Eat Me: Blueberries

{source; google}

Hello dears, hungry at all? Today we are looking at Blueberries. You may have encountered them in your local Sainsburys or Tesco shopping centre, or even at your local farmers market. Here's what I'll say about them; Blueberries are delicious. If you get them from the right place, and you pick the right type; round, purple juicy blueberries, you will never ever want to stop eating them.

Blueberries are grown and can be found in most continents around the globe, including; Africa, Asia, Europe and the Mediterranean. They are usually indigo in colour, small, and perfectly round (unless squashed!).

So what's so amazing about Blueberries?

Well, there are a number of things that make them great.

Anti-oxidising

Firstly, like a lot of other common berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries), they are high in anti-oxidants. Antioxidants are enzymes or organic substances that limit deterioration of tissue through oxidisation. Essentially, they help keep our bodies in optimum condition for longer. Blueberries contain an antioxidant known as anthocyanin, which is helpful in keeping your body feeling younger.

Memory

Apparently, daily consumption of blueberries also helps with our cognitive function. All this means is that it is good for our brains, and one study even showed that daily consumption over a 12-week period resulted in better memory function.

Phytonutrient Content

In my last Eat Me post, I mentioned phytonutrients (plant compounds with apparent health protecting qualities). Phytonutrients are anti-inflammatory which means they limit the effects of inflammation and swelling. Blueberries, much like Olives, are also rich in phytonutrients.

Caretaking for your Heart

Tests have shown that a consistent and moderated intake of blueberries can lower cholestorol and systolic and diastolic blood pressures.

Good for your pee!

Blueberries contain molecules which reduce the growth of bad bacteria in the urinary tract, reducing infection.

Other benefits

• High Vitamin C content
• Very low in fat - only 1 per cent
• High in fibre - fibre helps you feel fuller for longer, helps regulate your stool and stops you feeling constipated
• Good potassium content - diets that are high in potassium reduce the risk of hypertension and the chances of a stroke
• They contain quite a lot of water, and are fairly low in calories, but be careful with overconsumption because most of the calorie content found in Blueberries comes from their sugar
• Some studies show that blueberries reduce sun-damage to eyes, not much more has been uncovered yet on this front, but see what happens!

Ways to eat Blueberries:

• In juice - to my knowledge, blueberries have not been available for long in juice form, but now that they are more readily available you can probably find them in blended juice drinks (My local Sainsburys sells a Blueberry and Pomegranate juice blend) or if you are extremely lucky, on their own (I know Marks and Spencer sell a litre of Blueberry juice)
• In a crumble - this is my favourite way. A lot of recipes will tell you to cover the blueberries in some lemon juice or add some sugar, but you don't need to. Just make the crumble mix as you would usually; flour, sugar, butter; rinse the blueberries, throw them in a greased pan, pour the crumble mix over, and place into the oven until the blueberries have melted and are a lovely gooey purple mess. Enjoy with ice-cream or vanilla custard. Mmmmm!

*Nutrition Data

**Wikipedia

***WHFoods

****Woman Fitness