It's Strawberry Season in Florida!

Wild strawberries grow everywhere except for the highest polar latitudes.

But you wouldn't want to eat EVERY variety of Strawberries. Often, they are really small and tasteless. Some aren't even red.

So how did the strawberries you buy at the store or from roadside farm-stands get to be SOOOOO delicious? By ACCIDENT!

The history of today's strawberry goes back 4 generations, where it started on 2 different Continents - North America and South America.

About 250 years ago, probably in a botanical garden in France the 2 varieites of Strawberries accidentally met and soon started producing a new type of strawberry on a third continent—Europe.  This happened way back in the 1500s, when explorers brought one of the grandparent strain of Strawberry back to France from Virginia.  This Virginia genotype got the Explorer's attention because it had larger fruit and a deeper red color than the European strawberries of that time. As a bonus, it produced more berries.

But it had to wait nearly 200 years for the other grandparent strain of Strawberry  to arrive from South America.

In the early 1700s,  a French spy spotted this strawberry genotype in Chile while he was making maps of Spanish forts.  Plants of this Chilean genotype produced really BIG  berries—larger than the spy had ever seen—so he brought a bunch of them back to France.

The problem was, the Chilean Strawberry didn't reproduce in France.  It wasn't until horticulturists ACCIDENTALLY planted the Chilean Strawberry next to the Virginia genotype that the magic begun. Voila! they started producing baby plants.  What the farmers didn't know was, all the plants from Chile were female plants and they needed pollen from other strawberry plants to produce fertile seeds. The Birds & The Bees Folks.

It wasn't long before a new strawberry was born. The horticulturists named it Fragaria x ananassa.

Nutrition Facts

Strawberries mainly consist of  91% water  and 7.7% carbohydrates They contain only minor amounts of fat and protein. 

One cup of whole strawberries (150 grams) contains less than 50 calories.

Strawberries - Nutrition Facts

 

Amount

Calories

32

Water

91 %

Protein

0.7 g

Carbs

7.7 g

Sugar

4.9 g

Fiber

2 g

Fat

0.3 g

Carbohydrates

 

Amount

Carbohydrate

7.7 g

Fiber

2 g

Sugars

4.9 g

Sucrose

0.5 g

Glucose

2 g

Fructose

2.4 g

Lactose

0 g

Maltose

0 g

Galactose

0 g

Starch

0.04 g

 

Strawberries have a glycemic index score of 40, which is relatively low

This means that strawberries should not lead to big spikes in blood sugar levels, and are considered safe for diabetics.

Fiber

About 26% of the carb content of strawberries is in the form of fiber.

1 cup of strawberries provides 3 grams of fiber, both soluble and insoluble.

Dietary fibers are important to feed the friendly bacteria in the gut and improve digestive health. They are also useful for weight loss, and can help prevent many diseases.

Vitamins and Minerals

Here are The most abundant vitamins and minerals in strawberries

• Vitamin C: Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C, an antioxidant that is important for the immune system and skin health
• Manganese: Frequently found in high amounts in whole grains, fruits and vegetables, this trace element is important for many processes in the body
• Folate (B9):One of the B-vitamins, important for normal tissue growth and cell function. Folate is particularly important for pregnant women and the elderly
• Potassium:A mineral that is involved in many essential body functions, such as regulating blood pressure

To a lesser extent, strawberries also contain iron, copper, magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin B6, vitamin K and vitamin E.

Pelargonidin is the major anthocyanin in strawberries, and causes their bright red color. Anthocyanins may have benefits for heart health.

The consumption of berries has been associated with reduced risk of many chronic diseases due to their anti-oxidants.

Strawberry consumption may improve heart health, lower blood sugar levels and help prevent cancer.

Strawberry Allergy

Strawberries are usually well tolerated, but some people may have a food allergy to Strawberries – especially Children!

Strawberries contain a protein that may cross-react and cause symptoms in people who are sensitive to birch pollen or apples, known as pollen food allergy.

Common symptoms include itching or tingling in the mouth, hives, headaches, swelling of lips, face, tongue and throat, or in severe cases…breathing problems.

The allergy-causing protein is believed to be linked to the red antho-cyan-ins.

There are Colorless, white strawberries available, that are usually well tolerated by allergic individuals

 

RECIPE of THE DAY

Strawberry Avocado Salsa

Serving Size : 1 Cup -  185 Calories

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of Strawberries, chopped
• 1 cup of avocado, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup of cucumber, peeled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon raw organic honey
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon jalapeno pepper, seeded, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons of cilantro, slivered (optional for taste)
• salt to taste

Directions:

• Combine the strawberries, cucumber, avocado, jalapeño pepper, lime, cilantro, honey and salt.
• Toss ingredients together Use your hands people!
• Serve with whole wheat pita chips or healthy tortilla chip
• Enjoy!

 

 NEXT WEEK's EPISODE

I'm going to share with you …..

Great Substitutes for Chips that will satisfy Any Craving

 

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