You Won't Go Blue with Blueberries - Tip of the Day

by Monika Bartyzel, Posted Aug 21st 2009 @ 9:00AM

Summer tables are bountiful with blueberries, and studies show they're packing more than just taste.

Blueberries and nectarines.
Photo: crabchick, Flickr

Willy Wonka may have made us fear the ill effects of blueberries -- no one wants to blow up like Violet Beauregard -- but they're actually little navy morsels of healthfulness.

According to the Highbush Blueberry Council, the fruit contains super-helpful antioxidants. Studies have shown that they are one heck of a good noggin food, upping brain function and memory. But that's not all -- as we posted back in 2007, one Oprah-approved doc even calls the blueberry "the healthiest fruit."

How to best take advantage of the tastiness-healthfulness double whammy? Something like a muffin or pancake might be tasty, but it might not deliver the load of berries you want, so try something like Epicurious' no-bake Blueberry Cheesecake, which requires 3 cups of fresh berries, plus another 2 pints for topping, Smitten Kitchen's delicious Blueberry Crumb Bars, or a dessert-free Blueberry Drizzle Salad from Foodtv.ca. (Or simply pair blueberries with seasonal nectarines, as in the image above.)

Sometimes blue isn't so bad!

Filed Under: Tip of the Day
Tags: blueberries, health benefits, HealthBenefits