If you are a human being, you know strawberries are delicious. But did you also know they are a nutrition powerhouse?1 That’s right! These beautiful berries are packed with nutritional benefits and so, getting plenty of them regularly can significantly improve your health. Here are 8 health benefits of eating strawberries:
1. Eye power benefits of eating strawberries
Almost all eye problems originate from free radical damage or nutrient deficiency. Both of these happen for many folks over time, so eyes just go downhill and result in dryness, nerve deterioration, macular degeneration and so on. All of this increases your chances for infection too. Strawberries are full of antioxidants, natural free radical neutralizers. Vitamin C, flavonoids, phytochemicals and ellagic acid are all superpowers to fight this and can thus prevent damage to the eyes in the first place2,3,4,5
2. Eating strawberries can reduce your cancer risk
Strawberries also provide cancer relief. Again, this has to do with their antioxidant richness. Cancer is caused by damage to a cell, often caused by free radicals, but antioxidants eliminate these rascals before they can cause havoc. On top of that, many of the nutrients in strawberries tend to prevent chronic inflammation. If left untreated, chronic inflammation will inevitably lead to cell damage, which only makes the likelihood of cancer much greater.6
3. Are strawberries good for your heart?
Fiber, b-vitamins and antioxidants are a perfect combination for heart health. Anyone that eats Cheerios knows that fiber is “heart healthy.” Just read the box! This is because fiber reduces the absorption of LDLs into your blood stream (sometimes know as the “bad” cholesterol even though that is not technically correct).7 Antioxidants of course prevent free radical damage from affecting heart cells. The B’s are directly involved in the production of energy, something your heart can never stop doing.
4. Strawberries are good for arthritis
Osteoarthritis occurs when joints basically dry up and tissues rub against each other and inflammation results. Of course this causes pain! This happens because of damage to the joints over time, largely from free radicals. Again, no free radicals, no resulting inflammation and no arthritis. That is precisely why you’d expect that strawberries are great at fighting osteoarthritis.8 Joint relief is possible!
5. Getting strawberries in your diet mean strong bones
Most of us think of calcium when we talk about bone strength, but there’s more to it. While calcium is the most common mineral in bone, it is not the only one. You can’t build bones without ALL the ingredients, including the minor ones. Manganese is one of these along with vitamin K, potassium and magnesium. In fact, magnesium helps regulate calcium, so the right amount is present in the body.9 Strawberries contain all of these essential bone-building ingredients.
6. Better brain function when you eat strawberries
No doubt strawberries are full of antioxidants. And like the rest of your cells, brain cells can receive damage from free radicals too. As you age, your brain cells accumulate damage and cells begin to work less effectively. Brain diseases, like Alzheimer’s, are literally your brain cells malfunctioning or dying (or both). That is not to say that brain disorders can be entirely attributed to free radical damage, but it is to say that they play a significant role. Strawberries have specifically shown to improve brain health, largely because of their strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.10
7. Eating strawberries for better blood pressure
Your cells use an electrical system to do things, known as a sodium-potassium pump. Sodium and potassium work a little bit like north and south pole magnets to move stuff in and out of cells through channels. If there is an imbalance, it doesn’t work as effectively as it should. Most Americans consume too much salt (sodium) and not enough potassium, which is why they’re always telling us to lower our salt intake. Strawberries are naturally high in potassium and thus can positively affect blood pressure.11
