Blue Berry Antioxidant Is Good For You and A Taste Delight

Blue Berry Antioxidant is Americas highest antioxidant rated fruit. The American blue berry (Vaccinium) has long been recognized for its flavor, nutrition, and health benefits. Early settlers valued the blueberry as a major ingredient in foods and medicines. They ate blueberries off the bush and added them to soups, stews, and other foods. Blueberries have been promoting better health for thousands of years.

The Native Americans probably didn't have the scientific knowledge about the blue berry antioxidant. However they had the intuitive knowledge because in colonial times they gathered wild blueberries for winter storage. They dried the fruit and combined it with cornmeal, honey, and water to make a delicate pudding known as “Sautauthig.” The juice of blueberries was also used for medicinal purposes: to treat coughs, as a relaxant during childbirth, and to combat the “runs” thanks to a substance contained in the berries called anthocyanin. This substance has mild antibiotic properties, especially against intestinal bacteria that cause diarrhea.
Based on data from the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging blueberries are among the fruits with the highest antioxidant activity. Using a test called ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbency Capacity) Antioxidants help neutralize harmful “free radicals” that can lead to heart disease, stroke, cancer and other age-related diseases.

The total blue berry antioxidant capacity of 24 mcgmol Trolox equivalents per gram) is twice that of spinach and three times that of oranges. Commercially grown blueberries have the highest TAC (total antioxidant ranking) than blackberries, cranberries, strawberries, raspberries or plums. It has the highest rankings of all fruits grown in the US.

This extraordinary fruit is also rich in pectin, a soluble fiber that has been shown in several research studies to be effective in lowering cholesterol. Science has also found that blueberries are antimicrobial. They found that blueberry juice and blueberry powder was effective in reducing E coli in laboratories.
Blueberries are available year-round in many forms including fresh, frozen, juice, puree, concentrate, and dried. You may also find blueberry powder in supplement form. Fresh blueberries are higher in vitamins A and C than frozen or canned. However, growers who use the quick frozen method are finding that frozen blueberries will hold there freshness and nutritional value for two years. A cup of blueberries provides nearly a third of the RDA for vitamin C.

Blueberries are a powerful antioxidant and promote healthy aging and should be a part of a healthy varied diet. If you prefer you can get your antioxidants from a supplement like our Antioxidant Drink Super Fruit and Berry which has an ORAC score of 8000 per serving and contains both blue berry juice and bilberry extract. Bilberry is the European variety of blueberry and is slightly higher than blueberries ORAC measurement.

Blueberry phytonutrients have been found to help the following health problems

• Research shows that blueberries may improve motor skills and actually reverse the short term memory loss that comes with aging.
• Blueberry compounds may inhibit all stages of cancer.
• Research does show that the compounds found in blueberries protect against heart disease with their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory effect.
• Like their brothers the cranberry blueberries also can help prevent urinary tract infections.
• World research shows blueberries help night vision and prevent tired eyes.

Please visit our antioxidant supplements store for a full selection of various antioxidants.

In accordance with the FDA these products are not intended to treat, cure, mitigate, or prevent any diseases. Information on this site is given for educational purposes only and is not to replace the advice of your health care professional.

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