i don’t know how i became obsessed with them… they were hardly available when i was a wee lassie in singapore… but given how wonderfully rich in anti-oxidants and how lovely they taste… and how beautifully blue they are, who really cares?
blueberries are my all-time favourite of all berries… i don’t care much for strawberries, nor raspberries nor blackberries, or gooseberries… but the blues…
blueberries according to my new “fresh” food magazine, which i picked up by chance when i tried to get some change to buy some stamps from the automated machine, blueberries rank top in their Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity among fruits and veggies, i.e. super high in anti-oxidants… these molecules help neutralise free-radicals (chemicals that often lead to cell-degeneration when found in access… and this process, termed as oxidative stress, is linked to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s).
i was also amazed to find out that these little berries are good for you in more than one great way! apart from the protective influence of the variety of anti-oxidants that 1) help strengthen collagen, 2) help improve vision (via increased production of retinal — the precursor to visual pigment; by filtering harmful ultra-violet light via carotenoid-induced pigment growth in the lens and macular of the eye) and 3) help in preventing the formation of leaky capillaries, blueberries are also found to be both anti-inflammatory and anti-clotting.
asliceofblueberrytart thus, they are not only great for keeping you looking younger, helping you keep your vision clearer, they also help improve your blood circulation and help reduce your risk of having cardiovascular problems. and as if that weren’t good enough, they also have naturally occuring acids that appear to help prevent cervical cancer and protect the womb… and have i already mentioned that they are also said to have antiseptic and antibacterial properties?
my golly… i will never run out of reasons to gobble them now! heee.
and to indulge in my blueberry-lust… i baked a lovely blueberry tart from the blueberry bliss i brought home (and froze) the other day… and i dedicate this to stella who requested it but i am unable to ship it to HK before it all disappeared! ooops.