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Dr. Daniel Nadeau Has an Important Health Message

The Diabetes Expert Explains How Food Choices Lead to Big Changes

There aren’t a lot of people who believe in the power of healthy living as much as Daniel Nadeau, M.D. One reason? He’s seen it. As a clinician, in his work with patients, as Medical Director of the Diabetes and Endocrinology Associates of Maine’s York Hospital, and as an expert on the subject of diabetes, Nadeau has witnessed how simple choices can change – and save – a person’s life.

Nadeau often shares his expertise about the rise in lifestyle-related diabetes in local and national media. Here in Maine, he said, 3% of Maine population may have diabetes and not know it. “There are so many people that are heavy and getting a heavier. It’s a major problem,” he told Wild About Health. “If someone is obese, their risk of developing diabetes is twenty- to fortyfold higher.” For many of his patients, their diagnosis is a wake-up call.

Recently he saw a patient – a man in his mid-30s – who had developed Type 2 diabetes that was out of control. The man lived a sedentary life in a sedentary job, and he made all the wrong food choices, eating a daily diet of burgers and fries – in other words, standard American fare. He was facing grave consequences if he didn’t change.

Talking to Nadeau got the message across. His patient started eating healthy and exercising. He dropped 35 pounds, and his blood sugars returned to normal. “He has a new lease on life,” said Nadeau. “When you make real change, you make real differences.”

Quieting the Storm Within

As a kid growing up in Fort Kent, Maine, Nadeau ate a typical diet heavy on meat and dairy. But it wasn’t long before he developed an atypical interest in health and wellness. In high school, he opened “Nadeau’s Natural Food”, a health food store that he ran all through college. He read all the books he sold, and his thinking about food began to change. “One week I read Adelle Davis, the next week I read Sugar Blues, the next week I read Macrobiotics, another week I read Ann Wigmore and about the Raw Foodists. Every week I had a different diet.” The more he read, the more his diet shifted. Even today, his approach to food is drawn from what he learned back then.

One of the missing elements of his food education was the story of color. Until he wrote The Color Code: A Revolutionary Eating Plan to Optimum Health with James Joseph in 2002, the powerful role of incorporating color into the diet was not on even the most informed consumer’s radar. The Color Code directly influenced efforts such as the 5-A-Day program, which encouraged people to get five servings of fruits and vegetables (that recommendation has now changed to 8-10 servings) and helped consumers understand the important nutritive benefits of pigmented foods.

Plants, which live in a sea of destructive ultraviolet light, depend on pigments to protect themselves from solar irradiation and the inflammation that would result from their exposure. When we eat those pigments, we pass on the protective elements to our bodies, reducing inflammatory markers and protecting ourselves from chronic disease, including Alzheimer’s and brain disease, joint disease, risk of myocardial infraction, and diabetes, among other inflammatory conditions. According to Nadeau, “If we can reduce the inflammation in our bodies by eating fruits and vegetables, we are not only protecting ourselves from these conditions, but we are protecting ourselves from aging itself.”

That brings us back to the issues of diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes in America today. People with diabetes have more Alzheimer’s, more cancer, more vascular disease, increased inflammation, and accelerated aging that leads to complications of the kidneys, nerves, eyes and many other parts of our bodies. People with diabetes have a threefold increased risk of having a heart attack as well – the same risk as someone who has already had a heart attack.

Much of one’s risk of Type 2 diabetes depends on their being overweight. When we’re overweight, our body releases more free fatty acids and our insulin doesn’t work as effectively. Not only are we capable of changing this, said Nadeau, but we can change it on day-to-day basis based on the choices we make about food and exercise. People with diabetes are contending with a body that is full of inflammation, and by making different food choices, they can begin, he said, to “quiet the storm within.”

Rethinking Diet

While he doesn’t evangelize, Nadeau believes veganism can be one way to quiet that storm. As a vegan, Nadeau said his diet is naturally more diverse. “As opposed to having a hamburger and fries one night and macaroni and cheese the next, you are tending to pull in all these different brightly colored fruits and vegetables. You tend to cook different things and you tend to explore more,” he said. He favors veganism for those facing dire health circumstances due to diabetes not just because the diet is healthy, but because it presents a new way to approach food to people struggling with change. A vegan diet enables them to truly rethink what they eat at a time in their life when change is critical.

“People don’t realize in terms of preventing and treating the chronic diseases we face that the benefit really comes from plants,” said Nadeau. While veganism eliminates dairy and red meat, two things he recommends avoiding, reliance on plants is its most important characteristic. Even just a move toward incorporating more plant foods is a good start, he said. For some, that may mean making vegan choices a few days a week, or trying to eat vegan two out of three meals a day.

Adopting a healthy diet in the face of fast food conglomerates and limited options for vegans when it comes to eating out is definitely challenging. “But veganism is something that still has some cachet,” Nadeau said. “I don’t believe it has reached its peak in terms of interest.” He blames the Atkins craze for setting the world of healthful eating back dramatically and considers the country to be in “recovery mode” from the phenomenon. Whether it is because of health, the animal world, or climate change, he believes it is a time of increased awareness of the consequences of our food choices and that more and more people are beginning to eat with consciousness.

Toward a Healthier Meal

“I ask people to take each meal at a time and look at what they are going to eat,” said Nadeau. “Ask yourself, is this the healthiest way I can eat this meal?” His dietary convictions weave through the books he currently has in development. One focuses on diabetes, another on raising healthy kids, and another on healthy living and weight loss. One secret weapon he gives patients is the wild blueberry smoothie. “Most people like berries, and they don’t have a hard time incorporating a smoothie for breakfast. They end up loving it, and they find it doesn’t spike their blood sugars. It’s a great way to start the day.” (His own smoothie recipe, shown in the sidebar, doesn’t skimp – it contains a full 2 cups of wild blueberries.) Wild blueberry smoothies also provide excellent synergy. By combining different antioxidant foods, he says, it creates a synergistic relationship that makes the foods even more powerful than they would be if they were eaten alone: “Combining berries with something green, with raw cocoa and with turmeric, another amazing antioxidant, you are protecting yourself before you walk out the door.”

Hear Dr. Nadeau on the Power of Blue:

Nadeau recommends a diet generally high in blueberries especially for patients with diabetes. Wild blueberries are low in calories and low in carbs, and for those with kidney problems, often associated with diabetes, blueberries are a good choice because they have moderate levels of potassium.

For those who eat meat, he advises eating more fish, turkey and chicken, and avoiding sugar, white flour, beef, cheese and ice cream, while focusing on whole grains and legumes in addition to fruits and veggies. He also recommends eating more raw foods. “Blueberries are gong to be better for you if you have them raw or frozen, as in a blueberry smoothie, than they are if they are cooked,” he said. His ideal way to eat food is to allow the cells to release glutens through brief exposure to heat for maximum nutritional absorption – for example, spinach that instead of being cooked merely “kisses” a hot grill.

While forgoing comfort foods is simply out of the question for some, when people begin to connect with the idea of healthy eating, Nadeau witnesses remarkable transformations in terms of their body weight, blood sugar control, and how they feel, just like his 30-year old patient. Are the rest of us embracing this important connection between our choices and our health? “People need to hear from somebody,” he said. “They realize the connection when they get done talking to me.”

Find recipes such as Blueberry-Pineapple Parfait from The Color Code at wildblueberries.com.

Summer Foods Adopt a Blue Hue

Wild Blueberries Create New Traditions in Seasonal Fare

Right now, wild blueberry barrens throughout Maine and Nova Scotia are being fertilized and closely checked for growth and pests as farmers anticipate the coming harvest season. Around here, it seems like everyone has wild blueberries on their mind. Of course, there’s no reason to wait for August when today’s quick freezing technology makes blues straight from the field available anytime, but the thought of thousands of acres of this Maine fruit simultaneously bursting with deep blue color just seems to trigger our taste for the sweet, tangy wild blueberry.

There’s no forcing wild blueberry pie off the most-loved foods list, but there are some other less traditional ways to encounter the area’s indigenous ingredient that have burgeoned in popularity. Recently, the Portland Press Herald discussed the penchant for some to indulge in non-traditional lobster rolls (consider the convention-busting wasabi roll, or the BLT-style roll), and we’re doing the same with wild blueberries. We consider these outside-the-box specialties the new summer essentials. Incorporating them into your summer fare will steer you clear from the hum-drum and satisfy your hankering for the uniquely sweet taste you long for. There are plenty of options perfect for a season ripe for something small, cool and blue!

Blueberries & Seafood: A Sizzling Summer Pairing

Pairing wild blueberries with seafood has been a culinary secret held by the best chefs in the nation. Now it’s yours: blueberries create an ideal flavor profile for all types of proteins, but especially seafood, which comes to life when complemented by a bright, tangy sauce. Wild blueberries fit the bill perfectly due to their particularly complex flavor that’s like no other fruit or berry, and the result can be exquisite.

For example, wild blueberries paired with hearty fish, like this Grilled Halibut with Blueberry-Pepper Sauce from Heart Healthy Living is the perfect foray into seasonal eating. Think lobster and blueberries make an unlikely pair? Catherine Ryan Quint’s Baked Stuffed Lobster (reprinted here by Maine Travel Maven Hilary Nagle) says differently. Her recipe has a history of taking home the gold at the Machias Wild Blueberry Festival – can hundreds of Down Easters be wrong? The crabmeat and blueberry stuffing is the surprise. Another summer favorite from Food.com gets a new lease on life with Lobster and Crab Cakes with Wild Blueberries. Wild takes these cakes from same-old to seconds-please.

Blueberry Brews – A Summer Basic with a Twist

Hanging out around festivals tents, backyard barbeques, or under umbrellas on the deck of a local brewery this summer? Then you know that beer is a summer standard. Clearly, local breweries know the flavor for the season: it’s blueberry, and using Maine wild blueberries is imperative for a perfect brew. Atlantic Brewing has the idea with their Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale (their all-ages Blueberry soda is made with Maine blueberries, too). Sebago Brewing, not to be outdone, offers Bass Ackwards Berryblue Ale, brewed exclusively during the Maine blueberry harvest. (They suggest a Black and Blue – Bass Ackwards mixed with Lake Trout Stout – for a killer quaff.) Sea Dog Brewing Company makes their mark as well with Bluepaw Blueberry Wheat Ale, a sud beloved for its fruity, nutty flavor. Try all three and more with Bacon Wrapped Blueberry Jalapeño Poppers, a bar-side favorite with a twist that hails – who knew? – from the South.

Popsicles: Cool Blue Beats the Heat

The best summer treats are cool and blue, and what’s more, they come on a stick! Homemade popsicles with real fruit is ingenious – they cool you down during the heat wave and take advantage of what wild blueberries have to offer in addition to powerful health-preserving antioxidants: big fruit taste. If you don’t have these fruit-forward missiles in your freezer from June to August, then pack up your big-brimmed hat, summer just isn’t for you.

Start with Martha Stewart’s Banana Swirl Popsicles, or these classically cool Blueberry Pops (use frozen just as easily without sacrificing nutrition, taste or convenience). Or, put some Blueberry Pomegranate Pops in your freezer. They are colorful, cute, and cold, and they require just three ingredients and one minute (give or take) to make.

Salsa: The Ultimate Summer Side, Improved (with Blue)

Why is salsa so summer friendly? It’s a chilly side that incorporates some heat (if you like), and it transcends super snack status by also being a super entrée side. Why wild blues? They represent the epitome of fruit flavor – more so than their cultivated cousins, according to Chef Steve Corry of Portland’s 555 – which turns this classic into something exciting. Dip tortillas in it, pair it with chicken, pork or fish dishes, or heap in on a turkey sandwich for the ultimate solution to the bland dish that incorporates the crucial but sometimes overlooked part of the dietary color spectrum. Here’s an elegant recipe for Blueberry Salsa from Whole Living – the Kitchen Is My Playground takes you through the all the visual steps. It uses the typical ingredients, including cilantro, jalapeno and lime juice, and takes it all to the extreme with the smashing taste of blueberries. Or, dip into Mango Blueberry Salsa. Its big taste is courtesy of an expert Maine chef, Executive Chef Louis Kiefer Jr. of the Bar Harbor Inn. You can also use your own garden bounty (or someone else’s) to make this Blueberry and Basil Habanero Salsa from Closet Cooking, a savory salsa that provides fresh taste with some heat.

Got a summer recipe that uses wild blueberries? Whether it’s a classic dish or an extreme creation, tell us.

From Stress to Bliss

An Interview with The Slim, Calm, Sexy Diet Author Keri Glassman – & New Video!

Keri Glassman says she was born to do exactly what she is doing today. Even in seventh grade, the author and founder of Nutritious Life™ had nutrition on her mind. “My childhood friend tells me she remembers me being in science class and saying, ‘My body is craving vitamin E, I am going to eat almonds!’” recalls Glassman. “Barf! Was I that dorky?” It was a youthful dorkiness that turned into a life passion – not for dieting, but for being good to her body. And it led her down a path of helping others do the same.

Today, in her private practice in New York City, she works with five other Registered Dietitians to preach the Nutritious Life™ mantra, an approach to diet and wellness that considers the whole body. She is also a recognizable face on TV, a contributing editor for Women’s Health magazine, and the author of three books. The latest is The Slim Calm Sexy Diet (Rodale 2012) a whole body diet strategy with a three-prong focus – losing weight, feeling good, and conquering stress, a feat that in Glassman’s hands seems remarkably achievable.

A New Role for Weight Loss

One of the messages of The Slim Calm Sexy Diet is that weight loss doesn’t have to be a diet’s central focus. Instead, it is a “side effect” of other good choices such as reduced stress, balanced hormones, and increased activity. It’s a message Glassman says people are just beginning to receive. “Most people focus on diet, diet, and diet to lose unwanted pounds. And, sometimes, diet and exercise,” she says. “But, often they don’t put enough emphasis on the importance of sleep, managing stress, or simply being properly hydrated.”

For example, Glassman says the most common reason people are sluggish in the afternoon is due to dehydration, and she recommends starting each day with a drink of water with lemon. She is strong in her conviction that simple changes in things like water intake and sleep habits can make a significant difference in our health. “When you sleep well, your hormones are in a better place to help you lose weight,” she says. “The same goes for when you manage stress. By focusing on these other life factors, a person begins to feel a whole lot better and lose weight.”

“I Can Eat Blueberries!”

While fruits and veggies are crucial to living the slim, calm, sexy life, limitations are not. In a recent Nutritious Life newsletter, Glassman writes that her number one chill-out indulgence is a margarita with guacamole and chips. It may not sound like the musings of the author of a popular diet book, but it fits perfectly with Glassman’s philosophy of what she calls “eating empowered, not deprived”. She strives for stress-free living, including plenty of time for pampering (treats provide emotional and physical benefits) and for eating things she loves. Recipes like Raspberry Ricotta French Toast, which shows up in The Slim Calm Sexy Diet, sound indulgent, and they are. But as with all the recipes in the book, the ingredients are nutrient dense, so they are also flavorful, satisfying, and functional. The French Toast is made with multigrain bread, chopped pecans, honey, eggs, and cinnamon – all foods that provide body benefits.

An important principle of eating to be slim, calm, and sexy is changing our relationship with food: ending the on-and-off dieting and making eating a conscious, harmonious, enjoyable experience. Glassman knows first-hand about the starving/overeating roller coaster. Her struggle was with just 15 pounds, but it was enough to blow up into a war. “It made me mental,” she says. But gaining control of yo-yo dieting created a calm that in turn empowered her to remain in control of all her eating. Her own epiphany was a moment in which her negative mantra of “I can’t eat the cake,” turned into the more affirming, “I can eat blueberries!” and her quest to eat plenty of delicious, indulgent foods while maintaining health turned into a mission.

One of the ideas that threads through The Slim Calm Sexy Diet is that being hungry only contributes daily stress, which increases stress hormones responsible for weight gain, heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, among other health problems. The book includes healthy tips, weekly workout plans and easy-to-prepare recipes that use nutrient-dense foods that help steer the reader toward mind and body bliss and keep us calm, slim, and inspired to turn on the sexy. Calm foods include berries, for example, because they are rich in vitamin C and combat stress by lowering blood pressure levels and cortisol levels. Slim foods include those that deliver fiber for few calories, such as artichokes, or that increase “burn” like chilis, and sexy foods include those that increase fertility (peaches) and boost libido (watermelon).

Accessible Science

Glassman, a certified nutritionist, has always supported her diet recommendations with solid scientific evidence. “When you understand the science behind why blueberries are good for your heart health, your mind, and your skin, you are more motivated to want to eat blueberries and guess what? Weight loss also follows,” she says. The O2 Diet, (Rodale Books 2010) her previous book, an antioxidant-based diet that turns research into something accessible and easy to implement.

The O2 program acknowledges the importance of antioxidants in health and disease prevention. Because antioxidants protect against free radicals, they are crucial in preventing forms of cancer, heart disease, and symptoms of aging. Glassman uses the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) scale for the basis of the program. ORAC is the measurement of antioxidant protection provided by foods, and it’s an important measurement to keep in mind when it comes to making healthy food decisions. It’s also one that can sometimes elude consumers as they shop for foods at the grocery store. Glassman says the easiest way to start increasing the ORAC scores of the foods in our diet is to start with some simple changes. First, she advises ramping up veggie and fruit intake, focusing on healthy fats, and switching to only whole grains. Next, she advises focusing on the darkest, most colorful veggies and fruits. With these small steps, she says, we’ll automatically be getting more antioxidants, and our ORAC quotient will climb.

Keri on Access Hollywood: Indulge in sweets to slim this summer!

Slim, Calm, Sexy Wild Blueberries

Wild blueberries not only serve as an excellent “calm” food due to their influence on the brain, they are an indispensible part of Glassman’s vision of the balanced life. (See the video of Keri Glassman discussing Slim Calm Sexy with a Fox News affiliate in Michigan.) Wild blueberries provide the high antioxidant content that is the key to health and disease prevention, and Glassman also likes them because they are loaded with fiber, which aids digestive health and keeps us full. “And of course, because they just taste so good!” she says. Her favorite combination is wild blueberries in a kale salad with pine nuts or mixed into a side dish of quinoa, which offers powerful flavor, satisfaction, and nutrition.

As part of a diet plan for achieving slim, calm, sexiness, wild blueberries figure prominently in Glassman’s recommended three meals and two snacks per day. For breakfast she recommends wild blueberries combined with protein-rich cottage cheese. She also recommends revisiting wild blues in the afternoon as a wonderful way to indulge mid-day. There’s no need to limit yourself to just a sprinkle – instead, she recommends eating blues by the spoonful, layered between yogurt in a parfait dish and topped with a bit of chocolate.

If being slimmer, calmer, and sexier sounds like a recipe for a great summer, Glassman offers the incentive of losing up to 20 pounds on her diet the first six weeks. But the promise of a new relationship with food extends to all seasons. After understanding how food can put your life in blissful balance, you may never find that twenty pounds again. Instead, you can look forward to a sexier, calmer, if smaller, you.

You can learn about Keri Glassman’s book, or find out more about her philosophy of healthy eating and living at NutritiousLife.com

Find out More about The Slim Calm Sexy Diet at Women’s Health Magazine.

Why Adversity Leads to Success

A Unique Nutritional Concept Can Improve Health – Will We Listen?

It’s been the principle of sticktoitveness since Henry Ford created his first car (and his first flop): the difficult road to success – in business, in the arts, in athletics – ends in gold. The bigger the hardship, the more intense the success. In other words, in most walks of life, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.

Can something that applies to football players and CEOs alike also apply to the world of nutrition? The latest research says yes, and it brings to light an exciting new concept in health and disease prevention.

The more we study the nutritional components of food, the more we understand why certain foods are good for us. Some antioxidant-rich foods can preserve healthy organ functioning, prevent disease of aging, and even reverse age-related illness – powerful stuff for something readily available. Part of the reason relies on the principle of adversity – that their challenges have made them stronger and healthier. If we seek out foods that have endured struggles to survive in a difficult environment, we’re taking in powerful nutrition that in turn makes US stronger.

Stressed to Be The Be the Best

Member of The Bar Harbor Group Don Ingram, Ph.D. of the Nutritional Neuroscience and Aging Laboratory and the Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University, recently provided a case in point in an interview on the podcast To Your Good Health with Dr. David Friedman. Dr. Ingram explained why the huge nutritional capacity of certain foods like wild blueberries is the result of their tough nature.

Components in foods like wild blueberries act to protect the fruit against stressful events, said Ingram. Because the berries are grown naturally in demanding geographical areas in Maine and parts of Canada, they endure cold, harsh winters, temperature shifts and intense sun (for which they have developed their own UV protection in their deeply colored skin). They grow in rugged terrain and challenging soil, and they grow close to the ground where they are susceptible to insects, fungi and other pests. Wild blueberries are the product of a dangerous world, and they have evolved to thrive in the face of the harshest stressors. That’s exactly what makes them incredibly beneficial to us.

Why Some Foods are “Lazy”

Because wild blueberries have grown to withstand these environmental stressors, they have naturally evolved to have powerful defenses. When we put these foods in our bodies, we are getting the benefits of those defenses. According to Dr. Ingram, foods that are grown mainly as cultivated fruits such as the cultivated blueberry, or oranges, for instance, while still good for us, could be argued to be a bit “lazy” Dr. Ingram explains. These fruits have lost their protective abilities because through cultivation they have not needed to be tough – instead, we provide them with protection. As a result, truly powerful compounds, he surmises, have dropped from their nutritional profile.

Wild blueberries act on inflammation in the body, and inflammation is at the root of aging and many challenging diseases. Diets with blueberries, studies consistently show, calm destructive oxidative stress and reduce the inflammation in the cells of the brain, the heart, and other organs. That’s why in lab tests, wild blueberries are found to be advantageous for health in important ways such as fighting cancer, diabetes, heart disease, memory loss and Alzheimer’s, and other aging-related illnesses.

Food Adversity Principle = Improved Health for Us

The equation is groundbreaking. But why don’t we treat this phenomenon as the breakthrough it is? While the benefits of consuming foods high in nutrition is generally accepted, we’ve grown used to the evidence – both anecdotal and scientific – in support of healthy food. The advice can ring hollow because it seems so similar to a grandmother urging us to eat our vegetables and clear our plate. According to Dr. Ingram, food just doesn’t prompt the same level of excitement that cure-all medications and new scientific breakthroughs do. But it should.

The Whole Food Research Challenge

“This is a whole area of research that we need to be involved in,” Dr. Ingram told David Friedman of whole food research. “Funding agencies are remiss in funding this kind of research because it just doesn’t seem that sexy.” As a result, he said, we have yet to confirm many of the promising animal studies that would enable us to say definitively that wild blueberries, for example, can provide major benefits for the most pressing health hurdles for our culture.

The results of those studies could affect how we treat diseases related to oxidative stress as well as important areas such as insulin resistance, cognitive deficits, and overweight kids. Said Ingram, “Support for research that shows in a well-controlled trial that these types of foods like berries, particularly blueberries, can have these types of effects would go a long way to convincing the public that they should be eating these types of foods.”

Until we can figure out how to put the sexy into nutritional research, knowing that common Clark Kent foods can be the Supermen of health should be reason enough to make eating them every day a priority. Start applying the principle that what doesn’t kill you can make you stronger when it comes to the foods on your own plate. The street smarts inherent in your food has an excellent chance of translating into your good health.

Listen to the interview with Dr. Don Ingram on the To Your Good Health with Dr. David Friedman podcast.

Pinterest Shows Its True Blue Colors

A view of the many Pinterest boards devoted to blueberries and wild blueberries. The new social sharing site puts enthusiasts’ passions on display.

Whether you’re keeping tabs on the latest social media trends, or you’re an old-school scrapbooker, Pinterest is probably piquing your interest. Suddenly, this social sharing site is the talk of the digital town, and in the race to create personal “boards”, a true diversity of user interests has appeared.

Pinterest mimics a traditional pin board, letting you virtually “pin” favorite images, photos and recipes from around the digital world on your own “board”, peruse other boards, and find new discoveries to pin. It’s addictive, social fun for image-friendly topics like food, style, weddings and decor.

Though boards are widely diverse, it’s clear that many Pinterest users have a yen for a little blue fruit. These enthusiasts for blue are not shy about sharing their passion. Blueberry boards – many dedicated specifically to wild – are teeming with blueberry images, blueberry-themed food, recipes and personal photos. The result is an array of boards such as the Everything Blueberry board, the Food Blueberry board, boards devote solely to blueberry breads, blueberry cakes and simply blueberry obsession (think blueberry cake times 100.) It’s more than enough to sate a hunger for a very photogenic berry.

Blueberry Pinterest Finds

Seeking some bright blue ideas to stimulate your meal? On Pinterest you can find the creative, the practical, and truly mouth-watering. Here are just a few of our own blueberry finds – that is, images – suitable for our own wild blueberry board, along with the original source that inspired the Pinterest user to pin.

The Find: Blue Velvet Cake with Blueberries & Cream Cheese Frosting
The Source: Adventures in Cooking Blog
The sight of this true blue velvet cake will have you reeling with pleasure. It’s breath-taking blue piled high with white frosting (Sold? Print the recipe for this exquisite creation).

The Find: Blueberry Ice Cubes
The Source: We Are Not Martha
Inspiration doesn’t have to be complicated. This super simple superfruit recipe is perfect for a fun drink when you feel like giving blueberries a nod. We Are Not Martha takes you through the ice cube making process on this “favorite things” page, photographing each simple step along the way, the true indication of pin royalty. Here’s a preview:

1) Place 3-4 wild blueberries in an ice cube tray
2) Fill with water
3) Freeze
4) Use in sparking water, lemonade or your favorite cocktail.
5) Enjoy!

The Find: Blueberry French Toast Sandwich
The Source: Blue Willow (a “duochromatic blog” about only things that are white and blue)

This pinable Blueberry French Toast Sandwich adroitly bridges the gap between breakfast and lunch. It’s touted for its winning taste, and such a pin-worthy image has to taste good. Here’s the ingredients:

Package of cream cheese, softened
Some confectioners sugar
French toast slices
3/4 cup fresh (or go for nutrient-rich wild frozen) blueberries

From there, you are merely a mix, a toast and a spread away from yummy.

The Find: Blueberry Pop Tarts
The Source: Food Coma
It’s the homemade equivalent of the beloved family favorite. It’s hard to avert your eyes from this perfectly sweet manifestation of blueberry pop-tarts made fresh at home. The pin-worthy trick is puff pastry filled blueberry and topped with a sugary frosting. Pintastic!

Create Your Own ____ Board

Think you know wild blues? Show your colors! Create your own wild blueberry board – or fruit board, veggie board, healthy eating board, antioxidant food board, or anything full of nutritious, imagistic inspiration.

Making your own Pinterest board is easy. Start here. Request an invitation. (Yes, there’s a waiting list to this exclusive party.) Then, get to work on your own creation and share it, or browse other boards for likely additions and inspirations.

Maine Author Teaches Benefits of Wild Blueberries

There’s something about being a Maine wild blueberry farmer that makes you want to spread the word about the unique fruit to which you have devoted your life. That’s just the way it is with Gail J. VanWart.

Her most recent book gets the word out in the form of a children’s book. It’s called Ellery Didn’t Know That, a charming story about a bear’s adventures searching for wild blueberries. The tale tells of Ellery Bear, an adventurous, amiable creature who pays a visit to a Maine family and in doing so, sends the very worthy message to young readers that Maine lowbush wild blueberries are a natural, native fruit rich in attributes.

VanWart lives in Dedham, Maine on Peaked Mountain Farm, where she maintains the native Wild Blueberry fields as a proud fourth generation steward. The author and publisher named her main character “Ellery” for her grandfather who lived and cared for the Dedham Farm before her. The book sends a perfectly delicious and healthy message with a delightfully furry messenger to help send it.

VanWart’s previous book, Life Raked In is a collection of poems, recipes and thoughts on life inspired by the Wild Blueberry fields on the family farm. She is a self-proclaimed huge wild blueberry fan, dedicated to spreading the word about wild and the wild lifestyle. (You can buy the book and see her appearance on Good Day Maine).

Gail VanWart’s Mid-Winter Treat: Wild Blueberry Gingerbread

VanWart was kind enough to share a favorite recipe with Wild About Health from Life Raked In. Her Wild Blueberry Gingerbread is an ideal mid-winter treat that uses frozen wild blueberries to achieve gingerbread nirvana. Enjoy!

Gail’s Wild Blueberry Gingerbread

2 cups flour
½ cup shortening
½ t. salt
1 cup sugar
1 egg
½ t. ginger
1 t. cinnamon
1 t baking soda
3 T. molasses
1 cup sour milk*
1 cup Wild Blueberries (fresh or frozen)

3 T. sugar
to sprinkle on top before baking

Confectioner’s Sugar
to sprinkle on top after baking

½ cup fresh Wild Blueberries
for garnish, if available

Cream shortening and add salt and sugar gradually. Add unbeaten egg and beat until light and fluffy. In separate bowl, mix flour, ginger, and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix baking soda with sour milk, stir until soda is dissolved. Then add dry ingredients and sour milk mixture alternately to the creamed mixture. Add the molasses and fold in the cup of Wild Blueberries. Turn into a greased and floured pan (either a 9” x 9” square or 10” round pan works well). Sprinkle top with 3 tablespoons sugar and bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes. When done, turn onto rack to cool. When cool, place on a plate and sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar and garnish with fresh blueberries.

*If you don’t have sour milk on hand, add 2 tablespoons vinegar to one cup of whole milk.

Health.com Cites Wild Blueberries as Pick for Winter

It’s a set-in-stone rule for cold-weather eating: fruit can rescue good nutrition in the winter months. We often don’t get the fruit requirements we need when the mercury drops, but frozen makes our favorite fruits available and as nutritious as fresh (if not more, due to being quick-frozen at their peak). So why are we ducking our daily requirements? There should be no excuses.

Health.com lays out the best winter fruits, and starts their list with powerful wild blueberries, urging readers to “Buy ’em: Frozen” and touting the nutritional and economic virtues of the small, wild fruit.

From Health.com’s How to Get Your Favorite Fruits in Winter:

“Frozen blueberries are typically the petite wild version, which have been found by scientists to contain more disease-thwarting antioxidants than their traditionally cultivated counterparts (the type you’re most likely to find fresh right now). Also, fresh blueberries are pricey in winter and, if trucked in from afar, can go moldy fast.”

The article also cites wild blueberries as one of the best superfoods for weight loss, and no wonder: a 1-cup serving is just 80 calories, and provides 4 grams of fiber for helping you feel full – a perfect food to help you keep your New Year’s resolution.

Get ’em frozen indeed! Well done, Health.com!

Most Unusual Blues

Move Over Yogurt – These Wild Blueberry Ideas Give Fruit a Whole New Meaning

“Wild blueberries? I’ll eat them with absolutely anything,” said one dyed-blue-in-the-wool Wild About Health reader. If you agree – and if by everything you mean everything, this is the post for you.

Wild blueberries lovers, these are our halcyon days. In our quest for good health, adding fruits and vegetables to our meals is high priority. Those deeply colored wild blueberries are the go-to food for enhancing our health and disease prevention efforts. They are high in antioxidants, they have a low glycemic index, and they are low in calories. They are also deliciously, complexly sweet and tangy.

As a result of the good news surrounding blueberries, specifically wild (wild offers more concentrated nutrition per berry), there’s a swell of interest in eating the fruit – but not in the traditional way. Wild blueberries are popping up in some unexpected places, and they seem to be a new mainstay in a wide array of foods, drinks, and snacks.

So, move over yogurt, step aside pancakes – we love you, but these new traditions in blues will blow your mind (without blowing your commitment to healthy eating).

7 Unusual Ways to Use Your Blues

The Blueberry Bagel Debate

A discussion of blueberry uses that are out of the ordinary must start with the Great Blueberry Bagel Debate. Loved or hated, all bagel aficionados have an opinion. On the one hand, this choice of bagel can have a tendency to be blue of hue – for some, disturbingly so. While some blueberries remain discretely nestled in the bread, others turn bagels vastly different from the expected earth tone. Depending on the maker, the blueberry bagel has been accused of being cakey, and toppings like lox and capers can seem like a difficult fit.

But for others, the delicious bagel consistency mixed with the sweetness of blues is pure breakfast food bliss, and cream cheese is the ideal pairing. It’s simply the only bagel choice for some bagel lovers, whether they have a berry affinity or not. Read more about the blueberry bagel debate. Then, go ahead and make your own homemade Blueberry Bagel, if you are so inclined.

(Nutritionally) Potent Potables

For the occasional imbiber, blueberries are a clever, inventive, multipurpose bar ingredient. Blueberries are no stranger to vodka, for example – they provide a twist to the norm with the added attraction of the “wild” mystique of their origin. Recently, jumping on the blueberry bandwagon, Hangar One announced the release of Maine Wild Blueberry Vodka. It’s a trend that may have its roots with the local Cold River Vodka, an 80-proof vodka made by steeping Wyman’s wild blueberries in alcohol for several days, then filtering it off. They use just a small amount of sugar to achieve this aromatic bouquet and subtle flavor. Try it, along with their recipe ideas, such as Blueberry Melon Martini, for yourself.

Infused vodka shines, but there’s no end to blueberry uses when it comes to cocktails. They are perfect for the holiday season, which necessitates special recipes and lots of color. Wildblueberries.com offers some brand new additions to their drink database that will add a spark to your next gathering. Fortify yourself with an Atlantic Blue with Wild Blueberries or a Lemon Cream and Wild Blueberry Sabayon. You can also rock your guest’s world with Wild Blueberry Woodruff Lime Punch or Wild Blueberry, Elderflower Mint Soda.

Blueberry Vinegar

If you are looking for a unique way to use your blues, this one not only fits the bill for your kitchen, it also makes a wonderful homemade gift during the holiday season. Making blueberry vinegar is simple, and its taste and versatility pays off in spades. Blueberry Vinegar can be added to many recipes that call for vinegar to add a unique twist of flavor: try it on salads, as marinade, or have it handy to sprinkle on fish or chicken while you cook. It offers big taste at approximately 4 calories per serving, too.

Try making your own Blueberry Balsamic Vinegar, or buy some from a local Maine company if you prefer.

Blueberry Soup

This slurpable summery treat, which can also be served in winter (buy frozen wild blueberries for easy cooking), fits the bill for savory, elegant and unique. Ladle this Chilled Wild Blueberry Soup from Moveable Feasts into bowls, garnish with sour cream or crème fraîche and top with a mint leaf, and you’ve got a bowl of exquisiteness. Or try this smashing Maine Wild Blueberry Soup which calls for Pinot Noir (weigh it against Moveable Feast’s white wine) and a bit of honey.

Blueberry Swizzle Sticks

We love this idea for its creativity and for the surprising addition it provides to a drink. Wild blueberries create the basis of this swizzle stick drink stirrer that makes a fruit drink more fabulous. Assembly is simple: place blueberries on a wooden skewer and freeze. Then place them in your guests’ drinks at your next wing-ding. You can find the “recipe” here, where you’ll also find some other unique serving ideas for wild blues. They include out-of-the-ordinary notions such as crushing frozen wild blueberries into vanilla frosting to create a beautiful purple color for your cakes that amplifies the flavor and the fun.

Blueberry Wine

It may not be the first thing you think of when you think of blueberries, but it’s not the last, either. Blueberry wine conjures the crush of flavorful berries and mellow, sweet subtle of flavors that makes perfect sense. If you are adept at making wine, blueberry is a particularly pleasurable option. The wine-making process can take up to several months however, so depending on your schedule, buying it might be easier.

If you are local to Maine, you might try Bartlett Winery in Gouldsboro or Blacksmith’s Winery in Casco. They both make a practice of using native fruits. Also, Maine Mead Works offers HoneyMaker Blueberry Mead made with wild blueberries and wildflower honey from Maine, which is described as having a cherry-rose color and a clean, honey-like aroma with berry notes – berry irresistible.

Hot & Spicy Sauces

This unusual marriage is made in heaven. The piquant spice of the hot pepper, matched with the sweet tang of blueberries is a taste that thrills the palate and compliments myriad foods. This hot-sweet flavor combination may sound like a one-time treat, but it can quickly become a daily delight. It works with potatoes, sandwiches, chicken, burgers, even scrambled eggs. The Sensitive Pantry has the right idea with this recipe for Blueberry Chili Hot Sauce. You can also start your culinary experimentation with this recipe from Food & Wine, or this simple, sweet Hot Spiced Blueberry Sauce that works for vanilla ice cream as well as for chicken on the barbie.

A similar taste profile can be created with a creatively unusual Blueberry Mustard, something threatening to become a table staple (see evidence here and here for starters), and no wonder. Easy to make and keep on hand for your midnight Dagwood, it’s lovely enough for a homemade Christmas gift for friends. Complete the package with your own jar and label.

Try this simple Spicy Blueberry Mustard recipe from Helium. It calls for just three ingredients: blueberries, mustard and honey…pure condiment delight.

Hungry for more? Endless Simmer will sate your appetite. They have 100 ways to use yours blues – an impressive list that we’ve referred to here before. These ideas are less unusual than they are simply fabulous. Our favorite discovery? Blueberry Mint Ice Cream Sandwiches.

Blueberry Breakdown: Help Berries Help You!

It’s not just a Dr. Oz favorite food. It’s a superfruit people consume as part of favorite recipes or all by themselves the world over. That’s because of their unique taste, versatility, availability fresh or frozen, and big potential for health. Whenever we make an effort to get the most concentrated nutrition in the form of fruit and veggie servings, wild blueberries are the food millions turn to every day.

But as much as we love them, sometimes it’s easy to set our diet on berry autopilot. Maybe you’ve become a little complacent with your eating habits. Maybe your servings count has slipped from five to one or two – on a good day. Maybe your MyPlate plate looks more like a paper bag stamped with a P.F. Chang logo.

It happens. Every once in a while it’s worth taking stock of what the wild blueberries we rely on are doing to help us – inside and out – as a way to rekindle the flame that keeps our daily nutrition smoldering. Knowing the health advantages of wild blueberries is like doing your morning affirmations. Reinforcing the benefits can help keep blues and other healthy foods at the top of your list every day, where they should be. And every effort you make toward better nutrition in the course of a day adds up to big health payoffs over time.

Wild Blueberry Breakdown

Can’t quite recall what the wild blueberries benefits are? Not to worry. Here’s your blueberry breakdown of the five most compelling ways blueberries, especially wild blueberries, are benefiting your health.

1. Your Brain

When it comes to blueberries, the “brain food” moniker is earned, and antioxidants are the key. They protect against inflammation, which is thought to be a leading factor in brain aging, including Alzheimer’s disease. And blueberries, especially wild blueberries, are higher than nearly all other fruits when it comes to antioxidants. In addition, ongoing brain research shows that blueberries may improve motor skills and actually reverse the short-term memory loss that comes with aging. Other fruits and vegetables have been studied, but it was blueberries that were shown to be effective.

2. Your Cancer Prevention Efforts

Blueberries are especially potent when it comes to the body’s battle against free radicals, and research shows that blueberry compounds may inhibit all stages of cancer. Part of the ongoing research into the benefit of blueberries for cancer prevention includes the exciting studies conducted by Shiuan Chen, Ph.D., and Lynn Adams, Ph.D., of the Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, who demonstrated the potential of blueberries to inhibit the growth of Triple Negative Breast Cancer, a particularly aggressive and hard to treat form of breast tumor. Studies into the link between blueberries and cancer continue, but researchers are already taking a stand – most say eating blueberries is akin to a daily dose of cancer prevention.

3. Your Heart

Who knew something so delicious could be such a life saver? Thank the berry’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents for its cardiovascular benefit. Research indicates that blueberries may protect against heart disease and damage from stroke, and scientists have found a blueberry-enriched diet may protect the heart muscle from damage and regulate blood pressure. What’s more, blueberries may reduce the build up of so called “bad” cholesterol that contributes to cardiovascular disease and stroke, making every blue platter a heart-healthy one, cross our heart.

4. Your Diabetes Risk

If you have an increased chance of getting diabetes (and today, 1 in 10 Americans have Type 2 diabetes, more than ever before) eating blueberries is a smart line of defense. Consuming low Glycemic Index foods causes a smaller rise in blood glucose levels than consuming high GI foods – an important consideration for people with diabetes. Wild blueberries scored 53 on the GI scale making them a clear low GI food and an excellent choice for those struggling with or trying to prevent diabetes.

5. Your Skin

Nature gave us skin damage and wrinkles. It also gave us high antioxidant foods to fight back. The anti-inflammation properties found in blueberries act as anti-aging agents, fighting off environmental hazards to the skin, protecting the skin from sun damage and even preventing wrinkles. Some studies suggest that eating blueberries regularly can even help improve acne-prone skin. Is it any wonder products like Blueberry Eye Firming Treatment are capitalizing on the blueberry benefits?

Wild Blueberries – On Every Plate.

We know fruit and vegetable intake is important. While all fruits are good, wild blueberries outperformed two dozen commonly consumed fruits like pomegranates, strawberries, cultivated blueberries, cranberries, apples and red grapes. Researchers are continuing their study into the anti-inflammatory potential of the polyphenols in blueberries, since chronic inflammation at the cellular level is at the heart of many degenerative age-related diseases. Besides the benefits listed above, blueberries hold other promise that has scientists engaged in ongoing research into their potential for mood enhancement, weight loss, appetite control, improvements in vision, and as pain fighters.

There are more than enough reasons not to let your nutrition flame-out. One clear solution that you can start implementing today is to put wild blueberries to work for you. Put them on your plate at every meal, and know you are doing something good for your health and disease prevention.

How much do I have to eat? Getting the recommendation amount of wild blueberries to make a difference is so doable! Recommended daily intake differs depending on age and gender, but approximately two cups of fruit is usually recommended for adults – easy to achieve throughout the day in snacks and as part of meals. And, at just 45 calories per serving, wild blueberries deliver substantial nutrients for every calorie consumed.

Find out more about the health benefits and recommended daily intake.

Need recipe ideas to rekindle your diet? Wild blueberries are easy to cook with and add surprising taste variations that make dishes shine. Search the Wild Blueberry Association’s database of recipes. It includes recipes from some of the best chefs and nutritionists guaranteed to refresh your palate and your plate!

In the Heart of Harvest Country, Wild Blueberry Research Intensifies

Last month, Midcoast Maine was a hotbed of exciting, innovative research into some of the most urgent areas of health. Bar Harbor, Maine hosted the 14th annual Wild Blueberry Research Summit this August, an event devoted exclusively to continued research into the role of wild blueberries in critical areas of health.

At the Health Summit, top scientists from the U.S. and Canada, collectively known as the “Bar Harbor Group,” come together each year to present compelling new data to substantiate the connection between a blueberry-rich diet and prevention of diseases like Alzheimer’s, heart disease, and diabetes. This year’s Summit once again delivered on the promise of this heralded little fruit.

Widely known as a “brain food” because of its positive effect on brain health as well as for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant abilities, the wild blueberry continues to be under the microscope as it expands its nutritional promise into areas such as metabolic syndrome, heart and blood vessel health, and diabetes. Researchers who participate in the Summit share current findings from clinical trials and pilot studies, and explore opportunities for future collaborations as they relate to the the berry’s disease-fighting potential.

More than ever, at the heart of this year’s Summit was the impact of diet on our health, our medical care, and our communities. With a nation that is collapsing under the burden of obesity and nutrition-related health issues, it is an important time for nutritional research. The idea that some of the answers to a considerable community health crisis could be found in a little blue globe of fruit is as remarkable as it is exciting. At the center of these discoveries are leading U.S. and Canadian researchers who are active in the fields of neuroscience, aging, cardiovascular disease, cancer, eye health and other health-related areas. Meeting together in Maine, in the middle of wild blueberry country after the harvest season, is particularly fitting.

Part of the compelling new research presented at the Summit included work from Dr. Robert Krikorian of the University of Cincinnati into the connection between wild blueberries and cognitive ability. Krikorian reported on two clinical studies which investigated the effect of a diet supplemented with wild blueberry juice on memory and brain function. Adults in the study had Mild Cognitive Impairment, a risk condition for Alzheimer’s disease.

Krikorian and his team treated subjects with 15 to 21 ounces of wild blueberry juice per day. Mood and memory were tested, and findings indicated that the subjects had improved recall and improved learning after 12 weeks. While these early findings require more study, initial results suggests a relationship between the regular consumption of blueberry juice and improved brain function.

Other research presented at the Summit included work from Barbara Shukitt-Hale from the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging concerning memory and motor function, Dr. Ana Rodriguez-Mateos of the Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences at the U.K.’s University of Reading into wild blueberry consumption and blood vessel function, and Dr. Catherine M. Champagne, Professor of Nutritional Epidemiology/Dietary Assessment at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge into the positive effect of blueberry diet on insulin sensitivity. You can read about some of the Summit’s highlights by reading Annual Health Summit Reveals Promising Benefits of Wild Blueberries.

Each time the Bar Harbor Group comes together, the excitement in the nutritional and scientific fields intensifies. While some of the studies presented at the Summit are in their beginning stages, sharing pilot studies and ongoing clinical trials with such significant potential is the key to moving nutritional research forward and understanding the connections between wild blueberries and disease – especially when they concern diseases that have such a widespread and devastating effect on our population.

Studies into wild blueberries and diseases of aging have already yielded important results. In fact, it’s been since 1998 that these researchers have gathered in Maine to share their data, and past Summits have revealed studies that found positive connections between wild blueberries and satiety, insulin sensitivity, and depression. (Find out more about what we already know about the health benefits of wild blueberries.)

Scientists who study health and nutrition are passionate about understanding wild blueberries’ potential in preventing age-related diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s. To what extent they can prevent or forestall these diseases is the mission of researchers like those in attendance at the Summit this year.

It’s an exciting time for the wild blueberry! Find information on research from this year’s Summit at WildBlueberries.com, or read more about the scientists that make up the Bar Harbor Group and their work in the field of disease prevention and healthy aging.