What happens to your body when you eat strawberries regularly

Medically reviewed by Jonathan Purtell, RDN

Key Takeaways

• Strawberries are relatively low in natural sugars and are chock-full of antioxidants, vitamin C, and folate.
• Incorporating at least 1.5 cups of strawberries into your weekly meal plan can help your body run smoothly and potentially manage and prevent certain chronic health conditions.
• Try adding strawberries as breakfast toppings, pairing them with a savory lunch, or blending them into smoothies to help boost your consumption.

Strawberries offer a rich blend of nutrients that support overall health and wellness. Regular consumption can help maintain blood sugar levels, boost immunity, and promote heart and cognitive health.

1. Maintains Blood Sugar Level

Strawberries have a lower glycemic index, which means they don’t cause blood sugar levels to spike as much as other fruits. This makes them a great choice for people with diabetes.

2. Supports Anti-Inflammatory and Wound-Healing

Strawberries contain antioxidants and vitamin C, which can help reduce pain and inflammation from conditions like osteoarthritis and promote skin healing.

3. Promotes Heart Health

Eating at least three servings of strawberries per week may reduce the risk of a heart attack in a study on young and middle-aged women. The fruit’s anthocyanins (antioxidants), flavonoids, and potassium can help lower blood pressure.

4. Supports a Healthy Immune System

The generous amount of vitamin C in strawberries can help bolster immune system cells that protect against viruses and bacteria.

5. Boosts Folate

Strawberries can serve as a solid source of folate or vitamin B9, which is crucial for the body’s DNA maintenance and particularly important for a healthy pregnancy.

6. Helps Lower Cancer Risk

The antioxidants found in strawberries might help protect against cancer. However, more research is needed to determine how these compounds can reduce inflammation and inhibit cancer cell spread.

7. Reduces Cholesterol

Some promising studies show that daily strawberry consumption may help lower total cholesterol by up to 10% and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (often referred to as “bad” cholesterol) by 13%.

8. Strengthens Cognitive Abilities

Initial research suggests that eating strawberries daily can help support brain health, potentially improving cognitive processing speed and function.

Takeaway

With about 90 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C per cup, strawberries can help adults get their total dose of vitamin C per day.

How Many Strawberries Should You Eat in a Day?

Everyone’s dietary needs differ based on age, medical history, overall health, and more. But for most healthy adults, just 1 cup of strawberries provides 100% of their daily vitamin C needs.

Studies show that eating at least 1.5 to 1.75 cups of strawberries per week seems to be the sweet spot for seeing some of the fruit’s other health benefits.

There are many ways to work this amount of strawberries into your daily routine, such as:

• Eating fresh strawberries when in season and frozen strawberries during the winter months
• Adding strawberries to breakfast foods, like yogurt, pancakes, muffins, or oatmeal
• Mixing strawberries into smoothies, along with other berries and healthy ingredients
• Using strawberries on top of toasts or in salads

Strawberries (and other berries) will last longer if placed in the coldest part of your refrigerator, like a produce drawer or a sealed container. If possible, eat them within three days to get the most out of their nutritional value and freshness.

Read the original article on Verywell Health