What on Earth is an “Anthocyanin”?

If you’re an avid Wild Blueberry eater, chances are you’ve read or heard about how chock-full of antioxidants these tiny, potent berries are – but have you heard about their anthocyanins? 

Pronounced “an-tho-sigh-a-nins”, these plant compounds are abundant in Wild Blueberries and give them their pretty purple-blue hue. A growing body of research suggests anthocyanins are beneficial to humans. But, before we dive into that, let’s explore what an anthocyanin really is and how to incorporate more of them into your family’s daily eating regimen.

Breaking Down the What, Where, Why, and How of Anthocyanins – and Why They’re Good for Us 

What Anthocyanins Are

Anthocyanins, named for the Greek words for “flower” and “blue,” are part of the flavonoid group of plant compounds. Anthocyanins are antioxidants and are beneficial to the plants: they appear to protect them from the damage of ultraviolet light and other environmental stressors. Dietary antioxidants such as anthocyanins, have been found to have the ability to neutralize free radicals and help prevent cell damage. They are healthy for plants, and research indicates that including anthocyanin-rich foods in our diets is healthy for us, too. 

Where They’re Found

We get anthocyanins from a variety of foods, and the easiest way to locate them is by color. As pigments, they’re easy to spot—unlike most other plant compounds. When you see red, purple or blue-hued fruits and vegetables, you know they contain anthocyanins. Berries and their juices contain the most anthocyanins, and Wild Blueberries, in particular, contain a wide range of anthocyanins, and have 33% more total anthocyanins than regular blueberries*. In fact, a study that examined the anthocyanin content of 24 foods found that Wild Blueberries provide significantly more total anthocyanins than other commonly consumed berries in the US including cultivated blueberries. Some other foods that contain anthocyanins include red cabbage, purple potatoes, purple cauliflower, elderberries, black currants, purple carrots, eggplant, red onions, plums, and figs.

*USDA/Food Data Central legacy analysis of 1 cup frozen wild blueberries vs. 1 cup raw blueberries. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/

Why They’re Good for Our Health

The role of anthocyanins in the human body is still an area of intense investigation, and we clearly don’t know everything there is to know about this large class of compounds. However, we do know that when we eat foods containing anthocyanins, they change form during the digestion process and are extensively modified by the body and also by microflora (bacteria) in the intestines. These modified compounds, generally referred to as metabolites, are plentiful and widely varied. Research indicates that anthocyanins exert their effects indirectly, via their metabolites. These effectsinclude reducing the risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes. They’re also believed to help protect against inflammation in humans, considered to be a leading factor in brain aging, Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. There is a growing body of research that points to anthocyanins being helpful for mood improvement, focus, and memory for kids, teens, and adults. You can dive further into the anthocyanin, brain health, and general health research for wild blueberries by visiting our website.

How You Can Incorporate Anthocyanins into Your Daily Routine?

It’s easy–just add a healthy scoop of Wild Blueberries to your diet every day. Frozen wild blueberries are available in your local grocery store’s freezer aisle – just look for the word “wild” on the package. For recipe inspiration visit our recipe library (add link).  Here’s a favorite of ours that’s good for the whole family (even the kids)—Wild Blueberry Brain Boosting Morning Smoothie. Give it a try!

Need more recipe inspiration? Check out our website.

Anthocyanin: Wild Blueberries’ Mighty Antioxidant Star

Wild Blueberries are powerful with high levels of manganese, vitamin K, and fiber. Wild Blueberries also have one of the highest levels of antioxidants including anthocyanin. The word anthocyanin comes from the words anthos (flower) and kuanos (blue) and it gives fruits like Wild Blueberries, blackberries, eggplants, and cabbage the beautiful blue-purple hues that they hold. Besides the attractive aesthetics, anthocyanin is a powerful antioxidant that has proven health benefits.

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What are anthocyanins?
Often found in roots, stems, and especially the plant leaves, anthocyanins are found in two forms. When a sugar is attached to the molecule, it is call anthocyanin however without the sugar molecule, it is called anthocyanidin5. There are three large classifications of anthocyanins that are grouped by their health benefits and how the antioxidant is metabolized and absorbed. In a study by Dr. Jim Fang at the University of Saskatchewan, he largely classified anthocyanins into one of three categories: pelagonidin, cyaniding/peonidin, or multiple anthocyanins group. In general, anthocyanin has been known to protect the plant from stressors like UV light, cold temperatures, and drought6. It is no wonder that antioxidants like anthocyanins are so powerful.

What do antioxidants do?
Antioxidants simply play a game of cops and robbers where the antioxidants are cops and the free radicals are robbers. Every day, the presence of cops (antioxidants) can keep the robbers (radicals) at bay to ensure peace in the city (your body). The more antioxidants you consume, the more protection your body will have from the free radicals that can cause the daily havoc to our bodies. In fact, there are multiple systematic research studies that associate high levels of anthocyanin consumption to lower incidences (new cases) of cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and cancer. However, more research is needed to determine the recommended daily dose for anthocyanins.

And while consumers are increasingly aware of antioxidants like anthocyanins, the Produce for Better Health Foundation revealed in 2012 that only 3% of fruits and vegetables consumed were purple or blue5. Being familiar with some foods that are high in antioxidants can help us get the most nutritional bang with every bite. Antioxidant level in foods is measured by an Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity (ORAC) test. Elderberries lead the way, followed by Wild Blueberries, high bush blueberries, red cabbage, and purple carrots, which round out the top five anthocyanin-rich foods5.

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What does research say about anthocyanins?

Cognitive Function. Whether you are age 5 or 95, research has shown that anthocyanins can improve cognitive function like memory and day-to-day mental functions. In a study conducted in the UK, Professor Claire Williams and her research team found children performed cognitive tasks better after consuming a Wild Blueberry drink than when they did not1. Similar findings have been presented to show the positive effects of anthocyanin consumption on the working memory of older adults3. Researchers suggest that anthocyanins have the potential to decrease inflammation therefore improving blood flow and increasing communication between cells in the brain7. Anthocyanin-rich foods categorized in the cyanidin and peonidin groups have a greater effect on decreasing inflammation.

Natural anti-inflammatory. Inflammation is a silent killer. Low-grade inflammation is one of the primary mechanisms that attribute to many chronic diseases like obesity and hypertension. While the inflammatory mechanism is complex and involves various components on the cellular level, research has shown that foods like berries, especially bilberries and Wild Blueberries, have anti-inflammatory effects. Inflammation is often exacerbated by diets that are high in fat. A study in Finland examined the effect of anti-inflammatory foods like bilberries and Wild Blueberries in rats while consuming a high fat diet2. The results showed that a high-fat diet combined with whole berries had a lower inflammatory response compared to rats consuming only a high-fat diet. In addition to anti-inflammatory effects, anthocyanin-rich foods have shown to increase insulin sensitivity.

Anti-diabetic. In a study examining the three different groups of anthocyanins the results showed that blueberries are able to induce insulin secretion4. Type 2 diabetics often experience insulin insensitivity and a lower level of insulin is secreted with the consumption of glucose compared to non-diabetics. Consuming Wild Blueberries and red cabbage can be a part of the dietary recommendations to prevent and to manage diabetes, if not heart disease.

Happy Heart. In the United States, 90% of women possess at least one risk factor for heart disease. As one of the leading causes of death in women, it is beneficial for us to integrate preventive measures to curb the problem. In the Nurse’s Health Study I and II as well as the Women’s Health Study, researchers found that those who consumed the most anthocyanin-rich foods can reduce their risk for developing hypertension, coronary heart disease, and cardiovascular disease by 8% to 12%3. Examining the research subject’s intake, researchers found that these individuals consume anthocyanins mainly from blueberries and strawberries. The findings suggest that anthocyanins can decrease the stiffness of the arteries and therefore lower blood pressure and reduce the damage to blood vessels and heart, ultimately reducing the risk of heart disease.

There are many benefits to consuming a diet high in antioxidants. Instead of focusing on diets that are only anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, or anti-diabetic, we recommend increasing a diet high in anthocyanins. Not only will it add a beautiful color to your plate and turn your tongue to a pretty purple-blue color, it will provide a range of health benefits to help manage and prevent conditions and diseases like cognitive decline, inflammation, diabetes, and heart disease.

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Resources

  1. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/news/blueberry-juice-boosts-brainpower/
  2. Mykkänen, O. T., Huotari, A., Herzig, K. H., Dunlop, T. W., Mykkänen, H., & Kirjavainen, P. V. (2014). Wild blueberries (Vaccinium myrtillus) alleviate inflammation and hypertension associated with developing obesity in mice fed with a high-fat diet.PloS one, 9(12), e114790.
  3. Norberto, S., Silva, S., Meireles, M., Faria, A., Pintado, M., & Calhau, C. (2013). Blueberry anthocyanins in health promotion: A metabolic overview.Journal of Functional Foods, 5(4), 1518-1528.
  4. Fang, J. (2015). Classification of fruits based on anthocyanin types and relevance to their health effects.Nutrition, 31(11), 1301-1306.
  5. http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/030314p20.shtml
  6. http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/0716p18.shtml
  7. Thompson K, Pederick W, Santhakumar AB. Anthocyanins in obesity-associated thrombogenesis: a review of the potential mechanism of action. Food Funct. 2016;7(5):2169-2178.

Dig In: Purple Potatoes Have Vibrant Health Benefits

Purple Potatoes by razvan.orendovici, on Flickr
Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic License  by  razvan.orendovici 

Ever wish your favorite comfort food had a bit more pizzazz? It may be high time to diversify from your average meat and potatoes dinner, and this brightly colored vegetable is just the thing. The skin of the purple potato provides a shock of color that can snap us out of our yellow- and red-skinned comas, and boost our health at the same time.

The flesh of these colorful nightshades, praised recently in Mark Bittman’s New York Times column On Growing (And Eating Potatoes), come in many blue and purple varieties, though the Purple Viking and Purple Majesty are two of the most popular for their intense color. They have deep violet, ink-colored skin, and the flesh inside ranges from solid blue to speckled. Perhaps best of all, they taste just like the good old potato that we like so much.

Unearth Healthy Color 

We know that blueberries are uniquely advantageous to health because of the pigment in the skin – that deep blue-purple color is a sign of antioxidant richness. Is the same true for a potato hued with blue? Absolutely. While blueberries, particularly wild blueberries, have the high skin-to-pulp ratio and deep color that makes them an antioxidant leader, the antioxidant anthocyanin, responsible for this color, is also behind the skin color of the purple potato. It’s found in other foods, too, like cabbage and eggplant.

While potatoes are challenged with a soiled reputation due to our over-love of the fried variety, potatoes are a vegetable that provides wonderful health benefits. They have moderate fat and calories, are full of vitamins C and B6, and provide a high dose of potassium, an essential nutrient we often get too little of.

Thanks to anthocyanins, the Purple Viking, a white-fleshed potato that Bittman describes as having “a purple skin with pink splashes, as pretty as it sounds” can be depended upon to deliver the anti-cancer, heart-healthy, anti-aging benefits that most deeply colored fruit and veggies do. In fact, they have been recently recognized for their potential to lower blood pressure. Bittman extols the virtues of this earthly purple gem for summer because, he says, they are a delightful food for the grill, and they shine in soups. They also cook and sauté quickly, maintain a perfectly crisp outside, and are full of flavor.

Purple potatoes are often available from local farmers and can be found in local grocery stores, but if you want to plant your very own and you live in Maine, you can obtain your seeds from the Maine Potato Lady in Guilford. Place your seed orders now to ship the last week of April, and you can be fixing up a blue-hued plate in a matter of months that your guests will really dig.

Color Your World! Try These Purple Potato Recipes

What’s So Great About Good Health

The Brain-Nutrition Connection & the Real Payoff of Being Healthy

We log time on the treadmill. We scrutinize our plates for nutrition. We watch our portions and increase our fruit and vegetable servings.

Why do we do it?

We want to be healthy. But what is good health? And why can “healthy” sometimes seem like it has a PR problem?

Here’s the “problem” with healthy:

  • You can’t show it off like a purse or a haircut.
  • Unlike a weight loss effort or 5K race, it’s constant, dynamic, and never-ending.
  • You can’t plan a party to celebrate the results – health benefits often occur 10, 20, even 50 years down the line.

So what’s to like about health? Where’s the flash? Where’s the sizzle?

Why Healthy Sizzles 

First, health does have some immediate benefits to relish. While it may take decades to see some of the effects of disease prevention, health has advantages in the present as well. It may not be as noticeable as a Gucci purse, but good nutrition is something you can wear – you can see it on your face, in the brightness of your skin and the glow in your eyes, and in the clothes that fit you better. If you are healthy, you can achieve more because you feel better and stronger inside and out, and that’s pretty flashy.

But here’s the real sizzle: health contributes to living a better life. Superfood orginator Dr. Steve Pratt explains health and longevity this way:

“Brain heart, eyes—they all go together. Rarely do you see a brain that’s top notch and poor eyesight. It’s good for the eyes, it’s good for the brain and if it’s good for the brain it’s good for the heart.”

Being healthy means being healthy all over. We don’t want to age without it—getting older is not what it’s cracked up to be if we can’t see, we can’t move, and we can’t remember.

Your Brain IS Your Health

For today’s growing population of baby boomers, cognitive health and health is one and the same. Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline is a grave concern as our longevity potential grows. Without affordable genetic testing, most of us simply don’t know to what degree we are predisposed to diseases of the brain.

All we know is that having our health tomorrow means making efforts to prevent brain disease, among other diseases of aging, today. And if you think about it, the idea that prevention could be possible is as exciting as a purse, a 5K, or the biggest celebration. When you believe that, you’ve got your own definition of good health, and that’s the most important step toward achieving it.

Healthy Today & Tomorrow 

According to Susan Davis, MS, RD, nutrition advisor to the Wild Blueberry Association of North America, “New research is really bearing out the idea that a diet rich in wild blueberries may help prevent cognitive decline.” AARP The Magazine named wild blueberries to its list of the most powerful disease-fighting foods. The research into wild blueberries and their positive effect on the brain in mounting. Areas of recent study include their potential for improving memory loss, Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of cognitive impairment.

Notably, recent research shows wild blueberry supplemented diets could improve memory function and mood in older adults with early memory decline. The effect of a short-term blueberry-enriched diet on aged lab animals suggests that they may prevent and reverse a considerable degree of age-related object memory decline. And, in another study, researchers have found that the deeply colored berries enable “housekeeper” cells in the brain to remove biochemical debris, which is believed to contribute to the decline of mental functioning with age. It’s the natural pigments called anthocyanins that give the berries their deep-blue color as well as their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory power. They score twice as high in antioxidant capacity per serving as cultivated blueberries, making them the go-to berry for brain protection.

The bottom line is that something in a large blue bag in your freezer can be your definition of health. The intense benefit of wild blueberries is the best way we can think of to illustrate the potential of nutritional prevention. A small act of eating daily servings have the attention of nutritionists, scientists and consumers alike, especially those of retirement age and beyond. So put a little sizzle in your life (you’ll know it’s there). But do it today. And every day of your long, healthy life.

Read More: See the press release Wild Blueberries – Brain Food for Boomers? in MaineToday.


Can something delicious and readily available help protect you from cognitive decline? Babble attempts to answer with their post Blueberry Brain Boosters and enters their recipe for Fresh Blueberry Morning Bread, which is anything but medicinal, as evidence.

Good Guy Noir: Nutrition is the New Black

Whoever said black never goes out of style must have been referring to nutrition. Dark berries are certainly a runway favorite. They are high on the list of foods that provide excellent benefits to our health thanks to that dark color – it’s your tip off that you are in the presence of anthocyanins. Dark skin is a fruit UV protector, and may be the key to our protection as well, as a scavenger of free radicals that cause aging and serious diseases. So grab a bowl and head to the nearest abandoned schoolyard, back lot, or backyard, and go in search of the dark colored berry. You’ll come back with a bowlful of sweetness and nutrition that never fails to turn a serious style maven’s head in pies, in ice cream, as a jam or a vinaigrette.

Blackberry or Black Raspberry?

Both blackberries and black raspberries might be harder to find if you live in the North. While red raspberries are adaptable in colder climates, black berries are not as hardy, and grow more often in southern Maine, or in sheltered areas to the north. But being in the realm of the dark colored berry can be a source of confusion: often we refer to blackberries when we really mean black raspberries.

While they look very similar, blackberries and black raspberries have slightly different growing seasons, and are slightly different when picked. If the little white core is left on the plant at picking time, you’ll know it is part of the raspberry family – raspberries easily pull from the core, leaving the hollow fruit – it’s how we can tell if the fruit is ripe. Blackberries, on the other hand, don’t separate from the core.

While both black-colored berries provide excellent nutritional benefits, black raspberries are purported to have higher antioxidant properties. Tastes differ as well. Black raspberries will be harder to distinguish from a red raspberry whereas blackberries have a taste all their own, and tend to be sweeter and less tangy than black raspberries.

Healthy Berry

Dark berries are strong performers when it comes to antioxidant activity. As we’ve mentioned, fruit with  deeper, darker skin means higher concentrations anthocyanins. Blackberries and black raspberries also have a high skin-to-pulp ratio due to their clumping, or “bramble” fruit, which contributes as well. The result is a high ORAC score. ORAC measures the antioxidant activity in foods by using the cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) assay, which provides information on the uptake, metabolism, distribution and activity of antioxidant compounds in cells.

Black berries also have high fiber content, owing again to their skin. They are high in Vitamin C, manganese and B vitamins, and they have high amounts of phenolic compounds. Phenols are part of the reason we consider wine as being good for our health: they can have wide-ranging benefits, including anti-viral and antioxidant properties.

Studies are currently underway to determine just how beneficial black raspberries will turn out to be. Some preliminary studies suggest they may help to slow breast, cervical, colon and esophageal cancers. You can learn more about berry health benefits.

Foraging Favorite

Blackberry and black raspberries have their challenges. They are fairly fragile, and quick to mold or deteriorate if they are crushed, and while freezing does preserve their glory, when fresh, they stay in shape for only a couple of days. And, as accessible as they are, their thorny branches can act like a barbed wire fence making picking seem more like a prison escape than summer recreation.

But these dark berries are worth the trouble. They are a foraging favorite, found copiously around yards, railroad tracks, and fences, and they grow expansively in the wild, often feeding birds and other creatures attracted to their glowing dark color. But if you prefer to forgo the thorns, these berries can easily be found at supermarkets and farmer’s markets this time of year. They work extremely well with other berries, creating a healthy synergy. Combining black raspberries with wild blueberries in a cobbler or buckle, for example, creates an uniquely surprising palate of yin and yang as well as a powerfully healthful punch.

Blackberries and black raspberries shine on their own, too, enlivening salads and adding flavor and antioxidants to smoothies, jams, muffins, cobblers, pies and wine. They make a sweet snack alone, and their fabulous dark shiny exterior enhances a cheese plate while acting as the perfect tasting accompaniment.

Go to the Dark Side! Try These Black Berry Recipes

Martha Stewart offers up Napoleons with Black Raspberries for a dark indulgence.

Food & Wine’s Marilyn Batali’s Blackberry Pie is a classic from a famous Mom who’d know.

Looking for a crisp with berry synergy? Black rocks Food52.com’s Black Raspberry Wild Blueberry & Marion Blackberry Crisp

Kick back with some homemade Blackberry Wine from the Guardian.

Double Rainbow: What We Talk About When We Talk About Color

One of the best ways to stay healthy and prevent disease is to eat from the rainbow. That means choosing foods that represent all the colors of the spectrum. Research continues to pile on the evidence to support the color concept. In fact, in tests conducted on rats fed different colored diets, rats fed a strictly white diet not only didn’t thrive, but they died—within three months.

The greatest number of healthful compounds can be found in the most colorful foods. Naturally bright hues prevent aging and disease and keeping our brains, our skin, and our hearts healthy. Available to our cavemen counterparts and on colorful, noticeable display to birds and animals, color sends a clear signal: nutrients can be found here. But what are we really taking in when we eat colorful foods?

Color 101

Plants are colorful because of pigments, which fall into two categories: carotenoids and anthocyanins. Carotenoids are at the yellow-orange-red end of the spectrum. They are found in foods like carrots and tomatoes and are also in leafy greens (they’re just covered by the green of chlorophyll). Anthocyanins are at the red-blue end of the color spectrum. There are over 300 types of anthocyanins, and they are found in a lot of the foods we eat, but they are on brightest display in berries and deep blue and purple colored fruits and vegetables.

Pigments serve as a food’s own personal SPF. They block the UV light that they are exposed to every day, protecting themselves from the free radicals that are produced by the sun – a result of photosynthesis. Just as they protect the plant, so do they protect us as when we eat them.

Just for Hue

Anthocyanin pigments give blueberries their intense blue color – a hue that is almost black, especially in high skin-to-pulp ratio wild blueberries. Blueberries can have as many as 25-30 different types of anthocyanins, and they have them in large concentrations. In studies, rats fed these colorful blueberries were shown to have better physical performance, better communication, fewer damaged proteins in the brain, and better cognitive function.

Recently, new Parkinson’s research has determined a connection between anthocyanin and Parkinson’s disease. Scientists found in preliminary research that the flavonoids in berries could be a key to prevention. While general flavonoids found across many different foods showed a positive link to prevention in men, anthocyanins found in blueberries protected both men and women from the disease, leading researchers to believe that anthocyanin-rich berries made the difference.

Anthocyanins and Cholesterol

Anthocyanins have been found to prevent a key step in atherogenesis: oxidation of low-density lipoproteins, or LDLs. Red pigments seem to retard the bad cholesterol and reduce platelet clumping, which guards against clots.

Anthocyanins and Blood Vessels

Anthocyanins also act as powerful antioxidants, known to fight aging, cancer and heart disease.  They have been found to prevent oxidation which has implications for vascular disease, and they have also been found to relax blood vessels, reducing chances of heart attack.

Anthocyanins and Cancer

According to cancer prevention research, anthocyanins can inhibit the growth of tumor cells by slowing the growth of pre-malignant cells, and encouraging cancer cells to die off faster. They are also found to have an effect on reducing the precursors that initiate cancerous tumors.

The journal Molecular Cancer found that a special anthocyanin found in the skins of deeply colored vegetables and berries known as Cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G) can contribute to decreasing the health-damaging free radicals, and new studies have found that anthocyanins found in black raspberries may inhibit colon cancer cells.

Color Your World!

If you are looking to increase your anthocyanin intake, and you should be, look to berries: wild blueberries, black berries, black raspberries and chokeberries top the list. Other great sources include red grapes, blackcurrant, and eggplant.

A surprising source for anthocyanins is black rice rumored to increase in popularity 2011 (along with mobile TV and bolder beer) due to its Mediterranean diet cache combined with its high anthocyanin content. It’s just one more way to start embracing color by putting an anthocyanin-rich rainbow on your plate.

Beet Lovers: Don’t Read This

Love beets? That delicious earthy flavor makes them a favorite in salads, and while we’ve all had them pickled or canned, baked fresh beets can be superb. If beets are a staple in your kitchen, that’s great news. Beets are full of those natural red pigments that may be cancer fighters, and they are one of the healthiest foods you may or may not be putting on your plates.

But even if you are a die hard beet eater, let’s face it—it’s hard to eat them morning, noon and night. For those seeking an alternative food that still has the cancer fighting potential that comes with the deep purple color, New York Times Health writer Tara Parker Pope helps you expand your horizons. In her article Blueberries Morning, Noon & Night  she figures when it comes to this kind of intense nutrition, if you’re stopping at breakfast, your missing opportunities to intensify the health benefits of your plate.

According to Pope, “These nutrient-rich fruits are available year-round and don’t spoil, and blueberries have been associated with better memory in animal studies.” She recommends integrative recipes like Rice Pudding with Blueberries or Papaya and Blueberry Salad With Ginger-Lime Dressing.

If you could use a break from the beloved beet, your health doesn’t have to suffer. Just keep in mind the importance color – that pigment you see in those bright vibrant fruits and vegetables is called anthocyanin, and that’s where the antioxidant activity lies. Of course, all colors of the spectrum are good for dressing up a plate. Consider deep greens, oranges, blues, reds and purples. Wild blueberries are always a powerful pick – because wilds are smaller size in size compared to their cultivated cousins, they have more skin, and that’s where the pigment is.