Goji Controversy

As a librarian, I don't usually like to use Wikipedia as my source, but gosh darn it if they don't have interesting articles sometimes, especially on new or unusual things. They have a great article on Wolfberries, often marketed as Goji Berries. If you live in the US or the UK, these little guys have been heavily marketed to you, with all kinds of claims. They've been native to the UK for hundreds of years, but they're marketed as Tibetan or Himalayan. They're supposed to be super high in protein and Vitamin C. However, they're only 12 percent protein by mass, comparable to most other fruits and less than legumes (Soybean sprouts are 54% of calories from protein and even lemons are 16% calories from protein, according to Marilyn Diamond, quoting "Nutritive Value of American Foods in Common Units" U.S.D.A. Agriculture Handbook No. 456), unless my units are wonky. They are really tasty and give you a boost, and they are used in Chinese teas and soups, but I found one site that was selling goji juice for $50 a liter. I just bought some dried fruit with gojis from Himalania, with nary a goji to be found, just some sad cranberries. Depending on your perspective, the controversy on superfoods in the UK is either about the government preventing new businesses from bringing foods like gojis to the masses or the government trying to keep people from being swindled. I suspect the truth is somewhere in the middle. If you feel like you can't escape them then just do what Kate and I do -- chase each other around the house singing "Goji berries! bouncing here and there and everywhere!"