Lately I have discovered the magical properties of blueberries and grapes (specifically concord grapes for me).  Sure I heard they were helpful to endurance athletes, but I never suspected they would be so darned powerful against lactic acid and joint inflammation.

As an example:
This past weekend I ran a 9 mile Saturday and followed that with a 17 mile Sunday. On Saturday I was felling pretty sore after the run and was really wondering if I would be OK for Sundays long run. However I ate about a cup of blueberries and literally felt the pain melt away over a few hours. (I also iced my knees, which is a usual ritual in the evenings as I watch a bit of TV.)

Sunday morning came and I was full of energy and completely pain free prior to the run. The 17 miles passed without any issues, and I was a bit stiff afterwards. I cleaned up and fuelled as normal. (Gatorade, protein shake, water, veggie soup) But I followed the meal with a cup of blueberries, and sure enough the pain melted away just as it had the day before.  By the early evening hours it was as if I had not ran a long run at all that day.

I experienced the same results earlier in the week with concord grapes.

Oh, and by the way…the seeds are very healthy and should also be eaten.  Crunch, crunch!