Blueberries are a good source of vitamin C and are high in manganese. They’re also packed with dietary fiber. One cup of blueberries has 4 grams of fiber.
Antioxidant Properties of Blueberries
Blueberries are packed with antioxidants and have more antioxidant capacity than many other berries and fruits. (2) Oxidative stress on our body is associated with aging, heart disease and cancer. So it’s important for you and your family to get your daily servings of blueberries for all of their antioxidant-boosting properties! Antioxidants may also do more for controlling DHT than you might expect. These can help to neutralise many of the free radicals in your scalp that DHT is known to attach to at times.
Blueberries for Heart Health
Blueberries can also help lower cholesterol and make blood platelets less sticky. This may help lower the risk of blood clots and may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease – a good thing to help prevent starting at a young age! (3) Berries may also help lower blood pressure, make arteries more flexible, and also help protect against UV damage.
Brain Health and Memory
And lastly, blueberries are tied to many brain benefits. Anthocyanins found in blueberries are able to cross the blood-brain barrier and may be able to decrease oxidative stress, reduce inflammation, and improve neurone communication within the brain.
(1) Blueberries also play a role in preserving memory function and preventing cognitive decline.
(2) With all of these brain-boosting benefits, blueberries are a fantastic addition to your child’s daily meal plan!
Cancer-Fighting Powers of Blueberries
Research is discovering how phytonutrients, or as the Super Crew likes to call them, “fight-o-nutrients,” from blueberries protect healthy cells from damage. Research has evaluated how blueberries may help slow the growth rate of pre-cancerous cells to keep cancer at bay. Blueberries also have flavonoids, a type of phytonutrient that has been shown to decrease the damage to DNA that comes from free radicals in the body. (2) This damage often leads to cancer, so flavonoids play an important role in stopping those free radicals! Protecting your kids’ DNA from an early age can help slow down or prevent cancer cells from growing, leading to adult cancers late in life.
In other words, blueberries have a ton of cancer-fighting properties! Engaging in healthy behaviors from an early age, such as fueling up on cancer-fighting blueberries, is beneficial to our health and they’re delicious. Your child will be pleased to know that sometimes we can have our [blueberry] cake and eat it too!
Blueberries Support Urinary Tract Health
The benefits of blueberries don’t stop there. As with cranberries, blueberries may help ward off urinary tract infections by preventing infection-causing bacteria from sticking to the walls of the urinary tract. And as you may know or may come to find out, children can and do develop bladder infections.