Recently, Dr. Weil discussed 6 reasons to eat blueberries in a Daily Tip from Dr. Weil.com email. We love blueberries in my house and try to eat a lot of all berries. Berries are dark and colorful and are all packed with a lot of nutrients. Here are the reasons Dr. Weil said to eat blueberries, blueberries:
- Provide antioxidants. Anthocyanins, the pigments that make blueberries blue, are potent antioxidants: A half cup of blueberries provides the antioxidant power of five servings of peas, carrots, apples, squash or broccoli.
- Are a healthy, low glycemic-index carbohydrate, an especially good choice for diabetics.
- Are a source of vitamin C, important for a healthy immune system.
- Help meet your need for daily fiber – two grams per one-half cup serving.
- Have shown promise in addressing the effects of aging: animal studies have demonstrated improved motor skills and a reversal of age-related short-term memory loss associated with consuming blueberries.
- May have health benefits ranging from preventing cancer and defending against urinary tract infections to protecting the brain from stroke damage and reducing heart disease risks.
Although blueberries are a fruit that are generally low in pesticides, my family has begun a tradition of going to an organic blueberry farm on a yearly basis. We found a farm in New Egypt, NJ that we love: Emery’s Organic Blueberry Farm, www.emerysfarm.com. They post on their website when and which blueberries are ready for picking. In July of each year, we watch for the prime time and head on down from Central Jersey. It takes us an hour to get there and it is worth the trip. We pick a lot of blueberries, enough to fill a shelf in our freezer and more. We also get a few pies to share with friends and family, they make great pies of which our favorite is the Trifecta.
We enjoy picking the blueberries that we eat throughout the year. My husband and I began doing this as a “date” and we had a fun time picking together. We brought our daughter, but she was too young to aprreciate it and we are looking forward to this summer when we think she will be old enough to really like the experience. I just hope she does not get stung by a bee, which happened to my husband 3 summers ago, at least the sting was in a major acupuncture point – I think it actually helped him :o)