Strawberries
have grown wild for millennia in temperate regions throughout the world. They began being cultivated sometime before the Christian era and were highly prized by many ancient Romans. Yet, after the fall of Rome, they seemed to have lost their favor until they reemerged in Europe in the Middle Ages. During this time, they began to be prized again, more so for their medicinal qualities than for their culinary value. Cultivation techniques of the European varieties, which were much smaller than the American varieties, were advanced at this time, although the resulting fruits were not as sweet and fragrant as the strawberries of today, and therefore, they did not readily gain widespread popularity.
It was not until the 18th century, when coincidence and the workings of Nature’s mysteries coincided, that strawberries developed into the luscious fruit we know them to be and began to be more widely appreciated. In 1714, a French spy named Frezier returned from duty in Peru and Chile with 5 plants of Fragaria chiloensis, a large fruited species native to coastal areas of South America. These plants were female, and unfruitful unless cross pollinated by other species with perfect flowers such as F. virginiana, the Virginian strawberry. The plants which grew from those hybrid seedlings became progenitors of the modern cultivated strawberries. Today, the strawberry is the most popular berry in the world, and there are over 600 varieties.
Medicinally, strawberries have been shown to kill certain viruses (polio and herpes) in vitro, and may block the formation of nitosamines, which can cause cancer. Researchers have found that strawberries help protect the brain from oxidative stress and may reduce the effects of age-related related declines in brain function. Strawberry-rich diets significantly improve learning capacity and motor skills. Strawberries also offer protection against maculardegeneration, osteoarthritis, and inflammatory polyarthritis, a form of rheumatoid arthritis involving two or more joints.
Strawberries contain relatively high quantities of ellagic acid, which has a wide range of biological activity only recently discovered: Anti-carcinogen/anti-mutagen. Inhibition of HIV. Blood clotting/anti-hemmorage. Ellagic acid and similar compounds function as antioxidants and free-radical scavengers.
Most kids prefer strawberries to other fresh fruit and vegetable options. A study by the University of California found that: “Seasonal fruit favorites were strawberries, cherries, melons and grapes, while the preferred seasonal vegetables were carrots, lettuce mix,
red bell peppers and cherry tomatoes. Researchers saw that kids take more fruits and vegetables from the salad bar than the USDA hot lunch minimum. "We also found that choice and variety are important dimensions of meals, for both health and social development," said Ohmart. "The most common reason kids said they preferred the salad bar was that they could choose their food." She said children "know what tastes good to them." "We saw that children are taking more fruits and vegetables with a salad bar model," Feenstra said.
Schools that participated in the USDA’s Fruit and Vegetable Pilot program in 2002 and 2003 concluded that including fruits and vegetables in a child’s diet reduces consumption of unhealthy foods. In addition, the healthier diet may improve school test scores and reduce disciplinary problems by providing energizing, long-lasting nutrition.
significant nutritional content:
vitamin C, K, manganese, fiber, iodine, potassium, folate, riboflavin, B5, omega3’s, B6, magnesium, copper --antioxidant, anticancer, antiviral |
 |
FRUITS
Apples
Bananas
Coconut
Mango
Oranges
Peaches
Strawberries
VEGETABLES
Beets
Carrots
Celery
Cucumber
Garlic
Ginger
Parsley
Spinach
Spirulina
Wheatgrass |
