Strawberry Nutritional Facts - Health Benefits
Early civilizations revered the strawberry as much for its appearance, heart shaped, as its flavor. In fact, it's the only fruit with the seeds on the outside of the fruit. Many of the early herbalists and medical advisors used not only the fruit but also the leaves and roots of the strawberry plant for medicine. The American Indians used wild strawberries for food long before the arrival of the English, Spanish or French. When the colonists arrived in America, the Indians already ate their version of strawberry shortcake. They made it by mixing mashed strawberries with cornmeal and baking it.
Nutrition Facts and Calories in Strawberries
Photo courtesy of Microsoft Clipart
If you eat one cup of strawberries, you only increase your calorie count by 49 additional calories. Strawberry nutritional facts also include a high vitamin and mineral content for the fruit. One cup of this delicate fruit contains almost 150 percent of the daily value for vitamin C. It also has vitamin E, K, B6, folate, niacin, pantothenic acid, choline and betaine. In addition to the vitamins, there are ample minerals such as manganese. In fact, one cup of strawberries provides over a quarter of the daily value for this mineral. The strawberry also contains magnesium, iron, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, copper and selenium besides being a good source of dietary fiber.
Health Benefits of the Strawberry
Because of the high vitamin C content, the strawberry is a good source of antioxidants. Antioxidants help protect the body from free radicals. These come in the form of oxygen with an odd number of electrons. In order to stabilize, the atom steals an electron from our cells. If free radical steals it from the semi permeable soft cell membrane, it creates a new substance that coats the cell, a hard impenetrable substance that doesn't allow food to enter the cell or waste to escape, thus causing cell death. Even worse, it can set up a chain reaction that damages huge numbers of cells. This damage causes disease and aging.
The strawberry also contains ellagic acid. This substance is in many brightly colored fruits such as the blueberry and raspberry. Many studies point to this substance as a method of decreasing the risk for breast, skin, colon, esophagus, prostate and pancreatic cancer. The inclusion of ellagic acid in the diet prevents the cancer cells from destroying the P53 gene. The P53 gene destroys tumors. The ellagic acid in the strawberries also binds with cancer promoting molecules to deactivate them. The inclusion of strawberries in a cancer diet provides a reduction in liver cancer cells.
Besides the effect on cancer, strawberries are also beneficial to those fighting Alzheimer's disease or cardiovascular problems. Some studies show the strawberry to improve anti-neurodegenerative diseases and reduce or slow the onset of Alzheimer's.
Consumption of strawberries also improves the cardiovascular system, while also providing the body with anti-inflammatory substances, making it good for those with arthritis, gout and other ailments that arise from inflammation. Strawberries are also important for your bone health. The magnesium, potassium and vitamin K in the strawberry helps build strong bones and may aid in the prevention of osteoporosis.
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