Are you sick of dealing with your brain’s lack of cooperation? You want to be productive, but your brain decides it wants to take a vacation instead. Don’t worry. You can kick your brain into high gear with a tiny little fruit: blueberries.
Those little berries are sweet, succulent and full of good-for-you nutrients that have been shown to boost brain power. If this excites you, just keep reading — you’re in for even more good news!
Blueberries contain a type of flavonoid called anthocyanins. They are what give blueberries their pretty blue color. The nice, blue hue isn’t the only thing that comes from those flavonoids, however. Flavonoids are also responsible for numerous health benefits, in addition to improving brain function.
But First — How Blueberries Affect the Brain
Research has found that blueberries have amazing effects on the brain. They can:
- Improve memory
- Help with learning new concepts
- Boost general cognitive function such as reasoning skills, decision making, and verbal comprehension
- Slow the natural aging process of the brain to prevent Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s
If you’ve ever felt that foggy feeling in your brain, it may be wise to start incorporating blueberries into your diet. You may not only achieve mental clarity, but you’ll also be sharp to tackle a day’s worth of madness.
Other Effects of Blueberries
Since we’re on the topic of how awesome blueberries are for your brain, let’s move on to how they affect your body:
- Weight loss: One cup of blueberries only has 84 calories, and if you’ve ever eaten a cup of them, you know that’s good enough to satisfy a hungry belly. What’s even better is that one cup only has 21 grams of carbohydrates! It gives you a healthy 3.6 grams of fiber, too, helping your digestive tract work for you instead of against you.
What’s even better is that blueberries seem to have an effect on belly fat. Studies have shown the compounds in blueberries can help women lose fatty tissues in their midsection. Since we all want to do a little whittling of the waist, this is super exciting!
- Urinary tract infections: If you’re susceptible to urinary tract infections (UTIs), blueberries can help ward another episode. They inhibit the growth of bacteria in the urinary tract, which is what keeps it healthy.
- Vision health: Age-related vision loss can be frightening, but blueberries seem to help with it. Eye-related problems such as macular degeneration, cataracts, myopia and hypermetropia potentially can be prevented or reduced in severity with the healthy nutrients in blueberries.
- Heart disease: It’s the high fiber content of blueberries that benefits the heart. Fiber actually dissolves bad cholesterol in the body, which is what leads to clogged arteries.
- Cancer: Blueberries’ antioxidants can help prevent cancer, particularly colon and ovarian cancer. Since we know how frightening ovarian cancer can be in our 40s, grabbing a hand full of blueberries may just give us the comfort we need.
- Mental health: Blueberries have shown to improve mood and mental health, which is great since they taste much better than a handful of Xanax or other anti-anxiety medication.
So while you’re out grocery shopping next time, go ahead and grab a pint or two of yummy blueberries. Throw them on your cereal, in muffins or just eat them on their own. Don’t worry about overdoing it because the more you eat, the more you’ll benefit from them.
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