The year’s most colorful season is awash in rich, vibrant Blue! Spring is the time of year to welcome the revival of the spectrum of colors that winter overlooked — above all, the bright hues of Wild Blues. Wild Blueberries are turning up in Easter baskets, on dinner tables, and in health and nutrition news. Luckily, you’ll find it all in the latest issue of The Wild Blueberry Health News:
- Our profile of Stonewall Kitchen reveals why Wild Blueberries are at the center of their booming business
- Wild Blueberries score high in a new scoring system arriving in supermarkets
- A report on the 3rd Biennial Berry Health Benefits Symposium explains why scientist and researchers with a WBANA connection are in the spotlight
- Frozen Food Month provides the occasion to celebrate frozen Wild Blueberries
- Also: new spring recipes, the latest health news, and more
The news that Wild Maine Blueberry Jam outsold all other Stonewall Kitchen products last year might have been cause for celebration for Wild Blueberry enthusiasts, but in fact, it was just another year. Wild Maine Blueberry Jam is consistently in the top three products sold by the company, and 2008 was no different. “Over the past 18 years, millions of jars have been sold, and it continues year after year to be the most popular flavor we make,” said Laura Duncan, Stonewall Kitchen’s Director of Marketing. Although such consistent popularity seems to be a straightforward case of exceptional taste, it is something slightly more complicated: exceptional taste purely represented in a local ingredient. For a Maine-based company that uses berries grown in Maine, Wild Maine Blueberry Jam, more than any other product, represents Stonewall Kitchen.
Wild Maine Blueberry Jam has remained at the heart of the product line since 1991, even as Stonewall Kitchen evolved and expanded. What was once a selection of vinegars and jams made in a home kitchen in Hampton, New Hampshire by Jonathan King and Jim Stott and displayed on a card table at a local farmer’s market, is now eight company stores and counting, a New York City bistro, and thriving web and catalog divisions. Wild Maine Blueberry Jam’s featured role in Stonewall products reveals many of the berry’s assets. Besides a superior flavor, the jam is consistently full of whole berries. “Customers comment that the jam reminds them of the filling in a homemade blueberry pie — sweet but with a hint of tart flavor,” said Duncan.
Read more about the role of Wild Blueberries in Stonewall Kitchen.
In a new food scoring system appearing in supermarkets across the country, blueberries earned the highest nutrient-density score possible, in recognition of their potent nutritional profile and superfood status. The more nutrient dense a food is, the higher nutritional value it provides per calories consumed.
The NuValTM Nutritional Scoring System was developed and funded by Griffin Hospital, a non-profit community hospital and teaching affiliate of the Yale University School of Medicine. It ranks foods by a single score on a numeric scale from 1 to 100. The system was developed in an effort to help consumers make healthy choices by making it easy to compare the nutritional value of the foods they buy and consume. Blueberries were one of only three foods that received a perfect score of 100 within the high-scoring fruit and vegetable categories.
The NuVal system uses an algorithm known as the ONQITM
algorithm, or Overall Nutritional Quality Index. Dr. David Katz of the Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center, who convened and led the 12-member scientific panel that developed the algorithm, said that the system not only reinforces the message to eat more fruits and vegetables (the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest eating 1 to 2½ cups of fruits every day), but offers further guidance within those categories.
Read more about Wild Blueberries and nutrient density.
The commonly held assumption that fresh fruits and vegetables are less nutritious than their frozen counterparts is today a shattered myth. The truth is, picking up versatile, flavorful, frozen Wild Blueberries at any time of year never means compromising on nutrition or flavor; instead, it’s the wise choice for those focused on health, taste, and value.
Because March is National Frozen Food Month, it’s the perfect time to celebrate the powerful health benefits, year-round availability, and flavor of frozen Wild Blueberries. In 1984, March 6 was declared Frozen Food Day, and subsequent promotional work of the National Frozen and Refrigerated Foods Association led to the designation of the entire month of March as Frozen Food Month. The month celebrates an aspect of American culture often taken for granted — the freezing of food to preserve its taste and nutritional.
Wild Blueberries are individually quick frozen (IQF) using a method that allows for the fast preservation of taste and nutrition. Processed at their peak of freshness, IQF blueberries can remain frozen for over two years without losing their flavor or nutritional value.
Read more about Frozen Wild Blueberries
Since 2005, The Berry Health Benefits Symposium has offered a unique opportunity for those passionate about the possibilities of the remarkable berry. Berries have been increasingly in the spotlight as research uncovers their powerful anti-aging properties and the impact they have on human health. This June, the 3rd Biennial Berry Health Benefits Symposium will be held in Monterey, California, and presentations concerning the role of berries in the fields of obesity, skin cancer, colon cancer, brain health, and vision will figure prominently.
The symposium is hosted by major U.S. berry organizations in an effort to support the scientific work that is being done in the field of berry research. The event brings together health and wellness practitioners, members of the scientific community, researchers, food industry professionals, and members of the public to network and learn about the effect of raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and cranberries on disease prevention.
Read more about the role of Wild Blueberries at the Berry Health Benefits Symposium.
Looking to Live Healthier? Put Blueberries in Your Cart, Says Dr. Oz
As part of Oprah’s “Best Life” Series that focuses on health, Dr. Mehmet Oz, indispensable Oprah Show authority on health and medical information, has summarized the ten ways anyone can start living a healthier life — and blueberries receive prominent mention on his list of must-have fruits and vegetables. Why? Their powerful antioxidant profile.
Antioxidants top Dr. Oz’s list of healthful keys to living better and longer, and he recommends that shoppers fill their grocery carts with these high-antioxidant foods. First seeking out foods that “don’t need a label” is one way to be sure you are getting foods that are nutritious and antioxidant-rich, he suggests. Antioxidants are important because they help protect against disease and age-related health risks, and they can aid in fighting aging, cancer and heart disease.
Blueberries, specifically Wild Blueberries, have emerged as the leader in total antioxidant capacity per serving in lab research, compared with more than 20 other fruits. For Dr. Oz, blueberries set the bar: “Whatever has that deep color like a blueberry, you know it's rich in antioxidants,” he says. He recommends 5 – 7 servings of these deep-colored foods. The versatility of blueberries, and their role in breakfasts, entrees, snacks and smoothies, make it easy to check off this food requirement from your list of ways to live a healthier life.
Read more about antioxidants on Dr. Oz’s list of Top 10 Ways to Live Healthier.
