Can What We Eat Help Our Brains as We Age?

Do you forget where you placed your keys or have trouble remembering small details? Forgetfulness is a normal part of aging and may affect some of us more than others as we grow older. Unfortunately, for many of us —even if we are healthy now— a diagnosis of dementia could loom. Dementia is not a normal part of aging, and scientists are still researching why and how some people get dementia while others don’t.

Even though we may not be able to control whether or not we end up with dementia (our genetic blueprints put some of us at significantly higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease later in life, for instance), we certainly can take steps to help support healthy brain aging. One of the easiest lifestyle factors we can take control of to help our brains is diet.

Good Heart Health Linked with Good Brain Health

One way to think about eating for brain health is this: what’s good for the heart is probably good for the brain, too. Conditions related to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, including high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol, also increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease later in life. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, this “head-heart” connection is so prevalent that some studies indicate that over 80% of people with Alzheimer’s disease also have cardiovascular disease.  While more research needs to be done before we really understand how vascular health is related to brain health, there’s no harm in giving your heart health some extra attention now. Consider adopting a Mediterranean style diet or following the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet. Both of these support a healthy heart (and therefore a healthy brain) by:

  • Limiting red meat
  • Encouraging more fish and poultry
  • Emphasizing an abundance of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and whole grains
  • Limiting sodium and sweets

One major difference between the two eating styles is that the Mediterranean diet includes liberal amounts of olive oil, while the DASH diet advocates a lower fat intake overall.

The MIND Diet approach

This MIND Diet was specifically created by researchers to target age-related brain health and dementia. It’s basically a combination of the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet (the acronym stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay). The MIND Diet goes further with specific, listing 10 foods to incorporate more often (including how many servings per week), and 5 foods to avoid. Berries are specifically mentioned as a food to consume at least twice a week. Other foods to include are green leafy veggies, other vegetables, nuts, and beans. Interestingly, research suggests that even moderate adherence to the MIND eating plan is associated with lower rates of Alzheimer’s disease.

Are there specific foods associated with better brain health?

By now you may have a good idea of which foods are thought to be “brain boosting” foods. Here are some specifics about the positive associations between certain foods and brain health as we age:

We know that diet is important to a healthy brain, but so is exercise. A recent study of individuals with existing cognitive impairments revealed that the combination of a healthy diet and regular exercise may be the ticket to reversing an aging brain.

Having a brain that keeps “firing on all cylinders” is something we all hope for as we grow older. When you make healthy changes to your diet and if you start a regular exercise routine, remember you’re doing something good for your brain.

A WILD Dinner to Celebrate Mother’s Day

If the Mom in your life is always on the go, keeping track of school, work and play schedules, cleaning up the “not me” messes, and other parenting tasks, make sure you take some time to say, “Thank you!” this Mother’s Day. What better way to do that than by preparing her a delicious and healthy dinner. Make it a fun family affair and get the kids involved. You’ll make some special memories along the way, too. To help you get started, we’ve pulled a few of our favorite recipes from some of our most creative health and nutrition food bloggers.

All of these recipes include frozen Wild Blueberries. These tiny, potent berries aren’t just for muffins and pies. They’re also delicious in appetizers, entrees, and cocktails. Plus, Wild Blueberries provide twice the antioxidant capacity of traditional blueberries and are considered one of the top anti-inflammatory fruits. These antioxidant-rich super berries are filled with bioactive phytonutrients that give them their deep blue color, which can protect against inflammation, thought to be a leading factor in brain aging, Alzheimer’s disease, and other diseases. What makes Wild Blueberries so powerful is that they combat stress in the wild and harsh northern climate of Maine by producing phytochemicals and anthocyanins to protect themselves. It’s these naturally occurring compounds that help protect us from inflammation and chronic disease when we eat them. And the best thing about Wild Blueberries is that you don’t have to wait until summer to enjoy them. You can find them in the frozen fruit aisle supermarket all year long.


Cocktail.
Start the evening off right and before you and the kids get busy in the kitchen, make Mom this cocktail – if she doesn’t drink alcohol, leave out the bourbon for the tastiest mocktail she’s ever had. The combination of Wild Blueberries, mint and lemon are delicious and refreshing in this Wild Blueberry Bourbon Smash. The splash of seltzer gives it just enough fizz to impress Mom with your mixology skills. And honestly, the bourbon is an excellent addition to this recipe but can be substituted for another spirit or left out, and it will STILL be delicious.


Appetizer.
After Mom has enjoyed a few sips of her Wild Blueberry Smash, continue to impress her taste buds with these Wild Blueberry Brie Pastry Bites. Once you serve this tasty appetizer, it will look like you’ve been working hard in the kitchen all day, but this recipe is incredibly easy to make. The kids can help fill each of the phyllo cups with brie and top ‘em off with the Wild Blueberry sauce. You’ll see her smile as soon as she takes a bite and enjoys the crunch of the phyllo shell, the creaminess of the warm brie and the pop of sweet and tart flavor from the Wild Blueberries.


Salad.
By now, Mom’s Mother’s Day dinner should be coming together nicely. To keep it simple, serve a salad alongside your main course! Have the kids create a simple green salad with mixed baby greens like spinach and arugula, include some cucumbers, tomatoes and any other items that Mom loves in her salad. Then WOW her with a homemade dressing. Don’t panic! Homemade dressing is incredibly easy, and this Wild Blueberry Balsamic Dressing only has six ingredients – most of which you’re likely to have in your pantry already. Just blend everything together and then drizzle over the top of Mom’s salad. You may catch her licking the salad plate but hey, don’t judge! She works hard, and you’ll probably want to do the same.

Entreé.
Show off your mad grillin’ skills and make this Shrimp and Veggie Kabobs with Wild Blueberry Barbecue Sauce recipe as your main course. Mom will love the shrimp and pepper combination glazed in the homemade barbeque sauce. It’s sure to be the most memorable meal and Mother’s Day of all time – no pressure. If Mom’s not into shrimp, cubed chicken, tofu or any other protein will work so long as it can be skewered – adjust cook time accordingly. The kids can help by cutting up the peppers and putting all the items on the skewers.


Dessert.
Now that dinner is over take some time to hang out and make some Mother’s Day memories with the entire family. (HINT: Make these Mini Wild Blueberry Cream Pies ahead of time. They freeze nicely in an airtight container.) No baking is required for this recipe! Dates, nuts, and oats make the tasty crust, and little fingers are perfect for pressing them into the bottom of each cupcake liner. As the kids spoon in the delicious Wild Blueberry filling keep an eye on them to make sure enough ends up in the cupcake pan and not all in their tummies. Freeze for 10 to 15 minutes, or longer in an airtight container. It’s the perfect ending to celebrate Mother’s Day.

5 Reasons to Buy Frozen Fruits and Veggies + Wild Blueberry Buddha Recipe

You may remember the saying, “Fresh is best.” You might even still believe it! But thanks to a growing body of research on the nutrition benefits of produce we now know that fresh produce isn’t any better than frozen. In honor of National Frozen Food Month this March, we’re going to be busting some myths today around frozen fruits and veggies!

Great Nutrition: A number of studies show that there are minimal differences in the nutrient content of frozen versus fresh produce and in some instances, frozen has even more nutrients than fresh! Frozen fruits are generally picked at peak ripeness, when they’re most nutritious and the freezing process helps lock in those nutrients. In fact, Wild Blueberries are frozen fresh within 24 hours of harvest, when their flavor and antioxidant goodness are at their ultimate peak!

Less Food Waste: Another benefit to choosing frozen fruits and vegetables is their long shelf life! Fresh fruits and vegetables are at greater risk for spoilage and food waste, but frozen allows you to buy in bulk without the worry of your produce going bad.

Higher Consumption: In fact, one study found that people who purchase frozen fruits and vegetables consume significantly more produce than those who don’t purchase frozen. So if you’re looking to increase your fruit and veggie intake, frozen produce may be your answer!

Smaller Grocery Bill: Purchasing frozen produce can also help keep your grocery bills down. Frozen fruits and vegetables are generally less expensive than fresh. For instance, a 10-ounce bag of frozen fruit is about the same price as six ounces of the fresh fruit. The USDA has a nifty interactive chart you can use to compare the cost of fresh vs. frozen produce.

Enjoy When Ready: I love stocking my freezer with frozen produce because it takes the pressure off of having to consume it all within a short period of time. With frozen produce, I can eat it when I’m ready for it, rather than when it’s ready for me. With 99% of the Wild Blueberry crop being frozen, I can always count on having Wild Blueberries on hand in my freezer.

My latest recipe using frozen Wild Blueberries capitalizes on the trend for grain bowls or “Buddha Bowls.” While this recipe calls for fresh produce, feel free to substitute it with frozen. You can easily substitute Swiss Chard for frozen spinach, and I recently heard that you can now find frozen avocados on the market, too! Wins for frozen produce all around!

Heart Healthy Valentine’s Day Recipe that Will Make You Fall in Love

Valentine’s Day is a time to celebrate the people you love, but it’s also a time to be good to your heart! Most of us think of heart-shaped chocolates, homemade cookies, and other treats when we think of Valentine’s Day, but not every heart-shaped treat has to put heart health on the back burner. These chocolate, lemon and almond Wild Blueberry Energy Bars are delicious, filling, and perfectly themed for Valentine’s Day.

I’ve had a lot of practice making energy bars (my no-bake bites are a huge hit with my clients and family), and Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to create a new heart-healthy recipe. Adding Wild Blueberries to any baked treat always adds the perfect amount of sweetness and moisture without relying on added sugar — and they’re a great source of heart healthy fiber and antioxidants.

Heart health is really important for everyone, and it is important to know that heart disease is not just a man’s disease. An estimated 44 million women in the U.S. are affected by cardiovascular disease, and 90% of women have one or more risk factors for heart disease or stroke.  There is good news, though: 80% of heart attack and stroke events can be prevented by lifestyle changes, such as consuming a heart-healthy diet.

Eating Wild Blueberries is a great way to keep your heart healthy. Why? Because they’re so rich in anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are a group of antioxidants that provide many benefits to the heart — not to mention being responsible for the Wild Blueberry’s deep blue color.

Studies have shown that Wild Blueberry anthocyanins can help prevent lipid accumulation and improve vascular function – both of which play a major role in the development of cardiovascular disease. What’s more, high anthocyanin intake is associated with a reduced risk of heart attack in women and an increased antioxidant capacity. With an increased antioxidant capacity, your body is better able to protect against oxidative stress, which is a large contributor to cardiovascular disease.

With all of these heart health benefits, Wild Blueberries truly are the perfect food to incorporate into Valentine’s Day, a day that’s all about being good to your heart and to the ones you love! And these energy bars have you covered on both counts! They’re super simple to make. Just pulse all the ingredients together in a food processor and spread into a pan. Then use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to make heart-shaped bars for anyone you love. I’m wrapping these up for my mom, but they’re also the perfect Valentine’s Day treat to send to school with your kids – especially on a day you know will already be sweet enough.

Here’s the full recipe. Enjoy!

5 Wild Blueberries and Ice Cream Recipes that Celebrate Summer

July in Maine is truly a glorious thing. For one, the weather is usually at its very best, and people are out enjoying all the state has to offer, from the cool, blue ocean to the top of Cadillac Mountain, and all in between. It’s also National (WILD) Blueberry Month, giving us one more  wonderful reason to celebrate our state’s wild berry. To top it all off, July is also National Ice Cream Month! When you add it all up, this amazing combination represents comes down to enjoying Wild Blueberry ice cream on a beautiful summer day in Maine.

If you can’t make it to Maine this summer, you can swing by your local supermarket and take home a little bit of Maine – in a bag of frozen Wild Blueberries. A spoonful of those special berries will transport your mind to your favorite place in Maine in July. And what better way to enjoy frozen Wild Blueberries than with homemade ice cream. Here’s a few of our favorite Wild Blueberry ice cream recipes – some are event dairy free and vegan friendly – so you can celebrate the glorious month of July right along with us:

Wild Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream Sandwiches. These delicious ice cream sandwiches will be devoured before they can melt in the summer heat. This recipe is non-dairy and vegan friendly, but we doubt anyone will notice (you can easily substitute those back in). Cut ‘em up as tiny bites for a gathering or leave them bigger for a full-on treat.

Wild Blueberry Ice Cream. This more traditional ice cream recipe on our list is perfect in a dish or scooped into a cone! The crumbled graham crackers and dark chocolate chips give the ice cream texture and compliment the sweet and tangy flavors of the Wild Blueberries. Easy enough to make, this could become part of your annual summer festivities.

Wild Blueberry Vegan “Ice Cream” with Ginger and Lemon. Making “ice cream” from ripe bananas is all the rage these days. This recipe is simple with only five ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. Using ripe bananas also means you can skip the added sugar and milk making this a healthier frozen treat. Just blend and enjoy!

Wild Blueberry Yogurt Pops. Prefer froyo? We have the perfect treat for the kids (and mom and dad too) to grab when you’re on the move. The frozen Wild Blueberries add a sweet pop of flavor that will delight the pickiest of kids. Customize them with your favorite yogurt and to make them out of this world add a little chocolate drizzle at the end.

Wild Blueberry & Champagne Sorbet. This is a delicious and refreshing option for family and friends who don’t like ice cream (yes it’s hard to believe but some folks don’t). The champagne added at the end gives a fun bubbly finish to the sorbet to make any summer night celebration a little more festive.

We hope you have a fun July. And remember you can whip up and enjoy these frozen treats any day, week or month because frozen Wild Blueberries are available all year long in the frozen fruit aisle of your local supermarket. Pick up a bag and transport yourself to summer in Maine whenever you need quiet moment and a break from the chaos of a busy day.

Tempting Food Tweaks Help You “Put Your Best Fork Forward”

March is National Nutrition Month® in the U.S., and this year’s theme, “Put Your Best Fork Forward” is a great one because it reminds us all that taking steps to improve our nutrition through smart eating is possible. This year’s theme does not demand perfection. Instead, it prods us to take action to make our diets better, to start where we are right now, at this moment, and to acknowledge that every improvement is a step on the good eating journey.

From my standpoint, the annual National Nutrition Month® theme commands more than a little respect. It’s not arrived at willy-nilly or by accident. Rather, the theme and its associated list of recommendations is deliberately arrived at each year by The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics , a professional organization made up of more than 100,000 credentialed dietitians and dietetic technicians from across the country. These professionals know what they’re talking about when it comes to nutrition. Here are some highlights:

  • Small tweaks can bring big nutrition benefits

Making positive changes to your diet doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing deal. Go big or go home doesn’t apply to healthy choices. In fact, “going big” when it comes to dietary modifications can lead to major feelings of deprivation, which can lead to giving up completely. According to Cornell University researchers, we make about 200 food-related choices every day! Having to give lots of thought to each and every one of those every day would be overwhelming. Doesn’t it make sense to make small switches that you can apply to just some of those decisions? A number of research studies have examined the effect of making small changes, and the studies indicate that this approach is successful for many people. Studies by the University of British Columbia show that focusing on quantity, quality, or frequency of food consumption—not all of them at once—might be the key to sustaining positive dietary changes that truly impact health. Another way to position small changes in your diet is to put the emphasis on adding things to your daily diet, as opposed to always focusing on what you need to eat less of or eliminate. Putting a positive spin on your healthful changes can make them more palatable.

  • What does putting your “best fork forward” look like for you?

Of course, choosing which small changes you want to work on depends on your health goal. Maybe you’re trying to drop a few pounds, or maybe you’re trying to increase your fruit and veggie intake, maybe you’re trying to establish a breakfast-eating habit in order to get more nutrients into your day. Once you’ve established your goal, researchers say it’s important to look at your eating behavior to pinpoint habits that can be tweaked for improved health. For example, if you realize that you tend to shun water in favor of other beverages because you crave flavor, you might want to add some refreshing flavor to plain water by infusing it with things like mint leaves, lemon slices, and frozen Wild Blueberries. No matter what your goal is, increasing the nutritional content of your diet is a smart move. The latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans advises getting more nutrients into our diets, such as vitamin D, calcium, potassium and fiber, as well as iron for females. What small changes can you make that would better nourish your body?

  • Need ideas to help you “Put Your Best Fork Forward?”

Here are a couple ideas to get you started. Again, choose a goal, then find one or two small tweaks you can make in your eating plan or your approach to food that will support your goal.

Focus on fiber

Most Americans get far less fiber than is recommended. Women should aim for 25 grams per day and men should get 38 grams per day of fiber. Pack plenty of fruits and veggies into your day, along with whole grains and you can meet your fiber goals.

  • Switch out your regular cereal for one you enjoy that contains more fiber
  • Make a point to top hot or cold cereal, as well as yogurt or cottage cheese with a handful of frozen Wild Blueberries and a tablespoon of chia seeds or flaxseed meal. Wild Blueberries are a good source of fiber, with 1 cup providing 25% of the Daily Value for fiber.
  • Start a habit of swapping cooked whole grains like bulgur, barley, and faro for pasta. And when do you eat pasta, make it one of the higher fiber varieties such as whole wheat, multi-grain or fiber-enhanced pastas.
  • Bulk up your meals with lots of veggies, which are a good source of fiber and add color, texture, nutrients and flavor to your meals. Pretty much any dish is better with more veggies, so add more of them to casseroles, soups, scrambled eggs, stir-fry, and give yourself a good-sized, satisfying portion of food for fewer calories.
  • Add berries to your salads. There’s no rule that says salads must only contain vegetables. I love adding a handful of berries to the salad bowl—they’re beautiful and add fiber, color and an enticing sweet taste to your everyday salad.

Skimp on added sugar

Cutting back on sugar is a nutrition goal that will help you cut calories as well as retrain your taste buds to appreciate the natural sweetness in foods. Eating more whole foods and relying on fruit for sweetness in your meal plan is a good start.

  • Instead of a sugary-sweet dessert, make fruit your after-meal treat at least several nights a week. Frozen Wild Blueberries that have thawed just a little are a sorbet-swap in our house. Opt for a variety of fruits to increase the variety of nutrients you consume.
  • Give plain fruit a tasty topping with shredded, unsweetened coconut, a dollop of whole-milk Greek yogurt or a little drizzle of good-quality balsamic vinegar.
  • Skip the sugary soda and go for seltzer instead. Make it even more enticing by stirring in a little pureed or smashed fruit such as frozen berries or peaches. The fruit adds color, nutrients and sweet flavor.
  • When you bake, aim to make fruit-based sweets, such as cobblers, crisps, fruit pies or tarts, and fruit parfaits. Talk about versatile and delicious—fruit can star in all manner of sweet treats. Check out some of our desserts featuring Wild Blueberries for inspiration.

Most of all, remember to “Put Your Best Fork Forward” every day with joy and without judgment.

Kid-Friendly Fall Smoothie Recipe: Low-Sugar Wild Blueberry Banana Pumpkin Smoothie

I do most of my grocery shopping at Trader Joe’s and I know it’s the start of pumpkin season when they bring all their pumpkin products to the front of the store. I’ve never seen such a vast array of pumpkin-related items. They’ve got pumpkin everything: pumpkin cereal, pumpkin oatmeal, pumpkin crackers, pumpkin-infused oil, pumpkin dip, pumpkin pie, pumpkin pancake mix, pumpkin soup, pumpkin croutons, pumpkin coffee – I kid you not, this is just a partial list. They really know how to do pumpkin.

Personally, I’m more of an essence of pumpkin kind of gal. I don’t particularly like to lead with pumpkin that much in my recipes. But I do think it’s fun to use pumpkin unexpectedly in a recipe, like adding it to chili and creamy soups, for example, or stirring some pumpkin puree into yogurt.

My Wild Blueberry Banana Pumpkin Smoothie is a great example as well. I find straight pumpkin smoothies to be a little too sweet and, well, too pumpkin-y. By sharing the spotlight with the delicious flavor of Wild Blueberries, you get a tasty combination of berry-pumpkin flavor with the perfect amount of sweet. This low-sugar smoothie gets its sweetness naturally from one frozen banana and ½ cup of frozen Wild Blueberries.

In addition to keeping the sugar content low, I also like to sneak super foods into my smoothies whenever possible. Buried inside this smoothie you not only get the antioxidant power of Wild Blueberries, but you also get a hit of inflammation-busting turmeric and blood sugar-lowering cinnamon. But wait, it doesn’t stop there. You also get a dose of healthy fats and soluble fiber from ground flax seed.

You might be thinking right now, this smoothie sounds too healthy…does it taste good? No worries, I’ve got that covered. I use a very scientific method to determine taste-ability. It’s called the “Will a 4th Grader Drink This?” test.

Needless to say, this smoothie passed with flying colors.

So there you have it! A low-sugar, kid-friendly pumpkin-inspired smoothie that’s bursting with powerful antioxidants and Wild Blueberry flavor.

It sounds like the fall season is off to a good start!

Naturally-Colored Wild Blueberry Buttercream Frosting

I grew up on homemade birthday cakes that my mom made. She liked to pipe roses with trailing leaves and create renderings of our favorite cartoon characters—all with pastry bags of brightly-colored frosting.

Now that I’m a mom, I’ve continued the tradition of home-baked cakes with one important tweak: I’ve swapped out the standard bottles of food dyes with natural colors. After all, there’s growing concern that fake food dyes may not be good for health, especially for children. And there are so many brilliant hues you can find right in nature.

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The intense, natural color of Wild Blueberries lends itself perfectly to tinting frosting. That color is thanks to the anthyocyanins in the berries, pigments that make Wild Blueberries so deeply blue and also give them their powerful antioxidant protection. Did you know that Wild Blueberries have twice the antioxidants as their tame, cultivated cousins?

This frosting recipe is a classic buttercream. The only way to get frosting that stands up to piping and holds its shape is with butter and a smidge of organic shortening, so it’s a sweet splurge for sure! But the recipe also uses a full cup of frozen fresh Wild Blueberries. I decided to cook up a thick, syrupy berry mash and use the whole fruit instead of just straining out the juice. I love the tiny purple flecks and bits of berries swirled through the frosting. And Wild Blueberries’ sweet-tart taste gives this frosting a great flavor too.

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Because you’re using frozen Wild Blueberries, available in the freezer section along with the other frozen fruit, you can make this frosting recipe year round to top your favorite cake, cupcake and cookie recipes for birthdays, holidays, and other special occasions. And feel free to add even more frozen Wild Blueberries to the top of your treats to give them an added pop of color and flavor.

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On Earth Day, we look at the food we eat through the lens of water usage

How many gallons of water does it take to produce a pound of food? The answers will amaze you.

Back To Second Grade. Do you remember studying clouds in elementary school? Teachers loved showing us those charts of water evaporating from the sea, turning into clouds, falling as rain in the mountains, and running across the plains back to the sea. What they forgot to draw were the little human beings.

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Water usage is one of the fastest-growing concerns in the eco-movement today, and what we choose to eat has a very large influence on what happens to water as it moves through its cycle. Every plant sown and every animal birthed for our dining pleasure impacts the planet’s resources through its own cycle of growing, processing, packaging, transporting, and preparing. Yet to those of us in the industrial world, food comes from a package rather than a sea, cloud, mountain, or plain. Small wonder that we tend to look at food through the narrow lens of our own sustenance or pleasure.

Craving a nacho chip? It takes almost 140 gallons of water to produce one pound of corn. Water is also needed to clean the processing equipment, produce the oil for frying, and make the packaging. How about a nice steak? If that pound of corn is used as cattle feed, additional water is required for cleaning and processing it. The corn needs to be transported to the feedlots, which uses gasoline, which takes three quarts of water to produce enough fuel to travel each mile. Each pound of beef we consume takes around 1,700 gallons of water to produce. Care for wine with dinner? Each grape requires about a third of a gallon to produce. A pound of tree nuts represents 1,565 gallons of water, a pound of pork 660 gallons, and a pound of cheese 473 gallons. These and other facts are available in the Menus of Change Annual Report.

Seven billion people will continue to need to eat, of course. But today’s sustainability movement takes many of its cues from natural systems to produce food that is economically, environmentally, and socially more responsible – and recognizes that humans are active participants through the choices we make. That’s one of the reasons that wild products are growing so quickly in popularity. They developed as part of a natural system, growing on their own accord year after year with little manipulation from humans.

Wild Blueberries emerged on the desolate plain (aptly named The Barrens) following the retreat of the glaciers and so were naturally selected to survive in nutrient and drought-challenged conditions. Today they continue to flourish in the humid climate of Maine and Eastern Canada where storm systems from the west and south converge to provide ample rainfall. The lowbush blueberry plants only require irrigation during dry spells – usually in August – when there is less than the required one-inch of rain each week.

According to David Bell of Cherryfield Foods, a harvester and packer of Wild Blueberries in Cherryfield, Maine, “Many fruits and vegetables are grown in locations that are too dry for natural survival, so much more irrigation water is needed for survival. In contrast, Wild Blueberries are irrigated supplementally to address short-term dry spells during the growing season.”

Bell also points out that the supplemental water is sourced from wells that were installed starting in the 1990s as an offshoot of another eco-project: restoring the Atlantic Salmon population living in the rivers where agricultural water was once sourced. The wells are replenished by rains in late fall and early spring and are placed away from the rivers for minimal impact.

Water Use - CIA

© 2015 The Culinary Institute of America and President and Fellows of Harvard College, as published in the Menus of Change Annual Report. All rights reserved. 

As part of their unique evolution, any given field of Wild Blueberries may have thousands of clones with an extensive underground rhizome system. Seventy to eighty percent of the plant actually lives under ground, spreading horizontally in the few inches of organic matter atop the sand and gravel of glacial soil below. This allows the plants to use every bit of surface water available while soaking rains travel onto the aquifer below. The Native American practice of burning the plants to the ground each year gave way to mowing (or pruning) of the plants to the height of a tall lawn. This pruning maximizes organic matter retention while reducing the atmospheric effects of the smoke.

Evolution also makes for great eating and good business. Wild-sourced foods grow in very specific places for very specific reasons, and as a result, they produce very specific flavors – described as terroir. Wild salmon returning to the Copper River in Alaska each year not only create a market frenzy, but they command a premium price. Pine nuts from the Southwest are prized for the same reason. The Wild Blueberry Barrens produce a small fruit with the most intense flavor burst and massive antioxidant levels. Now that’s reason to celebrate!

8 Tips to Build the Perfect Smoothie + Wild Blueberry Immune-Boosting Smoothie Recipe

Now that we’re well into January, we’re all holding on tightly to those New Year’s resolutions we set at the beginning of the month. And if your resolution was to eat healthier, you’re probably searching for easy ways to pack more nutrition into your day.

Search no more, my friends. Grab yourself a smoothie.

Kara Lydon

Smoothies are a simple way to add more healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and probiotic-rich dairy into your diet. They’re no fuss, require minimal prep and are ready to drink in less than five minutes. A nutritious meal that takes no time to make? Sign me up! Plus, you can drink a smoothie morning, noon, or night with no judgments. There’s a smoothie for every occasion whether it be breakfast, a snack, or even dessert (yes, you can totally add cocoa powder to your smoothies)!

While smoothie making is a fun, creative process in which pretty much anything goes, there is some rhyme and reason to it. There are some tricks of the smoothie-making trade to make sure you’re sipping on the tastiest, creamiest, healthiest, most refreshing smoothie. And it all comes down to ingredients. Making sure you have the right balance and the right order. Have you ever added all your smoothie ingredients to a blender only to press pulse and nothing happens except for an awfully loud noise indicating your blender is not amused? Yep, we’ve all been there (the blender struggle is real). Not to worry, those blender woes can be remedied by a simple tutorial on how to build the perfect smoothie.

  1. Liquid First: Adding liquid first makes things easier on the blender and you’ll find your ingredients blend faster and more efficiently. Try milk, kefir, coconut milk, or almond milk for a creamier consistency. Use coconut water, herbal or green tea, iced coffee, juice, or water for a refreshing twist. Not sure how much to add? Typically ¾ cup liquid for 2 cups of ingredients is a good starting point. Remember, you can always add more liquid later but you can’t remove it once it’s blended in.
  2. Sprinkles Come Next. No, not rainbow sprinkles. But the sprinkles of powders, seeds, sweeteners, spices, extracts, zests, etc. that add flavor and nutrition boosts to your smoothie. This way they’ll blend seamlessly with the liquid and the rest of your beverage.
  3. Hail the Hard Stuff. After your sprinkles come your hard foods – think frozen fruits like Wild Blueberries, vegetables and nuts and The stuff your blender is going to work extra hard on. You want to position these close to the bottom so they can easily come in contact with the blade.
  4. Be a Softie. Now it’s time to embrace your inner softie and add your softer foods like fresh fruits and vegetables.
  5. Crazy for Creamy. In my opinion, there’s nothing better than a creamy, rich tasting smoothie. Side by side with your soft produce, add in any creamy ingredients that will impart a thicker texture to your drink. Not sure what add-ins create creamy? Try avocados, Greek yogurt, kefir, canned coconut milk, silken tofu, nuts and nut butters, bananas and oatmeal.
  6. Get Your Green On. Trying on green smoothies for size? Green smoothies are an easy way to get your greens on and the fruit masks their bitterness so you won’t even taste them! Add leafy greens like kale, chard, spinach, or arugula for a one-two nutritional punch!
  7. Ice, Ice, Baby. Last but not least, top it off with a little ice, if needed. I only add ice if I’m using fresh fruits and not frozen. This is one of the reasons why I love using Wild Blueberries. They are the perfect smoothie ingredient to keep your smoothies cold because 99% of the Wild Blueberry crop is frozen within 24 hours of harvest, which locks in their nutrition and taste. If you use frozen fruits and your smoothie still isn’t cold enough for your liking, you can always add ice after you blend all the ingredients together.
  8. Blend Away! Start your blender on the lowest setting and wait until those big pieces of frozen produce start to break up before you gradually increase to the highest speed. This will help your blender blend more efficiently and will prevent your blender from spinning its blades on nothing but air!
Wild Blueberry Immune-Boosting Tropical Smoothie

Now that you’re a blender pro, how about putting these tips into practice with a refreshing smoothie recipe that’s perfect for the winter months. My Wild Blueberry Tropical Immune-Boosting Smoothie is packed with vitamin C-boasting citrus, sweet, refreshing pineapple, warming, soothing ginger, and electrolyte-loaded coconut water. It’s totally refreshing and sweet with a hint of spiciness from the ginger! Wild your smoothie with this delicious recipe and at the same time ward off the cold and flu this season.