Blueberries and strawberries offer a range of vitamins and minerals, as well as disease-fighting antioxidants and fiber for healthy hearts and digestion. These versatile fruits can be used as a topping for cereal or yogurt, blended in smoothies, added to baked goods or eaten as a snack.
Nutritional Value of Blueberries
A cup of raw, unsweetened blueberries contains 84 calories, along with healthy levels of many vitamins and minerals. It offers 9 mg each of calcium and magnesium, 18 mg of phosphorus and 114 mg of potassium. Blueberries are rich in vitamin C, at 14.4 mg per cup. Smaller amounts of beta-carotene, as well as the B vitamins thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B-6 and folate are also present in blueberries.
Nutritional Value of Strawberries
One cup of sliced strawberries has only 46 calories and is dense with nutrients. Strawberries contain 23 mg of calcium and 19 mg of magnesium per cup of sliced fruit, as well as 35 mg of phosphorus and 220 mg of potassium. There is almost 85 mg of vitamin C in a cup of strawberries, as well as 10 mcg of beta-carotene and many of the B vitamins.
Antioxidants
Antioxidants are vitamins, minerals or other nutrients that have the ability to bond with harmful substances called free radicals. Free radicals are atoms that have become unstable due to exposure to toxins, aging or oxidization. They can damage healthy cells, and have been implicated in conditions from cancer to Alzheimer's and heart disease. Consuming antioxidants like vitamin C, beta carotene and anthocyanin, the compound that gives strawberries and blueberries their color, can help prevent free radical damage.
Fiber
Both strawberries and blueberries are fiber-rich. Consuming enough dietary fiber helps reduce the risk of constipation. It has also been linked to heart disease prevention. For example, Harvard Medical School reports that dietary fiber intake was linked to a 40 percent reduction in heart disease risk in two separate studies. It may also help prevent type 2 diabetes. Researchers at Harvard Medical School recommend consuming at least 20 g of fiber a day. Strawberries contain 2.9 g of fiber a cup, and blueberries offer 3.5 g a cup.
References
- U. S. Department of Agriculture National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Blueberries, Raw
- U. S. Department of Agriculture National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference: Strawberries, Raw
- Berry Health Benefits Network: Health and Healing Fact Sheets -- Strawberries
- Berry Health Benefits Network: Health and Healing Fact Sheets -- Blueberries
- Food Insight: Functional Foods Fact Sheet: Antioxidants; 2009
- Harvard School of Public Health: The Nutrition Source; Fiber: Start Roughing It!; 2011
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