The health benefits of strawberries

The strawberry, or Fragaria if you want to get technical about it, is one of the most recognisable berry fruits in the world.¹ Whether you choose to whip your strawberries up into a cheesecake, shake them into a smoothie, or indulge in some to-die-for strawberries and cream, we bet you have a favourite way to eat these little red bursts of deliciousness. Here, we explore some of the many health benefits of strawberries, look at their nutritional profile, and share some of our favourite ways to eat them.

Strawberry nutritional profile

Strawberries are packed full of nutrients, minerals, and vitamins, including but not limited to:²

• Vitamin C: boosts immunity and increases iron absorption. It also contributes to collagen formation to help cartilage, bones and blood vessels function normally³
• Fibre: helps normalise bowel movements and maintains good digestive health⁴
• Folate: one of the body’s B-vitamins that’s needed to make red and white blood cells in the bone marrow and convert carbohydrates into energy⁵
• Iodine: promotes good thyroid health
• Manganese: Plays a role in the regulation of blood sugars. Helps support formation of connective tissue and is also an important contributor of bone health

The health benefits of strawberries

They’re good for heart health

Did you know that heart disease is the most common cause of death across the globe?⁴ There have been many large-scale studies which link the consumption of berries to a lower risk of heart-related deaths.^7,8,9 There has also been a study in middle-aged people which showed that eating strawberries may improve the levels of good cholesterol, as well as lower blood pressure and improve blood platelets function.¹⁰

They help to regulate blood sugars

Your body breaks carbs down into simple sugars and releases them into your bloodstream. It then starts to secrete insulin, which encourages cells to use this sugar as fuel.¹¹ However, sugar imbalances caused by a high-sugar diet carry an increased risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes.¹² Eating strawberries seems to slow down the digestion of glucose and reduces spikes in both glucose and insulin after a high-carb meal.^13,14,15,16

Ways to eat strawberries

Why do we love strawberries so much? Well, aside from being so amazingly good for you, they’re also incredibly versatile. Here are just some of our favourite ways to eat strawberries:¹⁷

• In a smoothie: is there anything more delicious than a strawberry smoothie? The answer is no
• In pancakes: instead of traditional syrup, top your pancakes with strawberries and banana slices for a healthy alternative
• In a fruit salad: chop up some strawberries and add them to your fruit salad for the ultimate refresher
• With cream: enough said
• In lemonade: Make fresh strawberry lemonade by pureeing them in a blender and pouring into a pitcher of lemon juice with water and a touch of sugar. Delicious!

Last updated: 22 June 2020 Sources 1 https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/ingredient-focus-strawberries 2 http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=32#nutritionalprofile 3 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vitamin-c-benefits 4 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vitamin-c-benefits 5 https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/287677 6 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/strawberries#benefits 7 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12514290/ 8 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17906180/ 9 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17344514/ 10 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18258621/ 11 https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/strawberries#benefits 12 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11988062/ 13 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19930765/ 14 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21736853/ 15 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21929838/ 16 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23365108/ 17 https://fruitsandveggies.org/stories/top-10-ways-to-enjoy-strawberries/