A New Food? | Glenda Britton, RHN

Well… it isn’t actually a new food it was just new to me. 😳

The Bakeapple Berry

We were very fortunate to have the opportunity to travel through Newfoundland this Summer, (trying to get our ‘zen on’) – what a magnificent part of our Country. The foodie in me was thrilled to discover something I’d never heard of before, the Bakeapple Berry. I even had several opportunities to pick and eat them while hiking as well as eat home made Bakeapple jam on Quirpon Island and drink Bakeapple juice during our stay at the very special Fogo Island Inn. Although this berry is new to me, it is internationally known as the Cloudberry. This prized berry grows almost exclusively in Scandinavia, Russia, Alaska and parts of Canada. It’s an excellent source of Vitamin C, containing twice the amount found in a glass of orange juice. It is similar in appearance to a large raspberry and has a honey/apricot-like flavour.

The name ‘Bakeapple’ is actually an anglicized version of ‘baie qu’appelle’ meaning, ‘what is this berry called’…?

Berries and Mental Health

There have been several studies that show how eating berries can benefit brain function especially with regards to age-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s and other forms of mental decline.

In a report prepared by Shukitt-Hale (referenced below) it states that berry fruits alter the way neurons (brain cells) communicate with each other. This can help prevent inflammation in the brain that can lead to neuronal damage. The end result could be an improvement in both cognition and motor control.

More research is needed to fully understand how the wide variety of phytochemicals (nutrients) found in berry fruits work. It is not known whether it is a single component or many phytochemicals working together that help to support brain function. It is also unknown whether there is a specific time of life that it is most beneficial to be consuming berries, or if they can prevent or possibly reverse the signs of aging on the brain.

No matter what part of the world you happen to find yourself in this Summer, make sure that you take advantage of the local foods, and eat loads of berries if you can.

9 Simple Ways to Eat More Berries

See below for some recipes*

: Toss in a Salad

: Oatmeal with Berries

: Wheat-free Blueberry Muffins*

: Berry Smoothie*

: Chia Strawberry Jam*

: Berries on your pancakes*

: Berries and yogourt

Click below for Recipes:

Wheat-free Blueberry Muffins

Berry Smoothie

Chia Strawberry Jam

Gluten Free Pancakes

REFERENCES

http://www.darktickle.com/content/7-bakeapple

“Wildflowers of Fogo Island and Change Islands”, Todd Boland, 2010

http://www.mentalhealthy.co.uk/news/1560-benefits-to-the-brain-from-eating-berries.html

https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/presspacs/2012/acs-presspac-march-7-2012/strong-scientific-evidence-that-eating-berries-benefits-the-brain.html

https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloudberry

https://www.uaf.edu/files/ces/publications-db/catalog/hec/FNH-00108.pdf