A look at the nutritional value and benefits of strawberries (2023)

If you're stranded on a desert island, one of the things you should find ashore is a box of strawberries. To put it better, when supermarket shelves are almost empty, one of the things to look out for is strawberries.

Fresh strawberries, dried strawberries, strawberry juice, frozen strawberries and even strawberries in jam and preserves have excellent nutritional value. This article will show you how strawberries can fill your gaps in good nutrition and make a real difference in maintaining good health.

If you're just interested in seeing the exact nutrition facts of strawberries, there is onetable at the end of this article.

Nutritional values ​​only

Any nutrition book can talk about the low calorie content, high vitamin C content, and significant vitamin B content of strawberries. The nutrition facts don't tell the whole story about strawberries, but they're a good place to start.

A cup of sliced ​​fresh strawberries weighs about 150 grams, or just over five ounces. This cup of sliced ​​strawberries provides just under 49 caloriesEnergyEquivalents (For readers outside of North America, that's 49 kilocalories, or just over 200 kilojoules.) About 90 percent of the energy value of strawberries comes from healthy sugars. Strawberries contain small amounts of protein and fat. Of course, since your body isn't a blast furnace, it won't produce exactly 49 calories of energy from a cup of strawberries. It is decreasing. However, this is in the ballpark. Nobody gets fat from eating strawberries.

Scientists tell usthat no fruit that one can regularly buy in markets outside the tropics has moreVitamin Cas strawberries. A cup of fresh strawberries contains about 150 mg of vitamin C. That's about 150% of an adult's daily vitamin C requirement, but the antioxidant value of strawberries goes beyond that. The human body cannot utilize vitamin C without certain cofactors. Early researchers called this a cofactorVitamin p. Researchers in English-speaking countries no longer use the term, but the plant polyphenols described are no less important to vitamin C's effects. Because of this, you won't get all of the potential benefits of vitamin C by simply taking more and more vitamin C supplements .You also need a variety of natural antioxidants from plant foods like strawberries to help replenish and buffer your vitamin C as needed and your body is using it. .

Strawberries are a source of vitamin B.folic acid. It would be difficult to get all of your body's folic acid needs from strawberries, but they make an important contribution. More importantly, strawberries contain folic acid, which is already in the form used by the body.Methylfolat. Many people suffer from inherited deficiencies in the production or activity of the enzyme methyltetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), which the body needs to convert "sluggish" folic acid into "active" folic acid that it can use. Strawberries contain some of the methylfolate that the body needs when it can't make the enzymes to make it. Strawberries can benefit millions of people who lack natural MTHFR enzymes.

Strawberries are a good source ofminerals. A cup of sliced ​​raw strawberries provides just under 30% of an adult's daily requirement for manganese and measurable amounts of iron, zinc and copper. You may not get all the minerals from strawberries, but they help.

offer strawberrieswide range of antioxidants. They contain phenolic acids, flavonoids, flavonoids, anthocyanins and tannins that absorb free radicals, along with the best-known radical scavenger vitamin C. Antioxidant except pomegranates, rose hips from rosehips and wild blueberries. However, since strawberries contain a variety of antioxidants, there is no danger of overdosing in the possible ways.Overdose of beta-carotene and vitamin E.

Strawberries do not have to be eaten fresh to have high nutritional value. Frozen strawberries contain slightly more vitamin C than fresh ones. They have about 50% more calories than fresh, but only 77 calories per cup (assuming the strawberries aren't sweetened with sugar). They also contain around 50% more vitamin C than fresh ones and slightly more manganese, iron and zinc.

Fresh strawberries do not have the highest vitamin content. A cup of fresh strawberries contains 150 mg of the vitamin, but a cup of itdried strawberries(which would be a very large serving) contains about 730 mg of vitamin C. There are still some companies that add sugar to strawberries before drying, but a healthier and more common approach is to add fruit juice or fruit pulp as a natural sweetener. .

However, strawberry leather has about 60 percent of the vitamin C and antioxidant power of fresh strawberriesLaboratory studyThey surprisingly found that the antioxidant power of strawberry leather increases when the strawberry leather is stored.

And everything about sweetened and frozen strawberries isn't bad. They contain even more vitamin C than fresh strawberries or unsweetened frozen strawberries and significantly more methylfolate. Strawberry jam loses its vitamin C content the longer it's stored unless it's kept in the fridge (even before the jar is opened), but other antioxidants in jam, like anthocyanins, which give it its red color, areknown to be storage stable.

Nutritional information is important, but it doesn't tell the whole story. Decades ago, when the recommended daily allowance and reference intake were studied, nutritionists failed to recognize the role that many plant compounds play in maintaining good health. Let's start by looking at an important attribute of strawberries that is often overlooked.

Strawberries strengthen the immune system

Strawberries in your diet help prevent viral infections. During the H1N1 flu epidemic in 2009, scientists found that people who ate strawberries were less likely to get the flu. The relationship between strawberries in the diet was particularly significant for people who were obese but not morbidly obese. These were people with a BMI between 30 and 40. People with weight problems who didn't eat berries tended to get H1N1 much more easily than people with weight problems who didn't eat strawberries regularly.

A group ofScientists at the Western Human Nutrition Research Centerin Davis, California, he set out to find out what it was about strawberries that boosted the immune system to fight infection. They found that obese volunteers who ate the equivalent of two large strawberries a day produced 15 to 17 percent more tumor necrosis factor-alpha, better known as TNF-alpha. Why this is a good thing perhaps needs an explanation.

TNF-alpha is a member of a group of compounds known as inflammatory cytokines. We've been conditioned to believe that inflammation is a bad thing, but small amounts of TNF-alpha released by a type of white blood cell known as a macrophage go a long way in fighting infection. Destroys bacteria and is known to do soattack a virus called SARS.

Small amounts of TNF-alpha are good, large amounts of TNF-alpha are not. An excess of this substance has been linked to a long list of serious diseases such as Alzheimer's, irritable bowel syndrome, psoriasis and major depression. But a little more TNF-alpha protects against viral infections.

The reason obese people derive such exceptional protective benefits from strawberries is that macrophages tend to get "trapped" in the tiny blood vessels that carry blood flow through fatty tissue. Something about strawberries allows those infection-fighting white blood cells in other parts of the body to produce more of the TNF-alpha needed by the immune system.

There is good evidence that strawberries would help boost the immune system, especially in people with weight issues. Any time a virus 'walks' it's a good idea to make sure you include some strawberries in your diet. It only takes a few strawberries a day to make a difference.

Boosting immunity isn't the only potential benefit of strawberries.

Strawberries fight allergies

There's good reason to believe that a cup of strawberries a day will help keep allergies at bay.

Strawberries are a good source of a plant chemical called quercetin. They are not the best source of quercetin. That title goes to blackberry leaves, followed by bee pollen, blueberries, blackberries, apple peel, and the outer layers of onions. With the exception of bee pollen, these aren't foods you're likely to buy at the grocery store. But of the foods you're likely to buy at the grocery store, strawberries are among the best sources of the chemical.

Quercetin is a natural antihistamine. Prevents the release of inflammatory compounds from mast cells in the nose and throat. It blocks the action of hyaluronidase, which destroys the walls of capillaries, causing them to leak and cause swelling. If the capillaries are not broken, the mast cells do not release their histamine and allergy symptoms do not appear.

Foods rich in quercetin are not medicine to treat any disease. They are food to maintain good health. Plan on eating strawberries and other quercetin-rich foods at least a few weeks before allergy season begins. If you wait until you have symptoms before changing your diet, you may have to wait a week or two before you see improvement.

You can read about itStrawberry allergy here.

Strawberries support normal blood sugar levels

There are some wonderful results in studies of strawberries being added to the diets of diabetics - diabetic rats, I mean.Indian scientistsconducted experiments that found that adding strawberry extract to the diets of laboratory rats lowered cholesterol, normalized liver function, protected against kidney damage, and helped regenerate insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. The strawberries helped offset the increase in triglycerides caused by feeding the mice too much fructose. And the strawberry extracts activated an enzyme called PPAR-gamma, which causes fat, muscle and liver cells to develop receptor sites that make them more sensitive to insulin, causing blood sugar levels to drop.

But do these strawberry benefits also apply to humans?

Clinical trials using strawberries for diabeteswere carried out at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) with type 2 diabetics, i.e. diabetics whose body still produces some insulin. Clinical studies have found that adding strawberries to people's diets lowers blood sugar levels, lowers blood pressure, and improves measurement of the progression of hardening of the arteries. We have more detailed data from the lab, but there is also practical confirmation that strawberries maintain normal blood sugar levels.

The UNLV study confirmed that strawberries are a great addition to diabetic diets. Almost any diabetic can follow their doctor's recommendations and still find room for strawberries in their diet. The only thing to remember is that strawberries are not medicine. They help diabetics be healthier when those diabetics are already controlling their carbohydrate intake.

When we hear about foods that promote heart health, we naturally think of shrinking inflamed arteries and lowering cholesterol. Strawberries show these cardiovascular benefits in the elderly. But they also promote better vascular health in children and adolescents.

Strawberries are like kale and spinach in that they're a useful source of nitrates (except most people think strawberries taste better). You may be familiar with the concept of nitrates and cardiovascular health. Dietary nitrates work on the same principle as nitroglycerin pills, which people can put under their tongue to open up blood vessels when they have chest pains. You can't stop chest pain by putting a strawberry under your tongue. But researchers tell us that people of all ages evenKinderThey have a free flow of blood through the blood vessels when consuming strawberries.

Enzymes in the lining of your blood vessels convert the nitrates in strawberries into a substance called nitric oxide, better known as NO. When blood vessels are exposed to NO, they gently open to increase blood flow. If you are an elderly person who has survived a heart attack, it could mean that you suffer less from angina. If you're a young person in good health, it could mean you can play more and have more fun. But the cardiovascular benefits of strawberries don't end there.

The Royal Society of Chemistry (British) published aSummary of 12 research studieson the cardiovascular health benefits of strawberries. (The link takes you directly to the table of studies in the article.) These studies looked at how many strawberries to eat to achieve various cardiovascular benefits:

• One study found that overweight teens who ate 50 grams (just under 2 ounces) of strawberries daily for just one week increased NO production, leading to better blood flow. Better blood flow means better athletic performance and more energy. Consuming 50 grams per day seems to be the minimum amount of strawberries that have this benefit. Another study that asked participants to eat 40 grams (slightly under 1-1/2 ounces) of strawberries each day found no benefit.
• Another study found that middle-aged adults (average 49 years) with "belly obesity" who had a lot of belly fat had lower LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride levels after eating 50 grams of strawberries daily for 12 weeks. The study found that eating 25 grams of strawberries per day is not enough. If you're looking for volume measurements, that means that eating 1/3 cup of strawberries each day was enough to make a difference, but eating less than a quarter cup of strawberries isn't.
• And a study of adults with type 2 diabetes found that eating 50 grams of strawberries daily for six weeks lowered HbA1C (meaning their "average" blood sugar levels were lower) and lowered C-reactive protein, a measure for inflammation in the arteries.

There have also been studies in which volunteers ate up to half a kilogram (454 grams) of strawberries a day. There was nothing wrong with eating a pound of strawberries every day for weeks. But you don't have to eat as many strawberries to reap the cardiovascular benefits of eating strawberries.

The benefits of strawberries don't come from some sort of magical chemical that's released when you eat the berries and disappears shortly after. health benefits of strawberriesresearchers tell us, come from your body's interaction with the health-promoting plant chemicals in strawberries, and stay in your bloodstream at constant levels between meals.

The secret to unlocking the incredible health benefits of strawberries is to eat just a serving or two a day. Of course, it's always good to eat more, but just 50 grams (about a third of a cup) consumed daily provides all the amazing health benefits of strawberries.

Nutritional value of a serving of strawberries

A serving of whole strawberries is generally considered one cup (see hereStrawberry Tags). The weight of a cup of fresh strawberries varies depending on the size and type of strawberry consumed. In addition, the nutrition of strawberries can be affected by the quality of the soil and the care of the plants during production. In general, however, the table below provides an accurate representation of the vitamins, minerals, and other components in a serving of strawberries. This Strawberry Nutrition Facts will help you see just how beneficial strawberries are in your diet!

This chart provides the nutritional value of one serving of strawberries, based on the standard cup-size serving. Though famous for their vitamin C, strawberries contain a variety of beneficial compounds that are actually "good for the body." The table can also be sorted by clicking on the column headings.