The strawberry and its nutritional values: interesting facts about the popular fruit

Strawberries and their nutritional values: What you should know

Strawberries are regional and definitely a very popular fruit in summer. However, as consumers, we may not know too much about the red berry. What nutritional values ​​it brings with it and what that means for our body.

What are the nutritional values ​​of a strawberry and what can I understand by that?

Among other things, a strawberry consists almost entirely of water. This value is around 91%. In addition, their carbohydrate levels are around 7.1%. They have a fat content of just 0.3% and their protein values ​​are around 0.7%. We have listed other nutritional values ​​​​of strawberries for you here in this table.

Below we go into some aspects of the table in more detail. We want to give you a better overview of the nutritional values ​​and break the values ​​down a bit.

The first nutrient we look at is fiber. These are around 2g for a portion of 100g strawberries. This fiber value is low and they are divided into water soluble and water insoluble form. Fiber is important because it is there to both keep our digestion healthy and to feed the friendly bacteria in our gut. (2.3)

The next point we'll take a closer look at is the carb count. With a value of 7.1g per 100g, strawberries have a low carbohydrate value. One of the reasons for this is that strawberries consist mainly of water.

However, most of the carbohydrates in strawberries come from the sugars in this case from their glucose, sucrose and fructose portions. The GI value of strawberries is 40, which is on the low side. For this reason, strawberries should not increase blood pressure and are also suitable for diabetics. (4)

However, strawberries are also rich in vitamins and minerals. These include vitamin C, vitamin B9 or also known as folic acid. Among the minerals, manganese and potassium are found very strongly.

The strawberry is rich in vitamin C, among other things. But what is vitamin C for? On the one hand, it is very good for your immune system. Vitamin C not only strengthens it, but also ensures that your body gets sick less often and is better armed against infections.

Vitamin C ensures that your immune system works well. Even our brain cells can be improved by vitamin C. Thus, the body can be less susceptible to viruses. In addition, too little vitamin C can lead to depression, tiredness and malaise. But vitamin C can also be healthy for the skin. (5.6)

Furthermore, the strawberry also has plenty of vitamin B9. It is also called folic acid, among other things, and is there to ensure that the cells in our body function normally. In addition, the vitamin B9 also ensures that our tissue grows normally. Accordingly, it is always good to eat foods with folic acid. Furthermore, folic acid is also known to be useful for the elderly and to help with pregnancy and reduce complications. (8.9)

Manganese, for example, falls under the category of minerals or trace elements . It's commonly found in larger amounts in vegetables like potatoes and cucumbers, fruits, whole grains like oatmeal and bulgur, and legumes like lentils and peanuts. It is an essential mineral and trace element that is responsible for many important processes in our body. (10)

The final mineral we'll discuss is potassium. It is an important mineral that can also be found in hazelnuts and cashews, for example. Potassium is essential for us because our body needs it, among other things, to regulate our blood pressure and to control other functions in our body, such as the growth of our cells. (11,12"> However, strawberries provide many other additional vitamins and minerals

What other nutritional values ​​do strawberries have?

Other nutritional values ​​found in strawberries include antioxidants, amino acids, and other botanicals. This includes, for example, pelargonidin. Also known as anthocyanins, it is what gives strawberries their red color. (13)

However, just because strawberries are redder than others doesn't always mean they're necessarily sweeter. (Image source: Massimiliano Martini / unsplash.com)

The plant substance anthocyanins is normally found in the skin of fruits. In the case of berries, however, they are also present in the pulp. The riper the strawberry is, the redder it can become. These plant pigments may also have health benefits related to heart health. (14)

There are also procyanidins. These substances are found in the flesh and seeds of strawberries and can also have positive effects on our health. There are also phenolic antioxidants in strawberries. The red fruit is one of the top phenolic antioxidants. The values ​​of strawberries should be two to eleven times higher than other fruits. (15.16)

What other health benefits does the nutritional value in strawberries have?

Consuming strawberries can have several health benefits, among others. They should be able to reduce the risk of contracting a chronic disease. Furthermore, among other things, the consumption of strawberries should reduce the likelihood that a person will develop cancer. (17.18)

Some studies have shown that the consumption of strawberries in animals is said to have inhibited tumor formation. The specific case involved oral cancer. Furthermore, an inhibitory effect was also discovered in human liver cancer cells by the nutrients in the strawberries. (19.20)

Basically, when you eat carbohydrate-rich foods, our body absorbs them and turns them into sugar. The body then releases insulin to absorb the sugar. This is processed into energy and then gives it to your body or stores it. When there is an imbalance, it can cause your blood sugar levels to be too high or too low. (21.22)

However, strawberries are said to be able to prevent this to a certain extent. Apparently, the red fruits can slow down the digestion of glucose in our body a bit. What's more, they can reduce spikes in insulin and glucose levels compared to a high-carb meal without strawberries. (23.24)

Children like to snack on something sweet. Strawberries are a good alternative for this with many vitamins. (Image source: Kelly Sikkema / unsplash.com)

Among other things, strawberries are also healthy for our heart. You can reduce your risk of dying from or developing heart disease. (25.26)

Among other things, they are said to have shown the following results in a study with middle-aged people. The study participants all demonstrated an established risk factor for heart disease. They then found out that consuming berries also improves cholesterol levels, lowers blood pressure and improves blood platelet function. (27)

Do frozen strawberries have the same nutritional values ​​as fresh ones?

There is only a slight difference in nutritional value between frozen and fresh fruit. On the one hand, it depends on where the strawberries were bought and under what conditions they were then frozen. All of these aspects play a role in how nutritional values ​​compare to each other.

Picking fresh strawberries from a field or from the garden and comparing them to strawberries from the supermarket is difficult and not advisable. With groceries that are bought in the supermarket, the delivery trip is always added. That is why the way the strawberries come from and how they are frozen is also important.

However, it can be said that the nutritional values ​​are retained in frozen products and that they do not differ greatly from fresh products. The differences seem to be rather minimal. (28) There are even some fruits where the vitamin C content is actually increased when frozen compared to the fresh variety. (29)

Accordingly, frozen strawberries are not immediately worse than fresh ones. However, they are not immediately intended for distortion like the fresh ones. However, if you want strawberries year-round then freezing store-bought strawberries or general frozen strawberries is an option for you. The nutritional values ​​are retained or the vitamin C content can increase and you still get the positive aspects accordingly.

With which dishes are strawberries the most nutritious?

Strawberries can be consumed in many different ways. They add good minerals and vitamins to your body. In this table you will find some variants that could be considered for processing strawberries.

However, before you distort it, you should wash the strawberries to get rid of the dirt. A good tip is to wash the strawberries in standing water and not under a jet of water. After that, you should remove the stem and leaves. You can eat the red fruits on their own, put them in your muesli or even as a topping on your ice cream.

Strawberries and chocolate also go really well together. A few other berries can do no harm on a strawberry cake either. (Image source: Thandy Yung/ unsplash.com)

Strawberries are not only suitable as a dessert but also as a starter, main course and snack. So you are an all-rounder. They also fit well in a rocket or feta salad. You can also use them in smoothies. However, fresh strawberries are also good with some whipped cream.

You can also put frozen strawberries in your drinks as a substitute for ice cubes or to add some flavor to your water. You can also use strawberries on various diets, such as a keto diet .

What else should I know about strawberries and their nutritional values?

Among other things, strawberries can also trigger allergies in some people. Strawberry allergies are more common among children. These usually show up in a mild form. It can sometimes lead to an itchy feeling, abdominal pain, slight nausea, diarrhea or even dizzy spells. The reason for this is a protein that strawberries carry. This protein can trigger allergic reactions that have a similar effect. like a pollen-food allergy. (30)

However, there are also more severe allergic reactions that can occur. These vary from person to person. More severe signs include swelling of the tongue, difficulty breathing in the throat due to swelling in the throat, and a drastic drop in blood pressure. If the symptoms are more severe, please see a doctor immediately.

One of the reasons for the allergic reaction could be the plant substance anthocyanins in the strawberry. This is also responsible for the red color. To avoid an allergic reaction, colorless strawberries should be better. These are better tolerated by allergy sufferers than the usual red berries. This could prevent an allergic reaction from occurring. (31)