Saturday, June 12, 2010

Succulent Strawberries

Strawberries are probably one of the most popular fruits. They are a great source of fiber and phytochemicals. They are very sweet-tasting and inexpensive. Many people suggest eating them several times a week.
The phytochemicals in strawberries act as antioxidants, preventing free radical damage. Besides that, strawberries are also abundant in vitamin C. In fact, there is almost as much vitamin C in strawberries as oranges. Let's look at some of the health benefits of eating strawberries:
Better Vision

One of the antioxidants in strawberries, lutein, might help decrease the chances of macular degeneration. This is true of many fruit.
Heart Health
Like many other fruits, strawberries are high in potassium and low in sodium. This is great for the heart. They are also high in folate, which helps keep homocysteine levels in check. Higher homocysteine levels increase the risk of heart disease. Finally, strawberries have chemicals that hepl reduce inflammation in your arteries.
Painkiller
Some of the phytochemicals in strawberries act in much the same way that over-the-counter painkillers work by helping to reduce inflammation. The good thing is that there are no side-effects.
Strong Immune System
The higher vitamin C levels in strawberries is used by the immune system for different functions. As a side note, vitamin C is used for building tissue.

Cancer Prevention
Again with the phytochemicals, the phenols in strawberries have been linked to reduced risk of cancer. In fact, this is true of many berries.
Strawberries are easily found in any grocery store. When selecting them, it's important to find strawberries that are bright red and firm. You can buy frozen strawberries as well, but fresh is always better. Make sure there is no added sugar if you're buying the frozen kind.

Many people enjoy picking strawberries from the farmer's field. This is a pretty common activity and you can see signs for this driving down many country roads during the summer. Or you can just grown your own strawberries; it's pretty easy.
You'll want to eat them pretty quickly, as they go bad in a matter of days. You can store them in the fridge to keep them fresh. Make sure to wash them thoroughly before eating them. You can always freeze them, however, if you've bought more than you can handle. The vitamin C levels will diminish, but all of the other nutrients remain as they are.

These are another versatile fruit. You can eat them as they are. You can mix them in with different breakfast options like oatmeal or cereal. You can make some home-made yogurt. You can mix them into a fruit smoothie. You can make a fruit salad. Of course, you can make desserts out of them as well...just keep the sugar levels in check. Obviously any strawberry syrups or toppings are going to be composed almost entirely of sugar, with almost no nutritional value. You should probably steer clear of these.
These are a great fruit, though. If you eat them just a few times a week, while mixing some other berries into your diet (like blueberries) then you can enjoy great nutritional benefits.
Mark is an Internet Marketer and Electrical Engineer. His interests include meeting new people, making music, listening to music, travel and psychology. Come visit his latest website which helps people find the best information on Sennheiser wireless headphones and gauge the quality of a wireless headphones review.

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