The best foods provide a nice mix of nutrition and energy while filling up your belly. Berries definitely fulfill those needs and taste amazing at the same time. You can sneak berries into your meals quite easily due to their vast versatility. Whole berries pair well with breakfast foods, while juiced or blended berries work in salad dressings or even as meat marinades. Learn more about the four following berry types to see which ones you should integrate into your diet.

Blackberry

Blackberries have high fiber and low sugar content to keep you full without spiking your blood sugar. Eating just one cup of blackberries a day provides your body with half of the vitamin C it needs. These berries also contain tons of vitamin K, which may help your body relax after a stressful day at work. You should never eat blackberries that have turned an orangey color as that indicates they are infested with fungal spores.

Cranberry

Cranberries are not as delicious on their own as the other options on this list. The reason being is that raw cranberries are extremely tart to the point of tasting bitter. You will need to be creative to work these into your diet, but it is well worth the effort. Cranberries contain high levels of manganese, which can protect your body from infections caused by viruses and bacteria. The berries also have lots of vitamin C, K and A to keep you healthy. If you cannot find a good way to mix the berries into your meals, consider eating them dried, which cuts the tartness considerably.

Currants

You can find red, black and white currant varieties at the grocery store. Since these berries are hard and tart like cranberries, they are often sold and used in their dried state. You can mix these berries into salads, cookies or loaves of bread for a surprising burst of flavor. The currants contain lots of potassium in each serving to keep your organs healthy and muscles from cramping. The berries contain lots of B vitamins, which give your body energy.

Goji

Goji berries only recently came into popularity due to their delicious taste and excellent health characteristics. This berry is considered a natural antioxidant that can keep you from picking up colds and flus throughout the year. Daily consumption of these berries can even clear up your skin. Goji berries work best in savory dishes due to their slightly herby taste profile.

Creating An Eating Plan

Look at your daily diet to see where you can add berries without upping your caloric intake too much. You will want to eat the recommended daily amount to soak in their vitamins and minerals. You can easily grab a handful of berries as a snack to meet this need, but sometimes it’s more fun seeing where you can mix them into the meal. You might find that you love a cranberry marinade on your steak or enjoy eating salad topped with blackberry vinaigrette.