Lauren Floyd, registered dietician at Life time Athletic Old Orchard has some easy and healthy ways to take advantage of the season and add blueberries to any meal of the day.
In 2006, the US Department of Agriculture designated July as National Blueberry Month.
Life Time Athletic 5300 Old Orchard Road Skokie, IL 60077 (847) 470-8600
Breakfast: The perfect and nutritious chilly breakfast smoothie:
• 1 scoop of whey isolate + 4 oz of full-fat Greek Yogurt + 1 cup blueberries + 2 TBsp Ground Flaxseed
Lunch: Blueberry Quinoa salad
• Cook quinoa (15-20 minutes). While it is still hot, add pine nuts, shallots, sulfite-free dried blueberries, grated citrus zest, butter, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, add red pepper flakes to taste. Serve with grilled chicken or fish
Snack: Freezing blueberries
• For a sweet treat, use a toothpick to dip fresh blueberries in full-fat Greek yogurt and freeze for one hour. After, pop in a plastic baggie for a to-go snack.
• To freeze fresh blueberries or save berries that might be just a bit too ripe, spread over a cookie sheet before putting in the freezer to avoid clumping and smashing.
Dinner: Flounder with roasted fennel and blueberry salsa
• Drizzle flounder filets with olive oil, lemon juice, chopped herbs, and pepper-then wrap in aluminum foil and grill for 5-8 minutes
• Top with blueberry salsa. To make, combine green pepper, scallions, 1 grilled fennel bulb, cucumbers, blueberries, grilled corn, mint leaves in a bowl and add apple cider vinegar and olive oil to taste.
• Serve flounder immediately with blueberry salsa and basmati rice.
Health benefits of blueberries 1. Boost your immune system and prevent infection; highest antioxidant amount of any fresh fruit
2. Blueberry rich diets improve motor skills, memory, and learning capacity. They are considered a "brain food" because of research showing that they can slow or even reverse many of the degenerative diseases associated with an aging brain. They've also been shown to help neurons in the brain communicate with each other more effectively, thus supporting memory.
3. Rich in dietary fiber, act as a cleansing agent and fight bacteria
4. The darker the blueberry, the more antioxidant filled it is and will promote healthy skin and hair. Blueberries have more antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds than any other fruit
5. A handful of blueberries can help meet your daily fiber requirement, according to BlueberryCouncil.org.
6. They are on the dirty dozen list so you should buy them organic
