Blueberries: The Powerful Antioxidant!
July is National Blueberry Month!
Blueberries happen to be my favorite fruit; they are both delicious and nutritious! So, I thought I’d take full advantage of National Blueberry Month and boast about all of the wonderful health benefits that blueberries have to offer!
Top 3 Health Benefits of Blueberries:
- Blueberries contain some of the highest antioxidant values out of all foods! This means that they help to bind free radicals and fight sickness and disease. These antioxidants help to lower inflammation, improve brain health and support a healthy heart!
- Blueberries have been proven to help fight cancer. A 2010 study reported that blueberry extract was able to inhibit the growth and spread of breast cancer cells while a 2007 study proved that blueberry juice reduced the growth of several types of cancers including prostate, stomach and breast. These impressive findings prove blueberries to be serious cancer-fighters!
- Blueberries may amp up weight loss. Blueberries are low in calories, carbs and sugar and provide a whopping 3.6 grams of fiber per cup, fulfilling up to 14% of your daily fiber needs with just one serving. This high fiber content helps you feel fuller longer and also supports your digestive tract. Blueberries are very low on the glycemic index, meaning they are especially low in sugar. This makes blueberries one of the safest fruit options for anyone, including diabetics, to consume without spiking insulin levels and raising blood sugar.
Now if that is not enough of a reason to share my love for blueberries, here are some fun facts about blueberries:
- Blueberries contain only 57 calories per 1c, so you only need to go on a 5 minute jog or 8 minute bike ride to burn off 1 cup of blueberries
- Blueberries make a great frozen treat and they freeze in just 4 minutes
- Wild blueberries have even a higher nutritional value than farmed blueberries
- Peak blueberry season runs from mid-June to mid-August
A super yummy way to enjoy blueberries is by making this easy and super healthy frozen treat: Blueberry Cheese-Less-Cake Bites!
These blissful bites are:
- Vegan, Gluten Free, Sugar-Free, Dairy Free
- Refreshing summer treat for the family
- No-Bake, super simple and DELISH!
Here is the recipe, ENJOY!
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 organic banana
- 3/4 cup organic blueberries + additional 2 dozen for topping (fresh or frozen)
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 3 Tbsp Lakanto Monk Fruit Maple Flavored Syrup (or honey or maple syrup)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Recipe Directions
- Place all ingredients into a high-powered blender. Blend until extremely smooth! Keep blending until you can't see any bits of cashews or blueberries. This should be like a nice creamy thick smoothie.
- Pour into a glass dish or mini muffin tin lined with paper muffin cups. Gently tap bottom of dish against countertop to level out mixture on top. Top with left over blueberries.
- Freeze for at least 5 hours.
- This recipe should always be kept in the freezer. (It will melt otherwise.)
Recipe makes 18 mini cakes or fills one 8x8 glass or stainless-steel pan
References
Adams, L. S., Phung, S., Yee, N., Seeram, N. P., Li, L., Chen, S. (2011). Blueberry phytochemicals inhibit growth and metastatic potential of mda-mb-231 breast cancer cells through modulation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathway. American Association for Cancer Research 70. Doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1158%2F0008-5472.CAN-09-3565
Aiyer, H. S., Srinivasan, C., Gupta, R. C. (2008). Dietary berries and ellagic acid diminish estrogen-mediated mammary tumorigenesis in ACI rats. Nutr Cancer 60(2), 227-34. Doi: 10.1080/01635580701624712
Bovin, D., Blanchette, M., Barrette, S., Moghrabi, A., Béliveau, R. (2007). Inihibition of cancer cell proliferation and suppression of tnf-induced activation of nfkappab by edible berry juice. Anticancer Research 27(2), 937-48.
Link, R. (2018). Top 7 health benefits of blueberries [Blog Post]. Retrieved from https://draxe.com/health-benefits-blueberries/