A Good (Tasty) Turn for Your Heart

You've already heard, I'm sure, that berries are one of the richest sources of antioxidants you can find. Blueberries especially pack a powerful antioxidant punch. You probably think, "Hey, that's good." But what does it really mean?

Antioxidants have a well-earned reputation as cancer-fighters and immune boosters. They also play an important role in your heart health.

A study in the most recent issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition demonstrates just how powerful berries are. Middle-aged participants at higher risk for heart disease either ate a moderate amount of berries each day or they didn't.

After eight weeks, those eating berries had lowered platelet activity by 11%. Platelet aggregation is responsible for blood clotting, which can lead to heart attacks. HDL cholesterol—the good kind—went up for the berry-consumers. They also experienced a significant drop in blood pressure.

That's quite a difference for eating a serving or two of berries each day.

Berries are easy to integrate into your diet. I buy bags of frozen berries and mix them in with yogurt… or I just eat them plain.

Fresh berries are wonderful by themselves or served with salads. You can also make a sauce with most berries that's really good with salmon or pork or even beef. Finally, you can find a lot of juice choices that include blueberry and raspberry juices, another good way to up your berry intake.

Eating more berries is a simple way to improve your heart health. And it's tasty, too. Talk about a win-win situation.

Stay well,
Heather Robwell