There’s nothing quite like eating a juicy, delicious bowl of blueberries on a warm summer day. Not only do these seasonal delights taste good, but they are also packed with a variety of good-for-you nutrients. To celebrate National Blueberry Month, we’re sharing seven health benefits of blueberries. Adding this unique fruit to your daily diet can:
- Deliver healthy antioxidants
- Help with digestion
- Improve skin health
- Promote healthy bones
- Support healthy blood pressure
- Boost brain functioning
- Help protect against heart disease and cancer
Continue reading to learn more about how blueberries can nourish you from the inside out.
1. Deliver healthy antioxidants
Blueberries boast the highest antioxidant supply of all fresh fruit. Antioxidants serve several roles in your body, including boosting your immune system. Those found in blueberries, including anthocyanin, vitamin C, copper, and iron, work to amplify your immunity so you can prevent infections. A strong immune system can mean fewer colds, fevers, and other viral and bacterial diseases and infections.
2. Help with digestion
Just one cup of blueberries provides your body with 14% of the recommended daily dose of fiber that can help promote digestive regularity and prevent constipation. You can also hold fiber responsible for that feeling of satisfaction and fullness you experience after eating this delicious fruit, which is a health benefit that can help limit impulse eating.
3. Improve skin health
Collagen, the support system of the skin, relies heavily on vitamin C and helps prevent skin damage caused by UV rays, smoke, dust, and pollution. Blueberries are loaded with this skin-healthy vitamin with one cup providing 24% of the recommended daily dose.
4. Promote healthy bones
Another health benefit of blueberries is their impact on bone health. They are rich in calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, and vitamin K, which all work to strengthen bones and maintain bone structure. Low intakes of vitamin K have been linked to a higher risk of bone fracture, so blueberries can help you get your daily recommended dose of these nutrients that can keep your body strong.
Check out seven more ways to boost bone strength here.
5. Support healthy blood pressure
Several studies have linked blueberry consumption to noticeable reductions in blood pressure. With high blood pressure recognized as one of the risk factors for heart disease, consuming blueberries daily can be a simple – and delicious – way to support your heart health.
6. Boost brain functioning
Antioxidants also serve another critical function in the body: they can counteract stresses that accelerate the brain’s aging process. According to research, antioxidants in blueberries tend to accumulate in areas of the brain linked with intelligence. This health benefit of blueberries can enhance memory and improve overall cognitive functioning.
Looking to exercise your brain? Try these fun activities to help keep your mind sharp here.
7. Help protect against heart disease and cancer
In a 2013 study, eating anthocyanins, the primary antioxidant found in blueberries, was linked to a 32% lower risk of heart attacks. The study found that women who consumed at least three servings of blueberries or strawberries per week had the best results.
Additionally, research suggests that antioxidants, like those found in blueberries, can prevent tumors, lower inflammation, and help prevent several types of cancers. Folate, a vitamin that works in DNA synthesis and repair, is also present in blueberries and can prevent the formation of cancer cells from DNA mutations.
To help protect your ticker, check out more heart-healthy foods you’ll love here.
With these health benefits of blueberries in mind, try these tasty and refreshing recipes from Cooking Light and Bon Appetit this summer and beyond.
By adding more vegetables and fruits like blueberries to your diet, you’ll help give your body the gift of good health. For more health and wellness articles to help you feel your best, visit our blog today.
Source: Captel
