Today Thursday the 27th Feb, 2014 is Strawberry Day and it was created to celebrate those little red fruits. In Asia the Strawberry is known as the queen of fruits, simply because it is packed with health benefits.
Here are the top 5 reasons for eating strawberries – if you need convincing of course!
1. Lose weight
These little red gems contain anthocyanins, which conveniently stimulates the production of a hormone called adiponectin. This little beauty boosts your metabolism meaning you burn off stored fat and it also supresses your appetite. Try adding a few chopped strawberries to your muesli or porridge and see if it helps stop morning snacking!
2. Look younger
Strawberries are packed with biotin otherwise known as vitamin B7. It helps convert food into energy and is renowned for aiding hair and nail growth. The antioxidant ellagic acid is also present and this is key for keeping our skin looking younger. It protects the elastic fibres in our skin, stopping them from sagging and wrinkling.
3. Win the pub quiz
The anthocyanins in strawberries are a memory-boosting photochemicals. They can boost short term memory and are also known to delay memory loss that naturally occurs as we get older. So if you are a fan of the local pub quiz, do some swatting with a big bowl of strawberries and see if you can claim the cash prize!
4. Live longer
Strawberries lower your risk of cardiovascular disease and oesophageal cancer. Flavonoids protect blood vessels and blood cells and as a result they also make you more resistant to bruising, nose bleeds and excessive swelling after injury. They can also help to protect you from picking up common colds and infections.
5. They taste good!
Most people think healthy things are not yummy, but that really doesn’t have to be the case.
Their sweetness complements a whole host of things. Why not try goats’ cheese and chopped strawberries on toast? Strawberry and avocado guacamole? Or just blitz with some low fat yoghurt for a nutritious smoothie. They also complement nuts, salads and of course chocolate beautifully!
Yum!
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