Are Frozen Blueberries Healthy?
The convenience of frozen blueberries allows you to enjoy the antioxidant-rich fruit any time of year. Frozen berries are less likely to spoil and are often less expensive than fresh.
The convenience of frozen blueberries allows you to enjoy the antioxidant-rich fruit any time of year. Frozen berries are less likely to spoil and are often less expensive than fresh.
Use frozen blueberries in cereal, oatmeal, muffins, pies or pancakes. Frozen blueberries make a healthy addition to any diet, especially if you choose unsweetened versions.
Weight Control
A cup of unsweetened frozen blueberries, weighing 155 g, contains just 79 calories per cup and 1 gram of fat, according to LIVESTRONG.COM's MyPlate food database. Eating unsweetened frozen blueberries instead of higher-calorie foods, such as chips or candy, can help prevent weight gain and even help you lose weight.
If you're seeking to reduce your calorie intake, decrease your serving size of cereal in the morning and fill the rest of your bowl with unsweetened frozen blueberries, or top whole wheat pancakes or plain yogurt with thawed frozen blueberries instead of syrup or honey.
Nutrients
One cup of unsweetened frozen blueberries, weighing 155 grams, provides more than 30 percent of the recommended dietary allowance for vitamin K, essential to blood clotting. This serving also offers 6 percent of the RDA for vitamin C, 5 percent for vitamin B6 and 11 percent for the trace mineral manganese.
A 155-gram serving of unsweetened frozen blueberries also provides 2 percent of the RDA for iron, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus. Unsweetened frozen blueberries are also a source of fiber.
The 4 grams in 155 grams of unsweetened frozen blueberries can help keep your digestive system regular and protect colon health. Frozen blueberries also provide a high concentration of disease-fighting antioxidants per serving,
Sugar Concerns
While sweetened frozen blueberries still offer the fiber, vitamins and minerals of fresh, they contain 45 more calories per serving than unsweetened frozen blueberries.
Sweetened frozen blueberries contain up to 11 grams of added sugar per 155 grams — almost 4 teaspoons. The American Heart Association advises keeping daily added sugar intake to less than 6 tsp. per day for women and 9 tsp. per day for men.
Considerations
Blueberries are listed as one of the "Dirty Dozen" by the Environmental Working Group, or EWG. These 12 fruits and vegetables tend to show the highest pesticide residues. The EWG recommends that you purchase organic versions to reduce your pesticide consumption by 80 percent.
Frozen blueberries have less than half of the insecticides present on fresh berries, reports Dr. Walter Crinnion on "The Huffington Post." If pesticides are still a concern for you, consider purchasing organic frozen blueberries.
More About MyPlate
The free LIVESTRONG MyPlate calorie tracker app for iPhone and Android has helped millions of people lose weight the healthy way — by getting support from an active community as they track their eating and exercise. Consistently a top-rated app, MyPlate offers the latest technology in an easy-to-use tool that includes millions of foods and recipes, 5-minute in-app workouts and a robust support community.