Want to keep your mind sharp, lower your cholesterol, keep your bones strong and prevent hardening of your arteries? Then blueberries are for you! They’re sweet taste may make you pop them like candy, only they won’t enlarge your waistline. Blueberries are a new super food – packed with power from their rich blue color loaded with antioxidants. This berry contains a number of compounds that researchers believe have many medicinal properties that can be applied to treating various diseases.

New research is discovering how phytochemicals from blueberries protect healthy cells from damage and slow the growth rate of pre-cancerous cells keeping cancer at bay. Research has shown that, as with cranberries, blueberries can help ward off urinary tract infections by preventing infection-causing bacteria from sticking to the walls of the urinary tract. Blueberries can also help make blood platelets less sticky, lowering the risk of blood clots and reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Want to learn how to make this super food part of your healthy lifestyle? Then check out the tips below.

What Types Of Blueberries Should I Eat?

• Fresh, frozen, dried and as juice – all types of blueberries are packed with power
• Wild blueberries contain 40% more antioxidant potential than cultivated varieties.
• If choosing blueberry juice, try to avoid the brands with added sugars or mixed with other juices.
• Frozen blueberries taste great, cost less and can be enjoyed all year round.
• The darker the color the more anthocyanins and the higher the antioxidant potential. Anthocyanins are the anti-oxidant coloring compounds that make blueberries blue.

  How Much Do I Need To Eat?

• A 1/2 cup serving 3 to 4 times per week to help maximize your body defenses.
• To keep your antioxidant levels high, try eating smaller amounts of blueberries throughout the day.

What Are Some Tasty Blueberry Treats?

• Home-made baked goods, jams, pies, whole grain pancakes, smoothies and as a topping on low fat frozen yogurt.
• Briefly microwave frozen berries, remove and gently mix them together to spread heat evenly. Add to vanilla or plain yogurt, topped with whole grain cereal, walnuts* and cinnamon to start your day the antioxidant way.
• Instead of a mango or peach salsa to accompany fish or chicken, try experimenting with a blueberry base salsa.
• Chop dried blueberries in a blender along with almonds and raspberry jam to make a fruit chutney – tastes great on top of a sweet potato or with ricotta on toasted whole grain toast.
• Blueberries make a great snack for toddlers or preschool aged children, for infants try cutting them in half, or use the smaller wild variety also available frozen.
• Pack them for your child’s snack or in their lunch box in a small re-usable plastic container to keep them from getting squished.
• Blend frozen blueberries with a frozen banana, a tablespoon or orange juice and a dash of cinnamon to create a delicious frozen sorbet.

How To Choose Them

• When buying fresh berries choose those that are firm, uniform in size and indigo blue with a silver, powdery look.
• Rinse thoroughly just before serving. While best eaten right away, they will keep refrigerated for up to 5 days.

Halas-Liang, MA, RD, CDE, CNSD is the Program Coordinator for the Online Certificate in Nutrition for Optimal Health, Wellness, and Sports. This program is offered in partnership with Colleges/Universities throughout the nation and can be taken anywhere. To learn more, go to http://www.efslibrary.net . She is also founder of http://www.superkidsnutrition.com , where she is “saving the world, one healthy food at a time (TM).”

1. Eat At Least ONE Green Salad Each Day

North Americans are only consuming on average 2-3 servings of fruits and vegetables per day! When you consider that the recommendation is for 5-10 servings per day and that most of our produce is nowhere near as mineral-rich as it was just 50 years ago, consuming greater amounts of vegetables and fruit has never been as necessary as now for nourishing your body with vital nutrients, alkalinity, and the life-prolonging food enzymes that it needs.

2. Drink At Least ONE Fresh-Pressed Juice or Green Smoothie Each Day

We live in busy lives. No one has time for anything anymore – not even healthy eating. Therefore, one of the greatest ways of supplying tremendous amounts of vitamins, minerals, food enzymes, and alkalinity to your body is through juices and smoothies. And remember, the greener the better!

It might be tough for some people to physically eat 5-10 fruits or vegetables during a day but with just 1 juice or smoothie you can easily meet that quota!

3. Eat 80% Whole Living Foods (raw)

Ever wonder why animals in their natural habitats do not suffer from the diseases that plague mankind? Isn’t also interesting that humans are the only species on earth that apparently "needs" to cook their food! There is no greater gift you can give your body then eating foods in their natural state – that is living or raw.

Cooking foods dramatically reduces their vitamin, mineral, and phytonutrient content and destroys their vital food enzymes that are so beneficial to our health. Simply incorporating more raw fruits and vegetables into your diet can make a profound difference in how you look and feel…and in no time at all!

4. Eat Every 2-3 Hours (but only if you’re hungry)

It’s a fact – most people eat too much food! It’s no wonder that more than 60% of the North American population is overweight. One of the reasons for this is eating copious amounts of "empty foods". These are foods that have no nutritional value. Eating empty foods only prompts you to eat more food since your body is not receiving the nutrients it requires.

By eating smaller "nutrient-dense" foods more frequently throughout the day you will avoid cravings caused by blood sugar irregularities and you will also tend to eat less since your body will now be receiving all the nutrients it needs.

5. Eat Meat No More Than 2 Times Per Week

Let’s face it – meat is detrimental to your body. You can turn a blind eye if you want but the truth is that meat is acid-forming and causes inflammation in the body. Both of these conditions are common to every single disease known to mankind!

Oh, and don’t forget about the hormones, antibiotics, and inhumane conditions in which animals (for human consumption) are raised or the higher levels of cholesterol and saturated fats found in heavier meats.

Meat (especially red meat) also deprives your body of energy because it requires a tremendous amount of digestive energy and water to be broken down and assimilated into your body.

Yuri Elkaim is a Certified Kinesiologist, Registered Holistic Nutritionist, former Professional Soccer Player, the Head Strength & Conditioning Coach for the University of Toronto men’s soccer program, and regarded by many as Canada’s leading Fitness expert.

For more information on nutrition and Yuri, please visit us at http://www.eatingforenergy.ca

Yuri Elkaim is the author of Eating for Energy,a guide to healthy eating that has awaken the world to the power of natural living foods. It includes 120 recipes, a 12-week meal plan, and more great nutritional tools for living the best life ever! For more information, visit http://www.eatingforenergy.ca