July is National Blueberries Month, the perfect time to celebrate the summery fruit that is fun to eat. Not only are blueberries delicious, but they are extremely healthy to eat. Blueberries provide many health benefits, especially for senior citizens. Learn some of the health benefits of blueberries and other fruits and vegetables that are in its superfood family.

Health Benefits of Blueberries

When you add a healthy amount of blueberries to your diet, the nutrients in the fruit can help reduce blood pressure, diabetes, and the risk of heart disease and cancer as well as improve the health of your bones, mind, and digestion. Some of the health benefits of blueberries include:

• Blood Pressure – not only do blueberries contain zero sodium which is important to lowering blood pressure, but they also have natural blood pressure reducing elements such as potassium, calcium, and magnesium.
• Diabetes – high fiber diets reduce blood glucose levels that create type 2 diabetes and one cup of blueberries has 3.6 grams of fiber.
• Heart Disease – the fiber in blueberries is the biggest nutrient that helps fight heart disease but the vitamin C and B6, potassium, and folate also contribute to its heart disease fighting qualities.
• Healthy Bones – there are many nutrients in blueberries that promote healthy bones, including calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, vitamin K, and zinc.
• Mental Health – the effects of the aging your mind goes through as you get older can be prevented with the nutrients in blueberries. There are even studies that show blueberries can reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease. Additionally, blueberries can improve motor skills and memory loss.
• Healthy Digestion – the fiber in blueberries has many benefits to your body, including promoting a regular digestion.

Health Benefits of Other Superfoods

• Avocado – there are too many nutrients in avocados to leave them out of your diet! The nutrients can help prevent cancer, heart disease, and degenerative diseases.
• Beans – to maintain a healthy brain, reduce blood pressure, and prevent strokes, eating beans can help increase the hormone leptin in your body.
• Chia Seeds – for that punch of omega 3 fatty acids, add a spoonful of chia seeds to your meals.
• Chocolate –yes, you read that right. Dairy free chocolate lowers blood pressure, improves blood flow to reduce inflammation, and improves your mood. There are also tons of antioxidants which help prevent cancer and degenerative diseases.
• Leafy Greens – the fiber, vitamins, and minerals in leafy greens provides you all the tools that can build a wall against heart disease and cancer. Adding these green veggies to your diet can improve your health with vitamin A, C, and K as well as calcium, folate, and potassium.
• Other Vegetables – the are other green vegetables you can add to your diet for an extra punch to cancer, including broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and cabbage.
• Salmon – preventing cancer, cognitive decline, depression, heart problems, and macular degeneration, eat two servings of salmon per week, particularly wild Alaskan salmon.
• Walnuts – for heart protection and to slow down Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s onset, try to eat a handful of walnuts a day. There are many nutrients in walnuts include alpha-linolenic acid, copper, manganese, melatonin, omega 3’s, and vitamin E.