Food is medicine: A dip into the amazing blueberry

Food is Medicine – A dip into the amazing Blueberry and what it can do to help you age better.

Food is Medicine is a concept that we all should get behind and learn what food can do for us and our health. I know that what the USDA allows to be in our food does not always condone a healthy lifestyle. Unprocessed foods should be our main source of food.  We have all heard that fruits and vegetables should be a good part of our diet. I have experienced the benefits of changing my diet to mainly fruit and vegetables.

Do you want to age better? This is not about anti-aging this is about aging better in our bodies and our skin. Things that will improve our lives now and for years to come. I plan on exploring products, food, and other items that will assist in just that. Starting with a dip in the discovery of the benefits of Blueberries.

A dip into the amazing blueberry

I started with the amazing blueberries because my favorite food as a baby was the blueberry buckle. I had to have some of that every night as a baby and toddler. There are more jars at my mom’s house that have little buttons, snaps, and other crafting items because she had so many of these jars around. This product was discontinued long ago because of the sugar content in the product.

Blueberries are amazing with their fiber content, vibrant purple-blue color, and nutritional content, there are no drawbacks. Well, there may be one, they do stain.

Blueberries have benefits for :

• Improving memory
• Gut Health
• Support Vision
• Skin Health
• Bones density

Blueberries, themselves, also contain sugar but I would say more of a tolerable type and amount. As we dip into the amazing blueberry, you can decide on that information.

Dip into the good-for-you blueberry nutrients

One cup of the beautiful blueberry, has Fiber 3.6 grams, Vitamin C 16%, Vitamin K 24%, Manganese 22%, and others in lesser amounts. They are also about 85% water. 0g of cholesterol, 1.1g of protein, .49g of fat, and 80 to 84 calories (about 7 minutes of running) in a cup of berries. Fruit is not usually keto-friendly and neither are these, as they have 21.5 grams of carbohydrates.

Fiber

Fiber is something that we don’t get enough of in our American diet, so the fact that this berry has 3.6 grams is good news. “Most individuals do not meet the Institute of Medicine’s Adequate Intake recommendations and the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans identified dietary fiber as a nutrient of concern” – sources and more information on this subject can be found at Fiber intake of the US Population.

In other words, the fiber content in these berries helps move waste out of your body. This improves your health, as colon medical problems have risen. That means that anything you can do to help your health in that area is welcome and it isn’t a nasty pill. It is a delicious berry.

Improving Memory

Eating blueberries may help improve your memory recall. Researchers believe the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of the fruit are responsible for boosting brain health. One study stated, “Anthocyanin distribution in the hippocampus has been related to increased neuronal signaling in that structure. Further, there are indications that anthocyanins have insulin-like and glitazone-like properties that contribute to improved metabolic function and lipid-lowering effects. This study was funded by the Wild Blueberry Association of North America. However, it was a double-blinded study with accompanying information from several other sources.

More studies on the brain

One group of flavonoids in particular called anthocyanins are thought to be responsible for some of these berries’ beneficial health effects. “The health benefits of blueberry consumption on the vascular system and brain are mediated in part by their flavonoid content.” comes from Procyanidin, anthocyanin, and chlorogenic acid contents of highbush and lowbush blueberries” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22175691/

What are flavonoids?

Flavonoids are compounds in fruits that have several medicinal benefits, including anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties

What are anthocyanins?

Anthocyanins have been credited with the capacity to modulate cognitive and motor function and enhance memory, and they have a role in preventing age-related declines in neural function.

Flavonoids and anthocyanins are the compounds that give berries several of their health benefits as discussed in this blog.

Vision

Blueberry also has a remarkable effect on vision as well. Once again that is probably due to the An contained in this fruit. It has an extremely high amount of this compound, higher than other fruits. In one study, they compared how much is in this fruit to others and it isn’t even very comparable because blueberries have so much more. I know that I find eye health to be one of the biggest annoying things in life no matter what your age. We all rely on our eyesight in every aspect of our life. Protecting is a good way to age better.

Skin Health and bones, most of the body

Antioxidants (flavonoids) are substances that protect your body from the effects of unstable molecules called free radicals. Not all free radicals are bad. An overabundance of free radicals can be harmful as they can generate oxidative stress, a deleterious process that can damage all cell structures.

“Blueberries have been extensively studied for the health benefits associated with their high phenolic content. The positive impact of blueberry consumption on human health is associated in part with the modulation of proinflammatory molecular pathways and oxidative stress. Here, we review in vitro studies examining the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of blueberry phytochemicals, discuss the results in terms of relevance to disease and health, and consider how different blueberry components modulate cellular mechanisms”. – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34791023/

Organic Blueberries

The bigger food chains have noticed the public increasing interest in aging better and that food can help them in that process. Walmart has become the biggest retailer of organic foods in the US. I found this hard to believe at first, but it makes sense. Walmarts are everywhere and therefore even the smaller sections of organic food they have means a fairly big volume. Costco has also gotten better at bringing in organic berries, fresh and frozen. This is great news for the consumer because as a child I remember having “organic” fruits and vegetables being widely available. However, there are generations in this country that didn’t experience that and hopefully, we will all have more available to use for the rest of our years and theirs.

Which has more benefits frozen or fresh?

Left to Right -Wild Blueberries, Blueberries, and Frozen Blueberries. The serving size on the frozen is higher than on the other two. From what I can see they vary slightly and vary slightly per brand, etc. Kirkland signature organic blueberries were only 70 cal everything and slight differences in other facts.

Looking through about 30 websites on blueberries, I don’t see a lot of difference between frozen and fresh organic blueberries but I would assume that sitting in your fridge they may lose some nutrients without those all being locked/frozen in the frozen berries that are just picked. I have to say that I sometimes prefer frozen as the fresh ones do tend to swive a little in the presence of heat as in pancakes, french toast, etc., and frozen when exposed to a bit of heat produce more of the purple/blue juice that is so attractive. Either way, fresh or frozen, they have huge health benefits.

Spring and Summer

The spring and summer just seem to be a time when unprocessed foods like fruits are more likely to be enjoyed in several food choices per day. As in you could have blueberries with milk and honey in a smoothie for breakfast, then with almonds and cheese for lunch or in a protein shake or a spinach salad for dinner, and blueberries with crushed ginger crackers/cookies for dessert. These are all simple and very easy food choices that seem delicious in the spring and summer. In the winter, you may want them in hot oatmeal or warm blueberry compote.

Spring and summer seem like the time that you are more likely to enjoy a plentiful amount in your diet. Not only in food but in refreshing cold drinks. A nice refreshing iced sparkling water with mulled blueberries and mint sounds delightful on a hot day. Does it not? And looks attractive to the eye, even if used as a garnish in a clear drink. If this is your season for blueberries indulge all you would like because I think you will enjoy the health benefits as well.

Other ways to enjoy the amazing blueberry

Enjoying them in a salad

I enjoy blueberries in a salad. You may not have the same taste as I do and to be honest, a few years, ago before I tried them in a salad. I would have thought the same. Why would I put blueberries in a green salad? But after I have tried it, I like it and have it in my salads all of the time. On the left pictured: A spring green salad with grilled salmon, boiled egg, blueberries, nuts, seeds, and cheese. This is a meal and it is as delicious as it is filling. You can put them in any salad even with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing or ranch dressing. A wonderful cook told me once, that for everything savory you have to add a touch of sweetness and vice versa to bring out the best flavors.

The Amazing Blueberry is not just for dessert

The amazing blueberry goat cheese is delicious on practically anything. Okay, perhaps not everything but crackers, nan bread, french bread, veggies with nuts. Not to mention blueberries with brie, are so delicious. They also look so nice in a small serving bowl on a cheese board for guests. Now that you are hungry, we will go into the nutritional facts.

As you already probably know blueberries are great in glazes, spreads, dips, and sauces. Watching the receipt for all the added sugar is the hard part. I recently experienced blueberry balsamic glazed trout which was delicious. Until then I knew that blueberries went well with salmon but I didn’t think about other fish. They can also be combined in either a sauce for ham or combined in a BBQ sauce for many other types of meat.

What do you think of the amazing blueberry and are you going to incorporate it into your diet, even more than you had before? I will be and I have never outgrown my love for this amazing fruit.