Blueberries Vs Strawberries: Which Delicious Berry Offers A Larger Dose Of Vitamin C?

Both blueberries and strawberries should be among the foods you reach for on a regular basis. However you eat them, whether on their own or as additions to oatmeal or yogurt or tossed in salads, these berries are not only delicious but also highly nutritious. They both contain antioxidants, fiber, and vitamins, like vitamin C. But there is a clear winner when it comes to which has a higher content of the latter nutrient: strawberries.

According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, vitamin C is vital for healthy immune function and may lower your risk for certain cancers. A lack of this vitamin can result in scurvy, a potentially fatal degenerative disease. The best way to get this nutrient is from food. A serving (1 cup) of blueberries delivers 16% or so of your daily value of vitamin C. An equivalent amount of strawberries, on the other hand, delivers nearly 100%. Besides having much more vitamin C, strawberries deliver it with fewer calories than their blue cousins. A cup of strawberries has about 46 calories, while blueberries have almost twice as much at 84 calories per serving. Still, we don't want to give blueberries short shrift. They win out against strawberries in other areas.

While strawberries are the clear winner when it comes to vitamin C, blueberries still have a lot to offer nutritionally that, in some cases, outshine their red counterparts. For instance, blueberries are fairly high in vitamin K, which is an important nutrient to help maintain bone, heart, and cognitive health. A cup provides almost 25% of your daily value, while strawberries have just 3%. Blueberries are also packed with antioxidants called polyphenols, various compounds found in plants that are believed to help reduce inflammation in the human body and stop free radicals that can damage cells. The blue fruits contain about 560 milligrams of the nutrient in a 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving, nearly twice that of strawberries at about 235 milligrams per serving.

Although strawberries offer more in the way of vitamin C, blueberries definitely bring a lot to the table. The two in combination make for a real nutritional powerhouse and are delicious together in various dishes, including as part of a more nutritious, gourmet-tasting version of a peanut butter sandwich. And you don't have to rely just on store-bought berries since both strawberries and blueberries are relatively easy to grow in your garden. If you're only concerned about how much vitamin C you're getting, go with strawberries, but if you're looking for overall nutritional value, add some blueberries into your diet as well.