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By Ashley Koff, RD
What’s red and sweet, and oh so fun to eat? Yeah, who doesn’t love strawberries?! This time of year, we love that these berries are back in season. But how to get people to focus on the need to choose organic strawberries more often---that’s where I come in.
Better nutrition fuels our better health. When it comes to berries, getting better nutrition is easy because they:
- are so delicious,
- are lower in sugar than other fruits so they make better nutrient balance easier,
- are smallish so you get to take more bites and still meet better quantity guidelines
BUT as you know, not all berries are created equal. So here’s what you want to share to help people make the better berry, the organic strawberry choice, more often.
Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C and several antioxidants! When chemicals like- those herbicides and pesticides banned under organic farming standards – are applied to the soil and the plants, they do the work to “defend” the plants. That’s not better. What is better is that organic strawberries create their own offense, more antioxidants, which translates into us getting a fruit that has more of the protecting plant nutrients (antioxidants) our bodies want and need. Now that’s a win!
Other fun facts about strawberries? They are high in manganese and both soluble and insoluble fibers. Manganese plays an essential role in bone formation as well as protein, fat, and carbohydrate metabolism (check out my manganese blog post for more information! http://bit.ly/2kIT8dL) so you definitely want to meet your daily needs for this trace mineral.
BETTER NUTRITION:
- Fiber: We need about 14g of fiber per 1000 calories per day. 1 cup of strawberries provides 3.0g of fiber.
- Manganese: The AI for men >19yo is 2.3mg/day and for women >19yo is 1.8mg/day. 1 cup of strawberries provides 0.6mg of manganese!
FUN FACT: Vitamin C enhances iron absorption so it’s a good idea to snack on strawberries alongside iron-rich foods such as edamame for example!
BETTER RECIPE: Vegan Basil-Strawberry Ice Cream Recipe
Click here for the full recipe.
