Health Benefits of Gooseberries For Moms To Be & Kids

The petite fruit belongs to the family of Grossularia. The bushes of gooseberries are spiny. Besides, they produce greenish to greenish pink flowers in clusters. The fruit is found in various colours like green, yellow-white, pink, red, or dark purple. The surface of gooseberries can be prickly, hairy, or smooth.

The berries are native to Europe’s Old World. Europeans have been cultivating these commercially for a long period. Today we see these berries everywhere. People tend to enjoy its tart or sweet taste. Furthermore, they use gooseberries in jellies, preserves, pies, desserts, or wine.

Not only the taste but also their nutritional profile is very impressive. Let’s have a look at it.

Nutritional Profile

As we are supposed to eat a balanced diet to maintain our well-being, it is vital to choose the correct fruits and vegetables. Gooseberries carry a lot of necessary nutrients for the human body. Let’s study the nutritional value they have for us:

1 cup (150 grams) of gooseberries provide:

• Calories: 66
• Protein: 1 gram
• Fat: less than 1 gram
• Carbs: 15 grams
• Fibre: 7 grams
• Vitamin C: 46% of the Daily Value (DV)
• Vitamin B5: 9% of the DV
• Vitamin B6: 7% of the DV
• Copper: 12% of the DV
• Manganese: 9% of the DV
• Potassium: 6% of the DV

Gooseberries also have 131.81 grams of water to hydrate our body. Moreover, they contain carbohydrates, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, zinc, copper, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, and fatty acids to keep your body healthy.

The Many Health Benefits of Gooseberries for Kids and Adults

Gooseberries are easy to eat fruit. They are best eaten with salt and chilly powder. This fruit will offer you a lot of health benefits when eaten moderately.

You do not have to worry about consuming too many calories when you eat gooseberries. They give high energy and fibre to your body. Besides, the fibre content aids with digestive issues. It will add bulk to your stool so that you can have an easy time. The fibre will also control blood sugar levels and reduce blood pressure, cholesterol, cancers, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. When the fibre and chlorogenic acid come together, then they prevent sugar absorption into the bloodstream.

Gooseberries fight the free radicals in the body. The antioxidants do not let the free radicals lead to oxidative stress and damage our body cells. The vitamin C and plant-based antioxidant phytonutrients aid heart diseases, infections, ageing, eye problems, urinary tract issues, and Alzheimer’s disease. 

The sweet fruit is responsible for protecting your brain. High iron in the brain can form free radicals. Therefore, the presence of citric acid will eliminate the iron blockage in the brain cells. Besides, the research states that it may prevent stroke and Alzheimer’s disease.

Vitamin A maintains eye health by keeping nearsightedness, cataracts, macular degeneration and night blindness at bay.

Furthermore, gooseberry oil is often used to keep the hair healthy. The carotene present in this fruit strengthens the roots, preserves colour, and enhances lustre. Get your hands on this versatile fruit. 

Benefits of Consuming Gooseberries During Pregnancy

Do you crave a sweet yet tart taste during your pregnancy? As there are already restrictions on your food consumption items, it is quite normal to feel so. To fulfil the cravings, you can eat something healthy like gooseberries. 

This sweet yet sour-tasting fruit is rich in Vitamin C. The vitamin acts as an antioxidant that fights various cases of flu and urinary infections. Moreover, it helps in lactation after the delivery so that your baby gets healthy consumption of milk. The blood pressure is kept in control due to vitamin C.

The high-fibre content helps aid constipation. It makes bowel movements easy by adding bulk to your stool. Besides, it aids with indigestion and acidity. The high water content lets the body detox by triggering urination. Thus, it helps in flushing out various toxins. 

It is common to experience nausea during the first trimester of your pregnancy. Consuming gooseberry helps aid morning sickness and energises the body effectively. 

Moreover, you may suffer from the common swelling symptoms during your pregnancy. To aid the discomfort caused due to it on your body, gooseberries provide anti-inflammatory properties. 

When the hormones during pregnancy start interfering with insulin, gestational diabetes can arise. This happens with or without a history of diabetes. Gooseberries give anti-diabetic properties to the mother. 

Calcium and vitamin C prevents bad breath, tooth decay, and bleeding gums.

The gooseberries also increase the memory power in babies. Therefore, it is healthy for you to consume them.

Risks of consuming Gooseberries during pregnancy

This green, tiny, and sweet-sour fruit are quite beneficial for your health during pregnancy. But everything has a bit of imperfection in them. Gooseberries carry a side effect and you should be aware of it. Overconsumption of gooseberries can lead to indigestion, constipation, diarrhoea, and dehydration. Besides, you should avoid its consumption if you have loose motions, cold or cough. Therefore, it is wise for you to eat it in limited quantities. Moreover, consult the doctor if there are any queries or side effects. 

Tasty ways to include gooseberries in your diet

Most people consume gooseberries raw, but it is not the only way to eat them. Here are some fun ways to incorporate the berries into your daily diet routine:

1. Gooseberry salad: To make this, toss together gooseberries, figs, onion, cucumber and lettuce. Garnish with herbs or pepper. Besides, it is always okay to customise according to your taste.
2. Fresh gooseberry juice: To make this, extract the pulp and blend it into water. You can garnish it with mint leaves and other desired ingredients like pepper. 
3. Tiny gooseberry dessert: If you are too lazy to make an actual dessert for dinner, just wash the gooseberry. Top it with honey. Besides, depending on your taste, you can also top it with other syrups. 

It is always a good idea to add gooseberries in sambar, vegetable curry, and korma for an enhanced taste. 

Fun facts on gooseberries

Gooseberries have an unforgettable taste with various health advantages. Its fun facts are:

1. Gooseberries are also known as fayberries. It was believed that fairies used the bushes of this fruit to hide from danger.
2. In middle age, the cooling property of gooseberry was used to treat fever
3. This fruit can survive for 20 years in the wild
4. Gooseberries thrive in cold winters and humid summer 
5. These produce small flowers that grow individually or in a group of four