Goji berries, long used in traditional Chinese medicine, are one of the better-known superfoods, and are widely available in dried form in supermarkets, organic food stores and chemists.
They are reputed to be particularly good for you – but is there any truth in this?
Let us start with a look at the nutrients you get from them.
“They contain many carotenoids, vitamin C, iron, calcium, but also fibre,” says Daniela Krehl from the Bavarian Consumer Advice Centre in Germany.
However, Krehl warns that because they are dried fruits, their sugar content is also high – up to 46 per cent. This means that goji berries are significantly higher in calories than other sources of vitamin C, such as sweet peppers or blackcurrants.
Dried goji berries may help healthy middle-aged people fight off the causes of eye degeneration, according to a 2021 study published in the journal Nutrients by the University of California, Davis, in the United States.
