Calories in Blueberries

Eating fruit is important for maintaining a healthy diet. In fact, your fruit and vegetable intake should be at least 400 grams per day or five servings of 80 grams. To make it easy, 80 grams is roughly one cup of fruit. This can seem like a lot, hence why it’s important to find fruit you like to include in your diet.

There are the usual fruits like: apples, bananas, strawberries and grapes. But if you’re really wanting to venture out and give your tastebuds something they’ll appreciate, then blueberries are a must! Blueberries are sweet, nutritious and the perfect way to add some color to your plate. I don’t know about you, but I have always found it easier to eat healthier meals when they look “pretty” on my dish. There’s just something about colorful foods that make me happy – especially blueberries!

These yummy fruits grow on flowering shrubs and are about half an inch in diameter. They are pretty small! If you have a green thumb like myself, then you should definitely try growing your own blueberry bushes. They are easy to manage and they produce a lot of blueberries! Fun fact: while we call them blueberries, they actually start off green! As the fruit matures it turns a more blue or purple hue, which is how you know it’s ripe.

While blueberries are decadent on their own, they are also great paired with other fruits and vegetables. I honestly can’t think of anything that blueberries can’t go with! They are just that good! Here are a few ideas on what to pair your blueberries with for a sweet, healthy snack:

Salads (add a few blueberries to a salad and it’s a game changer!)
Mango
Strawberries
Raspberries
Blackberries
Hazelnut
Granola
Yogurt
Oatmeal
Chia Pudding
Cereal

Blueberry Nutrition Facts

Blueberries are delicious and pair well with other types of foods. That’s definitely a win/win in my book. Now, add in they are nutritious and it’s the equivalent of a grand slam home run!

Here are details regarding the nutrients in one cup of raw blueberries:

84 calories in blueberries
0 grams of total fat
0 grams of saturated fat
1 gram of protein
21 grams of carbohydrates
3.5 grams of fiber
15 grams of sugar
1 milligram of sodium

Adding blueberries into your diet will also help you meet the suggested daily value minimums. In fact, one cup of blueberries has 24% of the daily Vitamin C value. Vitamin C, commonly known as ascorbic acid, is an antioxidant important for your skin’s health and immune function. In addition, blueberries maintain 36% of your vitamin K1 and 25% of your manganese daily values. Vitamin K1, also known as phylloquinone, assists with blood clotting but may also benefit bone health. Manganese is an essential mineral that helps maintain normal amino acid, protein, lipid and carbohydrate metabolism.

So, as you can tell, there are quite a few nutrition benefits that come along with eating a cup of blueberries. It just keeps getting better, too! Blueberries contain a variety of other vitamins such as Vitamin A, Vitamin E and Vitamin B. There are also minerals like calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc and potassium in blueberries.

How Many Calories in a Pint of Blueberries?

Now it’s time to get down to one of the biggest questions you’re probably asking — how many calories in blueberries? One blueberry contains less than 1 calorie. Mind blowing, right? Matter of fact, there are only 39 calories in 50 blueberries!

If you’re a big blueberry fan, then you can probably easily down a pint of them. No worries, though! In a pint, there are only 170 calories in blueberries. So, eat up and enjoy a nice pint of blueberries with little worry about how many calories are in them.

Can You Eat Blueberries Every Day?

As mentioned above, blueberries come packed with nutritious value. Plus, there aren’t many calories in blueberries to worry about! One of my favorite things to do is throw some blueberries in with a bowl of strawberry yogurt, granola, and local honey. It helps to curb my sweet tooth when I’m craving ice cream! While I don’t eat it every day (sometimes the ice cream wins), I definitely could!

You can also eat them with chia pudding or add them into a bowl of oatmeal. Blueberries are so versatile and easy to add into your favorite snacks. But can you eat blueberries every day? I’d say go for it! There are no known negative affects from eating blueberries every day. So, if you enjoy them, then add them into your daily diet plan.

Health Benefits of Blueberries

Many people also know blueberries as a superfood. This is because of all the health benefits they offer. Consuming blueberries is a great way to boost your immune system, increase your brain health and get a good amount of fiber! It also helps that calories in blueberries are low, which makes them an easy addition to a healthy diet plan.

Antioxidants

We commonly believe that the higher the antioxidants, the healthier the food is. Luckily, blueberries are high in antioxidants! Antioxidants are essential for maintaining good health. Not to mention they help you maintain a youthful glow with their free-radical fighting abilities.

Simply put, antioxidants are chemicals that help protect your body’s cells against free radicals. Free radicals can have serious health risks like diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers. While the body produces antioxidants to help defend itself, we can also find them in fruits and veggies. Now I’m not saying eating blueberries every day will prevent cancer, but I am saying they will help your body neutralize free radicals by giving it antioxidants.

Vitamins & Minerals

Blueberries are a significant source of vitamins and minerals. If you’re unaware, these are vital resources that help your body thrive and help you live your best life! So, vitamins and minerals should always be at the top of your priority list in choosing what foods to consume. By eating blueberries you’re fueling your body with the following vitamins and minerals:

Vitamin C
Vitamin K1
Manganese
Vitamin E
Vitamin B6
Copper
Potassium
Calcium
Magnesium
Folate

Low in Calories

As we’ve discussed, the amount of calories in blueberries is very low. This means that you can add blueberries into your diet plan! In fact, diets rich in fruits and vegetables have been attributing factors in helping people lose weight and maintain a healthy weight. While blueberries may not cause weight loss, we can include them in healthy meals and use them as substitutes for sweets when you have a craving!

Full of Fiber

Did you know that blueberries help prevent constipation and help your digestive tract remain regular? Blueberries come packed with dietary fiber, which is important in managing weight. In fact, there is 3.5 grams of fiber in just one cup of blueberries. Foods high in fiber can help you feel full and reduce your appetite.

Brain Health

Did you know that blueberries can help improve your brain health? True story! Unfortunately, as we age, our bodies become susceptible to age-related diseases. However, a higher intake of flavonoid-rich foods (like blueberries) helps contribute to better brain function. In addition, blueberries may also aid in preventing oxidative stress, which helps with the aging process.

Wrap-Up

Blueberries are a wonderfully delicious and healthy fruit! There are few calories in blueberries, which makes them perfect for snacks or additions to meals. There are only 39 calories in 50 blueberries and 170 calories in a pint of blueberries! Blueberries offer a number of health benefits. They contain antioxidants, vitamins & minerals, are low in calories, are full of fiber and are great for brain health. We could go on and on. To summarize, there just isn’t any reason that you shouldn’t make blueberries a part of your normal diet!