We are coming to the end of the berry season but there are good reasons to keep on eating blueberries even in their frozen, canned, juiced or dried form. Blueberries are a super food that should feature in your daily diet. They are delicious so there is no twisting of arms needed to get people eating them.
Why are blueberries so good?
In animal studies the fruit has been found to prevent tumour formation, slow the growth of existing tumours, lower blood pressure, reduce inflammation in the body and slow down age related dementia.
They also improve mood and brain function. A 2010 study, with one group of men and women with an average age of 76 drank wild blueberry juice daily for three months whilst a control group drank a non-berry drink. At the end of the study the wild blueberry juice drinkers were found to score 30% higher on cognition and memory tests. They also has significantly better moods.
In a 2008 study 72 overweight women at high risk of cardiovascular disease were divided into two groups. One group consumed blueberry juice and berry eaters daily whilst the non-berry and juice group ate their usual diet and after two months the blueberry consumers were found to have significantly lower blood pressure, reduced risk of blood clotting and higher levels of protective HDL cholesterol than the non berry eaters.

The take home message?

Eating blueberries can help you stay physically and mentally healthier for longer and can stop your body – its cells and whatnot – from ageing prematurely. It’s amazing stuff and most of us do not eat enough of them.
The best way to eat your berries and get maximum health benefit is to cook them. Heat helps increase their nutritional content by rearranging the structure of the phytonutrients and makes them more bioavailable, i.e. better absorbed by our bodies. Hello blueberry pancakes, blueberry pie and blueberry crumble!
Blueberries are a great example of a food that acts as medicine and is a much tastier and healthier alternative to antibiotics. They truly are a nutritional superstar!

By Susan Hunter- Naturopath

References

Suh, N., Paul, S., Hao, X., Simi, B., Xiao, H., Rimando, A.M. and Reddy, B.S., 2007. Pterostilbene, an active constituent of blueberries, suppresses aberrant crypt foci formation in the azoxymethane-induced colon carcinogenesis model in rats. Clinical Cancer Research, 13(1), pp.350-355.

Joseph, J.A., Shukitt-Hale, B., Denisova, N.A., Bielinski, D., Martin, A., McEwen, J.J. and Bickford, P.C., 1999. Reversals of age-related declines in neuronal signal transduction, cognitive, and motor behavioral deficits with blueberry, spinach, or strawberry dietary supplementation. Journal of Neuroscience, 19(18), pp.8114-8121.

Krikorian, R., Shidler, M.D., Nash, T.A., Kalt, W., Vinqvist-Tymchuk, M.R., Shukitt-Hale, B. and Joseph, J.A., 2010. Blueberry supplementation improves memory in older adults. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 58(7), pp.3996-4000.

Erlund, I., Koli, R., Alfthan, G., Marniemi, J., Puukka, P., Mustonen, P., Mattila, P. and Jula, A., 2008. Favorable effects of berry consumption on platelet function, blood pressure, and HDL cholesterol. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 87(2), pp.323-331.

In March I had the opportunity to teach Myotherapy massage techniques to a group of ‘Goonies’ in Udaipur, India. A Goonie is a traditional healer who helps people in their community for all kinds of health and personal issues. The non-for-profit organisation Jagran Jan Vikis Samiti (JJVS) bring various health care professionals from all over the world, in order to teach the Goonies different skills. Many had been travelling for days to make it to the training centre.

My previous University teacher from RMIT, Josh, invited me along to help teach the Goonies techniques to reduce nerve pain including numbness, pins and needles and loss of strength in upper and lower limbs. We also taught them treatment techniques for lower back and knee pain which is a common ailment due to all the squatting they do. The Goonies had a Hindi translator, however their Hindi was limited as they spoke a different dialect. We learned basic words in Hindi such as: slowly, gently, pain, good, relief and thank you.

The language barrier did not stop the connection between us and the Goonies; there was a lot of laughter and smiles during the classes. Between classes, the Goonies liked to have chai breaks where they would drink tea and ask us questions about Australia. They also really enjoyed playing music and so they would get out all the instruments and everyone would be banging something or clapping along while people got up and danced. I quickly became the regular dancer for the group and they often requested me to get up and dance in the middle of the circle. This was a beautiful reminder to share joy and smile in everyday life. The community feel of the group was inspiring.

The Goonies had a wonderful attitude toward learning and were very particular about making sure they were practicing correctly. They picked it up very quickly and their techniques developed throughout the training. There were a couple of members in the group who had symptoms of the pain we were talking about; the other Goonies experienced the rewarding feeling when the person in pain had reduced symptoms post treatment.

The Goonies were very excited to go back home and practice these techniques on their community. One of them sent a photo of him treating someone in his local village. We had very good feedback from the Goonies who said they got a lot out of the training. The feeling of helping these traditional healers is immeasurable and a sure career highlight as a Myotherapist. I am so grateful for the time spent at JJVS and hope to return one day.

I hope you enjoyed this small insight into my time in India. See you in the clinic soon!

Claire,
Myotherapist