Strawberries - The summertime fruit with a whole heap of benefits.

Strawberries have got to be one of the highlights of summer for me, these juicy berries go hand in hand with picnics, cream teas and many other British summer time traditions, As a child some of my earliest memories involved picking strawberries with my grandparents at a local farm where you could fill a punnet for as little as one pound.

Strawberries are thought to have originated from northern Italy sometime around 234 B.C. Although it wasn’t until around the 1300’s that cultivated production began. Wild strawberries were already harvested and used in the new world by natives when European settlers first arrived in 1588.

What are the health benefits of strawberries?

• Powerful anti-inflammatory properties – A substance found in strawberries known as anthocyanin is known to help reduce swelling of joints as well as offering the fruit its rich red colour.

• Strawberries for healthy skin – Strawberries contain a number of powerful antioxidants that work to reduce the number of free radicals in the blood supply, oxidative stress plays a large role in the aging process, so if you are looking for young youthful looking skin you could do a lot worse than pick up some strawberries.

• Strong, healthy bones – Strawberries contain a number of essential nutrients, including potassium, manganese both of which help us to maintain bone strength, this makes strawberries a great choice for kids.

• Strawberries promote cardiovascular health – The flavonoids found in strawberries help to prevent cholesterol build up in the arteries surrounding the heart, in addition strawberries have anti-inflammatory properties that can be useful when suffering from some heart conditions.

• Boost memory – One particular flavonoid found in strawberries has shown some astonishing properties, fisetin is able to actively enhance memory by stimulating signal pathways in the brain. A research published in the Annals of Neurology also proved that as little a two strawberries a day helps to delay the onset of age related memory loss in women.   

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