Sweet things I've learned about berries

Fresh Berries from BlueHills Berries and Cherries - Silvan,  Victoria, Australia.

Berries are amazing!

Not only are they absolutely delicious, they're also really good for you. 

'That's fantastic!' you say.... 'but what makes them so healthy?'

Well, I'll give you a few 'berry' good reasons why. (berry good...get it?.... Sorry, I couldn't help myself!)

To begin with, research shows that berries are packed full of antioxidants.  Without getting to technical, these little super molecules called antioxidants protect our bodies from all sorts of illness and disease; from the common cold to our world number one killer, cardiovascular disease.1, 2 
Berries have been associated with decreasing (yes, that's right decreasing) LDL cholesterol (that's the bad cholesterol) and reducing blood pressure 3,4  

Blueberries (Vaccinium genus), in particular, have been shown to improve cardiovascular health, nourish the nervous system,  protect the eye health and enhance cognitive function5 .  
If that is not enough to get your heart racing, how is this! -blueberries are now also gaining a lot of attention from researchers because of their potential to prevent cancer cells.6
The large array of  natural medicines, that nature provides is truly awe-inspiring!

image by by Petr Kratochvilhttp://www.blueberryvictoria.com.au/farm-fresh/

Many varieties of berries have been promoted as a low GI (glycemic index) food, so they help stabilise your blood sugar levels and kick those nuisance sugar cravings up the...you know what! Due to their low GI and their high antioxidant content, berries have been shown to help those who are battling with weight gain, insulin resistance and poor cardiovascular health such as type 2 diabetics, those with a metabolic syndrome and women with poly cystic ovarian syndrome.

Before you start to worry that you will have to eat your body weight in berries to benefit, do not fear! 1-2 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries per day is all that is recommended;
which to me seems like a cinch to achieve...just think what you could create, eat and drink with those delicious berries!
For those who lack a little inspiration, I have included a few recipes & suggestions to get the ball...or maybe should I say the berry rolling!

Berry Brekky

Plain Organic Yoghurt
Blueberries or any other berries
a drizzle of honey

Place into bowl or fancy glass, locate a spoon and eat. How simple is that!
If you want some variety try adding chopped nuts and seeds or substitute organic maple syrup for the honey....come on be daring!

Blueberry Compote

Can be used for a variety of dishes and beverages.

adapted from taste.com.au

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons caster sugar
• 300g frozen blueberries
• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange rind
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Method


Place agave nectar, blueberries, orange rind and lemon juice in a small saucepan 
Cook, stirring, for 8 minutes or until syrupy and reduced slightly.
Remove from heat and chill until cold.

Berry Smoothie

rightathome.com

1/2 cup Milk or Soy Milk or Almond milk
1-2 cups of Berries (frozen is great in the summer)
1-2 teaspoons of Honey, agave syrup or maple syrup
Natural yogurt (optional)

Mix in a blender until smooth (cause its a smoothie!) and serve. yum.

I know some people who substitute 2 scoops of protein powder for the yoghurt...it's apparently great after a workout.


See I told you they were amazing! ; )

References:
1. Halvorsen BL, Holte K, Myhrstad MCW, Barikmo I, Hvattum E, Remberg SF,
Wold A B, Haffner K, Baugerod H, Andersen LF, Moskaug JO, Jacobs DR and
Blomhoff R. 2002 ‘ A systematic screening of total antioxidants in dietary plants’
Journal of Nutrition vol.132 no. 3 pp 461-471

2. World Health Organisation, Fact Sheet no. 310 updated 2011. Viewed 29th June,
2012. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs310/en/index2.html

3. Basu A, Du M, Leyva MJ, Sanchez K, Betts NM, Wu M, Aston CE and Lyons TJ.
2010 ‘Blueberries decrease cardiovascular risk factors in obese men and women
with metabolic syndromes’ The Journal of Nutrition vol. 140 pp. 1582-1587

4. Knekt P, Kumpulainen J, Jarvien R, Rissanen H, Heloovaara M, Reunanen A,
Hakulinen T and Aromaa A. 2002. ‘Flavonoid intake and risk of chronic diseases’
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition vol. 76 pp. 560 -568

5. Krikorian, et al.  April 2010  "Blueberry Supplementation Improves Memory in Older Adults"  Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry

6. Schmidt BM, Howell AB, McEniry B, Knight CT, Seigler D, Erdman JW Jr, Lila MA. "Effective separation of potent antiproliferation and antiadhesion components from wild blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium Ait.) fruits". J Agric Food Chem. 2004 Oct 20;52(21):6433-42.