Benefits of Blueberries 💫 Nutrition Tip & Recipe!

Let’s talk blueberries. 💙

My favourite berry by far. Growing up in Sudbury, I always looked forward to blueberry picking season. We would go out to pick for hours and the berries were so ripe that they would fall into our buckets. My grandma would make blueberry pie at camp and we would snack on cups of berries all August long.

Northern Ontario blueberries are quite different than the grape sized berries you see in the store. Little did I know that these tiny gems have potent health boosting properties!

In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (AKA the best kind of research trial 🥳) that was published in the European Journal of Nutrition found that dietary blueberry consumption improved cognition among older adults aged 60-75! 💫🧠

How many blueberries did they eat in the study? 24 grams per day of freeze dried blueberries which is equivalent to 1 cup of fresh blueberries.

How quickly did they document improvements? In just 90 days! 🤯

Nutritional science is fascinating! It is so great to see studies conducted on the benefits of real food.

DOI: 10.1007/s00394-017-1400-8

Check out this gluten free dairy free muffin recipe! Make a big batch ahead of time and store extra in your freezer for a quick snack when you're in a pinch.

From a baby led weaning or toddler food perspective, this recipe uses almond four which is among the tree nut family. Tree nuts are one of the top 8 allergens. When introducing tree nuts to babies, this recipe is perfect since these muffins are soft enough for baby to break apart and chew. With no added sugars, the healthy fats will help to stabilize baby & toddler blood sugar levels. You can substitute the blueberries for any other berry.

Blueberry Muffin Recipe (GF DF):

3 overly ripe mashed bananas

3 eggs

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 tsp of vanilla extract

1-2 tbsp cinnamon

2 cups almond flour

2 tsp baking powder (aluminum free)

1 cup fresh or frozen berries

Directions:

Mash the bananas in a large bowl. Mix in the eggs and coconut oil until well combined. Add in all other ingredients and stir with a spatula until evenly combined. Use non-bleach muffin cups to protect your muffins from the non-stick coating on a muffin tin pan. Divide batter into the cups and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy!