Bilberries: Why should we eat them? 5 health benefits revealed...

Bilberries: Sweet natural allies for your health

Lindsay POUI-DI

19 Oct 2014

mis à jour le 4 May 2019 à 06:32

Like its cousins acai and goji berry - bilberries contain nutritious health benefits that will keep you away from nasty colds and infections.

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Savage or cultivated?
These berries, which grow freely in the mountains or on the countryside, are rich in bioactive compounds. Naturally combined in mousses, in infusions, into yoghurts or even into meat sauces, bilberries are always delicious. Freeze them and you they'll still taste as good, which means you can enjoy them all year round.
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An ally in fighting against cancer
This cousin to heather and to the strawberry tree has wonderful antitumor properties thanks to its abundance of delphinidin and ellagic acid. These two antioxidants slow down the development of cancers and avoid the migration of the metastases. American research studies conducted on mice at the University of Rhode Island (2010) suggested that bilberries can even reduce the volume of mammary tumours by 60% to 75%.
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An anti-high blood pressure godsend
Legend tells of British Royal Air Force pilots drinking bilberry juice to sharpen their visual acuteness during World War II. Whether or not this story is true, researchers have shown that consuming bilberries will protect our eyes from ageing. And according to English scientists*, an intake of 100g a day of these berries increases the elasticity of blood vessels, thereby decreasing blood pressure and increasing protection against infections.*American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Nov. 2013.
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Full of vitamins and slimming actions
Bilberries are filled with protective nutrients: Vitamins A, C and E, as well as anthocyanins and antioxidant pigments - which are connected to their attractive colour. Bilberries contain 50 times more antioxidants than strawberries, 125 times more than oranges, and 250 times more than spinach. Rich in water (at least 80%) and a little sweet, bilberries are included among fruits with low calorie content: 53 kcal / 100g. They are also ideal for losing belly fat.
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2 recipes with bilberries
Bilberry Herb Tea Poor 1 teaspoon of bilberries into 25cl of cold water. Bring to a boil. Let cook 5 min.Cover and let infuse for 10 min.Filter the decoction before drinking.Bilberries and walnut crumble Mix into a bowl 150g of flour, 100g of sugar, and 80g of butter to obtain a sandy dough, then add 70g of crushed walnuts. Lay 400g of blueberries in the bottom of a ceramic baking pan. Pour the dough onto the fruit. Cook 35 min in the oven at 180 °C.

Do not underestimate these small berries: fresh or frozen, bilberries are full of ideal protective nutrients to help you avoid some serious health issues - from colds, to infections and cancers.

Sylvia VAISMAN

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