Health Benefits of Strawberries
Freshly ripened strawberries, plucked fresh off the vine, are one of the joys of late spring and early summer. When allowed to fully ripen, strawberries are a sweet treat that taste just like candy. At Parlee Farms, our four acres of strawberries are only picked when the berries are fully ripened. They don’t just taste great, but they are also extremely good for you. Here’s a look at some of the health benefits you can enjoy by eating strawberries.
Rich in Vitamins, Minerals, and Other Nutrients
Vitamin C
Strawberries are high in Vitamin C, which has numerous health benefits. One of these benefits is as an immune system aid, and many of us instinctually reach for foods high in this vitamin when we are feeling under the weather. A cup of strawberries has roughly 85 mg of this immune-boosting vitamin.
To put this into perspective, we need roughly 100 mg a day of Vitamin C, so you’re more than halfway there when you eat a cup of strawberries. Vitamin C is also used to help your body heal and repair its cells, it is essential in helping the body to produce collagen, helps with your vision, and aids in the absorption of iron.
Beneficial Plant Compounds
Vitamin C isn’t the only antioxidant that is present in strawberries. It is also high in the beneficial plant compounds elargonidin, ellagic acid, ellagitannins, and procyanidins, which are also antioxidants. It is thought that these plant compounds can help boost heart health and help you regulate your blood sugar. Ellagic Acid has a particularly beneficial affect on your heart health because it is thought to help lower cholesterol.
Manganese
Strawberries are a good source of manganese. Although manganese is only used in trace amounts in our body, it does play a role in boosting our health. Manganese can help the body regulate blood sugar, may help improve blood pressure, has antioxidant properties, and can help improve bone health.
Folate (Vitamin B9)
Strawberries are also a decent source of Folate, also known as Vitamin B9. This is an essential vitamin because it helps encourage normal tissue growth. It is also crucial for pregnant, as folate helps encourage the development of a healthy baby.
Summary of Health Benefits
To summarize, the fact that strawberries are a good source of Vitamin C, beneficial plant compounds, manganese, and folate (Vitamin B9). As a result, strawberries can help with the following:
- Boost the immune system through the Vitamin C and antioxidant components.
- Encourage collagen production, which means that it can help keep the skin luminous and help prevent wrinkles.
- Help assist with normal, healthy tissue growth.
- Can help lower both blood pressure.
- Assists with the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels.
- Aids in iron absorption.
- Helps preserve vision and can even prevent cataracts.
As you can see, freshly picked strawberries can definitely boost your health. They also taste great and are one of the true joys of summer!
Categorized in: Strawberries
This post was written by Parlee Farms