Excellent Ingredient of the Week
Blueberries — does it get any better? With just 80 calories per cup and virtually no fat, blueberries offer many noteworthy nutritional benefits. Here’s the skinny on blueberry nutrition: Blueberries are packed with vitamin C. In just one serving, you can get 14 mg of Vitamin C – almost 25 percent of your daily requirement. Vitamin C aids the formation of collagen and helps maintain healthy gums and capillaries. It also promotes iron absorption and a healthy immune syste. Blueberries are dynamos of dietary fiber. Research has shown that most of us don’t get enough fiber in our diets. Eating foods high in fiber will help keep you regular, your heart healthy and your cholesterol in check. A handful of blueberries can help you meet your daily fiber requirement. What a tasty way to eliminate this worry from your day! Blueberries are an excellent source of manganese. Manganese plays an important role in bone development and in converting the proteins, carbohydrates and fats in food into to energy – a perfect job for blueberries. Blueberries contain substances that have antioxidant properties. Antioxidants work to neutralize free radicals — unstable molecules linked to the development of cancer, cardiovascular disease and other age-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s. Substances in blueberries called polyphenols, specifically the anthocyanins that give the fruit its blue hue, are the major contributors to antioxidant activity.
So, besides being good for you, they are really delicious. Of course you have scones, muffins, pies, cobblers, and coffee cake. But what about a salad with blueberries, mint, and feta? Or how about this blueberry borscht recipe I posted back in 2006? Trust me, it's still great!
