By now, I think it’s safe to say that any faithful follower of the Fab Food Blog will know Blueberries are a superfood. But a new project at Dalhousie University has elevated their status to another level: Blue-berries are now legitimate ‘Therapeutic Food’…
It’s true! Doctors on the team studying the effects of superfoods foods on the health and wellness of older patients are literally prescribing blueberries to see of their mandated daily consumption helps protect folks against heart disease.
And the results have been astonishing…
What they’re doing
The researchers are monitoring a small group of subjects who they’ve placed on specific, personal-ized diet and exercise plans. Hard, quantitative data are record every day, for every activity and every food the subject consumes. It will be the first such study of its kind. And is intended as a ‘proof of concept’ demonstration to justify larger studies, which would produce larger data pools, from which researchers can draw firmer conclusions.
And the crux of the food plan is a daily morning blueberry smoothie. The quantity of berries per day? Just 1 cup / 250 ml.
A Dalhousie progress report adds that, beyond heart health, blueberries support cognition. A UBC-linked review notes anthocyanins cross the blood-brain barrier, enhancing memory and processing speed. Epidemiological data links even moderate intake to lower type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality risks.
The point of it all…
The Dalhousie team wants to prove the concept – already in practice with a number of physician ‘clusters’ across the country – is valid. And in so do doing, open the door to wider testing of known superfoods and traditional foods considered medicinal by local and regional cultures.
Prescribing food rather than big-pharma medicines could have significant advantages over convent-ional ‘pill-pusher’ treatments. Not the least of which is, the food-based approach would be cosider-ably cheaper, while making nutritional foods more affordable for our most vulnerable neighbours. And making highly nutritions foods more affordable and available would bring the ‘whole’ benefits of those foods to consumers – not just the plusses connected with specific ‘active ingredients’…
My take
I’ve mentioned, many a time in this space, that I started ‘taking’ a cup of blueberries every morning as part of my usual breakfast. I really believe they’re helping my cardio health as well as my metab-olism and my cognitive abilities. On top of that, I’m taking a turmeric supplement every day, I’ve switched to 100 percent whole grain breads, and I’m focusing on clean protein- and fibre-rich foods.
The idea was originally to supercharge my diet to help my age- and illness-ravaged system recover from the bout of incapacity I suffered last year – the one which say my efforts in this space inter-rupted for a full week. I’m feeling better in every way, and stronger every week that goes by…
If you hadn’t got the message by now – I’m a Blueberry Booster!
My questions to you..
Do you consciously eat ‘superfoods’ regularly or the good they can do you?
DO you specifically eat blueberries regularly?
KNOWING how effective blueberries can be in safeguarding and bolstering your body’s basic systems – heart, gut and brain – are you motivated to join the blueberry revolution?
AND GIVEN the foregoing… Do you consider $4 per pint too much to pay for a day’s ‘dose’ of blue-berries? That may sound expensive for a food product. But it’s amazingly cheap compared to a traditional medical treatment!
Muse on that!
~ Maggie J.