The Healthy Benefits of Strawberries

Consider the lovely strawberry, if you will. It is a delightful little gem filled with flavor, and there are many health benefits to consuming them. The most important of these are heart health, protection from Type II diabetes and protection from cancer. No, you can’t live on strawberries alone, but as part of the balanced diet, they are better than supplements and taste much better as well.

Protecting Your Heart

Packed with vitamins, fiber and more, strawberries help to protect the heart in many ways. First, it helps to raise the level of HDL in the blood. HDL is the “good” cholesterol. They also help lower blood pressure. High blood pressure known as hypertension can put an increased strain on the heart and raises the risk of heart attack and stroke even in people without a family history of them.

Strawberries are high in potassium which is vital to the normal function of the heart as well as other systems in the body. Potassium helps regulate normal heart rhythm and must be present to trigger the heart to beat each time.

Protection Against Type II Diabetes

In addition to helping stabilize weight, a diet high in fruits and vegetables may also play a role in preventing the development of Type II diabetes. It may also help people who already have it to get better control of the disease. Strawberries help by helping to increase insulin sensitivity. They also help slow the rate that your body digests sugar and slows how quickly sugar is absorbed.

Type II diabetes can cause serious health complications if it is not managed properly. The risks include heart disease, blindness, nerve pain and the potential loss of limbs especially the feet and legs due to decreased circulation and loss of sensation. Infections can become life-threatening as the body’s ability to heal itself slows to a crawl.

Protecting Against Cancer

Strawberries can also help lessen the risk of cancer because it is high in antioxidants. Antioxidants, also known as phytochemicals and bionutrients are found in fruits and vegetables, and although the strawberry is not a fruit, it is one of the top 20 sources for antioxidants.

The way that an antioxidant works is to bind with substances called free radicals in the body. Our body has some of these already, but they can be increased by things like pollution, smoking, and even poor nutrition. Free radicals spend their entire life cycle destroying healthy cells unless they are destroyed first.

A single strawberry can give you over ten percent of your daily needs for Vitamin C. A full serving of strawberries will provide you with more of this vitamin than an orange. There is zero fat, sodium or cholesterol in a strawberry too. You’ll also find fiber at surprisingly high levels for such a small bit of juicy goodness. It is one of the best ways to get the nutrients that you need without having to suffer for your health and is certainly better than trying to choke back a vitamin supplement or expensive, bitter pill.

There are a whole host of other benefits to enjoying strawberries including helping your eye sight and even weight loss. Grab a bowl and start reaping the benefits today. For more helpful health advice you can click here and check out The Health Review.