In late summer and early autumn, workers hand-pick the sweetest and juiciest berries. In Canada, blueberries have always been prized.
Long before the arrival of Europeans, blueberries were a special favourite among Canada’s First Nations. They learned how to smoke these berries for winter, mix them with honey, make blueberry pudding, and make a blueberry syrup to cure coughs. Today, blueberries are widely popular in Canada. They are grown in both wild and cultivated areas.
Blueberries are often called “super-fruits”. They have many health benefits, which will motivate you to eat more of these small blue globes.
Fighting Heart Diseases and Preventing Certain Types of Cancer
Blueberries are packed with antioxidants. Antioxidants are compounds, which help the body to fight oxidants. Oxidants are free radicals found in the environment, from things like air pollution, cigarettes, and smoke. They are also produced by our bodies to help fight viruses and microbes. However, too many oxidants in the body can cause serious damage, specifically contribute to heart diseases and certain types of cancer, such as lung and skin cancer.
Maintaining Healthy Bones
Blueberries contain iron, phosphorous, calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc and vitamin K. All these compounds help build and maintain healthy bone structure and bone strength.
Lowering Blood Pressure
Blueberries contain potassium, calcium, and magnesium, which have been found to decrease blood pressure naturally. In addition, blueberries are free of sodium, which increases blood pressure.
Improving Mental Health
Blueberries can reduce the risk of cognitive decline, import memory and motor coordination.
Prevent Constipation
Thanks to a high amount of fibre content in blueberries, these blue globes can help prevent constipation.
My family and I go blueberry picking every summer. That way we get the freshest, juiciest berries, which can easily last two weeks in the refrigerator. In addition, it is also cheaper to pick your own blueberries than to buy them in a grocery store. This year, we picked our berries for $1/pound and collected 31 lb in a single berry-picking trip.
