Health Benefits Of Strawberry Juice: A Natural Anti-Inflammation Agent and Blood Sugar Regulator
Because strawberry juice is made out of simple and worldwide known berries that don’t seem really that special or exotic, people are often surprised that there are so many health benefits of strawberry juice. But it’s established scientific fact now that drinking strawberry juice is among the most high-impact ways to deliver an astonishing amount of healthy nutrients, anti-oxidant agents and vitamins to the human body. Strawberry juice is easy to digest, contains natural fiber, and is even inexpensive to buy. It does all this while tasting great, with little or no need for added sugars or artificial sweetener.
Before we talk more about the health benefits of drinking strawberry juice, let’s consider its source, the strawberry itself. Among all American foods, strawberries easily landed in the Top 50 in a survey to determine which foods are best for human consumption. In fact, they ranked as “27th best” overall.
Strawberries: Third Best Fruits You Can Eat
But when considering fruits alone, strawberries ranked third as the best fruits people can eat based on nutrition delivered per amount eaten. Only walnuts and blackberries ranked higher in terms of total amount of vitamins and anti-oxidants they deliver based on eating 3.5 ounces.
A Long List Of Healthy Nutrients And 136% of Vitamin C RDA in One Cup
When you eat a daily serving of strawberry or drink strawberry juice, you are gaining a laundry list of healthy nutrients. These include: Vitamin C, manganese, potassium, folate, iodine, Vitamins B2 and B5, omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin K, copper, magnesium and fiber! Strawberries are highest in Vitamin C, with one cup delivering 136% of the recommended daily allowance.
Additionally, strawberries contain dozens of phyto-nutrients too numerous to mention here. Keep in mind that vitamins themselves, such as Vitamin C, are anti-oxidants, but there are many other classifications of anti-oxidant substances, and suffice it to say that strawberries are packed with dozens of them, even to an amazing degree.
Are Health Benefits Of Strawberries Lost In The Juice?
Okay, so when strawberries are processed into strawberry juice, do you still get all the nutritional value you would get if you ate the solid fruit itself? The simple answer is yes, but it depends on what kind of strawberry juice you select, so let’s take a quick look at this issue.
You may have heard of something called “juice concentrate.” What that means is that a fruit has had all of its water removed to make it easier to ship and store. When you buy frozen strawberry concentrate, for example, it is necessary for you to “add water” to make strawberry juice that you can drink. In general, strawberry juice from concentrate will have less nutritional value than pure, fresh strawberry juice. Whenever you process any vegetable in any way – be it drying, freezing, cooking or canning – some of the nutritional value is lost in the process.
However, if you buy strawberry juice listed as “not from concentrate” you are basically getting pure strawberries that have been blended into juice – although some brands may have had some of the pulp removed – and thus you lose nutrition and fiber.
Both concentrate and pure strawberry juice products still pack a lot of nutrition and are extremely healthy drinks; it’s just that some of the nutrition has been removed in the process. Many people choose to make their own strawberry juice using their own blender or food processor, however. In this case, you are getting the very same nutrition as you would if you simply ate strawberries whole.
Eat Them Fresh For The Best Health Impact
It’s also important to note that the strawberry is a relatively fragile fruit in that they do not hold their nutrition well over long periods. In fact, studies show that just two days after picking, strawberries lose significant amounts of vitamins and other anti-oxidants. So whether you are drinking the juice or eating the berry, think “fresh” for maximum nutritional punch.
Anti-inflammatory Effects
We should also mention that strawberries and strawberry juice has been shown to have significant anti-inflammatory effects on the human body, but only if eaten often and regularly. Strawberries lower the levels of something called C-reactive proteins in the body, which are associated with inflammatory conditions, such as arthritis. To get this benefit, studies show that strawberries must be eaten at least three times per week over a period of several weeks.
Strawberry Juice Regulates Blood Sugars
Strawberry juice is also now understood to be an excellent regulator of blood sugars, and will even counterbalance the negative effects of eating refined sugars. This makes strawberries and strawberry juice an excellent choice for diabetics and others on sugar-restricted diets.
That strawberry juice is one of the best possible sources of human nutrition is an established fact beyond a reasonable doubt. This juice is a natural win-win situation: It tastes great and the numerous health benefits of strawberry juice can do wonders for your health. It’s the best of all worlds.