- Juicily tempting and delicious, strawberries are one of the healthiest fruits to include in our diet and strawberries are fast becoming a superfruit!
- Packed with antioxidants and other essential nutrients they boost our red blood cells, can help reduce our risk of cancer, heart disease, inflammatory diseases, and birth defects as well as manage our weight.
- Let’s look at the reasons why strawberries are fast becoming a superfruit:
- One cup of strawberries contains over 13% of the RDA of dietary fiber, yet only 43 calories.
- Strawberries contain a chemical compound called phenols.
- Anthocyanin, a particular phenol abundantly found in strawberries, lends the rich red color to the fruit. It is known that when anthocyanin-rich foods are consumed, the body’s uric acid levels increase, which serves as an antioxidant agent.
- The phenols in strawberries also fight against many inflammatory disorders, such as osteoarthritis, asthma and atherosclerosis, by inhibiting the enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX) in the same way that the drugs aspirin and ibuprofen do.
- The combination of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents found in strawberries is known to fight against different forms of cancer.
- The Vitamin C, folate, the flavonoids quercetin and kaempferol that strawberries contain create a good defense against potentially cancerous cells.
- Three or more servings of strawberries per day can decrease the possibility of contracting age-related macular degeneration.
- One cup of strawberries contains 21% of manganese, an essential nutrient that acts as a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. Manganese is good for the bones, helping in bone building and maintaining proper bone structure.
- There is mounting evidence that strawberries are powerful in the fight against heart disease, diabetes and memory loss.
- Visit the California Strawberry Commission for abstracts and full text versions of the studies on strawberries and additional nutritional information and fun recipes. We hope you get convinced that strawberries are fast becoming a superfruit.
- For a raw strawberry jam recipe.
- For the top heart foods.
- Note: None of the information in our website is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any illness or disease. The content on our website is for educational purposes only.
