Goji Berries - Are you eating them?

Do you know what goji berries are, and why you should look for them the next time you go to the store? We first started consuming goji berries a couple of years ago when their health benefits first made headlines and haven’t looked back.

Goji berries are also known as wolfberries in China where they have been consumed for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Scientists report that goji berries are packed with antioxidants, which is why I first started buying them. In China they are used to mitigate high blood pressure, diabetes and fever. Scientists also theorize that they may help prevent cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease. According to WebMD goji berries may interact with blood thinners, so if you are on a blood thinner please check with your doctor before trying these.

Once I got the goji berries home I had no idea what to do with them. We initially tried eating the dried goji berries right out of the package. They are like raisins only reddish in color and not deadly sweet. The taste is a little tart, but not so tart they aren’t palatable. Then I did a little research and found that they are classically added to beverages. This is when I began adding them to our hot green tea.

We find the berries to be the tastiest when rehydrated. I also think they would be great with chocolate and plan to add them to my next batch of chocolate cookies or brownies. The berries are also good on oatmeal or added to granola or muesli.

If you decide to buy goji berries be certain to check the ingredient list. We bought one package that was sweetened. The sweetened berries had so much sugar we couldn’t eat them. We now buy our goji berries from Amazon. The price is good, they are organic and unsweetened, and show up at our door.