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- “Something
Different”
- Blueberries
in Winter
- BY DANA JACOBI
FOR THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RESEARCH
Blueberries
are hot right now, garnering praise for health protective benefits
that have been shown in a procession of health and nutritional
studies.
Ounce for ounce,
blueberries contain the most potent combination of antioxidants,
more than spinach, strawberries and 47 other foods rated in a
study at Tufts University. In animal tests, these berries not
only stopped the effects of brain aging, but appeared to reverse
it. They are a good source of vitamin C and fiber, too.
Blueberries
offer so much health protection that some experts recommend eating
them every day. This can be a challenge, since they are far less
abundant than strawberries and raspberries, and are in season
only a few months. Fresh blueberries are also more costly than
other berries, but there are other alternatives.
These include
dried blueberries and frozen fruit. The dried berries, though,
are expensive, costing up to $14.00 a pound at regular supermarkets.
This leaves frozen blueberries as the prime choice for much of
the year, and for many consumers.
For most of
us, frozen is also the only way to enjoy wild blueberries. Grown
in Maine, Michigan and Canada, this intensely flavored fruit
is an even better source than cultivated berries for the phytochemicals
that make blueberries one of the best foods you can eat.
Fortunately,
frozen blueberries are a good choice for eating. They make great
smoothies. Unlike frozen strawberries and raspberries, they are
as good as, and sometimes better than, fresh in muffins, pancakes,
cobblers, and for making jam.
For maximum
nutritional benefit, the less blueberries are cooked, the better.
This makes smoothies, muffins and pancakes among the best ways
to use them. I also like to use frozen berries to make blueberry
syrup. The berries need only brief cooking and just a little
sugar.
Blueberry
Syrup - Makes
1 1/2 cups.
10 oz. bag
unsweetened frozen blueberries
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1-inch x 1/2-inch strip lemon zest
1/2 cup sugar
Put blueberries
in a deep, heavy saucepan. Add lemon juice. Cook over medium
heat until berries are swimming in liquid, about 5 minutes. Add
lemon zest. Increase heat to medium-high and boil until fruit
is soft, about 5 minutes.
Stir in sugar
and bring syrup to a boil. Pour syrup into a heat-proof container
and cool to room temperature. (It will thicken slightly as it
cools.) Remove lemon zest, cover and refrigerate. This syrup
keeps up to a week in the refrigerator.
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Per 2-tablespoon
serving: 45 calories, 0 g. total fat (0 g. saturated fat), 11
g. carbohydrate, 0 g. protein, less than 1 g. dietary fiber,
0 mg. sodium. |
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“Something
Different” is written for the American Institute for Cancer
Research (AICR) by Dana Jacobi, author of The Joy of Soy, and
recipe creator for AICR’s Stopping Cancer Before It Starts.
- AICR offers
a Nutrition Hotline (1-800-843-8114) 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday-Friday.
This free service allows you to ask a registered dietitian questions
about diet, nutrition and cancer. AICR is the only major cancer
charity focused exclusively on the link between diet, nutrition
and cancer. It provides a range of education programs that help
Americans learn to make changes for lower cancer risk. AICR also
supports innovative research in cancer prevention and treatment
at universities, hospitals and research centers across the U.S.
It has provided more than $62 million for research in diet, nutrition
and cancer. AICR’s Web address is www.aicr.org. AICR is a member
of the World Cancer Research Fund International.
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- POSTED FEBRUARY
19, 2003
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