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Blueberries Pack a Nutritional Wallop
By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN

Published: New York Times, January 25, 2010


Blueberries are the king of fruits when it comes to micronutrients. They may not have the vitamin C of oranges and grapefruit, or the potassium found in bananas. But blueberries do have an abundance of phytonutrients, whose strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, some scientists believe, may help protect against heart disease, colon cancer and other maladies.


The beneficial phytonutrients in blueberries are anthocyanins, a type found in other fruits and vegetables with red, blue and purple pigments. Scientists use a test called the O.R.A.C. (short for oxygen radical absorbance capacity) to rate the antioxidant capacity in foods, and by this measure blueberries always come out on top. So if red wine is off limits and beets just aren’t your thing, try adding a half cup of blueberries to your cereal or yogurt in the morning, throw a half cup of frozen blueberries into your smoothie — or try any of this week’s recipes.


Blueberry Yogurt Parfait

This beautiful parfait tastes so much richer than it is. You can serve it for breakfast or for dessert. Look for organic yogurt that has no thickeners or gums added to it.

2 cups blueberries

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

2 cups drained low-fat yogurt or low-fat Greek style yogurt

1 tablespoon shelled pistachios, finely chopped


1. Combine the blueberries, sugar, lime juice and balsamic vinegar in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook for five to 10 minutes, until the liquid is reduced and the blueberries have cooked down to a jam-like consistency. Allow to cool. You should have about 1 cup of thick, jammy sauce.

2. Spoon 1/4 cup thick yogurt into the bottom of each of 4 tumblers or parfait glasses. Top with 2 tablespoons of the blueberry sauce. Make another 1/4 cup layer of yogurt on top of the blueberry sauce, and finish with another 2 tablespoon-layer of blueberry sauce. Cover tightly and chill for at least 1 hour. Just before serving, sprinkle finely chopped pistachios over the top.

Yield: Serves four.

Advance preparation: The assembled parfaits will hold in the refrigerator for a day. Sprinkle on the pistachios just before serving.

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Blueberries May Take Care of Your Belly Fat

Friday, May 15, 2009 by: Henri Junttila, citizen journalist (NaturalNews)

Blueberries are not only delicious, but also very high in fiber and nutrients. They have been proven to lower blood pressure, protect against oxidative stress and now a recent study shows that blueberries might help you lose that hard to get rid of abdominal fat.

A new study published in Experimental Biology 2009 found that blueberries may change how the body stores and uses glucose (sugar) for energy. This study was led by researcher E. Mitchell Seymour, MS, of the University of Michigan`s Cardioprotection Research Laboratory in the United States. The study was performed on laboratory rats. While the findings suggest that blueberries may be protective against two common health conditions, more research should be done on human participants. The researchers used freeze dried blueberries which were then crushed into a fine powder, and mixed into the rats` diet. They performed many different comparisons among the rats consuming different diets, ranging from high-fat, low-fat to the control rats. The rats in the study were from a special research breed that is prone to severe overweight. Belly fat is considered to increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes. The researchers found that the rats that ate a diet with blueberries received several health benefits, such as lowered cholesterol, decreased abdominal fat, lower triglycerides, improved glucose control and insulin sensitivity.

"We found that by looking at fat muscle tissue, blueberry intake affected genes related to fat-burning and storage. Looking at muscle tissue, we saw altered genes related to glucose uptake." Steven Bolling, M.D., and a University of Michigan surgeon says "The benefits of eating fruits and vegetables has been well-researched, but our findings in regard to blueberries shows the naturally occurring chemicals they contain, such as anthocyanins, show promise in mitigating these health conditions."

Summary
Blueberries are showing more and more promise in how healthy they are for us. They not only contain antioxidants that are thought to help our bodies fight free radicals, but they also contain vitamins and a lot of fiber. According to the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, blueberries are among the fruits with the highest antioxidant activity. Other studies on rats have found that blueberries slowed age-related loss in their mental capacity and improved motor behavioral learning and memory. Everyone can add more blueberries to their diet, and the good news is that it is simple, mainly because they taste so good. Make a blueberry smoothie, eat your yoghurt with blueberries or just throw some blueberries in your cereal, that's how easy it is!

Sources:
http://www2.med.umich.edu/prmc/medi...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...
http://www.blueberry.org/health.htm

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Eating blueberries slashes colon cancer risk by 57 percent, animal study finds

Thursday, July 26, 2007: by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger Editor of NaturalNews.com

A compound found in blueberries shows promise of preventing colon cancer, according to a new study. Scientists at Rutgers University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture conducted a joint study on animals, and found that the compound -- called pterostilbene -- lessened pre-cancerous lesions and inhibited genes involved in inflammation. Researchers presented the study at the American Chemical Society's annual meeting in March.

"This study underscores the need to include more berries in the diet, especially blueberries," said study leader Bandaru Reddy, Ph.D., a professor in the chemical biology department at Rutgers. Although the blueberry compound won't cure colon cancer, it represents a strategy for preventing the disease naturally, said Reddy, who specializes in studying the relationship between nutrition and colon cancer.

The researchers studied 18 rats in which colon cancer had been induced in a manner similar to human colon cancer development. All of the animals were placed on a balanced diet, with half of the animals' diets supplemented with pterostilbene. After eight weeks, the rats fed pterostilbene had 57 percent fewer pre-cancerous colon lesions compared to the control group. The researchers also noted that pterostilbene inhibited certain genes involved in inflammation, considered a colon cancer risk factor.

Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. It has been linked to a high intake of saturated fats and calories common in Western diets. Pterostilbene may be able to reverse this process, possibly by lowering lipids, Reddy said.

Reddy cited a recent study by co-author Agnes Rimando of the Department of Agriculture. Rimando demonstrated that blueberries, particularly their skins, can lower cholesterol when fed to animals.

Some thirty different species of blueberries are native to North America. The berries are rich in anthocyanins, widely recognized for their antioxidant qualities. Blueberries are also a good source of ellagic acid, which blocks metabolic pathways that can lead to cancer.

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Get a Blueberry boost!
Here's a link to a blog about the value of blueberries
http://blog.wholefoodsmarket.com/2009/06/get-a-blueberry-boost
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Health & History of Highbush Blueberries
by Vern Grubinger, June 1998
Vegetable and Berry Specialist
University of Vermont Extension

Doctors across the country may soon be prescribing lots of little blue pills, and I don't mean Viagra. They'll be advising patients to eat blueberries, because it turns out that this fruit not only tastes good, it's also good for your health. Researchers have found blueberries to be higher in anti-oxidants than any other fruit or vegetable tested. By combating free-radicals in our bodies, anti-oxidants help protect against cancer and delay the aging process. But that's not all, there's evidence that blueberries can reduce urinary tract infections and protect against heart disease, too. One study even found that fighter pilots who were given regular doses of blueberries had significantly improved night vision. Could blueberry pancakes become a military secret?

Centuries ago, native Americans knew that blueberries were good for treating stomach problems, but they were limited to eating wild blueberries. Also called low-bush blueberries, these wild plants grow naturally on acid soils, producing fruit that is quite small on plants that only grow about a foot tall. The domesticated, or highbush blueberry produces bigger berries, and more of them, on a plant that grows nearly ten times taller than its wild cousin. The domestication of the blueberry started in 1908 when a researcher at the US Department of Agriculture, Dr. F.V. Coville, began studying wild blueberries and seeking out superior plants for breeding. He made his first selection of plants in New Hampshire. In 1911, he lucked out when Elizabeth White, a commercial cranberry grower in New Jersey, learned of his work and perceived its potential. She offered her assistance, and for the next 2 decades she enlisted her pickers to search for exceptionally fine bushes in the wilds of the pine barrens.

Dr. Coville made crosses among the best of these, and highbush blueberry industry was born. He developed the first 15 commercial varieties of blueberries, and many more followed as a result of his work. In 1937, a Vermonter took over the USDA blueberry breeding program. Dr. George Darrow initiated cooperation with state agricultural experiment stations and private growers, so that new varieties could be tested in widely different growing areas. Between 1946 and 1962, he provided over 200,000 seedling plants to cooperators in 13 states. One of these cooperators was his brother Bill, who ran Green Mountain Orchards in Putney.

The first highbush blueberries in Vermont were planted in 1948, according to Bill Darrow, Jr. "Dad put in 30 or 40 bushes at first. By 1950 he was growing 4 varieties. He tried different ways of feeding them, and lost quite a few in the process. Eventually he got things squared away, so we cleared the pines off Round Hill, hauled in sawdust from the mill, and planted a couple of acres. We started in 1952 but it took 3 years to get enough seedlings to finish the planting."
Across town, another apple grower, Frank Harlow, was also experimenting with blueberries. "Uncle Frank was a researcher at heart" says Don Harlow, who has grown fruit for 50 years at Harlow's Sugar House. In 1963, Don and his wife Maddy put in their first acre of highbush blueberries, the second commercial planting in the state. Today, each farm boasts about 15 acres of blueberries, and Putney remains the blueberry capital of Vermont.

Elsewhere, word has gotten out about highbush blueberries. They are now grown far and wide, all the way to Japan. Closer to home, 1998 may be one of the best blueberry years ever. There's a huge crop in most locations. Pick soon, and pick often. Freezing the berries doesn't diminish their health benefits, so put some up and enjoy them later. A bowl of blueberries a day keeps the doctor away!                                                                                                                (6/98)

RETURN TO VERMONT VEGETABLE AND BERRY PAGE


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Berry fruit supplementation and the aging brain.

Shukitt-Hale B, Lau FC, Joseph JA.

USDA-ARS Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, USA. barbara.shukitt-hale@ars.usda.gov

The onset of age-related neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease, superimposed on a declining nervous system, could exacerbate the motor and cognitive behavioral deficits that normally occur in senescence. In cases of severe deficits in memory or motor function, hospitalization and/or custodial care would be a likely outcome. This means that unless some way is found to reduce these age-related decrements in neuronal function, health-care costs will continue to rise exponentially. Thus, it is extremely important to explore methods to retard or reverse age-related neuronal deficits, as well as their subsequent behavioral manifestations, to increase healthy aging. In this regard, consumption of diets rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory polyphenolics, such as those found in fruits and vegetables, may lower the risk of developing age-related neurodegenerative diseases. Research suggests that the polyphenolic compounds found in berry fruits, such as blueberries and strawberries, may exert their beneficial effects either through their ability to lower oxidative stress and inflammation or directly by altering the signaling involved in neuronal communication, calcium buffering ability, neuroprotective stress shock proteins, plasticity, and stress signaling pathways. These interventions, in turn, may exert protection against age-related deficits in cognitive and motor function. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the benefits of these interventions in rodent models and to describe the putative molecular mechanisms involved in their benefits.

PMID: 18211020 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]


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The 11 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating

By TARA PARKER-POPE
Maybe you should be eating more beets, left, or chopped cabbage.Nutritionist and author Jonny Bowden has created several lists of healthful foods people should be eating but aren’t. But some of his favorites, like purslane, guava and goji berries, aren’t always available at regular grocery stores. I asked Dr. Bowden, author of “The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth,” to update his list with some favorite foods that are easy to find but don’t always find their way into our shopping carts. Here’s his advice.
  1. Beets: Think of beets as red spinach, Dr. Bowden said, because they are a rich source of folate as well as natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters.
    How to eat: Fresh, raw and grated to make a salad. Heating decreases the antioxidant power.
  2. Cabbage: Loaded with nutrients like sulforaphane, a chemical said to boost cancer-fighting enzymes.
    How to eat: Asian-style slaw or as a crunchy topping on burgers and sandwiches.
  3. Swiss chard: A leafy green vegetable packed with carotenoids that protect aging eyes.
    How to eat it: Chop and saute in olive oil.
  4. Cinnamon: May help control blood sugar and cholesterol.
    How to eat it: Sprinkle on coffee or oatmeal.
  5. Pomegranate juice: Appears to lower blood pressure and loaded with antioxidants.
    How to eat: Just drink it.
  6. Dried plums: Okay, so they are really prunes, but they are packed with antioxidants.
    How to eat: Wrapped in prosciutto and baked.
  7. Pumpkin seeds: The most nutritious part of the pumpkin and packed with magnesium; high levels of the mineral are associated with lower risk for early death.
    How to eat: Roasted as a snack, or sprinkled on salad.
  8. Sardines: Dr. Bowden calls them “health food in a can.” They are high in omega-3’s, contain virtually no mercury and are loaded with calcium. They also contain iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and manganese as well as a full complement of B vitamins.
    How to eat: Choose sardines packed in olive or sardine oil. Eat plain, mixed with salad, on toast, or mashed with dijon mustard and onions as a spread.
  9. Turmeric: The “superstar of spices,” it may have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.
    How to eat: Mix with scrambled eggs or in any vegetable dish.
  10. Frozen blueberries: Even though freezing can degrade some of the nutrients in fruits and vegetables, frozen blueberries are available year-round and don’t spoil; associated with better memory in animal studies.
    How to eat: Blended with yogurt or chocolate soy milk and sprinkled with crushed almonds.
  11. Canned pumpkin: A low-calorie vegetable that is high in fiber and immune-stimulating vitamin A; fills you up on very few calories.
    How to eat: Mix with a little butter, cinnamon and nutmeg.

You can find more details and recipes on the Men’s Health Web site, which published the original version of the list last year.

In my own house, I only have two of these items — pumpkin seeds, which I often roast and put on salads, and frozen blueberries, which I mix with milk, yogurt and other fruits for morning smoothies. How about you? Have any of these foods found their way into your shopping cart?


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Vermont Vegetable and Berry News – May 18, 2009
Compiled by Vern Grubinger, University of Vermont Extension http://www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry
Blueberry susceptibility to frost damage
(adapted from North Carolina State Univ.)

In the spring, temperatures must drop below 28 degrees F for economic losses to occur on highbush blueberry. The temperature at which freeze injury begins to occur depends on the stage of development from dormant flower buds through young fruit. During the winter, dormant flower buds of highbush blueberries will survive temperatures as low as -20 to -30 degrees F, but as flowerbud swell progresses, cold tolerance decreases. By the time individual flowers begin to protrude from the bud, temperatures below 20 degrees F will begin damaging the most exposed flowers. When corollas have reached half of their full length, temperatures below 25 to 26 degrees F will kill the complete flowers. When the blossoms are open, a temperature of 27 degrees F for more than a few minutes causes damage. Immediately after corolla drop and before the berry begins to swell is the most sensitive stage. A few minutes below 28 degrees F will result in damage. As the berry begins to enlarge, susceptibility is similar to the critical temperature of 28 degrees for open blossoms.