Recently I read that blueberries may help counteract the memory loss associated with Alzheimers. I don’t have Alzheimers, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to add blueberries to my diet.
Well, blueberries aren’t in season right now, so I looked at blueberry bagels. But checking the ingredients of a couple brands of them, I was disappointed (although not terribly surprised) to find that no blueberries were harmed in their making. Instead they had something called “blueberry bits” which contained lots of things, but not blueberries.
It seems to me that this is a form of false advertising. The labels say “Blueberry Bagels”, yet they have no blueberries. Would a complaint to the FTC do anything or has this been ruled acceptable labeling?
Any other suggestions on how to get blueberries out of season? I once tried blueberry juice, but was not enamored of the taste. Do all brands of bagels use blueberry bits or are there some that use the real thing?
Finally, does the devil have a special place in hell for the “food scientists” who concocted blueberry bits?
In my nexk of the woods (the UK), labelling regulations are such that ‘blueberry flavoured bagels’ would have to contain actual blueberries, whereas ‘blueberry flavour bagels’ would not. ‘Blueberry™ bagels’ would not necessarily be expected to contain the actual fruit if ‘Blueberry™’ was the brand name.
As for blueberries out of season… check the freezer section of your local supermarket - frozen blueberries will be a tiny bit limp when thawed, so they won’t be ideal for garnishing a fancy pavlova or anything, but they’ll be fine for a pie. I have a feeling you might be able to throw them, still frozen into a food processor with some sugar and make instant sorbet, but on the other hand, it might simply break your food processor - do so at your own risk.
Go with the frozen ones. Try to find frozen wild blueberries instead of the big, bland ones - they have much more taste.
Frozen berries are good with milk poured over them. It freezes, and is reminiscent of something vaguely ice-creamy.
A handful is good in a beer. Really! A local brewpub here sells Blueberry Wheat beer, with real berries floating in it. I’ve taken to doing it at home, too.
As I understand it (and correct me if I am wrong) …
Blueberry (and orange, and kumquat) are made of the hulls of cranberries. The Ocean Spray people suck the juice out of the berries for juice. The hulls are then filled with Stuff ™ to make fruit bits.
You see, cranberries do not go all mushy when baked. Durable little things.
Did the article say what component of the blueberries was thought to be the useful one - if it’s the anthocyanins - the stuff that makes the juice purple - then there are plenty of other places to get them - pretty much any dark-coloured fruit and also beetroot. Even if you’re not trying to treat a specific condition, a diet rich in anthocyanins is still a very good thing.
Frozen. Of course – why didn’t I think of that? Thanks.
It is the anthocyanins that are thought to give the benefits, although there is still a lot of research to be done to find out exactly what chemicals do what. So far they’ve only shown improved memory in animals that get Alzheimers, so it may not work the same in humans. But it can’t hurt to give Alzheimers patients a diet rich in them.
Personally, I already drink grape juice everyday. Do grapes have the same kinds of anthocyanins as blueberries?
I don’t do it much with blueberries, but with frozen raspberries or blackberries (both good for you as well - high fiber), I measure out a cup of unsweetened plain yogurt (Stonyfield organic) into a disposable storage container. I then measure out whatever the serving size for the frozen berries is (don’t know off hand - usually get two servings from a bag), put that on top of the yogurt and put the container in the fridge. By the time I get to lunch time, the fruit has thawed & released juices - mix it up, and you’ve got fruit yogurt - you might want to add some form of sweetener if you want, but I’m used to the tang from the yogurt.
Probably not exactly the same kind, however, probably the most significant health benefit of anthocyanins is their antioxidant properties; essentially, they mop up highly reactive chemicals in your system; chemicals which might otherwise cause damage to cells.
