How Eating Berries Can Add Years to Your Brain’s Longevity
The easiest and most delicious way I know to add years to my brain’s longevity is to eat a few handfuls of berries each week. One prospective study of 16,000 women age 70 and older, published in the Annals of Neurology, showed that eating at least one serving of blueberries or two servings of strawberries each week delayed cognitive aging by 2.5 years. There’s a lot of power in those little berries!
Berries and memory
Berries are not only superstars for brain longevity, they can help keep memory sharp now. This small yet intriguing study found that a group of healthy elderly people performed better on cognitive tests (such as word list recall) when ingesting a daily dose of wild blueberry juice.
Not only did they have enhanced memory, participants noted less depressive symptoms when compared to a group taking a berry placebo beverage. Yes, blueberries are a happy food.
Berries are one of the MIND diet’s brain healthy food groups
What’s so special about berries? Each type of berry packs a different array of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients. Take the humble blueberry, for example, probably the most studied berry of all. Blueberries are packed with polyphenols, a group of compounds which includes anthocyanins, the nutrient that gives blueberries their blue/black hue. Anthocyanins are powerful medicine for your brain: they reduce inflammation, help neurons communicate, and regulate how the brain utilizes glucose for energy.
Berries are the only fruit included in the MIND diet study, one of the 10 Brain Healthy Food Groups chosen to study the impact of food on reducing Alzheimer’s disease risk. {Read more about the MIND diet study here, and my interview with its lead researcher, Dr. Martha Clare Morris, here.}
Anthocyanins in berries keeps amyloid protein from forming plaques
One of the key pathological features of Alzheimer’s disease is the formation of amyloid plaques — tangles of protein that cover the surface of the brain. These amyloid plaques paralyze the synapses between neurons, an essential part of how the brain functions. Blueberry extract given to mice was found to prevent amyloid protein from clumping into tangles and forming a plaque. The brain’s glial cells — part of the immune system that cleans up inflammatory debris — were able to clear amyloid protein from the brain and keep it from aggregating. Scientists are optimistic that this is the mechanism that helps protect human brains too.
Why athletes should be popping blueberries
Athletes: Ever wonder why you are prone to getting sick after a big race? After strenuous exercise, the body’s population of natural killer cells plummets. Natural killer cells are a type of white blood cells, the immune system’s first defense against viral illnesses and cancer. But when athletes ate blueberries on a regular basis, their natural killer cell population was found to double. All the polyphenols in berries help reduce and repair damage from oxidative stress and inflammation, both of which result from strenuous exercise.
Choose the best berries, organic or not
Although blueberries get the most attention as a brain healthy food, all types of berries are pretty darn potent in antioxidants like polyphenols. The antioxidant content of fruit is measured in standardized units. Apples weigh in at 60 antioxidant units, bananas at 40 units. How do berries stack up? Strawberries pack in 310 antioxidant units per cup, cranberries have 330, raspberries have 350 and blueberries have 380. Can you guess which berry measures 650 units per cup? The blackberry. Yes, there’s a reason I chose the blackberry as my Brain Works Kitchen logo. And blackberries are busting out all over right now at farmers markets.
Seriously though, all berries are incredibly good for your brain. Just eat them whenever you can. When shopping at the grocery store, choose organic over conventionally grown berries. But when visiting your local farmers market, ask the farmer if their berries are sprayed with pesticides. Many small farmers are not certified organic yet they offer pesticide-free produce. We know that pesticide residue on fruits and vegetables causes oxidative stress on the brain. And berries are among the most porous fruits — they soak up pesticides like a sponge.
Putting up berries: freezing
It’s easy to gorge on berries when they are in season. But in the winter months, I know I’ll be pining for high quality berries for my smoothies and warm whole grain breakfast bowls. The easiest way to stockpile berries is to freeze them. Frozen berries retain all of their nutrition intact, and, if done properly, will keep you rolling in the most nutritious berries all year.
Here’s how I put up a flat of berries: Gently rinse and pat dry over a clean kitchen towel. Once the berries are completely dry, place them in one layer on a sheet pan. Line the pan with parchment paper so that they don’t stick to the pan once frozen. Place berries in a single layer on the pan, preferably not touching, and then place in the freezer for several hours or until frozen solid.
Transfer frozen berries to airtight plastic bags or food-grade plastic containers. Store in the coldest part of the freezer, labeled clearly, and use within 6-8 months. Read more here: How to Put Up a Freezerful of Summer Berries.
What about jam?
I love jam slathered on toast just as much as my kids do. But I am sorry to report that all those brain healthy anthocyanins don’t usually survive the jamming and canning process intact. Besides, most jams are loaded with sugar that your brain just does not need.
An alternative to processed, sugary jams is my super easy Huckleberry Chia Seed Jam. Huckleberries grow wild in the Tetons where I live and I can’t wait to fill my buckets with these sweet and tart berries. All I need to make this quick jam is a few cups of fresh huckleberries. I warm them gently on the stove with chia seeds and just a dash of maple syrup. Chia seeds are another antioxidant rich ingredient, and they are packed with omega-3s, protein and fiber. The tiny black seeds plump up and soften when warm, transforming my huckleberries into a jammy spread—no pectin required.
No huckleberries where you live? You can try this with any tart, fresh berry. Just taste as you go to get the right balance of not-too-sweetness. Preserve with a water bath canning method, or freeze in small jars for up to 6 months. It also keeps in the fridge for up to two weeks, yet it never lasts that long.
Prep Time | 5 minutes |
Cook Time | 20 minutes |
Servings |
half pint jars
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- 3 cups fresh huckleberries substitute any fresh, tart berry
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1/4 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
Ingredients
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- Bring huckleberries, lemon zest, lemon juice and maple syrup to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries burst, about 5 minutes.
- Use a spoon to mash the berries into a jammy paste, being sure to keep some whole. Increase heat to high, bring to a boil, and cook until reduced by half.
- Remove jam from the heat. Let it cook down just enough so you don't burn your tongue while tasting for sweetness. Add more maple syrup, little by little, until the jam is sweet enough for your liking.
- Return the jam to the stove and bring to a boil. Add the chia seeds and cook for about one minute, or until the seeds have softened. Spoon jam into clean mason jars up to the rim. Cover and let cool completely.
- Keep in the fridge for up to two weeks, or in the freezer for up to three months.
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