{"id":58216,"date":"2025-08-04T18:01:07","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T18:01:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/58216\/"},"modified":"2025-08-04T18:01:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-04T18:01:07","slug":"are-goji-berries-good-for-you-benefits-for-vision-and-immunity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/58216\/","title":{"rendered":"Are goji berries good for you? Benefits for vision and immunity"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;right:0;bottom:0;width:100%;height:100%;z-index:2\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/83082797007.jpg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"vidplayicon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/appservices\/universal-web\/universal\/icons\/icon-play-alt-white.svg\" alt=\"play\" style=\"height:40px;margin:auto 18px auto 27px;width:40px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Fast-growing fruit trees for your backyard harvest<\/p>\n<p>Here are five fast-growing fruit trees you can plant in your backyard for a quicker harvest.<\/p>\n<p>unbranded &#8211; Lifestyle<\/p>\n<p>In recent years, goji berries have earned a reputation as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/life\/health-wellness\/2024\/05\/13\/is-pomegranate-juice-good-for-you\/73475749007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">an antioxidant-rich<\/a>, inflammation-fighting superfood.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>You might think of goji berries as being a tart, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/life\/health-wellness\/2023\/09\/09\/are-almonds-good-for-you\/70697212007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">flavorful snack<\/a>, or a healthy topping to your breakfast cereal. But their reach extends much further. For centuries, these nutrient-dense berries have stayed center stage in <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC8868247\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">traditional Chinese medicine<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Goji berries boast a wealth of potential benefits; some studies note goji berries may offer support for your eyesight, cardiovascular health, immunity and more, <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC8868247\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">according to a 2022 review<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Experts say adding goji berries into your <a href=\"https:\/\/eu.usatoday.com\/story\/life\/health-wellness\/2025\/07\/06\/is-cantaloupe-good-for-you\/84352609007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">weekly rotation of fruits<\/a> could promote a healthy dietary pattern; here\u2019s what you need to know.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Are goji berries good for you?<\/p>\n<p>Absolutely. Goji berries contain a variety of micronutrients (including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/life\/health-wellness\/2023\/05\/01\/what-does-vitamin-a-do-functions-foods-lack\/70171004007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">vitamin A<\/a>, B vitamins and zinc) and macronutrients (like protein and fiber). They\u2019re also abundant in amino acids, says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wakehealth.edu\/providers\/f\/annette-m-frain\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Annette Frain<\/a>, a registered dietitian at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Weight Management Center.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Goji berries are high in vitamin C, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC5707683\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">immune-boosting<\/a> benefits of this essential nutrient need little introduction. Antioxidants like vitamin C reduce oxidative stress, which helps lower inflammation in the body, says <a href=\"https:\/\/medicine.yale.edu\/profile\/max-goldstein\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Max Goldstein<\/a>, a chef registered dietitian at Yale New Haven Health. Having a sufficient level of vitamin C has been linked with having a strong immune system, which in turn could promote wound healing and help prevent infection, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC5707683\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">a 2017 study<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Goji berries, and fruit more generally, contain fiber and natural sugars, which provide sustained energy, says Goldstein. They\u2019re also a surprisingly high source of calcium and iron. \u201cDried (goji) berries have twice as much iron <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/life\/health-wellness\/2025\/06\/21\/are-raisins-good-for-you\/84151958007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">as raisins<\/a>, and three times as much calcium,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The berries also have powerful carotenoids, namely zeaxanthin and lutein. These nutrients offer potential benefits for your eyesight, and might lower your risk for developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-6643\/13\/12\/4409\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">a 2021 study<\/a> conducted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ucdavis.edu\/health\/news\/dried-goji-berries-may-provide-protection-against-age-related-vision-loss\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">researchers at UC Davis<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Do dried goji berries lose their nutrients?<\/p>\n<p>In the U.S., fresh goji berries are a little tricky to come by. That\u2019s because they\u2019re primarily imported from Asia, and are known to spoil quickly, Goldstein says.<\/p>\n<p>For this reason, they\u2019re easiest to pick up in their dried form, or taken as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/life\/health-wellness\/2025\/04\/08\/what-is-a-dietary-supplement\/81488717007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">dietary supplement<\/a>. The good news? Even if you\u2019re not able to get your hands on fresh goji berries, \u201cit&#8217;s perfectly fine to eat them dried,\u201d says Frain.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>When the goji berries are dehydrated, they may lose some of their water soluble vitamins, but they still maintain a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/life\/health-wellness\/2024\/08\/06\/are-cherries-good-for-you\/74503368007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">healthy amount of nutrients<\/a>. And similar to other dried fruits, the sugar content in dried goji berries becomes a lot more concentrated. \u201cAgain, that sugar in the fruit isn&#8217;t necessarily bad for us, but it&#8217;s definitely something to consider,&#8221; says Goldstein.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re buying dried goji berries at the supermarket, be careful of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/life\/health-wellness\/2024\/04\/23\/is-cereal-healthy-added-sugars\/73132854007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">added sugar<\/a>, Frain says. Goji berries are tart in nature, and while they can be a great way to liven up some of the foods we regularly eat, or eat on their own, some manufacturers throw in added sugars to temper their bitterness, she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>What is a serving of goji berries?<\/p>\n<p>A single serving of goji berries measures around a 1\/4 cup, or a few tablespoons, says Goldstein.<\/p>\n<p>You could certainly enjoy eating goji berries every day, though a \u201cdiet that is most nutritious usually has a lot of variety in it,\u201d says Frain. Mixing goji berries into your dietary pattern is just one way to add a bit of variation to the everyday fruits you consume.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"related-link\">Is cereal good for you? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/life\/health-wellness\/2024\/04\/23\/is-cereal-healthy-added-sugars\/73132854007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch out for the added sugars in these brands.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>What is the healthiest way to eat goji berries?<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re curious about incorporating goji berries into your <a href=\"https:\/\/10best.usatoday.com\/food-drink\/best-cooling-foods-for-body\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">weekly rotation of fresh foods<\/a>, at breakfast, blend the berries into a smoothie or stir them into a yogurt bowl, Frain recommends. Another option is to rehydrate the berries in water, and drink them in a tea, she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The sweetness of the goji berries are great to round out the flavors of an otherwise savory dish, adds Goldstein. Get creative by incorporating the goji berries into a salad or chili, he recommends. And if you\u2019ve gone the route of rehydrating the berries, you could also try chopping them up into small pieces, and adding them to a salsa, he says.<\/p>\n<p>To promote overall satiety, it\u2019s also a good idea to pair goji berries with a protein, Frain suggests.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"related-link\">Are raisins good for you? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/life\/health-wellness\/2025\/06\/21\/are-raisins-good-for-you\/84151958007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">We asked a dietitian to break down the nutritional benefits.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Who should not eat goji berries?<\/p>\n<p>There are certain groups of people who should proceed with caution before eating goji berries. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/life\/health-wellness\/2024\/05\/10\/is-grapefruit-good-for-you\/73390018007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">Like grapefruit<\/a>, goji berries are known to interfere with a few different types of medication, which is why it\u2019s always a good idea to check in with your pharmacist or prescribing doctor first, says Goldstein. And if you\u2019re someone with an allergy to goji berries, don\u2019t eat them.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fast-growing fruit trees for your backyard harvest Here are five fast-growing fruit trees you can plant in your&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":58217,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[61],"tags":[13716,16126,43848,414,7443,15572,299,43846,43847,97,25247,304,17162,19759,7970,3729,23085,15915,955,19761,686,29772,3,269,13470,13471,13544,5573,19753,1557,19758,582,1596,826,13557,13692,27093,2668,24599,673],"class_list":["post-58216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-affiliate","tag-alternative","tag-alternative-u0026-natural-medicine","tag-and","tag-curious","tag-eating","tag-food","tag-fruits","tag-fruits-u0026-vegetables","tag-health","tag-healthy","tag-healthy-eating","tag-just","tag-just-curious","tag-literature","tag-local","tag-local-affiliate-food","tag-local-affiliate-health-and-wellness","tag-medical","tag-medical-literature-u0026-resources","tag-medicine","tag-natural","tag-news","tag-nutrition","tag-overall","tag-overall-positive","tag-point","tag-positive","tag-resources","tag-seo","tag-seo-wellness","tag-supplements","tag-the","tag-to","tag-to-the-point","tag-u0026","tag-vegetables","tag-vitamins","tag-vitamins-u0026-supplements","tag-wellness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58216"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58216\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58217"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}