Strawberries are Great Sources of Red Pigments

June is your chance to get ripe, local strawberries. Or better yet, go berry picking. See LocalHarvest for farm information. Vegan alternative to whipped cream? Try soaking walnuts overnight and blending with almond milk, maple syrup, and some fresh vanilla beans. Open the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape some of the resinous substance containing the tiny black seeds. Yum.

Red fruits and vegetables are colored by flavonoid pigments including lycopene and anthocyanins. Lycopene, found in tomatos, is known to help prevent a few types of cancers including prostate. Anthocyanins, the pigments that color strawberries, are fantastic antioxidants that make fruits red to blue colored. Preventing signs of aging and protecting your vessels from inflammation and atheroschlerosis are some of the actions that research has attributed to anthocyanins. Blueberries have the more blue anthocyanins. Diabetics are commonly advised  to eat blueberries and strawberries. This is a prime example of "food as medicine". The goal is for the anthocyanins to protect the diabetic heart and vessels from negative effects of high blood sugar and glycosylated proteins. Considering that cardiovascular disease is still the number one cause of death for both men and women, we should enjoy strawberries as preventative medicine.

Strawberries are nourishing and hydrating. 1 cup of strawberries, about 8 small/medium sized berries, contains about 50 calories, 100 milligrams of vitamin C, 12 grams of sugar, and 3-4 grams of fiber. Small amounts of calcium, magnesium folate and potassium are present. Concerned about the sugar content? Strawberries are considered one of the safer berries for diabetic individuals. Based on the relatively high fiber content, strawberries have a low glycemic index meaning that they will not spike your blood sugar.

Originally posted at: healthshare on June 18, 2012