Tag: blueberry

Beauty, your face, and the blueberry!

Blueberries Huh? Yesterday we spoke of Blueberries, their massive amounts of antioxidants and all the great things they do for you… but wait… there’s more… “Blueberries also are a great source of vitamins, especially vitamin C. 140g (5 oz. or 3/4 cup approx.) of blueberries actually contains 30% of our daily recommended dose. The purpose of vitamin C is to help the body in cell renewal, which is essential to the skin. Cell regeneration naturally slows down when we get older, which is why we get wrinkles and weak spots, but a plentiful supply of vitamin C along with antioxidants can help to keep this at bay. Consuming blueberries on a daily basis can help to keep you beautiful, both on the inside and the outside.

Blueberries can also be used to literally keep you beautiful. There are recipes that can be used as facemasks and body scrubs that are easily home-made and cost very little to prepare. One example is a paste that can double up as a facemask and a body scrub. It is designed to perk up tired skin as well as exfoliate dead skin and remove excess oil. Regular use should actually reduce the excess oil produced by the skin. (DIY Beauty Mask #1) Simply put a cup full of blueberries in a blender with a cup of oats, five or six almonds and two tablespoons of honey. Mix until the contents of the blender become a fine paste and then use on your face. It should be left on until it is dry, which takes roughly around 15 minutes, and then washed off with warm water. If you want to use it as a body scrub, just roughly blend it until the oats are chopped before use. The mixture can be refrigerated for future use, but you should be careful that the blueberries don’t get on your clothes because they do stain! ” Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/608303

Blueberries DIY Beauty Mask #2  (from lipglossnheels.blogspot.com)
Blueberry Facial Mask
2/3 cup blueberries
2/3 cup plain yogurt (I always use plain greek gods brand yogurt)
2/3 cup honey (pure)
1 tsp. oatmeal
Add all ingredients to a blender and blend thoroughly. Once done, pour mask into a reusable container (which you must store in the fridge between uses) and apply to face with either fingertips or cotton pads. Leave on for 15 minutes and, once dry, remove with a warm cloth. …Ladies, your skin will feel amazing after using this mask. Not only will your skin be more smooth but the redness or problem areas will seem to have disappeared completely.”

Blueberries DIY Beauty Mask #3: Turns out that without the oatmeal is a “hollywood secret” – I suppose it could be true! (the next 2 are from http://organicpassion.info/honey-blueberry-facial/) This  Honey Blueberry Facial is a Hollywood all-natural beauty secret. Created by Christopher Watt Esthetics for his high-profile clientèle like Halle Berry, Jennifer Lopez Ricky Martin, this honey blueberry facial is truly all-natural goodness and you can actually whip this delicious Hollywood beauty secret at home with very little cost.

The ingredients are:
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup pure honey
1/2 cup plain yogurt
The method is fairly easy. You will need to rinse the blueberries and place in blender or food processor. Next, add honey and yogurt, blend until smooth. Using fingertips, apply blueberry smoothie on clean skin, let sit for 10 to 15 min. Remove with cool water and damp cloth.

I know this has nothing to do with blueberries but I could not resist when I saw this one..

Chocolate Facial Mask
The Chocolate Facial Mask is a guilt free way to nourish and soften your skin. The cocoa powder that we will use in this recipe is a wonderful and powerful antioxidant. It protects and frees the skin from free radicals, that cause significant damage to skin layers.

With this decadent mask recipe, we will also use two skin-food ingredients – oat and honey. Oats are highly absorptive, hypoallergenic and can help to soften skin. Oats have also been clinically shown to help heal dry and itchy skin.

Honey on the other hand, is a great anti-bacterial agent, deeply cleanses your skin, and opens up clogged pores.

This decadent mask is an excellent moisturizer – leaving your skin baby soft. To start indulging, you will need:

  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup of honey
  • 2 tablespoons of heavy cream (sour cream will work as well)
  • 3 teaspoons of oatmeal powder

Mix all ingredients together and smooth onto face. Relax for 10 minutes, then wash off with warm water.

Blueberries:The #1 Antioxidant Fruit. Hip Hip Hurrah 4 Healthy Berries!!!

I LOVE blueberries- do you? So I was happy to read/find all this good health info. about them. No reason not to eat them all summer long, as much as I can!

“The USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging in Boston has developed an assay called ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity), which qualifies the antioxidant capacity of foods. Fresh blueberries have a high level of ORAC, 2400 per 100 grams. (As a comparison, five servings of some fruits and vegetables in a typical American diet score around 1600)
(But…) What are antioxidants?

The short answer… “Antioxidants help neutralize harmful by-products called “free radicals” that can lead to cancer and other age-related diseases.  These molecules battle cell and DNA damage involved in cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and perhaps brain degeneration.  Anthocyanin (the pigment that makes blueberries blue) is thought to be responsible for this major health benefit. ”
A longer answer… “Antioxidants consist of a group of vitamins, minerals and enzymes that have health enhancing effects for our bodies. Antioxidants work to neutralize free radicals before they do harm to our bodies. Free radicals are atoms that cause damage to our cells. They harm our immune system leading to many degenerative diseases. Free radicals are formed by our cells being exposed to a variety of substances such as radiation, chemicals, pollution, smoke, drugs, alcohol, pesticides and sun and through various metabolic processes such as when our bodies utilize stored fat for energy. A poor diet also aids in the formation of free radicals.

Antioxidants work by donating an electron to free radicals to convert them to harmless molecules. This protects cells from oxidative damage that leads to aging and various diseases.

Many vitamins and minerals are antioxidants but not all antioxidants are equal. Some antioxidants are made in our cells, including enzymes and other molecules. Other essential antioxidants such as vitamin C, E and selenium must come from our diets.

The darker, deeper blue fruits have the highest anthocyanin values, thereby contributing the most potent antioxidant sources.

Anthocyanins: Anthocyanins (the pigment that makes blueberries dark blue) are powerful antioxidants. They contain naturally occurring plant chemicals called polyphenols with very high antioxidant characteristics. The darker, deeper blue fruits have the highest anthocyanin values, thereby contributing the most potent antioxidant sources.”

Info from the TrueBlue site (a blueberry juice)  http://www.trueblueberry.com/blueberry/antioxidants.asp

{Note from The Botanical Beauties:

Q: How do you properly freeze blueberries?
A: Freezing your blueberries is a great way to enjoy your fruit throughout the year. After you buy fresh blueberries, place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Be sure to not wash the blueberries before freezing. After they are frozen, transfer to an air tight plastic bag or freezer container and store. When you are ready to use your blueberries, take them out and wash prior using.
Q: How do I store frozen blueberries?
A: Frozen blueberries come in cases that are normally poly lined.  Keep the seal in tact as long as possible, and when  used, re-seal and keep frozen at: 0 to -10 degrees F (-18 to 23 degrees C)  Do not re freeze after they thaw!  }

This info below is from a website called The worlds Healthiest Foods.
• “New studies make it clear that we can freeze blueberries without doing damage to their delicate anthocyanin antioxidants. There’s no question about the delicate nature of many antioxidant nutrients found in blueberries. These antioxidants include many different types of anthocyanins, the colorful pigments that give many foods their wonderful shades of blue, purple, and red. After freezing blueberries at temperatures of 0°F (-17°C) or lower for periods of time between 3-6 months, researchers have discovered no significant lowering of overall antioxidant capacity or anthocyanin concentrations. Anthocyanins studied have included malvidins, delphinidins, pelargonidins, cyanidins, and peonidins. These findings are great news for anyone who grows, buys, or picks fresh berries in season and wants to enjoy them year round. They are also great news for anyone who has restricted access to fresh blueberries but can find them in the freezer section of the market.
• If you want to maximize your antioxidant benefits from blueberries, go organic! A recent study has directly compared the total antioxidant capacity of organically grown versus non-organically grown highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum L., var. Bluecrop) and found some very impressive results for the organically grown berries. Organically grown blueberries turned out to have significantly higher concentrations of total phenol antioxidants and total anthocyanin antioxidants than conventionally grown blueberries, as well as significantly higher total antioxidant capacity. Numerous specific antioxidant anthocyanins were measured in the study, including delphinidins, malvidins, and petunidins. The antioxidant flavonoid quercetin was also measured.”

… and if all that is not enough to get you out and eating blueberries with everything… an article on WebMD states (link)  “Blueberries May Lower Blood Fat/Cholesterol.”  Well if you want to know more, click on the link and see the article (note it is a 2004 date.)…

…Then I found  “Blueberries” “A report released by the USDA found that blueberry skins may be effective at lowering bad cholesterol. Researchers believe that this is due to the fact that blueberry skins contain a compound that can activate a protein involved in the importing and breaking down of fat in your body. The initial study was conducted on hamsters so further research is still needed. Even if future research doesn’t look as promising, blueberries are still a dietary source of healthy antioxidants so there’s no harm in adding them to your diet. Try to eat fresh blueberries rather than drinking blueberry juice as the skin is not always present in juices.” 2011 LIVESTRONG.COM BLOG