A natural health newsletter written by Sherry Dell, PhD, CN Volume
3, Issue 4
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Blueberry Medicine |
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Blueberry Smoothy
A simple way to take your "blueberry medicine" is to add the fruit to a protein drink. Choose a low sugar, low carbohydrate protein powder such as rice, whey, or soy. Add your protein powder to the blender with 1 cup fresh or frozen organic blueberries. Perhaps 1 small banana, two or three ice cubes, and then 12-16 ounces water, rice milk, soy milk, almond milk or a mixture of all of the above.
Blueberry or Bilberry Leaf Tea
A tea is prepared by combining 1 cup boiling water and 1–2 teaspoons of dried leaves and steeping for 15 minutes. Drink 1-3 cups/day to take advantage of the health benefits.
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Purple is my favorite color. This predisposes me to love all things purple. So when it comes to food, blueberries get my attention for several reasons. Besides their luscious color and their delicious taste, they are one of the most therapeutic plants on the planet. Purple and indigo colored food of all kinds is high in a flavonoid called anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are very high in antioxidants. Because oxidative stress and the free radicals that are produced by oxidation are linked with so many degenerative processes, not surprisingly, the fruit of the blueberry plant and its antioxidant capacity have been shown in research to reduce aging symptoms in general. Oxidation essentially wears down the tissues of the body. Just like your old car that had oxidized or rust spots on it, our bodies can also "rust out." Oxidation is caused by everything from just plain breathing to being exposed to toxins either by choice (processed foods, alcohol, drugs, tobacco, etc.) or by environmental features (smog, paint fumes, farm chemicals in food, etc.). The natural design of our bodies allows these oxidative processes or "fires" to be quenched through the anti-oxidants in our foods. Water, for example, has very high antioxidant capacity. Measurements vary but below is a list of the 20 highest antioxidant capacity foods as identified by a recent USDA study (1). Eating from this list is a very good idea for most people. Notice especially the rating of the blueberry.
To be more specific about blueberries (both the fruit and the leaves), research has shown their positive impact on:
A close European cousin of the American blueberry (Vaccinium pallidum and Vaccinium corymbosum) is called bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus). Bilberry leaf has been researched to show similar results to the blueberry. A therapeutic dose of blueberry fruit is one cup per day. Not a bad prescription, eh?
(1) "Anthocyanins and Blueberries," Nutrition Week, October 3, 1997;27(38):7/Doctor's Guide to Medical and Other News, September 25, 1997;3. (2) "Blueberry-induced changes in spatial working memory correlate with changes in hippocampal CREB phosphorylation and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels," Williams CM, El Mohsen MA, et al, Free Radical Biol Med, 2008 May 2. (3) "Cellular antioxidant activity of common fruits," Wolfe KL, Kang X, et al, J Agric Food Chem, 2008; 24(56): 8418-26. (4) "Blueberries May Reverse Some Aging," Sison A, Medical Tribune, October, 1999;40(17):4. (5) "Antioxidant Activity of Berry Phenolics on Human Low-Density Lipoprotein and Liposome Oxidation," Heinonen IM, et al, J Agric Food Chem, 1998;46(10):4107-4112. (6) "Dietary flavanols and flavanol-rich foods intake and the risk of breast cancer," Adebamowo CA, Cho E, et al, Int J Cancer., 2005; 114(4): 628-33. |
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"I
am the Allower of my own Wellbeing"
