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Three reasons why British strawberries are excellent for your health
It wouldn't be summer without nibbling on succulent British strawberries, pepped up with cream, dropped into champagne or drizzled with balsamic vinegar or molten chocolate (if you're feeling fancy) – and luckily for us they offer more than just delicious flavour. Strawberries are a boost to our health: high in antioxidants and vitamin C and low in calories.
They are also a staple of the great British picnic season and the Wimbledon tennis fortnight (where 1.5 million are served). M&S is also in on the game, offering a new white pearl variety, while Waitrose has a giant, juicier version, twice the size of the usual fare. But are newfangled varieties the healthiest?
'Typically the smaller and darker berries have higher antioxidant levels,' says nutritionist Clarissa Lenherr. 'While the white ones are very pretty, and I've been tempted by them, they don't add a lot of value from a nutritional point of view.
'And it's important to know why the big ones are bigger. Is it because of growing methods or pesticides? These factors can affect the strawberry's nutrient content because the perfect strawberry will thrive from warm days and a certain level of sunshine. The smaller strawberries are typically sweeter as well.'
So how can we make the most of the season's berry superfood – and what is the healthiest way to eat them?
What's in a strawberry?
A classic 100g serving of strawberries contains:
Calories: 32
Water: 91%
Protein: 0.7g
Carbs: 7.7g
Sugar: 4.9g
Fibre: 2g
Fat: 0.3g
Why are they so healthy?
'Generally speaking, berries are one of the best fruit options for calories, carbs and sugars. Strawberries are only slightly higher in sugar than blackberries, raspberries and blueberries but not by much,' says nutritionist and author Jenna Hope. 'At 32 calories, per 100g of strawberries, it's something you can easily add onto yogurt in the morning', without worrying too much about your weight. Their key benefits are:
1. High in immune-boosting antioxidants and low in natural sugars
'They are a great source of antioxidants – rich in anthocyanins and phytochemicals, which can help prevent inflammation,' says Dr Megan Rossi, the founder of The Gut Health Doctor and a research fellow at King's College London.
In terms of their sugar content, strawberries are in the middle ground for fruits, overall, with much less than mango or banana, says Lenherr. 'They do have natural sugar in them and berries tend to have lower sugar levels than tropical fruits.' Strawberries also have a high water content, without too much of the extra sugar of other high water content fruits such as watermelon.
2. High in vitamin C
One serving a day would hit the recommended daily amount of vitamin C, helping to boost the immune system and ward off seasonal colds. Some experts believe the high vitamin C content also makes strawberries important for the production of collagen, the 'scaffolding structure' in the skin.
3. Good for gut health
Strawberries come low on the FODMAP scale, a way of measuring the short-chain carbohydrates that can cause digestion problems. Lenherr says: 'It means that they contain minimal fermentable sugars that, for some individuals, can trigger bloating, gas, and discomfort, especially for people with irritable bowel syndrome or sensitive digestion. They can be an easy option for those who want to incorporate fibre (at 2g per serving, it is nearly one tenth of your daily intake) without having to choose higher FODMAP-containing fruits, such as apples and pears. A low FODMAP serving of strawberries is 65g per five medium strawberries.'
How to maximise the health benefits of strawberries
Find the ripest
A ripe strawberry offers the most health benefits, while an underripe fruit has lower vitamin C content and decreased phytonutrients. Look out for strawberries with a shiny, red colour and a sweet smell; if a strawberry has a strong alcoholic smell, it is mostly overripe.
Eating a perfectly ripe strawberry is so important that some nutritionists prefer a frozen strawberry to a fresh one, especially if it's out of season. Hope says: 'Generally speaking, they are both good for you, but frozen strawberries are flash-frozen from the time they are picked, and all the nutrients, including vitamin C, are locked in.' The UK strawberry season usually runs from May to September when the juiciest, most flavoursome strawberries are produced, so this is the healthiest time to consume them. Outside of this window, strawberries are imported into the country from mainly Spain and Egypt.
Go for home-grown
'Consumers have reported British strawberries (in season) to be sweeter and contain more fructose which provides us with energy,' says Rossi. 'When they are grown here, there is less time between them being picked and being eaten. Transport hauls could be degrading the phytochemicals.' In plain terms, the quicker the journey from harvest to consumption, the more nutrients will remain in the strawberry, ensuring higher quality and better taste.
Try organic
As much as we all love strawberries, they are listed as one of the 'dirty dozen' fruits most likely to contain pesticide residue, a substance used to deter pests. 'Organic strawberries won't have as many pesticides in – that's a fact,' says Rossi.
However, if you don't want to stretch to organic varieties, to reduce exposure to pesticides, Rossi and Lenherr recommend soaking the fruit in either water or baking soda for 10 minutes, and then patting it dry. Rossi notes that bicarbonate of soda may, of course, affect the taste of the fruit.
Healthy (and delicious) ways to eat strawberries
'I love pairing strawberries with tahini and 70 per cent dark chocolate,' says Lenherr. 'It is such a lovely sweet, slightly salty combination. Tahini is full of plant-based calcium which is great because I don't eat dairy. It also has great levels of antioxidants and healthy fats.
'The higher the percentage of cocoa in chocolate, the more antioxidants it has in. Its bitterness also stimulates digestion.'
Rossi recommends strawberry and pistachio cheesecake. 'We know pairing fruit with healthy fats is a great thing for people conscious of blood sugar regulation. It also slows absorption of sugars and helps us absorb fat-soluble vitamins.'
Hope even recommends eating the strawberry leaves. 'People chop the leaves off, but they are actually very nutritious,' she says. 'You can take the stalk away, but if you're making a smoothie, blend them as well.'
