Blackberries, for the most part, offer healthy nutrition, with 40 calories in a half-cup serving. They provide a good source of vitamin C, as well as bioflavenoids, vitamin E, iron and calcium. Rich in antioxidants, they score well on the USDA’s ORAC assay, which tests for oxygen radical absorbance capacity, indicating that they combat the oxidative stress linked to the process of aging. But if you have certain health issues, blackberries might not be the best choice.
Salicylate Sensitivity
If you have an allergy to aspirin, you may react to eating blackberries, as they contain a naturally occurring version of this chemical. Other foods containing naturally occurring salicylates include almonds, tomatoes, cherries, grapes, raspberries and oranges. Salicylate sensitivity may trigger sinusitis, stomach aches or eczema.
Changes in Urine
The deep purple color of blackberries, as with other richly pigmented food, is an indication of the presence of phytochemicals called anthocyanins. Anthocyanins create the red and purple pigments in peppers, eggplants and blueberries, as well as blackberries. If you eat blackberries, this might lead tough to pink, red or smoky brown urine, notes MedLine Plus. This change of urine color might not be definitively caused by eating blackberries, as it can also be the side effect of medication or because of eating beets or food colorings.
Glycemic Index
Deep-colored berries such as the blackberry have a low glycemic index, estimated at around 32. This makes them a good choice for blood sugar regulation under normal circumstances. Athletes in endurance sports looking to fuel the muscles before an important game or race may not find blackberries the best choice, as higher glycemic foods such as rice and breads provide the needed muscle glycogen.
After Oral Surgery
If you have an accident or surgery that leads to having your jaws wired together, you face a recovery time that might stretch six to eight weeks. During this stretch, you eat table foods blended to a consistency that you can consume via a straw. Fruits such as blackberries and strawberries have tiny seeds that can catch in your teeth, so these needed to be avoided during this time, notes the Oral Facial Surgery Center, a facility based in Oklahoma City. The many seeds in these fruits actually provide a source of fiber, useful to those in good oral health.
Storage Effects
Anthrocyanins in blackberries peak when they are fresh. Researchers at the Department of Food Science at the University of Arkansas looked at how processing and six months of storage affected frozen, canned and juiced blackberries. The berries lost a proportion of their antioxidant capacity during processing unless they were individually quick frozen, they found.
References
- "Foods That Harm, Foods That Heal"; Reader's Digest;
- USDA: Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) of Selected Foods – 2007
- MedLine Plus: Urine - Abnormal Color
- The New Glucose Revolution; Jennie Brand-Miller, Kaye Foster-Powell, Philippa Sandall
- Associates in Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery: Patient Instructions – Low Salicylate Die
- The Oral Facial Surgery Center: Wired Jaw Instructions
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry: Processing and Storage Effects on Monomeric Anthocyanins, Percent Polymeric Color, and Antioxidant Capacity of Processed Blackberry Products
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