Get the Blues for a Healthier Heart

By Jenifer Bowman, MS, RD Registered Dietitian with Heart Center of the Rockies

Blue, purple and red colored fruits and vegetables, especially berries - blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, cranberries and strawberries are a rich source of heart healthy phytonutrients.  Phytonutrients are natural substances produced by plants that are thought to play a role in the defense system of the plant; protecting it from insect and fungal invasions.  Phytonutrients are powerful antioxidants – neutralizing free radicals that cause cell damage linked to chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, macular degeneration and arthritis.

In 2004, researchers from the Agricultural Research Service in Little Rock, Arkansas measured the antioxidant capacity of over 100 different common foods using the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) assay.  Berries, especially wild blueberries ranked second out of the top 20 foods with the highest antioxidant capacity (see table). The color of fruits and vegetables reveals the source of the different phytonutrient.  The red-purple group that includes the berries, are rich in anthocyanins, ellegic acid and flavonoids.  Research indicates that flavonoids provide numerous heart healthy benefits such as decreasing inflammation in arteries and veins that contributes to heart disease; expanding blood vessels to promote a lower blood pressure, and creating platelets that are less sticky to prevent blood clots that may result in a heart attack or stroke.  A prospective study examining the flavonoid intake of postmenopausal women and cardiovascular disease mortality published in March 2007 by The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that: “Dietary intakes of flavanones, anthocyanidins and certain foods rich in flavonoids were associated with reduced risk of death due to coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease.”

Summer is a perfect time of year to add the flavonoid rich berries to your diet as many fresh berries are readily available in all of our markets.  Enjoy the heart healthy flavonoids of fresh berries year round by taking advantage of sales now and freezing berries.  Frozen berries can easily be added to fruit smoothies, pancakes or muffins for a delicious treat later this winter.

How to Freeze Berries: Place berries on a large cookie sheet (use a pan with an edge to prevent the berries from rolling off the pan) in a single layer and place in the freezer. Do not wash the berries before freezing! Allow berries to freeze completely for 2 hours or overnight and then place individual frozen berries in a zip top freezer bag and return to the freezer.  To thaw berries: place desired amount of frozen berries in a colander (place a plate or bowl under the colander to catch drips) and let berries thaw at room temperature. 

Add the following heart healthy recipes including blueberries to your summer meals today.  Recipes are courtesy the Heart Healthy Cookbook from Heart Center of the Rockies in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Spinach Salad with Berries

½ cup pecans

2 Tbsp. maple syrup

8 cups spinach leaves, washed and dried

4 cups European-style mixed greens

1 cup fresh blueberries

½ cup dried cranberries

2oz Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

1/3 cup prepared Vidalia onion dressing

In a small nonstick skillet, toast pecans over medium heat. Add maple syrup; stir constantly until candied appearance occurs. Watch carefully to prevent burning. Remove nuts from heat and allow to cool slightly. Place washed and dried spinach and salad greens in a large salad bowl. Add pecans, blueberries, cranberries, Gorgonzola cheese and dressing to salad greens. Toss gently to coat. Makes 7 servings.

Nutrition Facts per serving: 180 calories, 10gm fat, 2gm saturated fat, 4gm protein, 20gm carbohydrate, 201mg sodium, 5.5gm fiber, 3mg iron, 77% RDI for vitamin A

Basic Fruit Smoothie Recipe

½ cup plain low-fat yogurt

½ cup skim milk or soy milk

2 servings of fruit (total of 1½ cups fruit)

additional ingredients (optional)

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour in a glass and enjoy! Makes 16-20oz.

Nutrition Facts per serving: 261 calories, 2.4gm fat, 1.3gm saturated fat, 12gm protein, 53gm carbohydrate, 147mg sodium, 4.8gm fiber, 364mg calcium, 977mg potassium

Try these other tasty ingredients for your smoothie:

low-sugar vanilla or fruit flavored yogurt such as Dannon Light and Fit

fruit juice in place of all or part of the milk

banana

frozen berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries)

mango

pineapple

peaches

kiwi

peanut butter

cinnamon

1 tablespoon ground flax seeds

1 teaspoon honey

½ tsp. vanilla extract

2oz silken tofu

Blueberry-Yogurt Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/3 cup sugar

1 omega-3 egg, lightly beaten

¼ cup orange juice

2 Tbsp. canola oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 (8oz) carton low-fat vanilla yogurt

1¼ cup fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed

In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and sugar; make a well in the center of the mixture. In a small bowl, combine egg, orange juice, canola oil, vanilla and yogurt. Add yogurt mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Gently fold in blueberries. Spoon batter evenly into muffin pan coated with no-stick cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 18 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan immediately and cool on a wire rack. Makes 12 regular muffins or 24 mini muffins.

Nutrition Facts for 1 muffin or 2 mini muffins:

152 calories, 3gm fat, 0.5gm saturated fat, 4gm protein, 27gm carbohydrate, 145mg sodium, 1gm fiber

^ ^{a b} Wu X, Beecher G, Holden J, Haytowitz D, Gebhardt S, Prior R (2004). "Lipophilic and hydrophilic antioxidant capacities of common foods in the United States". J. Agric. Food Chem. 52 (12): 4026-37. PMID 15186133