At La Newyorkina we are absolute fans of red fruits: blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and blackberries. Personally, if I had to choose one of them, I wouldn't know which one to go for. Who do you love more, mom or dad? Both equally. The same goes for berries. The good thing is that we don't have to choose and we can enjoy this powerful combination of fruits that, besides being very tasty, is an indisputable source of health.
Natural yogurt, a handful of blueberries, a handful of raspberries, a few strawberries cut in half and a good spoonful of
granola La NewyorkinaNow we have the perfect snack!
When we talk about red fruits we don't like to choose, but today we will make an exception because we are going to focus on the many properties of the strawberry, the real queen of red fruits.
I'll start with its smell. Okay, its smell doesn't bring any benefit to our health but it does to our sensory pleasure, and that's already a great benefit. I don't know if you have ever been able to enjoy the sensation of walking into a house where homemade strawberry jam is being made, but if you have had the opportunity, you know what I'm talking about.
When is strawberry season? For some time now you've surely seen boxes of strawberries on the supermarket shelves. And even if you're as big a fan as I am, you've already eaten a few kilos, even if the flavor isn't as intense as in full season... who can resist a good bowl of strawberries? But when the strawberry really unfolds all its charms is with the arrival of spring.
April and May are the best months to enjoy its flavor.
And speaking of its flavor, I'm going to give you a trick to enhance it. Surely you have ever bought a tray of strawberries, you've come home wanting to sink your teeth into them and... what a disappointment! They don't taste like anything! Well, so that it doesn't happen again, macerate them.
Maceration is a technique that is applied to many foods in order to enhance their flavor.
In the case of strawberries, citrus fruits are ideal for brightening their flavor. Squeeze lemon juice and let the strawberries soak in it.
But in addition to their smell and taste,
strawberries bring great benefits to our health. One of the best known is probably their low caloric intake. Low fat and few calories (70-80 per serving).
Their nutritional properties are numerous. Like the rest of red fruits, it is very rich in antioxidants that combat the formation of free radicals, skin aging and, in general, the wear and tear of the body. Also, the consumption of strawberries provides a high content of fiber, minerals (magnesium, manganese and potassium) and vitamins of the C and B groups.
If you eat strawberries, you will be contributing to boosting your immune system while preventing cardiovascular diseases.
So far I have listed not a few benefits of strawberries for our health, but there is one more and very important: its anticarcinogenic capacity, a result of the anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins and ellagic acid they contain.
A study carried out with animals showed that
the consumption of strawberries can reduce the appearance of tumors by 50%.
Strawberries also have benefits on our mental health since their consumption can delay brain aging.
As you can see, these are more than enough reasons to include a serving of strawberries (150 gr.-200 gr.) in your daily diet. Any time is a good time to enjoy this fruit.
At breakfast or snack with yogurt and a handful of La Newyorkina granola, as a mid-morning snack or as a dessert.
We have just started spring and last March 20th was Strawberry Day (yes, strawberries have their own day too),
it's the best time to add a box of strawberries to your shopping list and feast!
