Eat Healthily: Strawberry

Botanically speaking, the strawberry is not a fruit at all, but rather a swollen part of the flower. The small seeds on the strawberry's surface are the actual fruit.

Strawberries have been one of the most recognized and beloved fruits in Europe and Asia since ancient times. Each culture has its method of eating strawberries: the Romans often ate wild strawberries for their supposed medicinal properties. Today, Italians prefer them in red wine or orange juice. Russians like their strawberries with sugar and cream, Germans enjoy them with lemon juice, the Japanese make them into liqueurs, Greeks mix them with sweet red wine, Filipinos bake them into bread, Americans enjoy them as ice cream, while in Israel, they are typically eaten plain, sometimes with a bit of sugar on top.

It turns out strawberries have another use besides eating: beauty care. Strawberries can serve as a teeth whitener: hold strawberry juice in the mouth for at least 5 minutes, ensuring the juice covers the teeth. After five minutes, you can spit out the juice and rinse your mouth with lukewarm water mixed with some baking soda.

Additionally, strawberries can be used as a facial mask. Crush the fruit into a paste and apply the mixture to the face with a little water. Leave the mask on for about half an hour, then rinse your face with warm water. The strawberry mash improves skin texture and appearance. Another tip: washing the face with a brew of strawberry leaves helps in whitening and removing stains from facial skin.

Nutritional values of strawberries per 100 grams: Calories - 30, Protein - 0.6 grams, Fat - 0.4 grams, Carbohydrates - 7 grams, Dietary fiber - 2.3 grams, Available carbohydrates - 4.7 grams.

The medical benefits of strawberries include antiseptic properties, teeth and facial whitening, replenishing vitamin C reserves, and being a good source of vitamins C, A, B-group vitamins, potassium, iron, and calcium. Additionally, a brew of strawberry leaves can help stimulate menstruation and increase breast milk secretion.

However, despite their many benefits and nutritional advantages, strawberries have lost some of their flavor and value due to genetic modification and pesticides to produce larger, more attractive strawberries that also contain a significant amount of toxins. Therefore, those who truly want to enjoy the wonderful taste of strawberries and their nutritional value can grow them at home. It's a simple and easy task. Strawberries should be planted in fertilized soil rich in organic matter - in the garden, in planter boxes, or in a pot on the balcony, in a sunny spot, already in the fall, so they produce fruits in the winter-spring season. Strawberry seedlings are available at various nurseries across the country. A tip for those allergic to the fruit: soaking the fruit in boiling water for a few seconds may prevent the allergic reaction. However, you should consult a doctor before doing this.

In conclusion, despite the considerable health value of strawberries, they have a high rate of insect infestation, which one must be very cautious about. For a comprehensive review on this subject click here.