Blueberry Recipes

Wild Blueberries are potent anti-cancer fruits - Antioxidants.

Anthocyanin. Resveratrol. Ellagic Acid. These are all compounds found in wild blueberries that have been found to prevent and fight cancer. Antioxidants stop your immune system from “rusting”. They neutralize free radicals, rogue oxygen molecules that damage our cells and leave us open to disease (including cancer).

In 2004 the USDA ranked 40 fruits and vegetables for antioxidant content. Wild blueberries are number one on their list and have 48% more antioxidants than the farmed or cultivated blueberry. So if you can get wild berries, terrific, although you’ll still see health benefits from eating farmed blueberries.

Anthocyanin is the major antioxidant in blueberries; it’s what makes them blue. The darker the berry,the more anthocyanin. Eat your blue food; it’s good for you! It’s now thought that there are more than 5 different kinds of anthrocyanins in wild blueberries making them extra rich in antioxidants.

Mary Ann Smith, PhD, a cancer researcher at the University of Illinois, found that proanthocyanidin (a related group of flavinoids which are also free radical scavengers) in wild blueberries (and to a lesser extend in cultivated blueberries) suppresses an enzyme that encourages the growth of cancer cells.

Resveratrol is a natural compound also found in blueberries, grapes and cranberries. It has anti-fungal properties, reduces the
risk of cardiovascular diseases (by reducing cholesterol) and has anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. So have some blueberries with your red wine and you’ll be doing yourself some good.

Ellagic acid is another antioxidant in blueberries that has been found to slow the growth of tumours. It may also help the liver to cleanse the blood of cancer-causing agents and has also been found to have anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties.

You can buy these anti-oxidants separately in vitamins, but you’re taking them in as nature intended when you eat the whole blueberry. And they taste better than pills.