Ask a Dietitian

Shaped like a heart and good for your heart, strawberries.  These bright red berries are bursting with nutrients.  Strawberries contain the phytochemicals ellagic acid and anthocyanins, potent antioxidants which help reduce the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, preventing clot formation and they also have anti-cancer properties.  Strawberries are also a good source of potassium which helps lower blood pressure and they are high in vitamin C.

½ cup fresh strawberries (about 6 medium berries)

Energy: 28 kcal

Carbs: 6.7g

Protein: 0.6g

Fat: 0.3g

Fibre: 2g

Potassium: 134mg

Vitamin C: 52mg

Folate: 21 mcg

Strawberry Season:

In BC the spring berries or June bearing fruit last about 3-4 weeks.  The Everbearing strawberries such as the Albion flower throughout the season and bear fruit right through until September or October.  Albion is a popular everbearing variety in the Fraser Valley because it has a delicious flavour, colour and yield.

Buying your Berries:

Pick berries that are firm, plump and bright red in colour with bright green caps.  They should be sweet to the nose but if you are allowed to do a taste test you will know for sure how good they are.   Yellow and white patches mean they were not ripened to their peak. Once a berry is picked it will not continue to ripen.  Look for berries that are loosely packed in unstained containers. Avoid packages with moldy berries.

Storing Berries:

Keep your berries as cool as possible.  If you are picking your own, regularly take the ones you have picked to a cooler and keep them out of the sun.  Sort through the berries and discard any soft or moldy ones.  Eat the very ripe ones first and refrigerate the nice ripe firm berries.  Do not wash berries before you store them and keep the green caps on.  Store them in the coolest part of the refrigerator in the container they came in or uncovered in a colander to allow cool air circulation.  Eat within 2-3 days.  Another storage method is to wash the berries in a dilute vinegar solution (1/2 cup vinegar to 3 cups water), rinse and air dry.  The vinegar kills bacteria and mold spores Store the strawberries in sealable containers with the lid left agar for air circulation and moisture escape.

Freezing Berries:

Wash berries thoroughly, remove the green caps, lay them in a single layer on cookie sheet and freeze.  Transfer the frozen berries to a freezer bag for storage up to one year.

What about pesticides?

The Environmental Working Group lists strawberries at the top of their Dirty Dozen list, however, the list is based on exposure not on toxicity.  Scientist and health experts agree that the amounts of pesticide residues on fruits and vegetables are far lower than amounts that could pose any health risk.  Using the USDA data for pesticide residues and toxicology, a child could eat 181 servings of strawberries in one day with without any effect even if the strawberries have the highest residue recorded for strawberries.  Lists like the dirty dozen are misleading and use scare tactics rather than facts which end up deterring consumption of fruits and vegetables when it’s a known fact that we should all be eating more to reduce risk of cancer and other diseases.

Eating Strawberries:

My favorite way is right from the bush.  Next is sliced on top of yogurt or on a spinach salad.  Try strawberries, goat cheese and purple onion on pizza topped with arugula and drizzled with balsamic glaze or in a wrap with sliced turkey, cream cheese and spinach.  Strawberry salsa is delicious with chicken or fish and fresh berries with mint are perfect for dessert.