STRAWBERRY BENEFITS, NUTRITIONAL VALUES AND CONTRAINDICATIONS.

Want to know everything about strawberry benefits, nutrionals values and also its contraindications? You are in the right place!

Strawberry, typical spring red fruit, is rich in vitamin C and compounds with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumoral action. With this article, we will discover all strawberry benefits and nutritional properties.

What are strawberry benefits? It is rich in properties, with a sweet and sugary taste that makes it one of the foods preferred by children. Being part of the family of rosaceae, the plant is called fragaria vesca, a term that recalls the latin noun "fragrans", that is, perfumed with which the Romans used to indicate these delicious fruits. The red fruit that we all know well actually, from a botanical point of view, is not a fruit but a container of many different fruits (the yellow seeds that we can see on the red surface of the strawberry itself).

Strawberry origin.

The origin of the strawberry is very ancient: it is also present in the Bible, where it is described as an abundant and tasty spontaneous fruit, but its presence is also attested in the Neolithic. Strawberries seem to come from our continent: Europe. In fact, in many woods located on the Italian territory, it is possible to find, in the spring and summer months, wild strawberry.

Mansikat, kuten muutkin ruusukasvien tai kanervakasvien heimoon kuuluvat marjat, kuten mustikka, ovat ravintorikkaimpia bioaktiivisten yhdisteiden lähteitä ja niillä on erinomaiset antioksidanttiset ominaisuudet. Tasapainoista ruokavaliota ei siis tulisi koskaan jättää ilman näitä tärkeitä elintarvikkeita.

Nutritional characteristics and values.

Strawberry is a very rich source of different nutrients, sugars, vitamins, flavonoids and anthocyanins. These nutrients, acting in a synergistic way, give the strawberry benefits useful to promote the state of health and prevent various diseases. Sugar content of strawberries is modest (more than 5 grams per 100 grams of food) and consequently also the calorie content: for this reason, an abundant consumption is not recommended in case of obesity or diabetes.

They also contain a good amount of fiber and an almost negligible amount of lipids. Finally, they are fruits rich in essential nutrients. Among the minerals, stands out the manganese whose properties will be described in the next paragraph. 100 g of strawberries contain 13% of the daily dose recommended by the guidelines. Among the vitamins, the most represented is definitely vitamin C.

Among typical summer fruits, strawberries are those with a higher content of this vitamin with a content of 58 mg in 100 g of product and a recommended daily intake of 85 mg for the adult woman and 105 mg for the adult man.

Nutritional information per 100g of strawberries.

Do you know what is inside 100g of strawberries? Water 90.95 g; kcal 32; Proteins 0.67 g; Fats 0.3 g; Carbohydrates 7.68 g; Fibre 2 g; Iron 0.41 mg; Manganese 0.3 mg; Potassium 153 mg; Phosphorus 24 mg; Vitamin C 58.8 mg; Glycemic index 25; Cholesterol 0 g.

Nutritional properties.

In addition to manganese and vitamin C, which we mentioned in the previous paragraph as the most represented mineral and vitamin in strawberries, there are many others that deserve a mention. As in many other fruits, in fact, also in the strawberry we find good amounts of potassium (mineral fundamental for muscle contraction, regulation of blood pressure and maintenance of the hydro-saline system) and phosphorus (involved in energy metabolism and in the construction of many proteins).

100 grams of strawberries contain about 4% of the recommended daily dose of these two minerals. We also find a fair amount of iodine, comparable only to very few other fruits. We believe, in this regard, that this is a factor to be considered, given the widespread shortage of iodine which still afflicts the world’s population. Let’s see below the properties of the main micronutrients, focusing on those most represented.

Vitamin C: strawberries are rich in vitamin C, an essential antioxidant for our immune system. Vitamin C is also involved in collagen synthesis and is important for the absorption of iron by red blood cells;

Mangaani: mineraali, joka osallistuu lukuisiin entsymaattisiin reaktioihin ja on välttämätön luiden ja nivelten kasvulle, kollageenin synteesille sekä hiilihydraattien, rasvojen, steroidien ja tiettyjen proteiinihormonien aineenvaihdunnalle. Mangaani on myös tärkeän antioksidanttientsyymin, superoksididismutaasin, aktivoija.

Iodine: a fundamental mineral for thyroid function, an endocrine gland at the base of the neck that produces iodine-containing hormones that are essential for numerous metabolic processes and for the growth process;

Folate: essential vitamin for women in the first trimester of pregnancy, its deficiency slows down DNA synthesis and cell division, causes different forms of anemia and can create problems to the spine. Finally, many phenolic compounds are present in strawberries. Among the flavonoids the most present are campferol and quercitin, among the phenolic acids, gallic acid, caffeic acid, coumarin acid and ellagic acid and there are also several anthocyanins, responsible for the typical colour of these fruits. However, it should be stressed that the total content of phenolic compounds decreases with the ripening of the fruit.

Strawberry benefits.

Strawberry is widely used in popular medicine, due to its numerous properties. In particular, a cream produced with strawberries is used to treat wounds and various skin diseases, while strawberry juice is used in the case of inflammation of the nerves or lungs. Preparations containing the extract of strawberry leaves have anti-diabetes, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Cardiovascular protection: The presence of antioxidant molecules, able to reduce the oxidation of LDL, protects against the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.

Reduction of the risk of developing oncological diseases: Some of the compounds present in strawberries, such as oak and ellagic acid, have been shown in vitro to have an anti-cancer activity cancer by inhibiting cell proliferation and thus suppressing the growth of cancer cells in cases of colon, prostate and oral tumours.

Neuro-protective effect: The gallic acid, one of the phenolic acids present in strawberries, is globally recognized for its antioxidant properties and for its neuroprotective action against oxidative stress and neurotoxicity.

Anti-inflammatory effect: Recent studies have shown that regular consumption of strawberries can contribute to solving complications due to chronic and systemic inflammation. In addition, a diet rich in strawberries has been able to limit neuronal damage in some experiments on mice. This effect is due to the anti-inflammatory action of phenolic compounds in strawberries

Antioxidant properties: Strawberries, as well as many forest fruits, are among the richest fruits of antioxidant molecules available in nature. Their consumption is in fact advised in order to be able to prevent various chronic and degenerative pathologies since the phenolic compounds contained in the strawberries act against the oxidative stress decreasing the formation of malondialdehydes (an indicator of lipid peroxidation), protecting against oxidation of LDL cholesterol and blood cells from damage to DNA.

Metabolisen oireyhtymän hoito: Useat soluihin ja eläinmalleihin perustuvat tutkimukset ovat osoittaneet, että mansikoita runsaasti sisältävä ruokavalio voi säädellä verensokeritasoa ja estää glukoosin kuljetusta sekä solujen glukoosinottoa. Lisäksi on osoitettu, että mansikkauute sisältää ruoansulatusentsyymejä, jotka auttavat parantamaan hyperglykemian ja hypertension tilaa, jotka ovat tyypillisiä metabolista oireyhtymää sairastaville.

Draining and purifying action: Strawberries, as we have seen in the previous paragraphs, contain little sodium and a greater amount of potassium and vitamin C. They are therefore useful for their draining action, against water retention and can be used for the preparation of excellent herbal teas and drinks. A very effective "do it yourself" method involves rubbing strawberries on your teeth to obtain a whitening effect. Their non-smooth surface, in fact, could have a cleaning action on our teeth. Strawberries also contain xylitol, which prevents plaque formation.

Strawberries in herbal medicine: Finally, at the phytotherapeutic level, the roots and leaves of strawberries are used for their diuretic action in case of kidney stones or hyperuricemia and as natural astringents, thanks to their richness in tannins.

Strawberries: how to use and preserve them.

Luonnollinen mansikoiden poimintakausi alkaa keväällä ja päättyy elokuussa. Suosittelemme siis nauttimaan tätä hedelmää erityisesti tänä aikana ja valitsemaan aina luomutuotteita ja mahdollisuuksien mukaan lähituotettuja. Valitessa kannattaa suosia tasavärisiä mansikoita, joiden kanta on hyvin kiinni hedelmän päässä. Lisäksi, jos haluat nauttia ravinteikkaammista mansikoista, kannattaa valita tummanvärisiä marjoja.

Mansikat kannattaa kuumimpaan vuodenaikaan säilyttää huoneenlämmössä korkeintaan päivän ajan. Jos siis ostat mansikoita ja käytät ne saman päivän aikana, niitä ei tarvitse laittaa jääkaappiin. Vaihtoehtoisesti mansikat voi säilyttää jääkaapissa useamman päivän ajan, kunhan laitat ne rasiaan. Makea maku sopii erinomaisesti raikkaiden ja herkullisten jälkiruokien valmistukseen lämpimällä säällä: esimerkiksi mansikkatiramisu tai mansikkajuustokakku. Mansikoista voi tehdä myös maukkaita pirtelöitä tai juomia. Erinomainen yhdistelmä syntyy, kun mansikoiden kanssa käytetään banaania ja kasvipohjaista juomaa, kuten kookosmaitoa.

Strawberries: contraindications and potential adverse effects.

There are no particular contraindications to moderate consumption of strawberries. However, it should be noted that strawberries can cause allergic reactions and are histamine-releasing foods. Therefore, those who suffer from histamine allergy should also limit their consumption. Strawberry allergy is noted with the appearance of red dots and itching skin. In rare cases, it can result in real hives and swelling of the mouth.