Blueberries are so healthy for you, some recommend that you eat them everyday if you can.
They provide antioxidants and provide a lot of nutrients for being such a small berry.
They can also help you feel full for longer to help you lose weight.
Though there are downsides to eating too many blueberries. and cost is one of them, which is the reason you’re here, right?
Since blueberries are so expensive, you want to be sure that you get the most out of them and include how to store them correctly
But how come are blueberries cost so much?
Blueberries are expensive for several reasons.
Some of the major cost factors are related to growing and processing. They are very finicky about their growing locations and therefore are only grown and produced in certain countries.
They also need to be handpicked, which is costly manual labor and that cost is factored into the retail price which impacts the consumer, – you and I
Blueberries are a delicious, if pricy fruit.
They are full of nutrients and vitamins that work to help keep your body healthy and can be eaten alone or mixed with other foods, in liquid or solid forms.
I have them as an essential part of my diet
This video covers of some of the economics of blueberries and the reason they’re so expensive
When blueberries go bad they get moldy, while this mold is not likely to make humans sick it’s still not good to eat them.
Blueberries get their name from the deep color of their skin. The color of blueberry skin is typically blue or a deep purple.
The inside of blueberries is not so clearcut.
Blueberries, despite their colorful name, do not only come in one color. The color of blueberries depends on where they grew and how they were cultivated.
While blueberries are the most commonly thought of blue food, with their blue name, there are other blue fruits.
Many of these fruits come in different varieties and shades of blue.
Even an uncommon natural food color can provide several varieties.
Blueberries are a delicious and nutritious berry that can give you a lot of necessary vitamins in a small amount.
If you can afford these tasty snacks, there are several ways you can enjoy them and get lots of nutrients at the same time.
Is it Okay to Eat Blueberries Everyday?
Blueberries are a nutritionally dense food that provides many different benefits with even a cup eaten.
Blueberries have been studied to see the effects that it has on the heart and other important aspects of the body.
The antioxidants that blueberries have are also important for healthy living.
Just as with any other food, even healthy foods, there can be too much of a good thing. Eating too many blueberries can contribute to multiple health problems.
Vitamin K in particular is one vitamin that is plentiful in blueberries but can cause problems in some individuals, such as problems swallowing and skin problems.
Blueberries have also been placed on lists for toxicity for pesticides.
There is a small potential for blueberries, and any other fruit or vegetable, to have some pesticides when people eat them.
As with any food, it is important to check ingredients and how your food was grown before eating it.
No matter how healthy a food might seem at first, it is usually best to eat in moderation.
Having a variety in your diet will help you get as many vitamins and nutrients your body needs.
Eating blueberries and strawberries up to three times a week will help your body get the nutrients out of them without potentially going overboard.
Can You Eat Out of Date Blueberries?
Blueberries can last a few days when sitting in your kitchen.
Eating bad blueberries will likely not cause any problems.
If you have allergies to mold or are sensitive in other ways, eating bad blueberries may cause a bad reaction.
For most people though, eating moldy blueberries rarely will not cause problems. It’s still a good idea to check any blueberries for mold before eating them, just as with any food.
Blueberries can be stored on countertops, fridges, and frozen to various times.
On countertops blueberries typically last for three days. In the fridge they can last for up to two weeks.
When frozen blueberries can last for up to one year.
Blueberries can also be dried and stored for up to a year.
How you care for blueberries can also extend their shelf life.
Wet blueberries encourage mold growth, so only wash them when you need to and make sure they’re dry to discourage mold growth.
Washing blueberries in a vinegar water mixture will also make sure that mold spores don’t develop.
Storing blueberries properly will also go a long way to make sure that your blueberries last a longer time.
Removing the stems will help blueberries last longer.
When putting blueberries in the refrigerator you should avoid putting them in the crisper because blueberries need airflow to last longer.
Freezing overripe blueberries will help those blueberries last longer.
Even if moldy blueberries don’t cause a negative reaction when you eat them, they have less nutrients and won’t taste as good as fresh blueberries.
By storing blueberries correctly, you will not only keep your blueberries looking good but delicious and healthy as well.
Good looking blueberries can be healthier blueberries.
As with any fruit or vegetable, knowing how to store blueberries will ensure that you can eat them safely.
There is no need to eat bad blueberries and risk a negative reaction from mold.
With proper care and storage, your blueberries can stay safe for up to a year.
What is the Color of Blueberries?
Blueberries are named for the deep colored-hue that the skins of blueberries have.
The inside of blueberries tells a different story, the flesh of blueberries reveals a pale, often white, color.
The blue color of blueberries comes from anthocyanins and affects the acidity of the food with this chemical process.
The chemical process can be affected by how and where the blueberries are grown. Low bush berries grown in northern Europe can have a deeper hue than blueberries grown in other locations.
This can come from the amount of sun that northern European summers get.
The places in the states where blueberries grow also have summers with long days for the sun to affect the berry properly.
The more sun that blueberries get means the deeper the color of the final blueberry is.
It also means that those blueberries have more antioxidants.
This is one of the reasons that blueberries can be so expensive, the ability to cultivate and grow blueberries correctly means having the right weather conditions.
Cultivating blueberries in different ways can also yield different color results.
Every aspect of growing blueberries can affect the color, from how tall the bushes get to what kind of soil is used.
Growing blueberries the right way can be considered an art that also makes growing blueberries a costly venture for many people.
Are There Any Blue Fruits?
Naturally blue foods are rare, the most common blue colored food is the aptly-named blueberry.
There are other blue fruits that provide similar health benefits as blueberries.
Most notably, grapes, blackberries, plums, and elderberries.
Many blue-colored foods can also look purple due to the dark color on the skin or peel of the fruit.
These blue-colored fruits can be loaded with antioxidants, which can help your body recover from outside radical agents.
These fruits also have many essential vitamins that you can get in even a cup of these delicious fruits.
Blue fruits get their unique coloring from the sun and anthocyanins and can only be grown in sunny locations.
Alongside blue fruits, there are also blue vegetables and other foods.
Even carrots and sweet potatoes can be blue and provide lots of nutritional value.
Blue food, including fish, has been grown and eaten for many years, and now with developing food and transportation technology, more people can enjoy these formerly rare treats.
Even if these foods are not available locally, there are always places to order these exciting and colorful foods.
Growing technology may also make foods available in more colors.
Strawberries can be made blue now thanks to genetic modification, or GMOs.
This blue strawberry was not created for its coloring, but to prevent freezing strawberries to affect the taste. GMOs can change the way that food looks and that can mean more blue foods in our future.
Blueberries are a delicious and nutritious berry that can come at a price.
With advancing technology though, blueberries may become more accessible to people who want to eat more of them.
More diverse and exciting food options may become available to more people as GMO technology continues to develop.
There are some fears surrounding GMO technology and development, but it can help make food in different climates and be easier to transport.
In the meantime, blueberries remain a nutrient dense option for those who either live where blueberries grow naturally or to those looking to pay more for delicious and healthy snacks.
These versatile berries can be put into smoothies with other fruits or enjoyed alone as a simple snack.
The possibilities people have to enjoy this berry are almost endless with more possibilities for more people to enjoy them in the future.
I’m Chris Watson & the Founder of EatForLonger.com. I’m a food and wellbeing enthusiast researching and sharing foodstuffs and simple food-based concepts, such as fasting and clean eating.
I hope it inspires you to make tiny changes to what you eat and when you eat while optimizing your healthspan and all-around well-being.
Read more About Me here.