Not only do strawberries taste great, but they’re excellent for our health. Clearly, most fresh, organic fruits and vegetables are good for us, but an increasing amount of research is surfacing about strawberries. So, let’s take a closer look at the health benefits of strawberries, including some lesser-known fun factoids.
Health benefits of eating strawberries
George Mateljan of The World’s Healthiest Foods says on his web site that while many people may think of the strawberry as a commonplace fruit, “the antioxidant capacity of strawberry is anything but common!” Their antioxidants, phytonutrients and vitamins make them an outstanding fruit that keeps the body functioning at optimal levels.
What’s in it for us? Plenty.
1) Reduces inflammation:
Research has shown that eating strawberries plays a role in reducing levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) which is an indicator of inflammation in the body. In fact, a Harvard School of Public Health study revealed that women who ate 16 or more strawberries weekly had lower CRP levels than those who did not eat strawberries. Other studies have shown that strawberry consumption is linked to helping cure gastritis, which is inflammation of the stomach lining most typically caused by drinking too much alcohol, stress or taking ibuprofen.
2) Promotes pre-natal health:
Strawberries are a very good source of folate, which is necessary for a woman in the early stages of pregnancy to help ensure better brain and spinal cord development for the baby. Ultimately, birth defects may be thwarted.
3) Blood pressure reduction:
The fruit is high in potassium and magnesium which plays a role in lessening the rigidity of blood vessels. Blood flow is improved and hypertension is reduced as a result.
4) Lowers cholesterol:
A team of European scientists who added strawberries to the diets of volunteers noted that total cholesterol as well as the “bad” (LDL) levels fell when their blood was examined. Once people stopped eating strawberries? The scientists found that “All parameters returned to their initial values 15 days after abandoning ‘treatment’ with strawberries.”
5) Cancer prevention:
The antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic properties in strawberries help fight tumor growth and even may reduce cell metastasis.
Lesser-known fun facts about strawberries
>> Legend says that if you find a double strawberry, break it in half with a person you are interested in and eat it together, that you will fall in love with each other. Have your eye on that someone special? Share a double strawberry with them . . . hey, what can it hurt? Maybe you’ll fall in love, maybe not. But at least you’ll both be fighting inflammation and cholesterol.
>> The second wife of Henry VIII, Queen Anne Boleyn, was thought to be a witch. Why? She had a strawberry-shaped birthmark on her neck. Yikes! If anything, we’d think this would have been a mark associated with love based on the above legend, but who knows.
>> Strawberries are a member of the rose family.
>> Heading to Belgium? Check out their Strawberry Museum, located in Wepion. All you ever wanted to know about strawberries and then some!
Sources for this article include:
- www.besthealthmag.ca
- www.naturalnews.com
- www.sciencedaily.com
- www.organicfacts.net
- www.southerngracefarms.com
