While they may be small, they are mighty. Blueberries pack a powerful punch when it comes to health benefits. We knew that we had to create an EatToHeal Real food bar and incorporate all the antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that blueberries have to offer to help you nourish your body and to feel whole, happy, and healthy. Your health comes first at EatToHeal, always. What are the blueberry health benefits, you ask?
Let’s discover why blueberries are the superstar of the berry family!
So, How Healthy Are Blueberries?
Are blueberries good for you? Yes, yes, and more yes. Blueberries are actually one of the healthiest fruits out there. When it comes to a standard serving size 3/4th of a cup or 100 grams, it clocks in around 65 calories with just 15 grams of carbohydrates. That means that blueberries are low in calories, and high in nutrients. Blueberries are definitely a nutrient-dense food!
And may we introduce you to ANDI? Aggregate Nutrient Density Index, aka ANDI, is one of the several rating systems out there that rates food nutrition. Foods with the most nutrients-per-calorie-ratio receive high rankings. Blueberries are placed among the top fruits and vegetables for nutrient density, with an ANDI score of 132. You officially know blueberries’ number.
Blueberries Are Full of Vitamins and Minerals
Just a single cup of blueberries will give you this percentage intake of the daily recommended intake of vitamins and minerals:
What is Vitamin K good for? Vitamin K helps your blood clot properly and helps to make proteins that are needed by your body to build healthy bone tissue. People always think milk helps make strong bones, but blueberries are amazing for strong bones!
There’s a lot of magic in manganese. According to The Harvard School of Public Health, ”Manganese is a coenzyme that assists many enzymes involved in breaking down carbohydrates, proteins, and cholesterol. It also assists enzymes in building bones and keeping the immune and reproductive systems running smoothly.” In addition, Manganese works alongside Vitamin K to assist in healing wounds and clotting blood.
It’s not a big surprise what Vitamin C can do. I think we all have a pretty good sense of what Vitamin C can do, as it’s probably the most talked about vitamin on the planet. Just in case a little reminder is needed, Vitamin C helps our body form muscle, cartilage, blood vessels, and collagen in our bones. It’s a powerful antioxidant that helps protect our cells against free radicals. What are free radicals? They’re not politically associated in any way, shape, or form don’t worry! Free radicals are molecules that are produced when our body is exposed to smoke, radiation, UV, X-rays, etc. They also are produced when our body breaks down food. As free radicals aren’t a good thing (they are believed to play a role in cancer and various other diseases), it’s important to do what we can to protect our bodies against them! Vitamin C is a big help. Kicking free radical butt is right up Vitamin C’s alley!
How about dietary fiber? Dietary fiber has numerous benefits, among them is, as emphasized by the Mayo Clinic, “helping to maintain a healthy weight and lowering your risk of diabetes, heart disease and some types of cancer.”
Blueberries Are Full of Antioxidants
Antioxidant is a word that seems to be thrown around a lot, and it can be all too easy to feel foggy on the definition. While the word antioxidant certainly sounds like a good thing, what are antioxidants really? Remember what we just said about free radicals? Well, antioxidants protect our bodies from free radicals, those dangerous molecules that can damage our cells and lead to diseases like cancer. Therefore, an antioxidant is, as defined by the National Cancer Institute, “A substance that protects cells from the damage caused by free radicals (unstable molecules made by the process of oxidation during normal metabolism). Free radicals may play a part in cancer, heart disease, stroke, and other diseases of aging.”
In fact, scientific research has revealed that blueberries have one of the highest antioxidant levels of all the most popular and common vegetables and fruits. Researchers have proven that eating blueberries lead to a direct increase in the antioxidant levels inside our bodies. With research to back it up, we can say without a shadow of a doubt that blueberries are good for you— really, really good for you.
Let’s Lay It Out as Clearly as Possible:
Blueberries may protect against cancer and aging.
Blueberries may help you have healthy bones.
Blueberries may lower blood pressure.
Blueberries may protect cholesterol in your blood from damage.
Blueberries may help protect against heart disease.
Blueberries can help improve brain function.
Our EatToHeal Blueberry Real Food Bars were carefully crafted with this knowledge in mind. Blueberries are high in micronutrient diversity and antioxidants, which is key to achieving and sustaining optimal health. While you can eat blueberries fresh, freeze-dried, and frozen, it’s always best to eat blueberries raw. Our EatToHeal Real Food Bars are fresh, never frozen, and they are raw— never heated or cooked. As heat can alter the antioxidant content, raw is the way to go. Eat healthy. Eat real food. EatToHeal.
