The health benefits of blueberries are numerous and don’t come in a bottle with potential side effects. They are Mother Nature’s gift to us under the guise of fruitylicious, ity bity, healthy goodness… If you’re not a fan of blueberries, do please read on. What you read next may surprise you and even convert you to go blue too!
First off, blueberries have awesome nutritional values! A one cup serving of blueberries contains 80 calories, no fat, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of protein, and 5 grams of dietary fiber. This single serving is extremely low in sodium and cholesterol free as well. On the other hand, blueberries contain much soluble fiber, minerals, vitamins and pigment antioxidants that contribute greatly towards your optimal health and wellbeing. The benefits of blueberries seem to go on and on…
The key pigment antioxidant working in blueberries is Anthocyanidin – thank goodness we only have to eat it and not pronounce it! This potent antioxidant is responsible for blueberries’ rich color and super power. According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), blueberries rank as one of the highest antioxidant valued fruits. Truly, their strength should not be measure by their size!
Amongst other antioxidants, blueberries contain Beta Carotene, Lutein and Zeaxanthin – all beneficial to your health. Altogether, these antioxidants work hard to neutralize free radicals (unstable cell damaging molecules) helping to prevent cancer, cardiovascular disease and other degenerative diseases.
In addition to antioxidants, the benefits of blueberries offer a good amount of Vitamin C – 14.4 mg per cup. That’s almost 25% of your daily recommended value. Vitamin C helps to prevent collagen formation and maintain healthy capillaries and gums. It, also, promotes iron absorption and a healthy immune system.
Blueberries contain Vitamins A, E, and B-6 along with Niacin, Folate, Pantothenic Acid, Riboflavin, and Folic Acid as well. They are rich in minerals, too, such as Potassium, Manganese, Copper, Iron and Zinc – all of which add to the benefits of blueberries working to strengthen your health and improve the well functions of your body.
New research has not only been showing blueberries’ power to possibly prevent diseases such as cancer, but also revealing how they may help reduce cholesterol levels, reverse memory loss, prevent urinary infections, and improve physical coordination and balance. That’s a whole lot of positives in favor of eating blueberries! But wait, there’s more…
According to one report in Science Daily, Shiwani Moghe, MS, a graduate student at TWU, injected polyphenols (antioxidants) extracted from blueberries into tissue cultures taken from mice, consequently, discovering their ability to breakdown fats and lipids.
“I wanted to see if using blueberry polyphenols could inhibit obesity at a molecular stage,” Moghe reports. “We still need to test this dose in humans, to make sure there are no adverse effects, and to see if the doses are as effective. This is a burgeoning area of research. Determining the best dose for humans will be important. The promise is there for blueberries to help reduce adipose tissue from forming in the body.”
That’s interesting new research to add to the mountainous benefits of blueberries! We’ll have to keep up with Shiwani Moghe for further findings. I love it when I find a food that is good for me, tastes great, and helps burn fat to boot!
If you haven’t been into blueberries lately, why not try some out today? Have some in your cereal, with your yogurt or frozen yogurt. Throw some in a smoothie! Top them onto our whole wheat pancakes or make a fudgy low fat batch of blueberry brownies – they’re special, well… not that kind of special! Seriously though, there’s a lot of mouthwatering ways to blast some blueberries into your diet, so what are you waiting for? Get to it and go for the blue!
Here’s to your berry good health! – I couldn’t resist…
Amy
Very useful information and helpful for further research in the field of nutrition, heath care, selection of varieties of blueberry and other small fruit trees for tissue culture and genetic stability.