There’s nothing I love more than prescribing food as medicine for my clients. I’m even happier when something that tastes delicious is also good for us. Today I am giving you 6 reasons to eat blueberries (apart from them being yummy!)
That’s what you get when you enjoy the sweet and tart flavours of blueberries. The pigments that give blueberries their deep colourful hue are also powerful, disease-fighting antioxidants, called Anthocyanins. Blueberries are special as they are the only berries that contain 25 different Anthocyanins.
Why are Anthocyanins good for us?
Antioxidants, like the ones in blueberries, work on a cellular level and are a bit like rust protection for the body. As with everything that goes rusty over time, the oxidation of our cells is damaging and leads to the early onset of diseases particularly associated with old age.
Antioxidants reduce these effects and repair the damage , which means they are anti-ageing, and who doesn’t want that? They protect us from the bad guys (free radicals) that can form during normal body functions – such as when cells burn food for energy or are fighting off bacteria and viruses.
But where they really come into their own is when our cells are exposed oxidative stressors such as pollution, radiation, cigarette smoke or manufactured chemicals (to name a few) because even larger quantities of free radicals are formed in the body.
Personally, I love blueberries most when they are fresh and in season, I always have to buy extra as my two grandchildren can’t seem get enough of them (they think that they’re lollies).
Blueberries are low in sugar and high in fibre. Nothing is a delicious as fresh berries in season, but they are they are also available all year round thanks to their ability to be flash frozen and freeze dried easily. These methods of preserving still keep the nutritional goodness of the blueberries. I recommend to my clients that are in a hurry in the mornings, that they add a nice big handful of fresh or frozen blueberries into a smoothie, overnight oats or muesli, on most days.
6 Reasons To Eat Blueberries
- Protective to the heart and cardiovascular system
- Anti-ageing and repair damage caused by ‘free radicals’
- Protect brain health
- Protect capillaries and blood vessel health – think varicose veins and eyes
- Contain prebiotic fibre and starches that support good gut bacteria and microbiome
- They taste delicious!
If you’re looking for a great spring breakfast or snack recipe, try my Blueberry Chia Pudding recipe. I hope these 6 reasons to eat blueberries has inspired you to add them to your meals!