Life & Style
Blueberry, The Antioxidant Superstar
By LaDale Anderson
Jan 30, 2013 - 10:27:35 AM

UNITED STATES—The blueberry is a fruit that gets a lot of flack.  It’s a fruit that contains a dye that can create problems for your skin and clothing if you get it on you, but blueberries are great. They’re not too sweet, but a bit tart for some people.  Most fruits tend to be oversaturated with natural sugars and this fruit isn’t.

 

Blue Berries are both delicious and nutritious. Photo courtesy of Facebook.

States like Michigan and Maine are responsible for producing massive numbers of blueberries for the rest of the country. When most people think of blueberries the first thing that comes to mind is a blueberry pie, jam, jelly or muffins. Blueberries are loaded with anthocyanins and a variety of phytochemicals that are being studied for having an impact on decreasing the risk of diseases including cancer.

Consuming blueberries have also shown to reduce cholesterol levels and research has also shown that the fruit helps reduce memory loss in older adults. The fruit packs a power punch with high doses of vitamin C, vitamin K, manganese, phosphorous, potassium, magnesium and folate. Vitamin K plays a critical role in bone development and bone density for the body.

So just what can you do with blueberries? Almost anything! It’s the perfect fruit that can be combined with any treat. It’s great as a topping for salads, you can use it with plain yogurt; place it in your oatmeal or even in your cereal. For most people it’s another fruit that is used in preparing smoothies. Just remember if you’re using the tart fruit in your drink it will drastically change the color of your smoothie to a dark blue/purple color so be aware of that.