The strength of strawberries

[Guest guest]

[With strawberry season in full force in the Northern hemisphere it's a

good time to be reminded of the benefits of this berry. We have been eating

local *organic* (very important for berries) strawberries by the basketful

this week.]

 

The strength of strawberries

http://www.hindu.com/seta/2004/06/17/stories/2004061700221500.htm

 

By John Briffa

Thursday June 17 2004

 

 

THE LAST decade or so has seen me undergo considerable nutritional

rehabilitation. Put simply, the diet of utter rubbish that I subsisted on

as a student has given way to one consisting largely of natural and

unprocessed foods.

 

In recent times I have also become inclined to be more choosy not just

about what food I eat, but from whence it came: my preference is to buy

local produce.

 

This small act not only offers a helping hand to local farmers and

producers, but also helps to contain the environmental impact of the

transportation of food around the globe. There seems little doubt that

opting for produce sourced from close to home has clear benefits both near

and far a field.

 

My food-buying policy pays off handsomely as British strawberries come on

line. Fruit aficionados claim British strawberries are simply the best from

a flavour and texture perspective, and I would not disagree with them.

 

Also, research reveals that seasonal strawberries are replete with useful

nutrients. Scientists whose job it is to identify health-promoting

compounds in food have a field day with the strawberry. Nutritional

research reveals that strawberries are rich in disease-protective plant

substances known as phytochemicals.

 

One strawberry-derived substance is ellagic acid — one of a group of

phytochemicals known as the phenolics. It has what is known as

`antioxidant' activity in the body, which means it can quell the effects of

`free radical' molecules, which are believed to be an underlying factor in

chronic disease.

 

Ellagic acid's ability to subdue free radical action seems to translate

into an anti-cancer effect: animal experiments have found that this

compound helps protect against cancerous tumours.

 

The antioxidant effects of the compounds anthocyanin, catechin, quercetin

and kaempferol — all of which belong to a class of phytochemicals called

flavonoids — seem to extend to benefits for the circulatory system, too.

 

Flavonoids help prevent cholesterol from oxidation — a protective action

that is believed to reduce the propensity for blood fat to deposit itself

on the inside of our arteries. They also promote health in the lining of

the blood vessels and reduce the tendency for the blood to clot.

 

The combined biochemical effects exerted by flavonoids are believed to keep

cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease and stroke at bay. While it

is true that the strawberry's health-preserving effects might be had from

other plant-based produce, there is evidence that this fruit wields

particular power.

 

A rough guide to the disease-protective effects of any food can be had by

measuring its total `oxygen radical absorbance capacity' (orac) in the

laboratory.

 

In one study, strawberries were found to have the second-highest orac of 24

fruits and vegetables. The evidence suggests that those of us who like

strawberries can look forward to a bumper crop of bodily benefits.

 

Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

[Guest guest]

David, I once read this about strawberries:

 

" Doubtless God could have made a better berry, but doubtless God

didn't. "

 

Elliot

 

, David Elfstrom

<listbox@e...> wrote:

> [With strawberry season in full force in the Northern hemisphere

it's a

> good time to be reminded of the benefits of this berry. We have

been eating

> local *organic* (very important for berries) strawberries by the

basketful

> this week.]

>

> The strength of strawberries

> http://www.hindu.com/seta/2004/06/17/stories/2004061700221500.htm

>

> By John Briffa

> Thursday June 17 2004

>

>

> THE LAST decade or so has seen me undergo considerable nutritional

> rehabilitation. Put simply, the diet of utter rubbish that I

subsisted on

> as a student has given way to one consisting largely of natural and

> unprocessed foods.

>

> In recent times I have also become inclined to be more choosy not

just

> about what food I eat, but from whence it came: my preference is to

buy

> local produce.

>

> This small act not only offers a helping hand to local farmers and

> producers, but also helps to contain the environmental impact of

the

> transportation of food around the globe. There seems little doubt

that

> opting for produce sourced from close to home has clear benefits

both near

> and far a field.

>