Blueberry - so nicknamed this northern berry for its property to blacken the skin, teeth and mouth. Bilberry grows on acidic peat soils in coniferous forests. It is widespread, from the high-mountainous regions of the Caucasus, the Carpathians and Altai to forest-tundra and taiga. Externally, blueberry is a low shrub in height from 5 to 50 cm (garden blueberry), with smooth oval leaves and blue berries, covered with wax coating. The flesh of the blueberry is dark red, with a lot of small seeds, the taste is sweet and sour, slightly astringent.
In its composition, blueberries contain:
- proteins - 1.1 g;
- fats - 0.6 g;
- carbohydrates - 11.0 g.
Caloric content of fresh blueberries is about 40-50 kilocalories per 100 g of product. Such a low caloric content allows you to include blueberries in your menu to all losing weight without fear.
Useful properties of blueberries for diabetes
The ability of this berry to improve eyesight, especially twilight, is known for a long time. To this end, blueberries and jams from it were even given to English pilots during the Second World War.
Not everyone knows that blueberries are very useful in diabetes mellitus. Thus, tea made from berries and blueberry leaves can reduce blood sugar, thanks to the biologically active substance neo-Mirillin belonging to flavonoids. Flavonoids are a group of substances, many of which are plant pigments, and "concurrently" powerful antioxidants. According to the research of Russian scientists, the extract from the leaves of bilberry improves the metabolism of carbohydrates and fats, lowers the level of sugar in the blood , normalizes the liver and kidneys, precisely because of the presence of a complex of flavonoids, which increases the sensitivity of receptors to insulin. The same complex of substances, together with vitamin C and provitamins A, as well as pectins, contained in large quantities in blueberries, benefits not only in diabetes, but also in many other diseases:
- the anthocyanins contained in the bilberries (they ensure its blue color), are able to accelerate the removal of "bad" cholesterol from the body, which in combination with pectins and fiber, allows you to recommend blueberries for prevention and support of cardiovascular diseases;
- Bilberry is the most powerful natural antioxidant, i.e. contains substances that neutralize free radicals that destroy cells of our body, which makes the northern berry a wonderful product for the prevention of cancer and premature aging;
- blueberries have an anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effect, so in folk medicine it is often used to improve the microflora of the intestine and prevent putrefactive processes in it, with cystitis, with disorders of the gastrointestinal tract.
It must be remembered that blueberries are contraindicated in diseases of the pancreas, and individual intolerance of this product.
How to cook blueberries?
This berry is better to eat fresh, so it retains all its useful qualities. For the future, it is best to freeze blueberries, this is the most gentle method of harvesting. In addition, the caloric content of frozen blueberries is almost the same as for fresh berries 40-50 kilocalories, which allows using it for cooking dietary dishes, for example, vareniki.
Dumplings with blueberries
Ingredients:
- blueberries (you can take frozen) - 3 glasses;
- kefir - 2 cups;
- flour - 6 glasses;
- eggs - 2 pieces;
- sugar - 4 tablespoons;
- salt - ½ teaspoon.
Preparation:
Mix eggs and yogurt, add sugar, salt and flour. Cover the dough with a clean napkin and leave it for 30 minutes. Let's divide the dough into 4 identical parts, roll each part into a layer, about 4 mm thick. From the resulting blank cut out a glass of circles. For each we put a teaspoon of blueberries and a little sugar. Cook in salted water for 7-8 minutes. Serve with sugar and sour cream. The calorie content of dumplings with blueberries is 220 kilocalories per 100 g of product.