Blueberries, raw

Raw blueberries are eaten straight from the container as a snack, scattered over cereal or oatmeal, folded into pancake or muffin batter, or blended into smoothies. Their thin skins burst with a juicy pop and a flavor that ranges from tart to sweet depending on ripeness, and they hold their shape better than softer berries when baked into muffins or pies, only lightly staining the batter around them. They also work well simmered down with a little water into a quick compote for topping yogurt or pancakes.

Choose berries that are firm and have a dusty, silvery bloom on the skin rather than ones that look shriveled or have soft, leaking spots, and store them unwashed in the refrigerator, rinsing only right before eating to prevent mold from developing. At just 57 calories per cup, blueberries are a low-calorie way to add volume, sweetness, and 2.4 g fiber to a bowl of yogurt or cereal without adding much in the way of calories, and their natural sugar (9.96 g per 100 g) is packaged with the whole fruit rather than added separately.