Blueberries - The Amazing Super-Fruit!

We all know that blueberries are delicious, but these tasty berries can have incredible benefits for your health as well! As the second-most popular berry in the U.S. (just missing out on the top spot to strawberries),  it seems everyone is finding a way to get some blueberries into their diet – whether it’s a handful of fresh berries on their own, blended into a fruit smoothie, or paired with a bowl of yogurt or oatmeal.

Here are just a few of the great benefits blueberries can have for your health:

• Blueberries are naturally low in fat and sodium
• Ensure our retinas are protected from unwanted oxygen damage and UV rays from the sun
• Repair our muscles after strenuous exercise, helping reduce post-exercise injury
• May help reduce the chance of developing cancers such as breast, colon, and intestinal cancer
• Help improve memory & postpone the onset of other cognitive problems associated with aging

They also contain more antioxidants than any other fruit, which is a major key in amazing health benefits they can offer us. What are antioxidants? Antioxidants are essential to optimizing health by helping to combat the free radicals that can damage cellular structures as well as DNA. Foods that are rich in antioxidants, like blueberries, can help to prevent symptoms of this damage and to even help repair damaged cells.

Additionally, increased blueberry intake (usually in the amount of 1-2 cups per day and over the course of 1-3 months) has been shown to improve blood fat balances, including reduction in total cholesterol, raising of HDL “good” cholesterol, and lowering of triglycerides.

With all of these great health benefits, and with only about 90 calories per cup of blueberries, there is no question that adding a few servings of blueberries to your diet is a smart way to stay healthy!

To learn more about blueberries and their health benefits, check out The World’s Healthiest Foods, or http://www.blueberrycouncil.org/.