Happiness is like a bowl of fresh berries. Happiness is a feeling that will provide all sorts of motivation and enthusiasm in one's life, like how fresh berries in a bowl give you essential nutrients and minerals for your body. This proverb mentions the simple philosophy of life, but it also highlights the berries. One such incredible berry is blueberry. Let's have a look at the health tips from nutrition professionals about blueberries, which describe their health benefits.
What is a blueberry?
Blueberry is a perennial flowering plant that produces blue or purple berries. This widely distributed and widespread group of berries is classified in the section Cyanococcus within the genus Vaccinium. Due to the blue-coloured berries they produce, they are called blueberries. Initially, the berries of this plant are green in colour, then deepen to purple and blue as they ripen.
Usually, the blueberries are small in size, around 0.2–0.6 inches (5–16 millimetres) in diameter. The other berries included in the vaccine are cranberries, bilberries, huckleberries, and Madeira blueberries.
The most common types of blueberries are:
1) Highbush blueberries, which are commonly cultivated in American states.
2) Lowbush or "wild" blueberries contain mostly dense nutrients. Though they are smaller, they are rich in antioxidants.
Nutrition Facts of Blueberries
Blueberries are rich in many nutrients but low in calories and fat. Blueberries contain many vitamins that are needed for a person's health. A 100-gramme serving of raw blueberries will provide the following nutrients:
- Fiber: 2.4 grams
- Protein: 0.7 grams
- Carbs: 14.5 grams
- Fat: 0.3 grams
- Calories: 57
- Water: 84%
- Sugar: 10 grams
The list of nutrients and minerals present in blueberries is important:
1) Carbs
Blueberries primarily consist of 14% carbs and 84% water. Many carbs come from simple sugars like glucose and fructose, but blueberries also contain some fiber. Nearly 16% of the carbohydrate in these blueberries comes in the form of fiber. Carbs function as an energy source, and they participate in cholesterol and triglyceride metabolism. Also, carbs help regulate blood glucose and insulin metabolism, apart from aiding with fermentation.
2) Fibre
Blueberries contain a decent amount of fibre. In general, dietary fibre functions to keep our digestive system healthy and helps lower constipation. Fibre, being a part of a healthy diet, might show protective effects against various diseases. 74 grams of blueberries could give you 1.8 grammes of fibre.
3) Calories
Blueberries contain a low amount of calories. It mainly consists of carbs and water. A calorie is a measure of energy that your body needs to function properly.
4) Glycemic Index
Blueberries have a score of 53 on the glycemic index (GI), which is a measuring system for foods containing carbohydrates. It indicates the rate at which certain foods raise blood sugar levels.
5) Proteins and fat
A small amount of protein and fat are present in blueberries. The fats in your diet help provide your body with energy. Fats help support cell function, which also helps your body absorb a few nutrients and generate some hormones.
Proteins function as hormones, enzymes, building blocks, and initiators of cellular death. They provide structural support and also act as biochemical catalysts.
6) Vitamin K1
Vitamin K1, also called phylloquinone, might benefit bone health. Vitamin K1 functions mainly in blood clotting.
7) Vitamin C
Vitamin C, as well as ascorbic acid, helps in immune function. Also, this vitamin is an antioxidant, which is needed for skin health.
8) Manganese
A 100-gramme bag of wild blueberries contains 2.8 milligrammes of anese. Manganese helps with fat and carbohydrate metabolism in one's body. Moreover, manganese also helps with calcium absorption and blood sugar regulation.
Plant compounds of blueberries
Blueberries are rich in some beneficial plant compounds. They are:
Anthocyanins
Anthocyanins are the antioxidants responsible for the blue colour of blueberries. In general, anthocyanins possess antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer, and anti-obesity effects.
Myricetin
Commonly, the plant compound Myricetin shows antioxidant, iron-chelating, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties.
Quercetin
A high intake of this flavonol helps scavenge free radicals. Free radicals are said to cause cell damage in the human body.
Blueberry: Health Tips From Nutrition Professionals
Blueberries are packed with many vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that offer health benefits. Blueberries serve as one of the best natural sources of antioxidants. A large amount of vitamin K helps promote heart health, bone health, and blood clotting.
Here are the 10 health benefits of blueberries:
1. Blueberries are rich in nutrients
The blueberry is usually low in calories but high in fibre, vitamin C, and vitamin K. This famous shrub is more similar to some that produce cranberries and huckleberries.
Blueberries contain nutrients like vitamin K, manganese, fibre, vitamin C, carbohydrates, 85% water, and a low amount of calories. Apart from that, blueberries contain small amounts of various other nutrients.
2. Blueberries protect your blood cholesterol from damage
Blueberries contain antioxidants, which reduce levels of oxidised LDL and HDL. Thus, blueberries protect your heart. It is also problematic if your "bad" LDL cholesterol gets oxidised. Oxidative damage could spread from your cells to your DNA. This oxidised LDL might result in artery inflammation and even atherosclerosis.
Eating blueberries daily will help lower LDL oxidation. Thus, the antioxidants in blueberries help lower heart disease, which they achieve by preventing oxidative damage to "bad" LDL cholesterol.
3. Antioxidant-rich source
Blueberries contain an enormous amount of antioxidants. Antioxidants help inhibit cellular damage by eliminating free radicals. Free radicals, which cause damage to your cells, are unstable molecules that are linked to ageing and diseases like heart disease. A family of polyphenol antioxidants called flavonoids is present in blueberries.
Blueberries are thought to have one of the highest naturally occurring antioxidant levels. A group of flavonoids called anthocyanins in blueberries offers many health effects. The antioxidants in the blueberries directly increase the antioxidant levels in your body.
4. Might help lower the blood pressure
Eating blueberries regularly might help lower blood pressure. According to many studies, blueberries appear to show several benefits for people with high blood pressure. Research was conducted on people with obesity who had a high risk of heart disease. Those people (participants in the research) found a reduction in blood pressure after eating 50 grammes of freeze-dried blueberries daily for 8 weeks.
5. Helps maintain brain function and enhance memory power
The antioxidants in blueberries also help your brain function by slowing down mental decline. Some animal studies showed that the antioxidants in blueberries might affect the brain areas that are needed for intelligence. Moreover, eating blueberries showed improvements in cell signalling. Another study in humans showed that blueberries and strawberries were connected to delays in mental ageing by up to 2.5 years.
6. Lowers the DNA damage
DNA damage is a leading cause of ageing and cancer. Many studies have suggested that blueberries could reduce DNA damage. Thus, eating blueberries regularly might help protect against ageing and cancer. Oxidative DNA damage occurs as we age. Also, as mentioned already, the high amount of antioxidants in blueberries helps kill a few of the free radicals that could damage your DNA. To get these antioxidants from blueberries, you could eat them either in fresh or powdered form.
7. Blueberries may help prevent heart disease.
Eating blueberries daily might reduce blood pressure and oxidise LDL cholesterol, which are risk factors for diseases. This is because blueberries contain a large amount of anthocyanins, which might help lower the risk of heart disease. Berries, grapes, currants, and other tropical fruits have high anthocyanin content. Anthocyanins are coloured water-soluble pigments that come under the phenolic group.
8. Might show anti-diabetes effects
Many studies have shown that blueberries have anti-diabetes effects, which might reduce blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity. Improved insulin sensitivity might reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. The sugar content of blueberries is moderate when compared to other fruits. However, the bioactive compounds in blueberries seem to exceed the negative effect of the sugar when managing blood sugar is considered. In a study conducted, it was found that in people with insulin resistance, the daily intake of two blueberries showed some major improvements in their insulin sensitivity.
The anthocyanins in blueberries might have a beneficial effect on glucose metabolism. Thus, eating blueberries in any form, like fresh or freeze-dried, might have antidiabetic effects.
9. Might lower the muscle damage
Blueberry supplements might help reduce molecular-level damage, decrease soreness, and lower muscle performance. Usually, some heavy exercises could result in muscle soreness and fatigue. Regular blueberry intake might trigger cellular adaptations that could accelerate muscle repair and recovery.
10. Might help fight against urinary tract infections.
It is a general assumption that cranberry juice could help prevent urinary tract infections. As blueberries are closer to cranberries, like cranberries, blueberries have some substances that help prevent some bacteria from binding to the bladder wall.
Though the blueberry extract shows some anti-adhesive effects, more research is needed to check if the blueberries could prevent UTIs.
How do I prepare blueberry juice?
It is very simple to prepare blueberry juice. Here are the steps to prepare blueberry juice:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup Blueberries
- 1 cup of drinking water
- one tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
- 1 to 2 tablespoons raw sugar(optional)
- Ice cubes(optional)
- 1 tablespoon of white vinegar(for washing)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda(for washing)
Procedure:
- Wash a cup of fresh blueberries. Then, soak the blueberries in water that is mixed with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and ½ teaspoon baking soda.
- Let the berries get soaked for 15 to 20 minutes, then wash them again with fresh water twice and drain them from
- Now, put all these washed blueberries in a blender jar. Blend it till the blueberries become a smooth juice.
- Now, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of raw sugar or your preferred sweetener to get a sweet juice. If you don't like sweets, you could skip this step.
- Now include adding 1 cup of drinking water. You could add a few ice cubes if you are interested.
- Now, add one tablespoon of fresh lemon juice.
- Now, blend all the ingredients until you get a fine blueberry juice.
- Finally, you could transfer the blueberry juice to a tumbler and serve it fresh.
Conclusion
Blueberries are a package of many nutrients which are regularly needed for our body's function. They are stress-free foods, providing many nutrients. Blueberry juice is one of the healthiest drinks, which could offer many health benefits. They're also low in sodium, which might benefit people with some health conditions like kidney disease.
