Team Blue
July 28, 2006 by Renee @ 12:26 PMCategory: Featured Food Friday, Food & Nutrition, Summer Edition
Two weeks ago I launched featured food friday: summer edition, w/my fave color, Red. This week is a color I rarely pay attention too...Blue.
Why Blue is Good
Fruits such as blueberries and plums contain phytochemicals, including anthocyanins and phenolics. Phytochemicals, substances found only in plants, may help your body fight disease and promote good health.
Anthocyanins (pronounced an-tho-SIGH-uh-nins) and phenolics (pronounced fee-NAH-lix) are found in berries, dried plums (prunes), and raisins. These powerful antioxidants are being studied for their role to reduce the risk of diseases including cancer, heart disease, and for their ability to slow down the aging process. Include these vegetables and fruits in your daily diet they are loaded with nutrient value, not only with phytochemicals but needed vitamins, mineral, and fiber.
Best 'Blue/Purple' Sources of Anthocyanins
Blackberries 
Blueberries
Elderberries
Purple Grapes
Black Currants
Best 'Blue/Purple' Sources of Phenolics
Dried Plums/Prunes
Raisins
Eggplant
Plums
How to get your Blue on
- Toss fresh, frozen, or dried blueberries on your cereal.
- Blend them in the blender with vanilla yogurt for a smoothie.
- Snack on dried plums.
- Include them in muffins and pancakes when you bake.
- Pop fresh ones in the freezer, they are delicious frozen snacks.
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The only blue fruit I've loved forever and a day is plums. Love the purple crunchy plums, which as I child I always thought were sweeter apples. I have a hard time picking good ones. I don't like mushy plums and overly tart ones make my lips pucker.
The last 2 weeks I lucked out and got firm, sweet ones that I kept cool in my lunchbox while I 
for an hour doing PM cardio. On it on the drive home I munched on it, ok, inhaled it is more accurate 
B/c raisins have been a given addition to my AM breakfast, I never counted it as a fruit *shrug* I guess it is and YaY! me for scoring another blue fruit.
To make it interesting, I went out of my way to buy blackberries. There aiiiight. Gots nothing on my strawberries. Blueberries however, can defintely give the strawberries a run for their money. The last 2 weeks, as I'm trying not to throw out food just b/c, I used the early part of the week to finish off a few holdovers from the week before. Like plain non-fat yogurt which by itself is just bleh-yuck. But add some fresh fruit and it's quite good. I didn't think blueberries would be as tasty, but after a few servings, it made me rethink why on earth was I buying fruit @ the bottom yogurts. :\
