Blueberries improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, slow down aging and support eye health. It also relieves stress, which is important during a diet. Find out the calorie content of blueberries and include them in your diet for health benefits!
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Author: Kristina Lobanovskaya, doctor, practicing nutritionist Article updated: 12/27/2019
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Blueberries are a perennial low-growing subshrub and the spherical fruits growing on it are dark purple in color with a waxy silver coating. Blueberries are very juicy, have virtually no aroma, but have a delicate taste with pronounced sourness. Despite the presence of many useful and even unique properties, the calorie content of blueberries is on average 50 kcal per 100 grams. Therefore, it is highly valued not only in folk medicine, but also in official medicine, and is also widely used in dietetics to provide the body with the necessary vitamins during weight loss.
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Where and how blueberries grow
Blueberries grow only in the northern hemisphere of the Earth. Very rarely it can be found in the temperate zone, where there are dense forests. For normal growth and full fruiting, blueberries need a lot of shade and moisture. That is why blueberry bushes are most often found in dense coniferous forests or in swamps. They can be seen less often in areas with mixed plantings. All this makes it much more difficult to grow blueberries at home, since you will have to create suitable conditions for them.
Among the places where blueberries grow, the following can be distinguished:
- Northern Europe;
- Asia;
- North America;
- Russia (Ural, Siberia).
Blueberries are very demanding of the soil and therefore they are not so often found in forests with unsuitable soil. The bushes grow well in soil with a high level of acidity. Sandy soils that contain a lot of humus are also ideal for the growth and fruiting of shrubs. When grown under such conditions, the areola of the berries can be quite large. Sometimes there are places where blueberries grow over several tens of kilometers.
Types of blueberries
There are five main types of blueberries, which are most often found in the wild and grown at home.
Hairy
Sakhalin is considered the birthplace of this berry. Hairy blueberry grows in marshy areas. It grows much less frequently in deciduous and coniferous forests.
Hairy blueberry is a tall plant, as its bush grows up to one meter. In spring, leaves with elongated leaf blades appear on the shrub. In September, the color of the foliage changes, the leaves become scarlet. In mid-summer the first berries are formed. They have a spherical shape, the diameter is 5-6 millimeters.
Caucasian
This is the oldest type of blueberry, which, according to scientists, appeared during the last ice age. Now the berry is found in the northern part of the Caucasus and in Bulgaria. Sometimes Caucasian-type shrubs can be seen in Iraq and Asian countries.
The Bulgarian berry differs from other varieties of blueberries in its tallness. In suitable conditions, the shrub grows up to two and a half meters. Large green oval-shaped foliage forms on the stems in April-May. Fruit formation begins at the end of June. Caucasian blueberries do not tolerate frost and therefore dry out even with slight frosts.
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania blueberries grow only in North America. However, if you wish, you can plant it on your summer cottage. Pennsylvania shrub grows up to 50-55 centimeters. The plant is not afraid of temperature changes and tolerates frost normally.
Oval-leaved
Oval-leaved blueberries are most commonly found in the Aleutian Islands and China. The distinctive features of the oval-leaved blueberry include its tall four-meter bushes and slow growth. The shrub does not tolerate frost and drought.
paniculate
This is the shortest blueberry, the height of which rarely exceeds twenty centimeters. The plant is practically never found in Europe, since its homeland is North America. Summer residents rarely grow panicle-shaped blueberries, since they bear fruit not every year, but once every 2-3 years.
Application
Blueberries are harvested for consumption raw, dried, frozen and processed. It is used to make jam, jelly, compote, fruit drink, jelly, jam, juice, liqueur. The berries are ground with sugar, used as a filling for pies, and added to desserts, fruit salads and dairy products. Dried blueberries are included in many medicinal teas that are used for various diseases.
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Blueberry composition
Blueberries differ from many other berries in their unique and rich vitamin and mineral composition. Ripe blueberries contain chromium, phosphorus, manganese, iron and calcium. The fruits are also rich in vitamins of groups PP, A, B, C.
Blueberries are considered to be the record holder for the content of cancer protectors. These microelements protect the human body from the appearance of neoplasms. Anthocyanins, which are also found in ripe berries, promote vasodilation in people with hypertension.
100 blueberries contain a huge amount of nutrients and low fat content. Thanks to this composition, people who want to lose weight often include berries in their diet.
100 grams of blueberries contain:
- proteins: 1.1 g;
- fats: 0.6 g;
- carbohydrates: 7.6 g;
- dietary fiber: 3.1 g;
- organic acids: 1.2 g;
- water: 86 g;
- mono- and disaccharides: 7.6 g;
- ash: 0.4 gr.
Macronutrients:
- calcium: 16 mg;
- magnesium: 6 mg;
- sodium: 6 mg;
- potassium: 51 mg;
- phosphorus: 13 mg.
Vitamins:
- vitamin B1 (thiamine): 0.01 mg;
- vitamin B2 (riboflavin): 0.02 mg;
- vitamin C: 10 mg;
- vitamin E (TE): 1.4 mg;
- vitamin PP: 0.4 mg.
Microelements:
- iron: 0.7 mg.
What vitamins are in the berry?
Blueberries are rich in vitamins and minerals. The table shows the content of vitamins in 100 g of fresh berries and the percentage of daily value in 100 g of product (in mcg).
| Vitamin | Content, 100 g/mcg | Percent Daily Value of 100 g/mcg |
| A | 6 | 6 |
| B1 | 15 | 1 |
| B2 | 15 | 1 |
| PP | 300 | 1,5 |
| B6 | 100 | 5 |
| B9 | 3 | 1,5 |
| C | 10000 | 15 |
| E | 1900 | 20 |
The following table shows the mineral composition and percentage of the daily value of minerals per 100 g of product.
| Mineral substance | Content, mg/100 g | Percent Daily Value per 100 g |
| Calcium | 15 | 2 |
| Iron | 3 | 30 |
| Magnesium | 4 | 1 |
| Sodium | 4 | 0,3 |
| Phosphorus | 60 | 5 |
| Potassium | 60 | 2 |
| Zinc | 0,1 | 0,6 |
Thus, when eating blueberries as a dessert, part of a person’s daily need for vitamins C and E, as well as iron, is met.
In addition to vitamins and minerals, fruits contain fruit acids, pectins, and invert sugar.
Beneficial properties of blueberries
Blueberries are rich in beneficial properties and contain a number of useful microelements. Ripe berries are often used in folk medicine. Medicinal decoctions are prepared from them, which help get rid of diarrhea and other diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Rinsing the mouth with blueberry decoction eliminates the symptoms of sore throat and helps eliminate inflammation. Decoctions made from blueberries are often used as lotions. With their help you can get rid of burns on the surface of the skin, ulcers and eczema.
Medicinal products are made not only from berries, but also from green foliage. Remedies from blueberry leaves help normalize low blood pressure and get rid of headaches. With the help of medicinal decoctions, you can normalize blood sugar levels. That is why some doctors advise people at the initial stage of diabetes to drink them. Doctors also recommend drinking blueberry drinks regularly. They prevent myocardial infarction, improve blood circulation and reduce the likelihood of blood clots.
Blueberry compote, juice, jelly
You can prepare delicious vitamin drinks from blueberries: compotes, jelly, juices. The simplest and most popular drink is blueberry compote. It has a pleasant taste and rich color due to the anthocyanin pigments contained in the berries. If you do not add sugar to blueberry compote, the drink turns out to be dietary and contains virtually no calories. When sugar is added, the calorie content increases. If you take 500 g of blueberries and 200 g of sugar for 3 liters of water, the calorie content of 100 ml of drink will be about 28 kcal. Without adding sugar, 100 ml of compote will contain no more than 8 kcal.
Blueberry juice is healthier for the body than compote. It contains more vitamins, bioflavonoids, and anthocyanins. But not everyone can drink it. The drink lowers blood pressure, so people suffering from arterial hypotension should drink the juice carefully. The calorie content of blueberry juice is about 38 kcal per 100 ml. A glass of the drink will contain about 95 kcal, which is much more than the calorie content of compote.
Blueberry jelly is considered even more high in calories. When preparing it, you can use both juice and compote as a basis. Additionally, during cooking, potato starch is added to the jelly. The calorie content of 100 ml of jelly varies from 60 to 120 kcal, depending on the sweetness and thickness of the drink.
Blueberries for eyes
Ophthalmology is one of the areas in which blueberries have proven themselves well. It contains anthocyanin, which improves the functioning of the retina. She begins to produce rhodopsin faster. This component is responsible for comfortable perception of light. An extract is extracted from blueberry berries, which in the future is used in the manufacture of medicines to strengthen the blood vessels of the eyes and improve vision. The use of products made from blueberries normalizes the nutrition of the eyeball and improves blood circulation in it.
To maintain good vision, it is not necessary to buy medications. Instead, you can eat blueberries daily for eye health. The human body needs about fifty grams of anthocyanins every day. To get this norm, you need to eat 5-6 tablespoons of ripe berries. If blueberries are consumed dried, you only need one spoon. You should not exceed this norm, since the body will not be able to absorb more than 50 grams of anthocyanins.
How to eat blueberries
To get the maximum benefit from blueberries, they are eaten fresh. However, blueberries can also be consumed in the following forms:
- Dried blueberries.
Dried berries are good for vision, as they contain a lot of anthocyanin. To dry the berries, they must be left outside in the sun for 2-3 days. In winter, they are dried in an oven heated to 70-75 degrees. - Canned blueberries.
To preserve these berries, they are mixed with sugar in a one to one ratio. Then the mixture is left to infuse for 5-6 hours. After this, it is transferred to sterilized glass containers and closed with lids. - Frozen blueberries.
After freezing, the berries do not lose their healing properties and therefore they are as healthy as fresh ones. To freeze, they are transferred to food containers and placed in the freezer.
Calorie content of blueberries
Blueberries cannot be called sweet, since they contain little sugar, and, accordingly, they have low calorie content. This is why few people eat berries without added sugar. Since there are very few sugars in fruits, they have low calorie content. 100 grams of blueberries contain 35-40 kilocalories
.
Due to such little nutritional value, many nutritionists advise adding berries and blueberry dishes to your daily diet. They help improve digestion and help get rid of extra pounds.
Blueberry jam
A delicious treat - blueberry jam. To make jam, housewives use only 2 ingredients - sugar and berries. Classic recipe: 1 kg of berries, 500 g of sugar, but the ingredients can be taken in other proportions. The calorie content of blueberry jam will depend on this. Its value varies between 205 - 300 kcal per 100 g of product.
On an industrial scale, jam is made from the same basic ingredients, but additionally preservatives, acidity regulators, flavorings, and pectin can be added to the delicacy. This does not significantly affect calorie content, but negatively affects the health benefits of jam.
Harm to blueberries
Blueberries are not always beneficial; they can also cause harm to the body. Berries should not be consumed by people who suffer from allergies. They are also contraindicated for persons with kidney disease, pancreas disease and poor blood clotting.
Eating large quantities of berries every day can negatively affect digestion. Constipation, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting appear. Sometimes overuse of blueberries leads to symptoms of hypotension.
