Blueberries

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A Super Natural Miracle

Blueberries ~ Natures Super Foods

The Miracle Berry

Want to stop aging, live longer, and keep your mind sharp?

Make 'em a habit!

If you add just one super food to your diet this year, make it blueberries.

Calorie for calorie, these luscious little gems have recently emerged as one of the most ferocious super foods in the super-market at halting the forces that age us.

Even the scientists who did the studies are excited.

Radical Resistance

Every second of your life, your cells are bombarded by dangerous particles called free radicals.

In a split second, they can alter your DNA in ways that can cause cancer.

Or change LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) so it sticks to artery walls.

Or damage collagen and make skin wrinkle prone.

Over time, changes such as these accelerate your aging.

Fortunately, you can fight back.

The trick is to load your diet with antioxidants.

Antioxidants are the natural "zappers" of free radicals.

You get antioxidants by eating lots of fruits and vegetables.

And that's where the incredible blueberries come in.

This amazing little gem has emerged as nature's number one source of antioxidants among fresh fruits and vegetables.

In tests at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston, these little babies beat out 39 other common fruits and vegetables in antioxidant power, even such heavyweights as kale, strawberries, spinach, and broccoli.

Much of that power comes literally "out of the blue".

Actually. the power comes from anthocyanins, the pigments that give them their deep blue hue.

And these super fruits are bursting with them.

So impressed is Ronald Prior, PhD, head of the USDA Phytochemical Laboratory at Tufts and the scientist who discovered the secret power of these little dynamos, that he now recommends adding 1/2 cup to your diet every day, which is a far cry from our current average intake of about 2 1/2 cups a year!

With 1/2 cup, you can just about double the amount of antioxidants most Americans get in one day.

If you want to slow down the free radical aging process, these are amongst the leaders of the pack.

Marilyn and I, we always keep 'em in the freezer.

We like to add them to oatmeal or frozen yogurt!

However, Dr. Prior urges you not to choose only fruits and vegetables that are high in antioxidants.

Tomatoes, for example, are fairly low in antioxidants but are a rich source of lycopene, which has been linked to lower rates of prostate cancer and heart disease.

The best advice?

Eat them in addition to the fruits and vegetables you already eat, not to replace them.

Miracle Food for Your Brain?

The most intriguing news about this:

There's a possibility they can actually reverse the loss of short-term memory that happens as we age, says James Joseph, PhD, a USDA scientist at Tufts.

Dr. Joseph explains that as rats age, they forget how to find their way through mazes that they previously had learned to navigate.

But when he and his colleagues supplemented the diets of some older rats with blueberry extract for two months, they actually improved their navigational skills in the same mazes.

The rats' balance, coordination, and running speed also improved.

Though these results are still very preliminary, they are "very exciting!"

The next step is to identify the compounds responsible for this effect and eventually test them in humans.

Meantime, Dr. Joseph and his wife have begun eating these little power houses regularly.

Urinary Tract Relief

Just like their cousin the cranberry, they contain compounds that can prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs).

Called condensed tannins, they can keep the bacteria responsible for UTIs from attaching to the wall of your bladder, says Rutgers scientist Amy B. Howell, PhD.

And yes, she eats them regularly.

"In season, I eat a huge amount, maybe a pint a day."

Berry Good for the Eyes?

In Japan, blueberries are known as "the vision fruit", reputed to help relieve eyestrain and sales there have quadrupled in the last two years.

That's due in part to research in Europe indicating that European blueberries (bilberries) can improve night vision and help eyes adjust to bright lights.

Sweet, Quick, Versatile

Blueberries are really the no work fruit as they require no pitting, peeling, coring, or cutting.

And they are outrageously healthy.

Best of all, their taste is a treat.

So, just go blue!

Blueberry Parfait

You can make this easy-to-prepare recipe with these super berries or any one of your favorite super fruits.