strawberries are one of the symbols of summer. The season for these fruits is quite short, so it is worth eating them every day. What vitamins does strawberry have, is it good for slimming, and what is its most popular use in the kitchen? You will find the answer to these and other questions in this article!
In this article you will learn:
- Can you eat strawberries on a diet?
- What are the nutritional values of strawberries?
- What can strawberries be used for?
Strawberry is very high on the list of Poles’ favorite fruits. No wonder – not only do they taste great, but they are also very versatile. You can add them to summer salads, cookies, and cold desserts, and enjoy them alone. Despite their huge popularity, few people realize that strawberries are a work of chance – they were created several centuries ago from the crossing of two species of wild strawberries. Luckily, the story went this way because these red fruits are real vitamin bombs!
When does the strawberry season start?
The first fruits appear on the stalls and in local supermarkets already at the end of May, with favorable weather conditions you can buy them even until the end of July.
If you do not want to overpay and are waiting for the most convenient price of the product, aim for the middle of the strawberry season. It is usually highest in the first two weeks when the fruit is released for sale and then begins to slowly decline.
Strawberries and weight loss
The menu of people who care about their weight is often based on a caloric deficit, including only one serving of fruit a day. If you have just started a diet and are trying to lose extra pounds before the summer, you will certainly be interested in the information that strawberries are one of the safest fruits of a healthy and balanced menu.
Strawberries and weight loss – if this issue bothers you every time you pass fruit baskets at the local market, know that these fruits are low in calories and high in water so that you can enjoy even a few handfuls of strawberries every day.
An additional argument in favor of including strawberries in the diet menu is the presence of nitrates. These compounds are responsible for the increase in blood flow, helping to oxygenate skeletal muscles. Reports from the world of science show that the consumption of strawberries can accelerate the burning of calories during physical activity.
Nutritional value of strawberries
100 g of strawberries contain about 30 kcal. Their low calorific value is an undoubted advantage, but the most important advantages are the health-promoting properties resulting from the nutrients they contain.
What kind of vitamins does strawberry have? This popular fruit is rich primarily in vitamin C and contains as much as 60 mg of ascorbic acid in 100 g of the product. Interestingly, the same volume of orange contains only about 50 mg of this chemical compound.
Among other vitamins present in strawberries, it is worth paying attention to B vitamins, which regulate the work of the nervous system and brain, vitamin A, which has a beneficial effect on eyesight, skin, and nails, and vitamin E, which is one of the strongest antioxidants.
Strawberries are very valuable fruits in the context of digestive health. They contain pectins that stimulate intestinal peristalsis and numerous organic acids that regulate digestion and accelerate metabolism. What’s more, strawberries are cholagogues, so they have a detoxifying effect on both the gallbladder and the liver. In turn, the water contained in them stimulates the work of the kidneys and hydrates the body.
Strawberries – curiosities
Many people are impatiently waiting for the strawberry season, but few of them are aware that these plants are not only tasty snacks but also very interesting fruits. What secrets do strawberries hide? Interesting facts about them will surprise many!
The fact that strawberries appeared in nature by pure chance is just the beginning of the fascinating facts about them. Below is a list of the most interesting of them:
- There is a museum in Belgium that is entirely dedicated to strawberries. In addition to lots of surprising exhibits, it houses a gift shop where you can find all sorts of strawberry preserves, including beer.
- Strawberries are the first spring fruits and the only ones that have their seeds outside.
- The world’s largest strawberry has reached the size of a large apple.
- The shape of the fruit depends on the climate in which it is grown.
- If you want to extract the sweetness from strawberries, serve them at room temperature.
- Strawberries ripen only on the bush, and not after picking, as in the case of other fruits.
- The water contained in them constitutes more than 90 percent. their weight.
- Strawberries are very resistant to unfavorable weather conditions, but they require fertile soil.
- Strawberry fruits are very delicate, so they are harvested by hand, without the use of technology.
- The average specimen has about 200 seeds.
Strawberries – use in the kitchen
Do you love to eat strawberries straight from the bowl and rarely use them in recipes? Know that they are a very versatile ingredient that can be freely used in both savory and sweet dishes. What can be conjured up with strawberry fruit?
The use of strawberries in the kitchen leaves a lot of room for creativity. One of the simplest and fastest dishes you can prepare with their help is a strawberry salad. To do it, you just need a salad mix, spinach, arugula, or lamb’s lettuce, your favorite nuts and dried fruit, radish, and ricotta. Mix all the ingredients and enjoy a real vitamin bomb on your plate!
Strawberries are also great for preparing sweet sauces for meat, e.g. baked pork loin. You don’t like such connections? Then play confectioner and add them to cookies, muffins, shortcakes, and tarts. And if you don’t have time to bake, use them in diet smoothies, cocktails, or desserts based on Greek or natural yogurt.
What else can strawberries be used for? For example, to serve homemade ice cream or decorate a birthday cake for your kids. In addition, strawberries are a great semi-finished product to be used in liqueurs, jams, preserves, and other preserves.
Are you constantly busy and do not feel like strawberries in the solo variant? In that case, buy whipped cream and some form of sweet sprinkles at the earliest opportunity and add them to the fruit. For more experienced cooks, we recommend preparing the whipped cream yourself from chilled cream, powdered sugar, and lemon juice. Finger licking!
Are you looking for ideas for dishes with strawberries? Take a look at the recipes of our users.
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