Superfood: Eat More Blueberries!

Nothing says summer like fresh berries, and on top of being downright delicious, those fresh, organic blueberries that are in season right now are packed with nutritional mojo!

Health Benefits of Blueberries

Packed with vitamin C, vitamin K, fiber, and loads of micronutrients, blueberries deliver a nutritional bang for the buck. Studies show that they enhance brain health and can even help improve your memory. They also protect your brain from age-related decline.

A 14-year study that followed 200,000 participants showed that eating blueberries can also help prevent high blood pressure. The researchers believe that it’s the flavonoids in blueberries that helped the study participants fight high blood pressure.

There’s more to health than just your physical well-being, and blueberries do their part in that area, too. Because they’re rich in antioxidants and vitamin C, blueberries help reduce stress, or at least make your body more well equipped to handle it.

Buying and Storing Blueberries

You can just eat fresh blueberries by the handful, but if you want to enjoy those tasty berries – and their health benefits – year-round, now’s the time to stock up! Blueberries are a summer fruit, so you can hit your local farmers markets now for the freshest blueberries around.

Like many fruits and veggies, if you want the maximum nutrition benefit from blueberries, organic is the way to go. In a study that compared organic to conventional blueberries, the organic berries had much higher levels of antioxidants than their conventionally-grown counterparts.

Make sure your blueberries are totally dry before you store them, then put them into a sealed container and stash them in the fridge until you’re ready to eat them. They’ll keep for about a week if you store fresh blueberries properly.

Of course, when you stock up on a perishable food, you also need to figure out how to make it last. You can preserve your blueberries by making jam , or you can freeze your fresh blueberries. If you’re sticking your blueberries in the freezer, don’t worry about losing out on nutrients. Blueberries retain their antioxidants, even when you freeze them.