By aimoore2012 on July 26th, 2012

Healing Properties of Blueberries

It’s small, it’s blue, it’s packed with vitamins, minerals and health. What is it? The blueberry of course!

Don’t let the small size fool you. The blueberry is a mighty defense against disease! Not only does the blueberry have a high ORAC value to fight against cancer, it’s also packed with other nutrients for every other part of your health.

One cup of fresh blueberries comes in at only 83 calories! See the chart below for all of the nutrition info:

Nutrients1 cup fresh1 cup canned, heavy syrup packed1 cup unthawed, sweetened frozen

Weight	145 grams	256 grams	230 grams
Calories	83	225	186
Protein	1.07 grams	1.66 grams	0.92 grams
Lipid (fat)	0.48 grams	0.84 grams	0.30 grams
Carbohydrate, by difference	21.01 grams	56.47 grams	50.48 grams
Fiber, total dietary	3.5 grams	4.1 grams	5.1 grams
Sugars, total	14.44 grams	52.38 grams	45.36 grams
Sucrose	0.16 grams
Glucose (dextrose)	7.08 grams
Fructose	7.21 grams
Starch	0.04 grams
Calcium	9 mg	13 mg	14 mg
Iron	0.41 mg	0.84 mg	0.90 mg
Magnesium	9 mg	10 mg	5 mg
Phosphorus	17 mg	26 mg	16 mg
Potassium	112 mg	102 mg	138 mg
Sodium	1 mg	8 mg	2 mg
Zinc	0.23 mg	0.18 mg	0.14 mg
Copper	0.083 mg	0.136 mg	0.090 mg
Manganese	0.487 mg	0.520 mg	0.603 mg
Selenium	0.1 mcg	0.3 mcg	0.5 mcg
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid	14.1 mg	2.8 mg	2.3 mg
Thiamin	0.054 mg	0.087 mg	0.046 mg
Riboflavin	0.059 mg	0.136 mg	0.120 mg
Niacin	0.606 mg	0.289 mg	0.582 mg
Pantothenic acid	0.180 mg	0.228 mg	0.287 mg
Vitamin B-6	0.075 mg	0.092 mg	0.136 mg
Folate, total	9 mcg	5 mcg	16 mcg
Folate, food	9 mcg	5 mcg	16 mcg
Folate, DFE	9 mcg_DFE	5 mcg_DFE	16 mcg_DFE
Vitamin A, IU	78 IU	92 IU	113 IU
Vitamin A, RAE	4 mcg_RAE	5 mcg_RAE	5 mcg_RAE
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)	0.83 mg	0.97 mg	1.20 mg
Tocopherol, beta	0.01 mg
Tocopherol, gamma	0.53 mg
Tocopherol, delta	0.04 mg
Vitamin K (phylloquinone)	28.0 mcg	16.4 mcg	40.7 mcg

Health Benefits of Blueberries

Antioxidants – Researchers at the USDA Human Nutrition Center (HNRCA) have found that blueberries rank #1 in antioxidant activity when compared to 40 other fresh fruits and vegetables. Antioxidants help neutralize harmful by-products of metabolism called “free radicals” that can lead to cancer and other age related diseases.

Anthocyanin — the pigment that makes the blueberries blue — is thought to be responsible for this major health benefit.

Anti-Aging – In another USDA Human Nutrition Center (HNRCA) lab, neuroscientists discovered that feeding blueberries to laboratory rats slowed age-related loss in their mental capacity, a finding that has important implications for humans. Again, the high antioxidant activity of blueberries probably played a role.