Are Frozen Blueberries Healthy?
Well, the good news is that the news is mainly good. Mainly. So let’s get some blueberries out of the freezer and see how they stack up.
How many calories in blueberries?
We’re off to a pretty good start. A cup of unsweetened frozen blueberries boasts less than 79 calories and about 1 gram of fat. Imagine replacing even half the candy and packaged potato chips we eat with a cup of frozen blueberries instead.
Making that simple substitute can have a major effect on your dieting success. You can also try cutting the cereal portion of your breakfast by half and replacing it with unsweetened frozen blueberries.
Do note we have stressed unsweetened frozen blueberries. These have no added sugar and sugar is the bane of any diet; actually it’s considered to be one of the worst things in modern diet. Just be careful to read the label and make sure the word ‘sweetened’ doesn’t appear on it and the word ‘unsweetened’ does. Let’s find out what the nutritional value and benefits of frozen blueberries are.
Frozen blueberries and their nutritional value
One cup of unsweetened frozen blueberries is loaded with Vitamin K; in fact, that single cup covers a third of your recommended Vitamin K needs. What does Vitamin K do? Well, among other things, it is an important nutrient necessary for responding to injuries and helps to keep your blood clotting
One cup of frozen blueberries also contains plenty of Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, fibre, and manganese. Additionally, you can add iron, potassium, phosphorous and magnesium to list of benefits of frozen blueberries. These vitamins and nutrients are essential to maintain good health and blueberries are a simple, tasty way to ensure our body gets all of them.
Frozen blueberries encourage healthy digestion
A cup of frozen blueberries can help to keep your digestive system regular, preventing constipation and maintaining a healthy digestive tract as they contain a high level of fiber content.
Looking for foods that boost metabolism? Read about 10 simple metabolism boosting foods to stay fit.
Frozen blueberries are rich in antioxidants
The vitamin C, vitamin A, and the phytonutrients available in blueberries function as powerful antioxidants that can help protect cells against damage from disease-linked free radicals. These antioxidants are essential for our general well-being and are some of the most natural disease fighters we can eat. And while you can’t see these little gems, frozen unsweetened blueberries are full of them.
Health benefits of blueberries
Blueberries, overall, have powerful health benefits. Some of these include:
- Strengthening and improving bone health
- Helps in dissolving the LDL (bad) cholesterol and promotes weight loss
- Improves your skin, preventing wrinkles, age spots, acne as well as prevents skin damage caused by dust, pollution, smoke and UV rays
- Helps in preventing heart attacks, strokes, and even cancer and improves brain function
- Soothes inflammation and prevents chronic inflammatory diseases like arthritis and Alzheimer’s.
The cons: frozen blueberries and pesticide residue
On a slightly less positive note, blueberries have tended to have a high pesticide residue compared to many other fruits and vegetables. This is particularly the case with fresh blueberries. Frozen blueberris have less than half the pesticide residue of fresh blueberries so are a far safer bet. Or, if you don’t mind paying a little more for pesticide-free blueberries, go organic.
Overall, the case for frozen unsweetened blueberries is about as solid as a bag newly plucked from the freezer. Be creative and have some fun with them. While not as sweet as candy, blueberries are still satisfyingly sweet once your taste buds make the adjustment.
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