SUPER TIPS

DR. RODNEY VOISINE has these tips for buying and storing super fruits:

1. EAT AS CLOSE to home as possible, choosing blueberries or some other fresh, local super fruit over the more exotic varieties from faraway countries.

Super fruits from other countries, such as the acai berry, are likely to contain preservatives. Acai has a high lipid, or fat, content so it is prone to becoming rancid. Manufacturers typically add something like lime juice to the acai to prevent the acid in the berry from oxidizing.

"At the very least, when you get products like acai berry or the goji berry, when you open them up they should be refrigerated," Voisine said.

2. CHECK THE LABELS to see if the bottle contains a standardized amount of the super fruit. Otherwise, there's no way to know how much fruit you're actually getting in the bottle.

3. WATCH OUT FOR SUGAR. Some of these fruits have strong tastes, so the manufacturers try to make them more palatable by adding sugary apple juice or grape juice.

A quick trip to the grocery store revealed that an 11.5-ounce bottle of Bom Dia acai berry with mangosteen, for example, contained a whopping 58 grams of sugar.

The new 16-ounce Dunkin Donuts Superfruit Coolatta, part of the "DD Smart Menu," contains 170 calories. That's one-third fewer calories than the Strawberry Coolatta, but as a sign posted at a local Dunkin Donuts said, that doesn't mean it's a low-calorie food.

GOJI GOODNESS

THIS RECIPE USES Kopali Organics goji berries, which can be found at Whole Foods Market:

CHOCOLATE BLACKOUT VEGAN CAKE

Cake:

3 cups flour

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons baking soda

2 tablespoons vanilla

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

2/3 cup canola oil

2 cups luke warm water

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil pan.

2) Combine all dry ingredients. Whisk and set aside.

3) Combine all wet ingredients and whisk.

4) Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold together using a large spatula.

5) Pour into prepared pan and bake aprox. 40 min.

6) Test with tooth pick. Poke center and it should be dry.

Frosting:

1 cup Kopali Chocolate Covered Goji Berries

1/4 cup canola oil

3 tablespoons honey

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

1) Place all ingredients on top of a double boiler and mix well.

2) Mix gently until Kopali Goji Berries are melted.

3) Pour over cake when cake is warm and still in pan.

4) Cool before covering and sprinkle lots of Kopali Chocolate Covered Goji Berries on top.