Eating Blueberries benefit our Health more than Being the Dessert
Eating blueberries are good for your health because of the vitamins, antioxidants and phytonutrients. And the most important benefits are improving the overall health of our body. So how do you know if you are getting enough nutrients from eating blueberries?
Eating blueberries benefit our body with the nutrients it provides. But does it changes if blueberries are served fresh or frozen? And what are blueberries anyway?
My favorite dessert is blueberry cheesecakes. I thought that eating cheesecake with blueberries is one way to enjoy my cravings for dessert. But, when I realized blueberries good for prevention of different health conditions, I started to dig some crucial facts. And I looked for organically grown blueberries. In this way, I can avoid eating berries with chemicals that are too risky in my health.
I started to look for its physical appearance. Of course, it has different size and shape when baked or adds as toppings over the salad. Fresh blueberries come in color indigo, small in size. Like other berries, I can buy a pack of it in the supermarket. One cup serving of fresh blueberries has five grams of fiber and 15% of the daily recommended vitamin C with only 80 calories.
But can you guess what could be the difference between buying fresh or frozen blueberries? Well, both blueberries contain the same amount of nutrients after and before storage.
According to the study, frozen or fresh blueberries have the same nutrients as long as freshly picked berries are stored right away. Nutrients like vitamins B, fiber and antioxidants have no change after frozen about 3 to 5 months.
So I learned to have the trick, so my blueberries can stay fresh and crisp for about 7 days; since I am planning to consume it in just a week. As I said, blueberries are my favorite.
So here are my tips in eating it fresh.
I see to it that my blueberries are as dry as possible. Then I put it in storage and see to it that my refrigerator is 32 – 34-degree Fahrenheit. This is how I stored my blueberries.
But when eating blueberries, I gently wash it with fresh water. Blueberries are best served when chilled. But room temperature is okay.
If you doubt if eating blueberries are good for you? I cannot blame you for questioning. But let me give you some highlights of why eating blueberries are right for your health.
Health Benefits
Most of us are taking the monitoring of cholesterol level seriously, and I am one of them. Since I started eating blueberries, I have no worries about increasing cholesterol level. Also, I have no concerns with my immune system as I am including eating blueberries in my meal.
With one cup serving of blueberries, it is equivalent with 7 to 10 daily servings of fruits and vegetables, according to a study. This serving contains 40 calories and absolutely no fat. The vitamin C it can provide is equivalent to almost 25% of daily recommended. With this much of vitamin C, eating blueberries can help our gums and capillaries in good shape.
Other good things that I get from eating blueberries are a good source of fiber and manganese, which is good for bone health. After a while, my habit of eating blueberries changes my appetite and digestive system. I started to feel good and no more digestion problems as compared before I include blueberries in my meal plan.
And manganese is essential for bone development. But it does not limit you with the excellent benefits of eating blueberries. Aside from that, I can get some amount of carbohydrates, proteins and fat that can be easily converted to energy.
More so, I cannot let the chance passed by if I know that eating blueberries will provide antioxidants and can improve insulin response. As I look into the health benefits of blueberries, I found out that eating these berries have different studies showing the antioxidants from blueberries can do so much.
Some studies show that eating blueberries can reduce the growth of breast cancer and reduce the growth of colon cancer cells. Also, it shows improvement insulin response by regulation of lower blood glucose levels.
Eating blueberries in Styles
I know if you imagine eating blueberries alone is boring, then we have something for you. It is not only in the cheesecake that you will enjoy blueberries. Here are some of the recipes that you can easily prepare. I know you can because I am doing it for quite sometimes.
Beforehand Tips
However, before the recipes, let me give you some advice before eating blueberries.
If I were you, choose blueberries that are firm, plump with a dusty white sheen. These are the ripest and best tasting. Reddish berries are not mature. So don’t compare blueberries with other berries.
Are they thinking of buying berries in a bottle? I tried buying blueberries in a container, and I think I failed three times to choose the quality one. From then on, I learned the trick of shaking the bottle to see if the berries move freely. Otherwise, they are damaged before placing into the container, which means they will soon get moldy or rot.
Cherry Berry Salad Recipe
After picking the quality berries, here are some of the easiest ways to enjoy eating blueberries.
You will need:
2 cups pitted fresh Rainier cherries
2 cups pitted fresh dark sweet cherries
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup diced apples
For the honey-lime dressing, combine all these ingredients and mix well. You can make about 1/3 cup.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon each fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons minced fresh mint
1/2 teaspoon shredded lime peel
1/8 teaspoon salt
How to prepare: Combine fruit. Add Honey Lime Dressing. Refrigerate until serving.
Fresh pineapple or orange may also be added to a salad. You can serve this as a side dish, or salad and kids will love this.
What can we say?
Eating blueberries have many health benefits. And we hope you enjoy it with some of the easy recipes that I have been trying for quite sometimes.
