Why you should include the blue fruit into your diet for good
If someone asks you what you would bring to a desert island, your answer should be blueberries. You can eat them with everything, and they are guaranteed to make your meal better.
They are laden with antioxidants, which help stimulate brain activity, improve cardiovascular health, and regulate blood sugar levels—all crucial to maintaining a healthy lifestyle, especially on a desert island.
The antioxidants found in blueberries have now been proven to protect the nerve cells found in the brain. A recent study showed that older adults who ate 2-21⁄2 cups of blueberries a day had improved test scores of cognitive function, including memory, after just two weeks. This means that not only will blueberries make you feel cognitively sharper, but they may also protect some of that crucial knowledge stored in your brain for that big test.
Blueberries have also been proven to help protect the whole body from a wide array of damage and wear. The antioxidants found in blueberries have been scientifically proven to help repair and protect the muscles from damage done after rigorous physical exercise, making them the perfect post-workout snack.
Another study also found that blueberries can help repair and protect the retina from damage, which can be crucial for those long hours spent squinting at books or laptop screens in dimly lit rooms.
The anti-inflammatory properties of the antioxidants found in blueberries also make them perfect for losing weight. Blueberries may be very sweet, but they’ve been shown to have a very low impact on blood sugar levels, and improve the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar. This can help protect against risks such as diabetes and obesity.
A regular intake of blueberries develops the body’s capacity for antioxidants, which reduce the risks of a wide variety of health defects such as cancer. (Note: Results showing the effects of blueberry antioxidants on cancer cells have been predominantly based in laboratory trials on animals, but there is hope that large-scale results on human forms of cancer will soon be available and yield positive results.)
But most importantly, blueberries are delicious. The World’s Healthiest Foods website suggests that people should eat more raw blueberries, but that shouldn’t stop you from baking them into your muffins and cookies too.
