aGreatChef.com Blog – Food Blog of Chef Robert Conaway

For the last couple of years I have been telling everyone that will listen about the benefits of eating these little red berries that are called Wolf berries (western Snow berries) or by their marking name, Goji berries. About the size of a very dry raisin, Goji berries are one food that you cannot go without. If you currently eat these great, if not read on…

Goji berries are native to the higher elevations in China and Mongolia and have a taste that is rather like a mild dried cherry with a bit of citrus in it. I have some friends that refer to the taste as “tree bark”, so I guess the exotic flavors I taste are due to having a refined palette (or that I have eaten a bit of tree bark in my life and like it, which is not the case). Eating the berries raw will certainly get you familiar with their unique flavor, adding them to dishes offers you all of the nutritional benefits without the taste (if you find you don’t like it).

I have Goji berries, Goji berry juice and Goji berry tea avaliable at the aGreatChef.com store if you would like this great food delivered to your home or office.

Nutritionally, I do not know of any food on the market that offers you the vitamins that Goji (wolf) berries offer you. In Chinese medicine, the wolf berry was credited in enhancing the immune system, improving eyesight, protecting the liver and improving circulation, among others. So I don’t get to wordy, I’m going to take a piece from wikipedia that explains the benefits of this small, diminutive berry.

Goji (wolf) berries contain the following 11 essential and 22 trace dietary minerals;

• 18 amino acids
• 6 essential vitamins
• 8 polysaccharides and 6 monosaccharides
• 5 unsaturated fatty acids, including the essential fatty acids, linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid
• beta-sitosterol and other phytosterols
• 5 carotenoids, including beta-carotene and zeaxanthin (below), lutein, lycopene and cryptoxanthin, a xanthophyll
• numerous phenolic pigments (phenols) associated with antioxidant properties

Select examples given below are for 100 grams of dried berries.

• Calcium. Wolfberries contain 112 mg per 100 gram serving, providing about 8-10% of the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI).
• Potassium. Wolfberries contain 1,132 mg per 100 grams dried fruit, giving about 24% of the DRI.
• Iron. Wolfberries have 9 mg iron per 100 grams (100% DRI).
• Zinc. 2 mg per 100 grams dried fruit (18% DRI).
• Selenium. 100 grams of dried wolfberries contain 50 micrograms (91% DRI)
• Riboflavin (vitamin B2). At 1.3 mg, 100 grams of dried wolfberries provide 100% of DRI.
• Vitamin C. Vitamin C content in dried wolfberries has a wide range (from different sources) from 29 mg per 100 grams to as high as 148 mg per 100 grams (respectively, 32% and 163% DRI).

Wolfberries also contain numerous phytochemicals for which there are no established DRI values. Examples:

Beta-carotene: 7 mg per 100 grams dried fruit.

• Zeaxanthin. Reported values for zeaxanthin content in dried wolfberries vary considerably, from 25 mg per 100 grams to 200 mg per 100 grams. The higher values would make wolfberry one of the richest edible plant sources known for zeaxanthin content. Up to 77% of total carotenoids present in wolfberry exist as zeaxanthin.
• Polysaccharides. Polysaccharides are a major constituent of wolfberries, representing up to 31% of pulp weight.

Sold yet? These make a great snack or you can soak then in warm water and blend them into a smoothie or toss a handful into your cereal, either hot or cold. There is no reason, except perhaps the cost of these that I would think anyone would not want to try them. Locally at Whole Foods, they run just under 20 dollars a pound, but I have seen them for 16 at Rancho’s, a locally run health food store.

Recipe

Goji & flax oatmeal with blackstrap molasses and soy milk

1 cup organic oatmeal

4 cups water

2 tablespoons flax meal

2 tablespoons blackstrap (black) molasses

1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk

pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Bring the water to a boil and add the organic oatmeal. Reduce the heat and cook until the oatmeal is dine, around 5 minutes.
2. Toss in the goji berries, cook for 1 minute and then turn the heat off.
3. Sprinkle the flax meal over the top, mix well and place in a bowl.
4. Drizzle the molasses over the top and add the soy milk.
5. Let cool a bit and eat!

You can, of course use dairy milk and add fresh, seasonal fruit to this and have a really great breakfast to get your day going.
Enjoy!

chefRob