vegan ·

Blueberry Bliss

The blueberry cup is 148 grams in USDA data. Here is what that cup, a large banana, almond milk, and chia add up to.

Ingredients on the card

Blend order

  1. Add the almond milk to the blender first.
  2. Add banana, blueberries, and chia seeds.
  3. Blend on high until smooth, about 45–60 seconds.
  4. Pour and drink soon after blending.

Blueberry Bliss on this site is a one-person blender drink: 1 cup blueberries, 1 medium-to-large banana, 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, and 1 tablespoon chia seeds. Those kitchen words hide a lot of grams. This note pins the grams to USDA FoodData Central so the drink is a measured snack, not a mood.

The berry cup

FDC 171711, "Blueberries, raw," lists a cup at 148 grams. Per 100 grams the berries are 57 kilocalories, 0.74 grams of protein, 14.49 grams of carbohydrate, 2.4 grams of fiber, 9.96 grams of sugars, 9.7 milligrams of vitamin C, and 19.3 micrograms of vitamin K.

The cup is about 84 kilocalories, 1 gram of protein, 21 grams of carbohydrate, 3.6 grams of fiber, 15 grams of sugars, 14 milligrams of vitamin C, and 29 micrograms of vitamin K.

Fourteen milligrams of vitamin C is a modest share of the NIH amounts for adults: 75 milligrams for women and 90 milligrams for men. Blueberries are not the vitamin C fruit. Strawberries and pineapple, on other pages, carry more per cup. Blueberries earn their place here on flavor and on the 21 grams of carbohydrate you should log if you are counting.

Frozen blueberries are what most people actually own. The USDA row is raw fruit. Use it as the planning number, and expect a frozen cup to weigh about the same if you weigh it. A "cup" of frosty berries can be half air if you heap it loosely. The scale is the fix. Write 148 grams on the bag when you pack the freezer.

The banana, which is most of the carbohydrate

FDC 173944 lists a large banana (8 to 8-7/8 inches) at 136 grams: about 121 kilocalories, 31 grams of carbohydrate, 3.5 grams of fiber, 17 grams of sugars, and 487 milligrams of potassium, from the per-100-gram values of 89 kilocalories, 22.84 grams of carbohydrate, 2.6 grams of fiber, 12.23 grams of sugars, and 358 milligrams of potassium.

If your banana is smaller, weigh it. A 100-gram banana is 89 kilocalories and 23 grams of carbohydrate, not 121 and 31. The recipe card says "1 medium." USDA's named sizes in the portion list we pulled are large (136 grams) and extra large (152 grams), plus a cup of slices at 150 grams. "Medium" in a home kitchen is often close to 118 to 126 grams, but this page will not pretend a medium weight it did not retrieve. Weigh the fruit you peel. Use 136 grams only when the banana matches the large description.

Potassium at about 487 milligrams in the large fruit is about 10% of the FDA Daily Value of 4,700 milligrams. Useful context if you have been told to watch potassium. A clinician's ceiling overrides a recipe.

Almond milk, and the calcium that is probably fortified

FDC 174832, unsweetened shelf-stable almond milk, lists a cup at 262 grams: about 39 kilocalories, 1 gram of protein, 3.4 grams of carbohydrate, 2.5 grams of fat, and 482 milligrams of calcium. The calcium figure, 184 milligrams per 100 grams, describes that analyzed beverage. Cartons of almond milk are often fortified. They are not interchangeable with a spoon of almond butter. Read your panel. If it says sweetened, the carbohydrate will not be 3.4 grams.

The FDA Daily Value for calcium is 1,300 milligrams. A cup at 482 milligrams is about 37% of that Daily Value, which the FDA would call high (20% or more). That is a property of this fortified-style entry, not a promise that every brand matches it.

Chia, the thickener with a fiber bill

The recipe says 1 tablespoon. FDC 170554 does not list a tablespoon. It lists an ounce at 28.35 grams. Per 100 grams, dried chia is 486 kilocalories, 16.54 grams of protein, 42.12 grams of carbohydrate, and 34.4 grams of fiber.

If your tablespoon weighs 12 grams, fiber is about 4.1 grams and calories about 58. If it weighs 15 grams, fiber is about 5.2 grams and calories about 73. Weigh the spoon once and write the number on a piece of tape. An ounce, the only portion the entry actually names, is about 138 kilocalories and 9.8 grams of fiber, which is more than a casual sprinkle and about 35% of the 28-gram fiber Daily Value.

Chia gels. If you let the drink sit, it becomes a spoonable pudding. That is the seed hydrating, not a sign the blender failed. Drink it sooner if you wanted a sippable texture, or add a splash of the same almond milk.

People who are raising fiber from a low baseline should read the fiber article before they make chia a daily ounce. NIDDK notes that jumping fiber can mean more gas. This recipe's tablespoon, once you know its weight, is the amount to log in that diary.

The glass, if you use the large banana and the full cup

Using 148 grams berries, 136 grams banana, 262 grams unsweetened almond milk, and 15 grams chia as a stated assumption:

Sixty-two grams of carbohydrate is about 23% of the FDA 275-gram Daily Value. Six grams of protein is 12% of the 50-gram protein Daily Value. This is a fruit drink with a seed, not a protein meal. If you wanted the protein stacks, they live on the powder-free protein article and they usually add dairy.

The chia carbohydrate used 42.12 grams per 100 grams times 0.15. Fiber used 34.4 times 0.15. If your spoon is not 15 grams, redo that one line. The berries, banana, and milk lines can stay.

Order in the jar

Almond milk first, then chia and banana, then berries. A short blend, then a look. Blueberry skins speckle the drink. A longer blend makes it purple and uniform. Neither changes the USDA totals. Frozen berries need a bit more liquid than fresh. Add almond milk by the weighed splash, 30 grams at a time, about 4 kilocalories each, if the blades spin in a pocket of air.

Wash, chill, and do not soap the fruit

Rinse blueberries under running water even though you will not peel them. The FDA says not to use soap or produce wash. Dry them if you are freezing a flat tray first; wet berries freeze into a block. Refrigerate fresh berries at 40°F or below. Once the drink is blended, finish it the same day and keep it cold if it waits an hour. A blueberry drink left in a warm car is not a meal-prep victory.

Hands get 20 seconds of soap and warm water before you start. That rule is for you, not for the fruit.

Who might skip or change it

A large banana plus a cup of berries is a poor fit for a very low carbohydrate cap. The 30-day rotation on this site leaves the banana out for that reason. People limiting potassium should notice the banana line. People who need a gluten-free label on every grain can relax on this particular jar: there is no oat or wheat in it. Chia is a seed. Allergy to sesame is not the same as chia, but if you have been told to avoid a list of seeds, ask before you assume chia is on the safe side.

Vitamin K in the blueberry cup is about 29 micrograms, far below a cup of spinach. This drink is not the warfarin conversation. The green drinks are.

Records for Blueberry Bliss

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