Written by Catherine Saxelby on Thursday, 26 February 2009.
Blueberries are the nutrition powerhouses of the fruit world. They are not only low in kilojoules or Calories but also taste sweet and divine. They make the healthiest snack straight from their punnet container and let you whip up quick desserts with yoghurt or ice-cream. Enjoy them when in season.
Researchers at the USDA Human Nutrition Centre rank blueberries, especially wild blueberries, as high in antioxidant activity when compared to other fresh fruits (Including other berries) and to vegetables.
Anthocyanins are the natural plant pigments that gives the berries their blue-red colour. They act as antioxidants and slow down the aging of the brain. Importantly they have been shown to boost memory and brain function as we age, as well as protect our eyes from cataracts and glaucoma.
Anthocyanins have been shown to enhance the effects of vitamin C, improve the strength of capillaries and stabilize collagen (the underlying substance of all body tissues). Plus they improve blood circulation and protect the heart.
Nutritionally blueberries are in a class of their own which is why I've classified them as a super food.
All this for very few kilojoules/calories. Half a punnet supplies a mere 165 kilojoules (39 Calories) so makes a guiltless indulgence for anyone concerned about weight-loss or counting fat. And it's low GI. Add a squeeze of orange juice and serve with berry yoghurt or low-fat ice-cream and you have the ideal light dessert, low in kilojoules and light on fat - not to mention absolutely yummy!
Half a cup or half of a 150g punnet (about 75g) of fresh blueberries supplies: a trace of protein, a trace of fat, 8.3g carbohydrates, 7.7g sugars, less than 1g starch, 1.5g dietary fibre and 165 kilojoules (39 calories).
Trace protein, trace of fat, 11% carbohydrate, 10.3% sugars, 0.5% starch, 1.8% dietary fibre and 218 kilojoules (52 calories).
When fresh blueberries are out of season, free-flowing frozen blueberries make a nutritionally-sound substitute. You still get the berries' powerful antioxidants.
Interestingly studies of wild blueberries (which don't grow in Australia) show they are higher still in antioxidants. So if you're at the supermarket, look out for the frozen mixed berries which contain a mix of regular blueberries, wild blueberries, raspberries and cranberries (brand name Creative Gourmet).
Bake these delicious blueberry muffins made with fresh blueberries from Bizzy Lizzy's food and recipe blog www.bizzylizzysgoodthings.com.
Lizzy also describes the delights of picking fresh blueberries from a small farm in the 1980s.
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