The Bottom Line: Sweet facts about blueberries!
The Full Story:
- Blueberries are one of the only natural foods that are truly blue in color.
- Blueberries protect against memory loss.
- Because of the high amount of antioxidants in blueberries, it is thought that they may help prevent damage caused by cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s.
- Blueberries grow best in acidic soil at a pH of four to five and make a good container plant.
- The peak season for fresh blueberries runs from mid-June to mid-August.
- Blueberries are grown commercially in 38 states.
- Most highbush blueberries are used for fresh market, while lowbush blueberries are used primarily in food processing.
- The U.S. is the world’s largest producer of blueberries, on an average year, a total of 564.4-million pounds of cultivated and wild blueberries is harvested.
- Maine produces more blueberries than anywhere else in the world.
- Blueberries rank as the second most important commercial berry crop in the U.S.
- Many blueberry-flavored processed foods do not contain any real blueberries. Products like bagels, cereals, breads and muffins from brands like Kellogg’s, Betty Crocker and General Mills were reported to use combos of sugar, corn syrup, starch, oil and artificial flavors and dyes to create their own mock blueberries, according to a 2011 Consumer Wellness Center investigation.