Tag Archives: aronia berry

food, health, health & fitness, wellness, organic, food as medicine,

Overnight Oats with Aronia!

What if you took your favorite overnight oats recipe, you know, milk, oatmeal, a little maple syrup and added freeze dried Aronia berries!

Aronia berries are a very high antioxidant fruit with tremendous health benefits. Full article available at Medicine Net.

Health benefits of Aronia berries:

Possible health benefits of Aronia berries include:

  1. Help reduce the risk of cancer:
    • Studies have shown that Aronia berries have the strongest potential of reducing cancer risk.
    • The antioxidants present in the berry, especially anthocyanins, help stop colon cancer cells from proliferating and growing, thereby reducing their growth by up to 60 percent.
    • When the extracts are taken by women with breast cancer, it reduces oxidative stress on the body and reduces the generation of free radicals into the blood.
  2. Prevent or reduce the risk of chronic diseases:
    • They are high in polyphenol antioxidants, which are known to maintain good health and have the potent ability to prevent chronic diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic disorders.
  3. Help lower blood pressure:
    • Aronia extracts have been shown to relax the tissue on the walls of blood vessels and help improve blood flow, thereby reducing the possibility of developing cardiovascular diseases.
    • Many cardiovascular diseases reduce the ability of the blood vessels to relax, resulting in the hardening of arterial walls. They help reduce blood pressure and may help combat high blood pressure in the arteries.
  4. Improve heart health:
    • Rich in antioxidants, Aronia berries help lower bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol and improve heart function.
    • Intake of Aronia berry juice, about 250 mL daily, decreases the bad cholesterol levels (low-density lipoprotein).
  5. Help manage diabetes:
    • Aronia berries, as well as their juice and extract, are widely consumed to manage diabetes.
    • Studies suggest that these berries can improve glucose metabolism and regulate sugar levels by reducing insulin resistance.
  6. Improve Immune function:
    • Aronia berries possess immunomodulatory properties that can support and strengthen the immune system.
    • Extracts from the berries have been shown to help prevent harmful bacterial activity by decreasing its protective biofilm production and viral diseases.
    • The berry extract exhibited strong antibacterial activity against harmful bacteria, such as Escherichia coli and Bacillus cereus.
    • Ellagic acid and myricetin in Aronia berry extract may protect against the influenza virus.
  7. Reduce the risk of urinary tract infections:
    • Studies show a strong reduction in urinary tract infections in patients who had Aronia berry juice regularly.
    • The berries inhibit the body’s release of inflammatory substances, such as cytokines and interleukins, and reduce the inflammatory responses.

Want to Really Kick Breakfast Nutrition Up a Notch?

Our Immune Builder is a unique blend of certified Aronia Berries, undenatured A2 goat whey, and chocolate. Add a scoop or two to the overnight oats and gain even more benefits:

Immune Builder is a fantastic addition to your nutritional arsenal to boost your immune system and build muscle. Builder is a non-synthetic, non-pharmacological, non-steroidal, naturally produced protein concentrate proven to increase intracellular glutathione. It is a great choice for people with an under-active or poor-performing immune system.

Immune Builder is a natural food supplement which provides the body with amino acids including:

  • METHIONINE
  • ARGININE
  • CYSTEINE – An important amino acid that is necessary for the body to make glutathione (antioxidant).Increasing Glutathione Builds a Strong Immune System:
    • Enhanced Macrophages Activity
    • Increased Lymphocyte Production
    • Increased Cytokine Production
    • Sustained Lymphocyte
    • Clinical Conditions Associated with Low Cysteine and Glutathione:
      • Chronic Fatique Syndrome
      • Crohn’s Disease
      • Ulcerative Colitis
      • Type II Diabetes Mellitus
      • Hepatitis
      • HIV with wasting
      • Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome
      • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
      • Cancer
      • Myocardial Ischemia
      • Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
      • Cystic Fibrosis
      • Alzheimer’s Disease
      • Parkinson’s Disease

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Find our products here!

As always, if you have any questions, let us know in the comments or reach out to Peggy@MyAroniaBerry.com. No AI drafted information here, just great information from my family to yours.

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The Healthiest Berry You’ve Never Heard of

Let me explain…very few people have heard of an Aronia Berry. I encourage you to do your research after seeing this. You’ll find they’re the healthiest berry you’ve never heard of! Aronia Berries are twice as high in antioxidants than blueberries, higher in fact than grandma’s Elderberries!

If you scroll through our site, you’ll see lots of reasons folks would want to consume Aronia berries every day. We do. Why? For example recently two people I spend time with came down with COVID. I didn’t ever get it. I haven’t had the flu in years. My allergies make me prone to sinus infections which I used to get twice a year like clockwork, haven’t had one in a couple years. We don’t get the grandkids’ crud:).

My husband, who is 87, goes to the doctor, they want to know how he looks so good and is doing so much. He has three doctors now who have purchased berries and believe in them.

Why should you try Aronia?

We have folks who use our Aronia products to help with high cholesterol, Chron’s, IBS, regulate blood sugar, promote regularity, and more than a few who “just feel better”.

Don’t take our word for it, if you’re serious about feeling better without all the pills, visit MyAroniaBerry.com and give Aronia a try. Why else would someone eat something called a “chokeberry”? They’ve were used by native Americans for their medicinal value. Granted, they aren’t as sweet as a blueberry, but you can handle 14-18 per day to get the antioxidant boost you need daily.

Freeze dried Aronia berries (or the frozen berries) are great tossed in trail mix, fudge (see the recipe), yogurt, overnight oats, cereals, meatballs, chili, soups and in salads.

We have some who call the Immune Syrup “Magic Juice”. Teachers especially love the stuff. They don’t succumb to the little germ factories they are in touch with with on a daily basis.

Aronia powder is awesome in energy drinks, lemonade, coffee, water, orange juice, soups and smoothies. Aronia powder is ground so fine, I like it in a carrier oil on my skin instead of an expensive lotion. It’s full of vitamin C, E, and resveratrol. You will find our Aronia powder more expensive than some. Why? You’re getting the full berry and all the nutritional value, not just the leftovers after juicing. We also take great care with a unique process that doesn’t heat up the berries when grinding. Again, preserving all the nutritional value!

If you’re a smoothie lover, you owe it to yourself to give Aronia berries a try. Use a protein? Try our A2 Immune Builder, it’s got the power of Aronia and the protein of A2 goat whey. It’s done amazing things for so many. Everything from building up weightlifters and grandma’s muscles, to calming stomach issues, and even helping eliminate age spots in some folks. We think it’s about as close to mother’s milk as possible. Helping with so many different facets of health.

MyAroniaBerry.com

Interested in giving Aronia a try? Head on over to MyAroniaBerry.com to find yours. We look forward to sending some your way!

food, health, organic

2021 Aronia Berry Harvest In the Books

2021 Aronia Berry Harvest complete! We had great help for the day to make it a success. Was it all it could be? No, heavy frost and snow in our low lying fields dramatically limited yields. We had no berries in much of the lowest areas. Drought conditions limited the size of the berries, but they’re picked and out.

All total we picked about 8700 lbs of berries! We’d anticipated about 6,000 lbs. We keep thinking what if frost/snow hadn’t impacted our lower field!

John from US Aronia harvesting
Ready to wrap and load in the refrigerated truck
Filled Lugs
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Aronia Berry Harvest Time Nears

By this time next week our fields will look drastically different, we will have had commercial harvesters pick our Aronia Berries. We’ll post pictures of the harvesting.

Lately we’ve been getting questions from small growers and folks at home who have berries, wondering why we haven’t picked them yet. Some people picked them when they first started turning purple because they look ripe.

We wait, sometimes impatiently, for the sugar content in the berries to rise. It helps our berries taste better than other berries which are harvested too early.

Our daughter says, “Sugar content?” (She’s not a fan of the fresh berries.) The sugar content in fruits vary from one to another. Aronia is a tart, dry, astringent berry that isn’t always a favorite of folks straight off the bush. We say it’s an acquired taste. Folks who aren’t really big sugar fans will enjoy the berries alone.

How Do I Know My Berries Are Ready?

The berries begin turning purple in July. Through August the berries fill out and ripen. If you have berries at home and wonder when to pick them, wait for the stems to change from green, to reddish, to dry and brown in color.

Berries themselves have a dimpled bottom. As the berries fill out and ripen, you will notice the dimpled area become more prevalent.

If you cut a berry in half, a ripe berry will be uniformly colored all the way through.

If you harvest too early, it’s fine, your berries just will not be as tasty and nutritious as possible. Next year, be patient.

food, health, health & fitness, wellness, organic, food as medicine,, organic

IF Ever a time for immune boosting, it’s now

COVID has been on everyone’s mind this past year. Nothing is normal. Hopes are pinned on vaccination and herd immunity, yet no one is discussing boosting your immune system.

Families are stressed. Jobs lost, working from home, schooling students at home, family members ill.

Healthcare is stressed to the max. Long-term care facilities are extremely scary places to be. Folks are dying alone. Families are overwhelmed.

Mental health is a true concern. Long-term isolation and financial stress are known causes for substance and physical abuse. Children not in school are particularly vulnerable.

Eating out has never been so different. As a former restauranteur, I worry about all those small businesses which are at a greater risk for failure in a normal year, but this year could be devastating to many. Not only restaurants, but theaters, non-profits, and many service industries are suffering as well.

Vaccines are coming. We know the time will come when this will all be a horrible memory. What can we do now? Guidelines preach hand washing, social distancing. Many are cleaning more now than ever before. Stay home. Take care of yourself.

Help your Immune System

When things are going well, do we ever really consider how our immune system is functioning? Some of us do because of health issues. But the vast majority of folks don’t really worry about it on a normal basis. Is there a way to help ourselves further? I believe there is.

Reduce toxins, keep moving, calm your mind, eat healthy, and supplement your diet. I know our Aronia Berries are boosting our immune system. Many folks are researching immune boosters now more than ever.

Our Partners In Immune Health

We have teamed up with A-2 Immune, Boone County Organics and Elder Farms. All are companies we fully trust who have developed amazing products using Aronia Berries to help folks boost their immunity.

A-2 Immune

Boone County Organics Powdered Aronia

Elder Farms

I’m going to share an article the American Aronia Berry Association recently shared an article by Zachary MacDonald, Ph.D. student, Department of Kinesiology, University of Connecticut, nationally-ranked #3 Kinesiology doctoral program in the United States (by NAK)

We all know that the immune system is our body’s defense system against invaders (or infectious agents) such viruses and bacteria. However, something you might not know is how that the immune system is absolutely critical to normal bodily functions like digestion, regulating blood pressure, and managing chronic inflammation. Having a healthy immune system is not just about defending your body from nasty invaders, but also about overall health of every organ system.

Fortunately, consuming foods in our diet that support and possibly enhance immune function is impactful; making great choices about what we put in our bodies can help us function better and be more healthy. Such foods include berries packed full of compounds that improve cell function, ability to handle stress, and recovery from stress. Even the pigmentation that gives color to berries, some of which are called anthocyanins, are seen to have health benefits. Anthocyanins have a high amount of biological activity in inflammatory-related diseases such as cancer [1], diabetes [2], and cardiovascular disease [3]. Examples of anthocyanin-rich sources include blueberries, elderberry (also known as sambucus), and cherries.

For example, anthocyanins from wild blueberry powder were found to lower a pro-inflammatory protein complex called NF-κB in cell cultures [4], rats [5], and humans [6]. In elderberry, an anthocyanin called cyanidin 3-glucoside has been shown to significantly suppress the transmission of viruses in cell cultures, illustrating promising potential as a nutraceutical treatment for influenza [7].

There is one berry that stands out among the rest: the chokeberry, also known as aronia. There are several species of the chokeberry, but the black chokeberry in particular has been of great interest in the scientific community. This is due to its notably dark purple pigmentation, indicating its dense anthocyanin content, which is estimated to be the highest plant content of anthocyanin measured to date [8]!

            Aronia has demonstrated its powerful anti-inflammatory effects in various ways. One way this has been shown is with the chronic digestive disorder colitis. Aronia appears to directly stimulate a type of immune protein called IL-10, which is vital to keeping excess intestinal inflammation at bay [9]. This berry has also shown to produce a mild but significant reduction in blood pressure, a symptom of what’s called “low-grade inflammation”. The reduction of this low-grade inflammation was explained by Aronia’s ability to decrease the inflammatory biomarkers IL-4, IL-5, and tumor necrosis factor-α in a 16-week human trial [10].

            Aronia has also been shown to exhibit antibacterial and antiviral properties with its impressive anti-inflammatory abilities. An interesting speculation regarding aronia’s antibacterial properties is that it has shown to inhibit the growth of many different types of bacteria, while at the same time illustrating a lower potential for bacteria to develop resistance to it in comparison to some antibiotics [11]. It has also exhibited its antiviral properties against two types of the influenza virus: seasonal and oseltamivir-resistant (meaning that it is resistant to the common antiviral medication commonly known as Tamiflu). Impressively, it was able to inhibit nearly 70% of both types of virus [12].

There is still much more to be done and especially in human subject studies. There are many studies using bacteria, mice, and cell cultures, but not nearly as many in clinical human trials. However, there are enough out there that do exist that allows us to see the general direction Aronia research is headed in, and it looks like a good one for sure. Consider including aronia and other immune-enhancing foods in your diet to improve your physical and physiological resiliency!

food, health, health & fitness, wellness, organic, food as medicine,, organic

Aronia Berry Heart Health Benefits

Science confirms what we’ve known for a while, daily supplementation with Aronia Berries reduces blood pressure and cholesterol. These little dark purple gems we have growing are great for your heart!

We have a friend who was interested in lowering her cholesterol. She added Aronia berries to her daily diet, usually consuming whole frozen berries in yogurt or oatmeal for breakfast. After her next doctor visit she let us know her cholesterol dropped 30 points. Adding Aronia berries was the only change made in her diet and lifestyle.

https://wholefoodsmagazine.com/supplements/news-supplements/meta-analysis-supports-heart-health-benefits-of-aronia-berry/

food, health, health & fitness, wellness, organic, food as medicine,, organic

The Verdict Is In

You know sometimes when folks tell you something is good for you, you think, yeah right? It’s just hype to sell more. I know think that until I look into it myself or know someone it’s really helped.

The study here discusses the benefits of our little purple powerhouse berries in the fight to lower cholesterol. The study was done with rats. However, we have a friend at church who swears by Aronia Berries. She was struggling with high cholesterol and hesitated to use lipid lowering medications because of side effects. She tried Aronia, just a small handful daily. Her only diet change was adding berries daily to her cereal, oatmeal, or yogurt. Her cholesterol was 30 points lower at her re-check!

Side effects? None. Plus she had the benefit from the anti-fungal, anti-viral antioxidant properties of Aronia. Good enough reason to try? You bet.

Remember, you can find them at Fareway in Carlisle, Indianola, Norwalk and Fleur Drive in Des Moines. In addition, Gateway Market and the Price Choppers in Des Moines also handle Aronia. You can always contact us directly if you need them shipped to you.

Fogle’s Organic Aronia Berries in the Freezer Section
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BUSY, BUSY, BUSY

I have been remiss in adding to the blog this spring. We’ve been so busy catching up with things we didn’t get done last year due to health reasons, I’m running way behind!

The berries have lots of beautiful little berries. Even the bushes that we trimmed back too 8″ a year ago in March are loaded with berries and are about five foot tall. It’s amazing to us how resilient the Aronia berries are.

In my spare time I’ve been making Aronia Cayenne Sauce and Strawberry Aronia Fruit Spread. Two of our favorite ways to share the Aronia goodness with others. I plan to take the Fruit Spread and Aronia Cayenne Sauce to the What Cheer Flea Market this weekend. Yet another attempt to educate folks on the wonderful benefits and flavors of Aronia!

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Taking Advantage of the Rain!

Most of the weekend we’ve been drenched in central Iowa.  A washed out Labor Day weekend.  So what do we do?  Bake!   I wish you could smell our house about now.

Folks are always asking me what we do with “those” berries.  We get creative.   We use them in chocolate chip cookies, apple pie, fudge, pancakes, beef stew, chili, meatballs and meatloaf, salads, pancakes, lemonade, muffins, banana bread, you name it, I try it.  The recipe page includes some of our favorites.  It includes the new one that’s in the oven.

The house smells amazing and it tastes just as good!

Pear Aronia Granola

 

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So Just What Do You Do With Those Berries?

I hear this question all the time.   Right now is the perfect time to answer that question.  Woody just had a hip replaced and I’m fighting a terrible cold after being with him in the hospital and having a weakened immune system, it was bound to catch me.   But, we know that our little purple powerhouse berries are anti-viral, so we load up with their vitamins and nutrients to push thru and recover.  We even boosted our intake prior to surgery!

Here’s now we use have been using them.  I like smoothies for breakfast and mine are always purple!  Woody prefers Aronia jelly or berries in oatmeal or pancakes.

For lunch, I just toss Aronia berries in chef salads.  Today I’m having them in my vegetable beef soup and salad.

We eat them in all sorts of baked goods as you can see on the recipe section.  The kids love them in the cookies, Woody loves the BananAronia bread or the Pear Aronia bread.

For dinner, I use them in meatloaf, meatballs, and in chili.  Often times I mix them with apples or pears to make a sauce for pork chops or chicken.  Sometimes you can even spice the sauces up with cayenne or creole seasonings for an interesting twist.

We also press them and drink the juice!  It’s good with a bit of 7-Up, Sparkling Water, Lemonade, Ginger Ale, or Woody’s been known to mix it in with a little Captain and Coke!  But to be fair, he puts some berries in with his coffee grounds occasionally too.  There are so many, many uses you just have to be creative!