In honour of my strawberry and chia seed post a couple of days ago I have decided to take a closer look at the humble strawberry. I just love strawberries, next to mango and banana they are one of my favourite fruits, so sweet and what’s even better about these little morsels of joy…they taste so naughty!…or is that just me
So, we know they taste beautiful but what health benefits do they have to offer? Let’s take a look shall we!
One serving = 8 stawbs which provides more vitamin C than an orange.
Antioxidant = Pelargonidin, Ellagic acid (Polyphenols), Ellagitannins, Procyanidins. All of these antioxidants are great for heart health, fighting bacteria, reducing risk of cancer
GI Score = 40
Packed with = Good cholesterol (HDL), vitamin C, fibre, magnesium, potassium, folate (vitamin B9)
Great For: Heart health, lowering blood sugar levels, reducing risk of cancer, improve blood antioxidant status, decrease oxidative stress, reduce inflammation, improve vascular function, improve blood lipid profile, increase HLD, can slow down glucose digestion (so when eaten following a carb high meal can help to reduce insulin and glucose spikes)
Bad For: Allergies to strawberries in young children is not uncommon, if you already have an apple/bird pollen intolerance then strawberries can induce allergic reaction style symptoms, strawberries contain goitrogens, these can interfere with thyroid function for those with thyroid problems.
Fun fact = These little beauties are not actually a fruit or a berry but rather the receptacle of a flower, it is also a member of the rose family SHOCKED YET!!!
Tidd Bits: If you’re out picking strawberries go for the darker colours, these, once picked, won’t ripen, so don’t try and pick early in order for them to last longer in your fridge, this simply won’t happen.
Strawberries are mainly water so are low in calories and carbohydrates, containing just 32 calories and around 6g of carbs and 2g of fibre per 100g. The carbohydrates within the strawberry are mainly simple sugars but due to their high fibre content (around 25% of the carb content) these sugar wont spike blood sugar levels.
How Many Do You Need: In order to reach your RDA of vitamin C you only need to consume 14 of them.
Do you love strawberries? If so, how much? What is your fav recipe?
Thank you very much for reading and have a great day!!
Love Me
XoXo
