|
Delicious and nutritious,
Nova Agri's highbush blueberries make a flavourful contribution to any meal. Just one
serving (1 cup = 140 g) contains about 18 mg of vitamin C or 30% of the recommended daily
intake, as well as high amounts of dietary fibre (4 g per serving). But that's not all. New research shows we may have
been underestimating the power of blueberries all along, and suggests we have overlooked
their "nutraceutical" value (i.e. their ability to prevent and/or treat
disease). For instance, according to health food scientists investigating the antioxidant
capacity of 40 commercially available fruits and vegetables, blueberries ranked Number One
- with 1/2 cup serving delivering as much antioxidant power as five servings of peas,
carrots, squash, broccoli and other foods tested!
|
|
What are antioxidants and why are they
so great? Antioxidants are
particular types of plant chemicals (phytochemicals) that help protect your body's cells
from being damaged by unstable oxygen molecules knows as "free radicals".
Research shows that people who eat adequate amounts of fruits and vegetables high in
antioxidants have a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, and
cataracts.
Blueberries contain significant quantities
of two types of antioxidants: vitamin C and anthocyanin, the pigment that makes a
blueberry blue. Recent
studies on human nutrition and aging at Tufts University indicate that blueberries in
particular may reverse some age-related impairments such as memory loss and motor
coordination, as well as increase cell membrane fluidity. In Japan it is also widely felt
that the anthocyanin extracted from blueberries can help improve tired eyes.
Since blueberries have five times the
antioxidant power of other produce plus other potential health benefits derived from the
pigment (anthocyanin) it makes good health sense to make this delicious fruit a regular
part of our diet.
|
