Strawberries are among the world’s favorite berries — and for good reason. Their taste can be divine, and they’re loaded with beneficial nutrients. But they also come with a few downsides, including health and environmental concerns.
I love all berries. Berries have anti oxidant and anti inflammatory properties. I grow blueberries, strawberries, gooseberries and mulberries in my yard. I even have 3 elderberry trees.
I recently read about where we get our strawberries ! Ninety percent of the strawberries grown in the US come from California, including many varieties that were first cultivated — and then patented — by the University of California at Davis. While most strawberries are consumed in the US or China, a large amount of US-grown berries end up in Canada. The US also imports fresh strawberries from Mexico, with the amount reaching a record high of 431 million pounds in 2020.
So the downside to any produce is the use of pesticides. Pesticides also are dangerous to our honeybees. Honeybees pollinate 1/3 of the foods we eat Strawberries also top the list of pesticide-contaminated produce, which is a problem for consumers as well as farmworkers.
A cup of sliced strawberries will deliver roughly 53 calories, almost all of which come from carbohydrates. You’ll also get a decent 3.3 grams of fiber, a bit of fat, and a tad over a gram of protein.
Strawberries are a good source of folate and vitamin C, as well as essential minerals like manganese, copper, and potassium.
So eat strawberries-just find out about them before you consume any fruit or vegetable.