Strawberries are small bright red fruits that have been used for centuries as a base ingredient in the preparation of hundreds of recipes due to their sweet taste.
Its plant, known in scientific terms as Fragaria ananassa, belongs to the Rosaceae family and, although it was introduced to Europe in the 18th century, it is native to America.
These sweet juicy, and red fruits are delicious when taken raw or blended up in a smoothie.
As we all know, strawberries are lovely, but they can have a slightly sour taste. Since strawberries tend to be a little bit sour, many people frequently asked
Questions like, “Are strawberries acidic?”, “Are they good for the body”? And so on.
This article will discuss and answer the most frequently asked questions on strawberries and shed more light on their health benefits.
Are Strawberries Acidic?
Yes, strawberries are acidic. Any substance measuring a pH value range between 1 and 7 is acidic, and the closer the pH number is to 1, the more acidic the substance. Based on their pH rating, they tend to have a pH between 3 to 4. While the acidity of strawberries comes from citric acid, which contains about ninety percent of the acid content, note that the acidic reduces as the strawberries ripe.
Are Strawberries Too Acidic for Babies?
Strawberries are delicious and are always preferred when strawberry season is every year. In addition, they are an excellent source of vitamin C and antioxidants.
However, strawberries are considered very acidic fruits.
In consumption, our baby may have reflux, a harsh on a baby’s delicate digestive system.
And to avoid this, it is best to ask the specialist if our baby is ready to eat strawberries; if he approves, we must cut them into tiny pieces so that he can swallow them without complications.
How Much Acid Is In A Strawberry?
The significant acids in strawberries include nitric acid, ellagic acid, ascorbic acid, and pantothenic acid.
Strawberries encompass more of citric acid than other organic acid.
Also, One cup of strawberries contains about 85 grams of ascorbic acid, or vitamin C. Up to 50 percent of this can be lost if strawberries are cut and exposed to air for five minutes or more.
Children need vitamin C for growth. Your body also needs vitamin C to make blood vessels and repair your skin, teeth, bones, and cartilage.
Vitamin C is also an antioxidant. Interestingly, Strawberries are a natural source of ellagic acid.
According to the US Division of Agriculture, researchers are investigating how the ellagic acid content of strawberries can be increased, as the substance may offer some protection against certain types of cancer, especially esophageal cancer.
Strawberries contain 0.18 mg of pantothenic acid, or vitamin B-5, one of the B-complex vitamins essential for many vital functions in your body, including metabolism, nervous system, and energy production.
Pantothenic acid also helps make red blood cells and could lower cholesterol levels in your body.
Are Strawberries Good For You?
The heart-shaped outline of strawberries is the first hint that these fruits are good for you.
The many healthy nutrients embedded in strawberries have an excellent health effect and were already used as a medicinal plant in the Middle Ages.
Strawberries help protect the heart, lower blood pressure, and guard the whole body against cancer.
Alongside being packed with fibers, vitamins, and high levels of antioxidants, strawberries are also a low-calorie, fat-free, and cholesterol-free food.
First cultivated in Rome, strawberries are now the most popular berry fruit globally.
They’re good for heart health in more than one way. This tiny red and fleshy fruit contains, in particular, more vitamin C than the orange and vitamin B9 in large quantities. It is also an exciting source of manganese, calcium, and magnesium, which help meet our mineral needs.
Moreover, strawberries are essential to having healthy skin. Therefore it can protect your skin from UV damage and pollutants.
According to a 2017 Italian study, strawberry-based cosmetics formulation can help protect the skin against ultraviolet-induced damage.
Strawberries and all the interrelated foods that contain strawberries are very delicious.
Next time you’re craving something sweet, bite into some juicy strawberries and enjoy all of their numerous benefits.
On the hottest days, there are greater chances of dehydration, so a good alternative, apart from consuming the appropriate amounts of liquid, is to eat fruits with high water content and that favor the transport of vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals to our body.
Thanks to its composition of 92% water, strawberries are the perfect alternative to meet this objective while we delight ourselves with something rich and healthy.
Can Strawberries Hurt Your Stomach?
Strawberries will not hurt your stomach unless you’re allergic to them. A study shows that strawberries can prevent stomach ulcers and reduce those already formed.
The antioxidants in strawberries form a protective barrier for the stomach, a path to follow to prevent ulcers.
Researchers have found that the antioxidants in strawberries help the stomach lining and activate the body’s defenses and enzymes.
As you can see, strawberries have enormous health effects and are very well tolerated, primarily even by fructose intolerants, as they contain little fructose.
They are easily digestible, tasty, and highly nutritious.
But even if the stomach rumbles, the strawberry plant can help.
The strawberry leaf tea helps with mild diarrhea and other stomach and intestinal disorders, such as flatulence. It should also have a beneficial effect on bladder infections and support the healing process.
Are Strawberries Good for Losing Weight?
We can’t talk about one of the preferable fruit for losing weight without talking about strawberries. Alongside being packed with a high amount of nutrients and having low-calorie content, strawberries are an inevitable addition to your diet if you’re trying to lose some weight. Strawberries are embedded with anti-inflammatory enzymes and antioxidants and contain adequate fibers that help ease bowel movement and help prevents weight gain. The fiber contained in strawberries initiates satiety, making you feel full for longer, and if you’re full, you will be less tempted to consume fattening food, which can make you add excessive weight.
Different studies have revealed that the consumption of strawberries promotes the production of two hormones, adiponectin, and leptin, which help burn fat and improve metabolism.
These hormones are naturally secreted by adipose tissue, and eating strawberries helps their appearance and fight obesity.
Many overweight people also have problems with cholesterol.
Strawberries also help reduce LDL cholesterol levels, known as bad cholesterol, mainly thanks to their high lecithin, pectin, and ascorbic acid.
Introducing strawberries to our diet also helps our cardiovascular health.
Is It Bad to Eat Strawberries Every Day?
Is it bad to eat strawberries every day? No, as long as strawberries are not a substitute for other foods.
This means you should eat a diet that includes fruits and vegetables, cereals, legumes, and foods of animal origin, and among fruits, you can eat a cup or 300 g of strawberries every day without any problem.
The error arises when you only eat strawberries, for wanting to lose weight, and other foods’ nutrients are not incorporated. So, if you eat in a balanced and varied way every day, there will be no danger in eating strawberries every day.
What Are the Side Effects of Eating Strawberries?
Suppose you’re allergic to fibrous food and consume too many strawberries.
In that case, you may experience diarrhea, heartburn, or bloating, just like people experience after consuming too much of any fruit.
Moreover, uncontrolled consumption of strawberries might lengthen the bleeding time and increase the risk of bleeding and bruising in people with bleeding disorders.
In the same vein, too much consumption might slow down blood clotting and increase the chance of bleeding after or during surgery.
Therefore it’s advisable to stop eating strawberries at least three weeks before a scheduled surgery.
Read : Can You Eat Strawberries With Diabetes?
When Should You Not Eat Strawberries?
Despite the innumerable benefits of strawberries to our health, some certain conditions or diseases make its consumption not recommended for some people, such as:
- People who suffer from diabetes, colitis, or irritable bowel.
- Those who are suffering from stomach pain or diarrhea.
- Patients who suffer from renal lithiasis ( kidney stones ) or kidney failure because some stones are composed of calcium oxalate, a substance present in strawberries.
- Those who have allergy problems due to strawberry salicylates could cause hives in some allergy sufferers.
Furthermore, it’s recommended that you avoid eating strawberries at night due to their acid contents which will keep you from falling asleep and can also give you heartburn.
Also, strawberries contain a lot of fructose which your body will convert into sugar and, but not exhausting it because it is night, it’ll be transformed into fat.
Conclusion
As delicate as it may seem, the acidity of strawberries enhances your appetite and moisturizes the entire gastrointestinal tract from mouth to final elimination.
The sweet and fresh nectar of a strawberry stimulates the production of body fluids and hydrates the muscles. Do you want to quench your thirst? Nibble on fresh, ripe strawberries.
The juicy acidity of the strawberry refreshes and revives you while reminding you of scattered thoughts and grounding your heart and nervous system.