Go Wild for Berries!

I have been a fan of wild berries since I enjoyed picking them as a child in Maine with Spirit telling me about their undiscovered healing properties and which ones I could eat safely and which to avoid. Fortunately, you do not have to live out in the country or near the woods to have access to wild berries today. It’s quite likely that your local supermarket sells frozen wild blueberries, which are the most healing food on this planet, and it could also sell other types of wild berries dependent on which area of the world you live in. Incredibly, wild blueberries become even more powerful when frozen. But first, it is essential that you know why wild berries are so important in the first place.

One important reason is because they are covered with elevated biotics—microorganisms that supersede any probiotic on the market, soil or lab born. These elevated microorganisms exist on unwashed organic produce when it’s growing, so when you eat a wild berry, apple, leaf of kale or anything else that you pick straight from the plant or soon after it has been harvested, you’ll be taking in these critical microorganisms we all need. The benefits of these microorganisms are infinite, so whether you are struggling with a specific condition or concerned with the effects of aging, freshly picked wild berries are for you. Let’s first take a closer look at what elevated biotics do.

Elevated Biotics

Undiscovered by medical science and research, elevated biotics are capable of amazing feats. These microorganisms bypass the hydrochloric acid in your stomach, as well as your bile and the bile salts in your duodenum and small intestine, to find their way into your ileum, located at the end of your small intestine, where they can settle in and do the work of keeping your cells alive. Simply put, elevated biotics have significant rejuvenating powers. This means that you could have consumed a handful of wild berries ten years ago and the elevated biotics from those berries are still alive and kicking in your gut. The reason it is so vital that elevated biotics are present in the ileum is that they help the body to produce B12. Are you already taking a B12 supplement? It is still crucial that your body has these microorganisms in order for your supplement to work. Elevated biotics are responsible for activating your B12 supplement, like flipping a switch. Without them, you are essentially throwing your supplements away. Almost everyone today is deficient in B12, including those who get tested for B12 levels and the tests show they are in the normal or high range. I share why this happens in my book, Life-Changing Foods. Historically, it was the norm to eat fruits, vegetables, and herbs fresh-picked from the field, garden, or wild, so people were getting higher levels of elevated biotics. It’s part of why brain issues, digestive disturbances, autoimmune disease, and so many other chronic illnesses were much less common in previous eras.

With elevated biotics present in your digestive tract, your body can also fight off SIBO, stop strep in its tracks, and reduce acid reflux. Additionally, H.pylori and other types of bacteria cannot survive in your stomach or intestines when the powerful microorganisms found on wild berries and other organic, unwashed plants are present.

Wild Blueberries and Other Berry Varieties

While all wild berries are incredibly nutrient dense and beneficial, wild blueberries are the number one powerhouse food. With immense healing properties, the phytochemicals in these berries (also undiscovered by science) act like magnets to attract toxic heavy metals and carry them out of the brain and liver and remove them from the body. They are especially effective when eaten along with the other four foods in the Medical Medium Heavy Metal Detox protocol.

Do not worry, however, if you are unable to get your hands on wild blueberries. Mulberries, wild strawberries, linden berries, gooseberries, and wild black raspberries, to name a few, are also extremely rich in nutrients and full of certain amino acids and antioxidants still unexplored by medical science and research. When I was younger, I took home buckets full of mulberries from the mulberry trees that grew near my house and froze them. Remarkably, the antioxidants in wild berries do not diminish when they are frozen. If you’re wondering what it is about wild berries that makes them so nutrient dense, the answer is in their various pigments, which is where antioxidants and amino acids are especially present. If you have ever cut or squeezed fresh wild berries, you have probably noticed that they have bled dark purple or red. This is one indicator of just how packed full of nutrients they are. Their deeply pigmented skins give them their incredible healing power. Their incredibly high nutrient content makes them especially effective at removing toxins and heavy metals from the body, which viruses like Epstein-Barr virus, shingles, and other viruses feed off. You may also have noticed that cultivated berries, or berries that are not wild, are less saturated with pigments—meaning that they are also less saturated with nutrients.

Wild berries, specifically wild blueberries, are the most adaptable fruit on the planet, having survived drought, cold, and floods, so there are thousands of years of unique information resting inside each plant—and no one berry is the same. Plus, the microorganisms in wild berries are a different breed of elevated biotic to those living on other types of berries, making them more potent, but this does not mean that you should stop eating regular berries. If growing or picking wild berries is not a possibility where you live or you can’t access frozen wild berries, you still have options. You can use a wild blueberry powder, which is an incredible addition to any diet. Also, there are several plant hybrids and varieties that are not wild, and, at the end of the day, any berry is definitely better than no berries at all. Wild or not, check out the berries at your local farmers’ market. There are bound to be raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries on offer in the summer that are also full of many wonderful healing properties. Each offers unique benefits. You can read more about the healing properties of wild blueberries specifically and berries in general in Life-Changing Foods.

Antioxidants

Antioxidants are present in all fruits, but those found in wild berries are especially powerful, capable of stopping the process of oxidation. Cells oxidize, or breakdown and die, from poisons and toxins. You might already be aware of free radicals, which the medical and beauty industries proclaim to be a large threat, but this is a generalized term for damaged cells and toxins that your body produces. It does not cover the host of other toxins that we take in from cleaners, detergents, air fresheners, carpet chemicals, exhaust fumes, metals, and so on. We also oxidize from pathogens present in the body that feed and then excrete neurotoxins and dermatoxins, a truth that medical science and research do not yet know. Almost everyone today has at least one pathogen inside their body.

It is important to understand what you are up against—these types of poisons are everywhere—but fortunately, berries have antioxidants that protect us from these toxins. How exactly does it work? Oxidation happens when the toxins that we are exposed to or inherit from our family lines (which is one reason why a baby can be very sick) damage our tissues and cell structures, ultimately poisoning and killing our cells. In the brain, for example, heavy metals cause neurotransmitter chemicals to get dirty, die, and explode. You might experience this as the frustrating and sometimes debilitating symptom brain fog. In addition, these metals feed viruses such as Epstein-Barr (EBV), which is responsible for autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto’s, lupus, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, eczema, and more. Again, this is also not known by science and research. To find out more about EBV and how it is affecting the health of millions of people, check out my book, Thyroid Healing. On top of all of this, you are also aging faster and faster if this cell death is happening in your body and you are not eating the right foods (think wild berries and the other healing foods I list in my books) to counteract this process and help your body reproduce cells.

The Myth About Fruit Sugar

There are many trendy health diets out there that ward customers off of most fruits but encourage the consumption of berries because they are low glycemic. The quantity of berries allowed on these diets, however, is usually minimal. Consuming only a handful or two of berries a week will not do the job of combating internal aging. The sugars naturally present in fruit are particularly beneficial for the brain. You do not need to be afraid of fruit. I repeat, you do not need to be afraid of fruit. As explained above, fruit is packed with the antioxidants needed to help fight disease and aging. If you are concerned about the sugar in fruit or have been told to avoid fruit, it is vital that you read my article and listen to my radio show on Fruit Fear. It’s critical for your health and future that you make room in your diet for fruit.

Your body needs the antioxidants in fruit, especially those found in wild berries, in order to get oxidants out and stop cells from decaying. The undiscovered truth is, the cells in your body do not receive nutrients, minerals, or vitamins without sugar involved. I’m not talking about processed and refined sugars, but the natural sugar in fruit especially and also carbohydrate rich foods like potatoes, sweet potatoes, and winter squashes. If you are depriving yourself of fruit, your body is running on old sugar reserves from your brain and liver. What this means is that your cells are unable to absorb any new nutrients. Why? Because the cells in your body only open up to receive vitamins and minerals when they are attached to natural sugars. As an extra bonus, the sugars in fruit, especially in wild berries, naturally contain vitamins, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and trace minerals. If you are on a no-fruit or minimal fruit diet and also take supplements, your cells won’t be able to fully absorb the nutrients in your supplements. The nutrients in foods and supplements both need to be bound to natural sugars like those found in fruit in order to be properly absorbed. This is information that you will not find anywhere else because it hasn’t yet been discovered by science.

Moving Forward

Have you ever been berry picking? Simply being outdoors and touching berries recalibrates your blood pressure and heals the soul. Those memories also act as small meditations that bring healing when you think back on them. And then eating them daily or as often as possible brings a multitude of healing benefits. Try to seek out any wild berries or cultivated berries that you can. Have them for breakfast or a snack, add to juices, smoothies, salads, dips, dressings, and desserts. Bring in the heavy metal detox smoothie which is so important for everyone. These are all wonderful ways to enjoy berries. For more ideas, search “berries” on my blog and you’ll find many delicious recipes. Read about their many healing properties here and in Life-Changing Foods and then think about what you’ve read as you eat your berries. This will amplify their benefits even more. You could also take an herbal or foraging class to learn about berries, or talk to someone who can identify edible brambles so you can take advantage of any berries that grow in your area. The most important step is to start eating them as often as possible so you can reap their healing power.