Why Blueberries pack a punch

Katia Herman Wellness Coaching

I was inspired to write about blueberries because my sons, my mom and I went to Hay Berry Farm in Hoosick NY (it uses no sprays at all!) and we picked 35 pounds of blueberries. Yep. 35 pounds. We froze lots of them and then madly baked for the next 2 days; all of us mixing and tasting and eating yummy blueberry foods! (check out my blueberry recipe blog).

I also wanted to write about blueberries because they are my dear friend Melissa Telzer Milne Pott’s favorite food and as a cancer survivor she swears by them. Melissa is the founder of an awesome website InKind Space which is dedicated to helping people find helpful resources after being diagnosed with cancer. So this post is dedicated to her :)

Here it goes:

BLUEBERRIES are one of the most powerful Superfoods. Eating them regularly (think at least 3-4 servings a week) has been proven to have immense benefits to your health.

The ANTIOXIDANT content in blueberries are amongst the highest in all fruit and vegetables, making them powerful in fighting free radicals, and therefor helping your body fight disease. Free radicals are unstable oxygen molecules that are present in all of us, as they are created naturally from metabolism. It is our bodies job to fight these free radicals with antioxidants. When we don’t have enough antioxidants in our blood, free radicals build up and are associated with an increased risk of cancer, heart disease, and other diseases.

**Wild blueberries (low bush berries rather than high bush) have an increases content of antioxidants and health benefits, and you can often find them in the frozen section at stores as common as Trader Joes. While there is conflicting opinions as to whether freezing berries increases or decreases their nutritional benefits, I think a mixture of frozen wild and fresh (wild or not) is a great idea! Let’s say that any kind of blueberry is better than no blueberry!

Here is a list of scientifically proven benefits to eating blueberries at least 3-4 times a week:

  1. Decrease risk of Heart Attack

  2. Decrease risk of Cancer

  3. Ability to lower blood pressure

  4. Boost Vascular health

  5. Balance your blood sugar and increases insulin sensitivity

  6. Increase cognitive function

Not to mention, Blueberries have a high content of VITAMIN C, VITAMIN K, MANGANESE AND FIBER.

Keep a bowl of fresh, washed berries in your fridge and grab a handful when you’re hungry or want a snack (low in calories, snacking on these can help with a weight loss regime as well!). Add them to the kids cereal, lunches, yogurt, oatmeal, pancakes, french toast, smoothies, and ice cream. Just keeping them in your home, easily accessible to all, is the best way to increase your intake of them so start to try to make it a habit to buy blueberries on your trips to the grocery store!

Check out my Blueberry Recipes blog post, (which includes pancakes and pie!)

xoxoxo katia

katia herman