Blueberries seem to be the fashionable, healthy snack to eat. How many times have you watched a movie and the characters go out to pick some blueberries? More than likely, you’ve seen more of those movies than movies where the actors go around picking plums. However, though blueberries seem to have Hollywood’s “endorsement,” it turns out that plums have gotten the “endorsement” from Texas AgriLife Research.

In a study including 100 varieties of plums, plums matched or exceeded the nutritional value of the critically-acclaimed blueberries, which have been known for their plethora of antioxidants and phtyonutrients for disease prevention. Not only do they have greater or equal nutritional value, but the cost-effectiveness and the fashion of consumption trumps the blueberry as well.

Plums are rather inexpensive, and one low-priced plum sports about the same amount of antioxidants as a handful of expensive blueberries. Only a few blueberries are traditionally consumed at a time, and they are often accompanied by a cereal or some sugary sweet. Sure, you get the antioxidants, but you get a lot more unwanted stuff too. On the other hand, plums are not really put in pies or cereal, leaving you with just the nutritional goodness of the plum and nothing else.

The researchers also tested plums and their effect on breast cancer. The plums’ phytonutrients inhibited breast cancer in vitro, but did not hamper normal cell growth. However, this is just the beginning of research of Plum v. Breast Cancer, but future research will most likely provide knowledge of how to create a crop with the optimal phytochemical ratio to inhibit disease.

Discussion Question: Though plums seem to have many advantages over blueberries and other fruit, do you think that this research will be enough to change their choice of fruit?

News Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090128160926.htm