Blueberry Calories, Nutrition and Health Benefits
If you're counting calories, you need to take into consideration nutrition also. Eating a large one-cup serving of blueberries contains large amounts of antioxidants. However, the blueberry calories are only 81 for the entire cup. While you can eat 20 jellybeans that offer 80 calories, you won't have the same nutrient value as you do with blueberries.
Bluberry Nutrition Facts
One cup of blueberries contains approximately 32 percent of your required daily value of vitamin C. It also contains 20 percent of the daily value for manganese. It also contains approximately 8 percent for vitamin E. However, the benefit of the blueberry calories doesn't come just from the vitamin intake but also from the intake of anthocyanin antioxidants.
Photo courtesy of Microsoft Clipart
Anthocyanins are water-soluble pigments that give the purple color to the blueberries. However, there is research showing that when you eat vegetables or fruit with anthocyanins, you also provide your body with tons of protection from conditions such as premature aging to cancer.
Blueberry calories also have other phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are organic compounds found in plant material. While these compounds may not be necessary to sustain life, they often aid in providing protection from various diseases.
Blueberries contain anthocyanins in the form of malvidins, delphinidins, pelargonidins, cyanidins and peonidins. Just a few of the functions attributed to these phytonutrients are anti-cancer, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and anti oxidant. They affect the blood vessels, lipoproteins and platelets so they reduce the potential for heart disease. There are also four other classes of phytonutrients contained in blueberries.
Improve Your Health and Memory
Blueberry calories may be minimal but research shows they pack a powerful punch to improve your health. One study showed that daily blueberry consumption not only improved memory but also slowed down the changes to cognitive functioning that are often associated with the elderly. Many researchers believe this comes from the antioxidant protection to the nerves that send messages to the brain.
Other phytonutrient benefits from blueberries are the cardiovascular benefits. It lowers blood pressure, increases the "good cholesterol" and decreases the LDL, the bad cholesterol that clogs the arteries. It also contains a factor that increases the eNOS activity in the body, which improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system.
Blueberries also provide protection for the eyes from oxidative stress caused by sunlight. In addition, there's proof that blueberry phytonutrients help prevent various types of cancer in lab animals. While there are no studies on humans yet, because of the increased interest from previous studies, there may be research in the future on the effect of blueberries on intestinal cancer, esophageal cancer, colon cancer and breast cancer.
Control Your Appetite
Finally, the blueberry calories actually may help you control your appetite. One study showed that people with type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome could improve their control over sugar spikes and dips by consuming blueberries. Blueberries, as well as other types of berries, help people control blood sugar levels and prevent the spikes that lead to sudden drops in blood sugar.
If you're dieting, the low glycemic index is important to you. Sudden drops in blood sugar levels are dangerous for diabetics, but also can cause dieters to crave anything sweet or eat mountains of food to offset the drop. When you maintain your blood sugar levels and avoid sharp peaks, you also prevent your body from developing cravings that can prove disastrous for a dieter. Therefore, the blueberry calories don't count. Instead, they're not only a source of nutritional value but also a benefit to dieters.
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