From its usage in preparation of desserts to tarts and even those stimulating ice-creams, blueberries are one of the tastiest fruits of the world that find immense culinary uses in all these and more. The rich, blue color with a ravishing flavor filled inside those small fruits is the one that lures the eyes and taste buds of many, almost all across the globe.
However, besides the culinary uses, blueberries have created their own sweet space even in the remedial industries. This is due to the fact that these small fruits have many wondrous nutrients that are capable of benefitting the human body in various regards.
Here we would throw a significant light on the miraculous properties of these blue fruits that have worked to prevent and cure innumerable disorders in the human body. This would include the following major points:
Blueberry and its commercial forms
Nutritional value of blueberries
Health benefits of blueberries
Side effects of blueberries, if any
Blueberries And Their Commercial Forms:
It would not be an exaggeration if you tell the sweet blueberries to be the ‘superfruits’ since they are brimming with imperative nutrients. Following this, these tropical, perennial fruits have also been used to convert them to many of the commercial forms.
You could get in to find the frozen forms of the organic fruits, which are available in boxes all round the year. Since the blueberries have a quick-perishing nature, to keep them fresh and available throughout the year, these are available in the frozen forms as well.
Organic blueberry juice and concentrates are also some of the commercial forms that are said to be the liquid incarnation of the same healthy fruits. Organic blueberry juice is the extract of rich and succulent berries that contains almost all the nutrients, similar to the parent fruits. It is also a more concentrated form of receiving the rich nutrients that you desire from the organic fruits.
Similarly, you could also get hold of the organic blueberry capsules, which too are formed of the extracts of the fruits and help with nutrients to those who are a bit sensitive with their taste buds.
Nutritional Value of Blueberry:
As mentioned before, blueberries have been termed as superfruits, owing to the astonishing content of various kinds of nutrients that they possess. This includes various vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and other phytochemicals that have various imperative functions to perform in the human body. The nutritional content of blueberry fruits is as tabulated below:
Table 1: Nutritional Value of Blueberries per 100 g
|Principle||Nutrient Value||Percentage of RDA|
|Total Fat||0.33 g||1%|
|Dietary Fiber||2.4 g||6%|
|Pantothenic acid||0.124 mg||2.5%|
|Vitamin A||54 IU||2%|
|Vitamin C||9.7 mg||1.5%|
|Vitamin E||0.57 mg||4%|
|Vitamin K||19.3 µg||13%|
(Source: USDA National Nutrient data base)
To offer you more of amazement, it has been found out that 100 grams of organic blueberries compose of just 57 calories. Due to this, they have no contribution in increasing your body-weight when you have them in any of the forms.
Health Benefits Of Blueberries:
Whether you take the organic fruits or these in any of the commercial forms, blueberries are one of the most helpful fruits for various benefits to the human body. Some of these are as outline below:
Maintenance Of Bones: Blueberry and its juice has a handsome amalgamation of various elements that are necessary for the health of human skeletal system. This includes minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, manganese and antioxidants such as Vitamin K etc. that have their own sweet role to play for the functioning of human bones. While zinc and iron could play crucial roles to upkeep the elasticity and strength of bones, Vitamin K prevents fractures in bones by improving absorption of calcium and preventing its loss from the body.
Blood Pressure Maintenance: Blueberries and its juice help to secure the blood pressure of the human body by providing elements such as magnesium and potassium that regulate and decrease the increased blood pressure. Apart from this, the low level of sodium in it makes it efficient in eliminating any contribution to increase in blood pressure.
Prevention Of Heart Diseases: Blueberries have an efficient content of fibers, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, folate, potassium and other phytonutrients that lower the amount of cholesterol in the blood to decrease the risk of heart diseases. Additionally, the Vitamin B6 and folate are helpful in preventing buildup of a compound known as homocysteine, which when accumulates in excess, could damage the blood vessels and could be a reason for the occurrence of heart diseases.