Off a diet

Non-diet nutrition & living

Strawberries

Nutrition facts and other important information about this favorite red, juicy, sweet kind of fruit.

Food Library, Fruit

Overview

Although strawberry is not considered a berry from a botanical point of view, for consumers it has long been established as a genuine member of the berries’ family. And the truth is that it shares many of their nutritional properties and also their favorable characteristics like bright color, sweetness and juicy texture.

There are currently more than 600 different varieties of strawberries with differences in size, color, shape, aroma and taste.

In 2017, world production of strawberries was 9.2 million tones and the leading producer was China with more than 40% of the total world production.

History

The use of the strawberry fruit for its medicinal properties was first mentioned in Ancient Roman literature. Consumption of wild varieties was also known. Large quantities of cultivated selections of wild strawberry species were grown in Chile until the end of the 16^th century. At the beginning of the 17^th century, the plant was also introduced to Europe by explorers but it wasn’t until the 18^th century that the very first garden strawberry plant as we know it today was cultivated in France.

In season

Early Spring to Early Summer (April to early June).

Strawberries - Food Library | offadiet.com

Nutritional value

Rich in Vitamin C. One cup of fresh strawberries (about 150 grams) gives us 84.7 mg of Vitamin C when the Daily Recommended Intake for healthy adults is 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men.
Rich in flavonoids and other beneficial plant compounds known for their antioxidant properties.
Substantial amounts of folate, manganese, potassium and dietary fiber.
Small amounts of calcium which are not enough to cover dietary needs but could add to the daily intake of people who are on a vegan diet and need alternative sources of calcium.

Health benefits

Strawberries are fruits with a high antioxidant capacity. This is due to their content in Vitamin C and flavonoids, mainly pelargonidin which is an anthocyanin. These phytochemicals have been associated with many health benefits. According to studies, regular consumption of berries and other anthocyanin-containing fruit can have a positive impact on cardiovascular health, improve lipid profile, help with high blood pressure and significantly lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. They also reduce inflammation and have the ability to potentially repair damage resulting from oxidative stress, mechanisms which can guard against cancer.

Their high content in Vitamin C can easily cover our daily needs, therefore strawberries help us strengthen our immune system, protect our skin health and can maximize the iron absorption from our nutrition.

Due to their sweetness, they are usually falsely considered as a fruit not suitable for people with diabetes. Fortunately, the truth is quite the opposite. Strawberries have a low glycemic index which means their impact on blood glucose is mild. Also, studies have shown that the consumption of strawberries reduces the levels of postprandial serum glucose and generally improves insulin sensitivity, which makes them a favorable food for people with diabetes.

The “Dirty Dozen” champion

Strawberries are, indeed, packed with nutritional and health benefits and they are also delicious! But there are some facts about them that we need to bear in mind when we decide to add them to our diet and when we buy them.

EWG (Environmental Working Group) is an American non-profit corporation who publish EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce™ every year, after the US Department of Agriculture and the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) have tested thousands of samples of fresh produce for pesticide residues. Those samples are fresh fruit and vegetables which have been prepared for consumption which means they have been thoroughly washed and have had non-edible parts removed (like peels in certain cases). EWG publishes two well-known lists, the “Clean Fifteen” which contains the foods with the fewer detected pesticide residues, and the “Dirty Dozen” which contains the foods with the higher concentration of pesticide residues. Strawberries have made it to the top of the Dirty Dozen list for four years in a row and have always been among the top 10.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise. Strawberry plants are highly sensitive and the soil needs to be free from most pests before they are planted. Most of the times this is accomplished by using a combination of pesticides or the method of fumigation, a hazardous operation which involves the use of many different chemicals. Strawberries are water-absorbing fruit and any chemical residues in the soil are bound to end up inside them and, subsequently, inside their consumers.

Organic products can be expensive or, sometimes, difficult to find. But when it comes to strawberries, if organic is an option, then you’d better make it a choice, even if you have to limit their consumption to only a few times during their season. Organic farming may not guarantee a completely pesticide-free food but it’s definitely a much safer choice than the conventionally-cultivated one.

How to choose them

Trust your nose! An intense scent that comes from the fruit itself and not from the abundance in the market is an indication of good quality. Choose small strawberries with a bright red color and fresh green leaves on top. They shouldn’t be too unripe but not too ripe either (unless they are going to be mashed or used for jam). Avoid very big fruit and the ones with a dull color, as it’s probably been a few days since they were harvested.

How to consume them

Fresh, in-season strawberries are best eaten raw as fruit. Plain or paired with other berries, added in fruit salads, combined with nuts and sugar or honey.
In fresh salads. They pair well with spinach, kale, and other leafy green vegetables.
As a yogurt or ice cream topping.
In tarts, fruit pies and cheesecakes.
In smoothies and fruit juices.
In jams and preserves.

Storage & Freezing

Strawberries have a very short life. Ideally, they should be consumed during the first 24 hours after they were picked. But you can keep them refrigerated for 2 – 3 days.

Strawberries can be frozen but due to their high content in water, and depending on the variety, they may have losses in taste, shape and texture when thawed. Spread them in a single layer inside a freezer bag and keep in the freezer for 4 – 6 months.