The season has started: What are the benefits of strawberries?

Dear reader, we present to you our beauty columnist Inessa Tsarkova!

Inessa is an active nutritionist, gastroenterologist, therapist, naturopath and aromatherapist, health coach, integrative medicine doctor with a holistic approach. And now he will share with us his knowledge in the field of both physical and mental health, nutrition and much more. The first fruits of the season have ripened in the forests and fields, so it’s time to discuss their benefits and learn how to choose the best ones.

Inessa Tsarkova

“So where are you, my fruit? So where are you, honey? I’ve been looking for you for so long! Or maybe you are nearby and within sight?” – how pleasant such an address sounds!

And in fact, although “berries” are often called favorites, these wonderful fruits are underestimated, undeservedly forgotten or occasionally used only as dessert or decoration.

But fruits are not just a delicacy, they are perhaps the best food for people with unique benefits in maintaining health and youth. It is not for nothing that from time immemorial people have painstakingly collected these sweet (even sour) and very fragrant berries from forests and swamps, one berry at a time, for hours “to hell”.

What kinds of fruits are there?

From a biological point of view, fruits are the only fruits of plants (actually like berries) with a thick skin, juicy pulp and, as a rule, a few seeds inside. These include currants, gooseberries, grapes, blueberries, blueberries, cranberries, cranberries, viburnum and sea buckthorn.

By the way, tomatoes are also classified as fruits (although they are not sweet). There are also fruits called “drupes”. They consist of individual fruits with juicy (but not always sweet) flesh and one seed. These are cherries, peaches and apricots, cranberries, plums and even olives.

There are also “complex” fruits, in which the fruit consists of a group of “drupes” located on a common stem. These include blackberries and raspberries, for example.

There are also “fake” fruits. From a biological perspective, they are an overgrown fleshy fruit with seeds on its surface. These are the famous strawberries and wild strawberries.

But even if watermelon, cucumber, zucchini and pumpkin belong to fruits, they are called differently by biologists – pumpkin.

There is a fruit called orange. These are all citrus fruits, for example.

There is also another type of fruit called “apple fruit”. This is, of course, the apple itself and the pear, but it turns out that they also contain red and currants.

What are the benefits of strawberries?

Ripe fruits are delicious, aromatic and super healthy; They contain incredible amounts of antioxidants. For example, beta-carotene and the king of vitamins – vitamin C (just 100 grams of aromatic berries contain 100% of the daily requirement), bioflavonoids that stop aging and the development of diseases. Berries also contain many other vitamins (A, K, group B, especially the missing folic acid) and valuable nutrients and microelements. They contain the most manganese (for example, blackberries contain more than 30% of the daily requirement).

In other words, manganese is necessary for the metabolism of proteins, glucose and cholesterol, cell respiration, the functioning of the immune and reproductive systems and the musculoskeletal system. Berries also contain a lot of calcium, potassium, iron, zinc and magnesium, which are valuable for the body, as well as live enzymes that help break down and absorb nutrients and form new cells. Fruits are an excellent source of glucose, fructose and sucrose for the energy production of cells, but also do not lead to a large release of insulin (which often occurs after eating fruit). Berries also contain organic acids. For example, citric, malic, oxalic, pyruvic, benzoic, glyoxylic, alpha-ketoglutaric (which, by the way, is especially useful for muscles during high-intensity training) and others that play a role in cellular metabolism, energy metabolism and even protein synthesis. Organic acids can also dissolve the “thick sticky paste” of undigested gluten and other lectins in the intestinal villi, leading to inflammation of the intestinal wall. In addition, organic acids and valuable fibers contained in the peel and pulp of fruits create ideal conditions (including pH) and are the best food for the development of beneficial microflora near the walls.

Berries also contain many essential oils – very powerful natural substances and natural healers from the “heart” of plants, helping the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, our immune system, protecting both from viruses and cancer degeneration. The essential oils of fruits also contain phytoncides (special plant substances that suppress the growth and reproduction of pathogenic microbes, fungi and even parasites), contain amino acids, which are the building blocks from which our proteins are built, and a lot of structured water. our cells like to “drink”.

But the seeds of the fruits contain fatty acids (mostly linolenic and linoleic) and proteins necessary for the body.

Therefore, fruits are our most important (along with seeds and nuts) “type” of foods that are easily and quickly absorbed by the body.

How to eat fruits correctly?

It is best to eat a serving of raw fruit (about 250-300 grams) as a separate meal. It would be great if these were seasonal ripe fruits that grow in your area. As a last resort, if it is difficult to obtain them, freezing or drying in the shade (especially in the cold season) is also suitable. But as additives to dishes (for example, porridge or dairy products), it is better not to use them at all or add them in an amount not exceeding 10% of the total weight of the dish. After all, complex combinations such as protein or fat plus sugar do not exist in nature. And the body, considering that it has consumed a sufficient amount of fruit with its own enzymes, will not “try” to secrete enzymes from the glands of the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, digestion and absorption of eaten food will be poor. And heating, baking or boiling berries is not good at all. During heat treatments, organic acids are converted into inorganic, poorly soluble salts, which are poorly excreted from the body, accumulating in the joints, renal pelvis and bile ducts.

The most useful fruits

My favorite fruit is cranberries. It has powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and bactericidal properties, saturates the body with valuable vitamin C. By the way, vitamin C is not only necessary to fight any infection, it has antiallergic and anti-inflammatory effects and is also necessary. for the absorption of iron. It also plays a role in hematopoiesis and is essential for blood clotting and is also important for capillary permeability (on which metabolism depends). It normalizes the pressure in blood vessels and strengthens their walls. It also fights the effects of stress and quickly restores strength.

In addition to all of the above, cranberries also promote better digestion by stimulating the secretion of gastric juice and contraction of the gallbladder. It helps improve kidney health by activating the urinary system. Lingonberry also has similar properties. It is a close relative of not only cranberries but also blueberries and therefore has a more pleasant sweet and sour taste.

Today, these wonderful forest berries have become more accessible and easier to obtain as people learn to grow them. Another equally valuable forest berry (also “domesticated” by humans) is the blueberry. Not only is it beneficial for vision and intestinal disorders, it is also a “rejuvenating” fruit that improves cell function. Blueberries rejuvenate the body, normalize blood sugar levels, help get rid of Alzheimer’s disease and even protect against cancer.

Another leader in the content of vitamins C and K is blueberries. It helps blood formation and reduces inflammation in the body. The properties of raspberry are similar to it, which helps to quickly recover from a cold, improves brain function, the health of blood vessels and heart, and is also an excellent assistant in the fight against depression, anxiety and bad mood.

There are also fruits that are very healthy but taste bitter. For example, viburnum – especially good for the heart. It is better to eat it with honey; you can prepare healing tinctures from it.

The most beneficial berries for women’s health and beauty are raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries and currants. They not only support hormonal health and protect against aging, but also preserve the beauty of hair, nails and skin.

dangerous fruits

Be careful because there are poisonous berries in the forests and gardens. These are, for example, “wolf bast”, “crow’s eye”, the fruits of the faded May lily of the valley and others. So do not rush to try unknown fruits. Remember, “They take every fruit they can get their hands on, but they don’t take every fruit they put behind them.”

My dear readers, do not forget to include this wonderful gift of nature, fruits, in your daily diet! And consume them not only as treats, but also as food and natural medicine. It is not for nothing that popular wisdom says that the fruits on the branch are better than any pill.