What strawberries do to your body

In this modern world, it’s easy to look to man-made pharmaceuticals to treat all your ailments.

But why do that when there are medicinal miracles hiding in plain sight? Medicinals that can be a game-changer for your health!

Take the humble strawberry as an example. No doubt you love their bold, shiny red color, along with their juicy sweet flavor. So you’ll be happy to learn that you can indulge in them every day if you choose.

Because in terms of your health, the humble strawberry happens to be much more powerful than you might first assume…

Antioxidant activities

Strawberries are incredibly high in antioxidants that help your body do its job to cleanse free radicals before they can damage cells through oxidation.

Not only do these antioxidants scavenge free radicals, studies have found they bond to and remove harmful metal ions that cause toxicity. Additionally, these antioxidants improve your cell’s ability to produce energy and prevent DNA damage from occurring.

Read: The ideal dose of antioxidants to ward off diabetes

Anti-inflammatory actions

Systemic inflammation is a root cause of many chronic diseases.

Studies have found that drinking strawberry beverages reduces the production of several inflammatory molecules in the body. But you don’t have to drink strawberry juice because munching down the equivalent of 3.5 ounces of fresh strawberries provides these benefits.

Read: The Inflammation Abomination

Heart health properties

The consumption of strawberries provides cardio-protective properties that are too important to ignore…

The highly bioavailable micronutrients and flavonoids in strawberries have been shown to reduce high blood pressure by dilating blood vessels. And they promote lower total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL “bad” cholesterol — lowering risk of heart attack and stroke.

Read: The Pathway To Better Blood Vessels, Blood Pressure And Blood Flow

Blood sugar-regulating agents

The natural chemicals in strawberries, called phenols, fight against metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance by assisting the body to transport and utilize glucose, leading to better blood glucose regulation.

Interestingly, even when strawberries are consumed along with a sugary snack, people have much better blood sugar control with less of a blood sugar spike. Not to give you an excuse to eat sugary snacks, but it goes to show how powerful strawberries phenols really are!

Read: A simple trick to lower morning blood sugar

Potent cancer fighter

Several studies have demonstrated that strawberries have anti-carcinogenic, anti-proliferative and gene-protective properties, making them ideal for warding off cancer, especially cancers of the head, neck, and esophagus.

They’ve also been shown to aid in the excretion of carcinogens from the body by as much as 70 percent!

Read: Don’t miss these two swelling signs of cancer

Fight bacterial microbes

Those same phenols that make strawberries great blood glucose regulation agents also make them bacteria-fighting machines!

Strawberry’s phenols help keep your gut super strong and shield it from the effects of yeast, fungi, bacteria, and viruses that make you sick.

In fact, the antimicrobial effects of strawberries have been shown to fight off some of the most stubborn bacterial infections like E. coli, salmonella, candida, and staph.

Who would’ve thought that the humble strawberry had so many health-boosting properties, right?

Since strawberries are so easily accessible and delicious, you can begin to harness their benefits immediately. Simply enjoy one to two servings (1/2 to one cup) on a regular basis.

Best of all, it doesn’t matter if the strawberries are fresh, frozen or stored — they all provide the same advantages!

Read: Strawberries may protect the stomach from alcohol damage

Only eat organic strawberries

Chemical pesticides are accepted in conventional farming as a tool to kill bugs and weeds that would otherwise infest growing crops. And every year when the Environmental Working Group (EWG) puts out its annual “Dirty Dozen” list, apples were almost always at the top.

Now strawberries are this year’s biggest pesticide carriers — so it’s one fruit you need to be sure to buy organic!

Read: Avoid The Worst ‘Healthy’ Foods

Source: Afrin S, et al. Promising health benefits of the strawberry: a focus on clinical studies. — Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 2016;64(1):4435-4449.

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