Wild Vs. Farm Raised?

I was recently able to find a really good source for organic berries that are flash frozen at the Green Market in Chicago.  Even my husband will eat them!  I wonder after reading a recent article debating wild vs. farm raised, if the ones I love are considered farm raised and organic since they are from a farm in Michigan.  It gets confusing.  So lets get back to the conundrum of wild blueberries vs.farm raised.

The New York Times Wellness section reports that all blueberries are nutritious for you.  So, the good news for all types of blueberries is they are:

– Low in calorie

– High in fiber

– High in antioxidants

The pigment and anthocyanin (which gives them a purplish hue) protect us from free radical damage and help as an anti-inflammatory.

                                                                Scientists Report

The Director of Plants for Human Health Institute claims that blueberries are the best fruit we can eat.  She attributes this accolade to “their complex biochemical profile that hits all human therapeutic targets.”

The Wild Blueberry Association of North America promotes eating the wild variety and contends they re more nutritious than the farm raised.  A study by the Department of Agriculture substantiates this attitude.  Their study done a few years shows that gram for gram the wild have double the number of antioxidants.  Other subsequent studies have confirmed this finding.

                                                                 Perplexing but Its Okay

So, I really like my farm raised flash frozen organic blueberries.  They may not be the ultimate transmitter of antioxidants, but I think the fact that my husband will eat them says a lot.  I recall quite vividly the day I was visiting my dad in the hospital  while he was recovering from a stroke.  His neurologist looked at me on his way out of the hospital room and said, “Eat blueberries”.  I’m sure he would have approved!