7 Reasons why you should include juicy mulberry in your daily diet

Berries; colourful, succulent, delicious, juicy and full of nutrition! Who won’t like these tiny and cute berries! Did you know berries come under the category of superfoods! It has got all the properties that make it so. Today we will be talking about one of the berry fruits called ‘Mulberry’. Like its other family members, this berry also holds numerous health benefits. 

A brief description about Mulberry plant

Mulberry as a fruit doesn’t resemble a circle, oval or a peculiar shape. It looks like a cluster of blackberries! These are the clusters of tiny fruits with tiniest edible seeds.When raw the fruit is green, then changes to pink then changes to purple in colour.  

Mulberry is also called ‘shahtoot’ or ‘toot’ in Hindi. It is very juicy, with red-purple juice inside. Just touching the fruit is enough to give a pinkish hue to your fingers and hands. Mulberry grows on deciduous trees with papery soft leaves, which gives a very brilliant look to the garden or lawn. The leaves of mulberry are serrated in an alternate pattern along a branch. The leaves can be single lobed or triple lobed, depending upon the type of mulberry plant.  

The tree grows upto 50 feet tall, and can survive in almost all the weather conditions: heat, cold, over rain, moist etc. A mulberry tree looks fully grown and tall, almost at the age of 12. The branches of mulberry are very flexible and the wood is strong as a rock. A fully grown mulberry tree is very strong and after the tree falls, it can be nicely used to make furniture. The log of the mulberry tree decomposes very slowly even if kept in garden soil.  When fully ripened, the mulberry fruit changes into dark purplish or black, whereas the red and green ones are sour and not fit to be eaten. 

How to harvest mulberry fruit?

Mulberries are very delicate and soft fruits. Even if you give a little press it will release its juice without any extra force. When the mulberry is ripe enough to be harvested, it will get plucked easily just with a single touch. This fruit merely does not need any plucking. When it is ready to harvest, you can simply place a large plastic sheet or plastic carpet below the tree and shake the branches. The ripe ones will simply fall down. Heavy plucking may make it look damaged and mushy. 

Types of mulberries:

Basically, Mulberries are of three types; Red (Morus rubra), White (Morus alba) and Black (Morus nigra). The leaves of white mulberries are used as a  food for silkworms, typically to domesticate silkworms.  Black mulberries are native to western asia. Red mulberries are native to Indian subcontinents and widely used. 

Potential Uses of Mulberry:

We humans love to experiment on our favourite foods, don’t we! Whether it is a fruit, a vegetable, a food item or anything. Same with mulberries, there are so many other ways to consume mulberries, that too in a healthy way. 

1. Firstly, the traditional way; consuming mulberries freshly as if it is like a fruit. 
2. Mulberries are also used to prepare herbal teas. It give a very nice flavour, colour and invites lots of health benefits in our lives. 
3. Mulberry is also used in jam preparation. Due to its exotic colour and sweet-sour taste, it is highly preferred by kids and everyone. 
4. Mulberry syrup is used for the preparation of waffles and pancakes. 
5. The juice of mulberry is magenta purple, so can be used as an icing in cakes and cupcakes. Fresh mulberries is also used as a topping for ice cream, yoghourt, smoothies, cakes etc.  
6. Mulberry is also tossed into fruit salad or green salad to give it a exotic colour and flavour. 
7. For cosmetic use, mulberry is an excellent face pack.. Take a few ripen mulberry fruit and a spoon of freshly extracted aloe pulp. Churn and mix well. Your very natural face pack is ready. Apply and let it sit till dried or for 15 minutes. Wash off with water. 
8. Mulberry scrub mixed with sugar or walnut shell powder can be used as a face and body scrub. 

Nutrition in Mulberry:

Mulberry is indeed a healthy fruit. Let’s now try to talk about the nutritive elements present in this fruit. The following listed elements are found in mulberry fruits. 

1. Mulberry is enriched with powerful antioxidants like anthocyanins, which helps in wear and tear of body tissues. 
2. Mulberry is a good source of minerals like Iron, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, manganese, folate etc. 
3. Mulberry is quite lesser in calorie count as compared to any other fruit, making it a suitable fruit for those who are keen about their calorie intake. 
4. Mulberries are enriched with vitamins like C, E, K etc. The vitamins present plays a crucial role in developing collagen which provides a healthy shape and defence to body parts like tendons, ligaments, skin, bones etc. 

How many mulberries should I eat daily?

A desirable amount of mulberry one should take in a day is around 40-50 gms; which is equal to one medium cup. 

Risks and precautions one should know before having mulberry fruit:

Mulberry is indeed a healthy fruit with multiple health benefits and nutrition supplement. However, as like other fruit it has got its both pros and cons as well. Nobody will like to suffer from any allergic reactions or any health condition. There are several precautionary measures we should keep in mind before having mulberries. 

You may ask what are the side effects of mulberry possibly?

1. Mulberries have a very low glycemic index, which means it lowers glucose levels very rapidly. Consuming it in larger amounts may get dangerous for those suffering with low blood sugar. 
2. If the mulberry is not organically grown and treated with pesticides, then consuming fruits of such trees might be risky for our health. 
3. As mulberry is a high fibre fruit and enriched with dietary fibres, it may cause gas, bloating and diarrhoea if you are not in the habit of having fibrous foods. 
4. If you are scheduled with any kind of surgery then try to avoid black mulberries at least one or two weeks before the scheduled date. It may interfere with the blood sugar levels which may prove wrong. 
5. Many people feel allergic to mulberries. If you are sensitive and allergic, you may feel itching, breathing issues, sneezing etc. Avoid the fruit if you feel like it. 

Health benefits of Mulberries

Mulberries for Skin

Let’s begin with the beauty benefits of mulberry fruit! This tiny looking fruit has hidden enormous skin care benefits, which are far far better than creams and expensive skin treatments. Mulberries are anti-inflammatory in nature which means it is a perfect thing to soothe irritated skin, promotes skin hydration and maintains skin elasticity. It is very good for those with sensitive skin and develops redness and pigments easily. Having a few mulberries daily can help you cope up with signs of ageing like wrinkles, fine lines, blemishes, dark spots etc. 

Mulberry contains a compound called ‘arbutin’ which has natural skin brightening properties. Thus it gives skin an even tone and reduces hyperpigmentation and skin dullness. Mulberry also develops collagen in the body which can give you a glowing, healthy and lavish complexion. 

Lowers risk of Heart health

Heart is the organ which keeps on working 24/7, even when you were just a cluster of cells till the last breath of your life! Keeping your heart healthy is a prime task for longevity and good health. For this, tiny and sweet-sour mulberries can be your partner. As we discussed, mulberries are packed with vitamins and minerals like C, E, K, iron, calcium, folate, magnesium, phosphorus etc which are essential for healthy blood functioning. Compounds like flavonoids, potassium, resveratrol etc are present in mulberry which helps reduce oxidative stress and also reduce free radicals, which supports heart health.  It also induces a healthy blood flow, which reduces problems of blood pressure, automatically dealing with a healthy cardiac health. 

A good  friend of Diabetics

\Do you know, some of the chemicals present in mulberry works equally like your medications in Type 2 diabetes, that too without any side effects and extra expenses! Isn’t it a good deal? Mulberry fruit is ideally low in glycemic index, which reduces sugar absorption and slows the breakdown of sugar in the body which heals the pancreas to naturally release insulin. Not just mulberry fruit, but also its leaves are highly useful to reduce blood sugars. The tea prepared from dried mulberry leaves are highly beneficial, and using it regularly is an ideal remedy for sugar controls. You can take it as evening tea with sugar free crackers.

Mulberry; especially white mulberries are good for regulating carbohydrate synthesis. Mulberry can be tossed along with oatmeal, plain yoghurt, fruit or green salad and many other to give it a salsa and exotic look and taste as well. 

Good for Oral health and prevents cavities

Oral diseases like gum inflammation, periodontitis, cavities, halitosis, tooth decay etc are very common today. Not just with adults but these are also seen among school going kids. Very dreadful! Mulberry fruit can be very good to avoid dental issues. Being rich in calcium and phosphorus, it offers great benefits for teeth and gums.

It strengthens our teeth and gums, avoiding many of the oral problems. Being citrus and rich in Vitamin C, it is very good to prevent scurvy and bleeding gums. The small branches of mulberry plant can be sed as a toothbrush to treat halitosis and gum infection as well. The leaves of mulberry plant, boiled in water can be used as a mouthwash to treat and prevent oral infections and inflammations. 

Enhance and regulate liver health

Here mulberry leaf can prove much healthier than its fruits! Research and studies have shown, extracts from mulberry leaf has the high potency to treat and prevent liver disorders like Fatty liver disease, hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, etc. Liver is the largest organ in our body, which has multiple functions; from producing enzymes to proper assimilation and digestion of foodstuffs. Eating mulberry on a regular basis flush toxins out avoiding cell damage and further complications. These tiny swelled berries are enriched with flavonoids, phytonutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals etc. Whether consumed in dried or fresh form, mulberry is always liver friendly. It helps in breakdown of fats and filters blood, removing all sorts of foreign substances from the body. 

Supports overall immunity

Immunity is the defence system of our body. It protects us from smaller to life-threatening diseases. When our immunity is adhered to, then only any kind of disease can even attack us. Mulberries are alkaline in nature and rich with active macrophages. Vitamin C which is abundantly found in these berries, is a highly known vitamin to protect our body from diseases. A handful of colourful berries and say bye bye to all sorts of health hazards. 

In this way we saw a description about Mulberry. Isn’t is a wonderful fruit. We must use these wonders of mother nature. Why to rely upon medications and use your hard-earned money to combat those illnesses, which can be easily prevented. Hope you like the post, do comment us in any kind of doubt. Take care and live well! 

Here is a short video on health benefits of mulberry: