Wild or cultivated, either kind of blueberry is healthy and delicious, but did know wild blueberries pack a greater health punch than their cultivated blueberry cousins? A far stronger punch.
My two year old daughter is obsessed with blueberries. They’ve been her favorite food forever, and every time I go grocery shopping she requests I pick up “blubes,” as she calls them. Buying a plethora of fresh blueberries every week gets expensive, so I began buying a big bag from the freezer section to last us a week instead. Turns out, the frozen blueberries I’ve been buying are an even healthier option… because they’re wild.
Wild blueberries are just that – wild. Never planted, wild blueberries have been growing naturally in North America for more than 10,000 years, particularity in the cold harsh climates of Maine and neighboring regions of southern Canada. [When visiting Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor, Maine a few years back, there were two foods everywhere: lobster, and blueberry pie.] The harsh climates in which they grow have made them adaptable, stronger, and thus, more beneficial to our health.
What are some of the benefits of wild blueberries?
Benefits of wild blueberries
One of the greatest sources of antioxidants on the planet
Wild blueberries contain 2x the antioxidant power of regular cultivated blueberries! Their antioxidant capacity also beat out that of cranberries, blackberries, raspberries, pomegranate, and strawberries. Thats a ton of power to help protect your body from the oxidative stress that causes cancer, heart disease, and other age-related diseases.
Great at reducing inflammation
Wild blueberries have 33% more anthocyanins than cultivated blueberries. Anthocyanins are flavonoids that give blueberries their purplish blue hue, and work to reduce inflammation keeping our bodies and brains strong and healthy.
May promote better vision and eye health
The high content of anthocyanin in wild blueberries may also work to reduce inflammation in the eyes, providing a link to better vision and overall eye health.
They hold on to their freshness
99% of wild blueberries are washed and frozen within 24 hours of harvest to preserve their taste and health benefits. For this reason, you’ll almost always find them in the freezer section, right with the other frozen fruits commonly used to make smoothies.
Make wild blueberries a superfood in your diet. My daughter loves to eat them by the spoonful right from the freezer [frozen blueberries tend to stain fingers and clothes, so we go the hands free approach].
I love baking with them and of course adding them to smoothies. Here are some of my favorite recipes using blueberries:
Spinach, Blueberry, Banana Green Smoothie
Blueberry Muffin Overnight Oats
Sources:
https://academic.oup.com/advances/article/11/2/224/5536953