Blueberries Vs. Pomegranate

Both blueberries and pomegranates contain high levels of essential nutrients, earning them a place on many lists of superfoods. Adding them to your diet will help you get the recommended amounts for essential nutrients and potentially lower your risk for health conditions like heart disease and cancer.

Both blueberries and pomegranates are nutritious fruit choices. A cup of blueberries provides 84 calories, 1 gram of protein, 0.5 gram of fat and 21.5 grams of carbohydrates, including 3.6 grams of fiber. This is 14 percent of the daily value for fiber of 25 grams. The same-sized serving of pomegranate arils, or seed sacs, contains 144 calories, 2.9 grams protein, 2 grams of fat and 32.5 grams of carbohydrates, including 7 grams of fiber, or 28 percent of the DV. While pomegranates are higher in both protein and fiber than blueberries, they are also higher in calories and fat.

Pomegranates provide more vitamins and minerals than blueberries, with 12 percent of the DV for potassium, 30 percent of the DV for vitamin C, 17 percent of the DV for folate and 36 percent of the DV for vitamin K per 1-cup serving. However, blueberries are still a good source of micronutrients with 24 percent of the DV for vitamin C and 36 percent of the DV for vitamin K in each serving. You need potassium for countering the blood-pressure-raising action of sodium, and vitamin C is essential for healing wounds and forming collagen. Folate is necessary for forming DNA, and blood clotting requires vitamin K.

Both fruits provide antioxidants, which help prevent cell damage from compounds called free radicals, but blueberries contain more of these nutrients, according to a study published in "Nutrition Journal" in 2010. A 100-gram serving of blueberries, or about 2/3 cup, contains between 1.26 and 9.24 micromoles, depending on the type of blueberry and where it was grown. These antioxidants include flavonoids, polyphenols and anthocyanins. The same amount of pomegranate arils provides between 1.76 and 1.94 micromoles of antioxidants; many of the antioxidants in pomegranate are located in the pith, which isn't normally consumed. Eating pomegranate will provide you with anthocyanins, polyphenols and isoflavones.

While you can snack on both of these fruits on their own, there are so many other ways to include them in your diet. Add these nutritious foods to fruit or green salads, use them to create a salsa or chutney to serve alongside meat dishes or layer them with granola and yogurt to form a dessert parfait. Toss blueberries into smoothies, yogurt, baked goods and cereal. Mix pomegranate arils with sliced pears, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice and almonds for a simple dessert, or combine them with quinoa, coconut, almonds, cinnamon and a little honey for a filling breakfast.