Staying Healthy

On call: The buzz about blueberries

Q. I've always enjoyed fruit with my breakfast cereal. Over the past year, my family seems to have shifted from bananas and strawberries to a steady diet of blueberries "because they'll keep you healthy." I love blueberries, but I do miss variety. So I want to know if blueberries really are good for our health.

A. Native to North America, blueberries have been popular here ever since our earliest days. Their flavor and color justify this popularity, but as people have become interested in the health benefits of "functional foods," blueberries have become as prized for their chemicals as their taste — and production has soared to over 200 million pounds a year.

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