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Don’t let their miniature size fool you – blueberries are proof that, when it comes to health benefits, good things really do come in small packages
Research has proven that there are many great reasons to enjoy blueberries! This little fruit softens dry skin, boosts your brain, and may even prevent cancer among other things.
Blueberries and Nutrition
Plump, juicy, and sweet, with vibrant colors ranging from deep purple-blue to blue-black and highlighted by a silvery sheen called a bloom, blueberries are one of nature’s great treasures. With 80 calories per cup, virtually no fat and low in sodium, blueberries offer many nutritional benefits. Here’s the skinny on blueberry nutrition.
Blueberries are one of the most nutrient dense foods in the world and contains large levels and a broad range of antioxidants. The ORAC score of blueberries is an incredible 9,621 which makes it one of the highest antioxidant foods in the world. Consuming just one cup of blueberries will provide you with the following nutrients: Resveratrol, Gallic acid, Lutein, Zeaxanthin, Vitamin K, Vitamin C, Manganese, and Fiber.
Blueberries are packed with vitamin C nutrition.
In just one serving, you can get 14 mg of Vitamin C – almost 25 percent of your daily requirement. Vitamin C is necessary for growth and development of tissues and promotes wound healing.
Blueberries are a good source of dietary fiber.
A handful of blueberries can help you meet your daily fiber requirement. Dietary fiber may reduce the risk of heart disease and adds bulk to your diet, which may help you feel full faster.
Blueberries are high in manganese.
Manganese helps the body process cholesterol and nutrients such as carbohydrates and protein.
Health Benefits of Blueberries
After learning about the nutritional facts of blueberries, you can see how challenging it is to narrow down the top health benefits. But after some extensive research, this list does the mighty purple fruit justice!
Anti-aging – Antioxidants are your best friend to keep Father Time at bay. They help reverse damage done by toxins and free radicals and help your body defend itself against dangerous pathogens.
Not only are blueberries rich in antioxidants as a whole, they are especially rich in proanthocyanidins, which have been observed to have additional anti-aging properties in several animal studies.
Much of the research has linked this to the ability of proanthocyanidins to reverse inflammation, the #1 of chronic disease in the world. Inflammation taxes the body like no other and causes heart disease, diabetes, cancer and almost every illness known to man.
Brain – Because they contain such a high amount of phenols, particularly gallic acid, blueberries are known as “neuro-protective agents.” According to researchers from Iran, this means that they can literally protect our brains from degeneration, neurotoxicity and oxidative stress.
Another study found that consuming more blueberries slowed cognitive decline and improved memory and motor function. The scientists in this study believed these results were due to the antioxidants in blueberries protective the body from oxidative stress and reducing inflammation.
Cancer – Clinical studies have even discovered that, unlike radiation and chemotherapy strategies, gallic acid rich foods like blueberries can kill cancer without harming healthy cells!
Digestion – Being a natural source of soluble and insoluble fiber, blueberries can help regulate your gastrointestinal track by just eating a couple handfuls a day.
Addition of wild blueberries to diet can alter the balance of gut microbe in favor of members of the Actinobacteria phylum. Blueberries have pre-biotic potential, which promotes growth of good bacteria (probiotics) in the colon and promotes digestive and health benefit.
Heart Health – The journal Circulation recently published a study showing that eating strawberries and blueberries together has a superpower tag-team effect that actually decreases your risk of heart attack by up to 33%.
After conducting research with more than 93,000 women 25 to 42 years of age, they did not observe this type of benefit in other types of antioxidants that were studied. Blueberry health benefits have also been shown to lower LDL cholesterol, raise HDL cholesterol and lower blood pressure.
Skin – Blueberry extract skin care products are becoming very popular around the world. It has been reported that the wide spectrum of vitamins and minerals help restore hormone balance, which counteracts acne.
Also, blueberries contain resveratrol which has been proven to reduce damage from over-sun exposure and can naturally darken your skin. Along with blueberry skin benefits, they have also been shown to heal macular degeneration and improve vision.
Weight Loss – Being low in calories, low on the glycemic index and high in fiber, everyone has at three reasons to eat blueberries to lose weight! According to the Mayo Clinic:
Because low glycemic index foods are absorbed more slowly, they stay in your digestive tract longer. This is why these foods are sometimes called slow carbs. These foods may help control appetite and delay hunger cues, which can help with weight management. Balanced blood sugar also can help reduce the risk of insulin resistance.
To preserve their nutritional content, make every effort to eat blueberries in their fresh, natural form. This isn’t to say, however, that enjoying blueberries in other forms, say wine, is unhealthy. In fact, that is far from the case. So, come on out the Whispering Oaks Winery and enjoy some fresh blueberries and try some of our tasty Blueberry wine.
Whispering Oaks Winery Visitor Center
Open daily from 11:00 – 7:00pm
Free wine tasting, tours on request, gift items, and live music on weekends!
Discover the rich taste of all-natural blueberry wines.
If you have never tried it, you are in for a surprise!
Whispering Oaks Winery
10934 N. County Rd 475
Oxford, FL, 34484
352-748-0449
