be 7-8 grams, which corresponds to the number of berries from 36 to 48 pcs. For children over 3 years, the norm is 1/3 of the recommended for adults.
A glass of berry infusion, if drunk half an hour before a meal, promotes faster breakdown of food, reduces hunger, and a feeling of fullness lasts much longer. No wisdom is needed to make a drink. A tablespoon of berries is poured with 400 ml of hot but not boiling water and insisted in a thermos or in another container with a lid for half an hour.
The opinion of experts
The berries of Lycium barbarum, according to many nutritionists, are a wonderful storehouse for health. They help cleanse the body of toxins and cholesterol, normalize blood circulation, and improve metabolism. The berries were tested at the Institute of Healthy Nutrition in Russia. And have been approved as an auxiliary food supplement during the diet.
If you follow all the rules of admission described above, then in addition to benefit, you will not get anything, and there will be no side effects. Weight loss with the help of goji goes more naturally, no extreme methods are needed in the pursuit of harmony.
Grow or buy?
It is easy to grow dereza at home or on the site, planting seeds from berries. To extract the seeds, dried berries are soaked for several hours in warm water. For germination, the seeds are sown on the surface of the substrate, you can deepen them by a couple of millimeters. Cover the container on top with plastic wrap and put in a bright place. With moistened soil and a temperature of about 25 0 C, sprouts will appear in a few days. When 4-6 leaves grow, seedlings dive. Dereza begins to bloom in the second year, and bear fruit in another year or two. It should be borne in mind that the dereza shrub grows rapidly, so you need to plant it where there is a lot of free space. The plant looks great as a hedge.
It is much easier to buy dried berries. They can be purchased in departments with gastronomy, in markets, through Internet sites. You can also buy Lycium barbarum at the pharmacy. When buying pre-packaged berries, you should pay attention to which preservative was used to preserve them. If E220 appears on the package, it is better not to buy such a product.
Thus, ordinary dereza berries are a useful product of health and strengthening the body. Now it’s not difficult to buy them. It is easy to grow them at home or in the garden.