National Strawberry Day – February 27th
Every day is a national “insert word here” day. This series looks at food holidays, where they come from, and how to make it a healthy celebration!
Strawberries may not be available in your area in February but frozen or even freeze dried strawberries can work well in many dishes! The best season for strawberries is generally from late April to August.
SHOPPING FOR BERRIES:
“Strawberries don’t ripen once they’re picked, so if they don’t look ripe, they never will be. How can you tell which strawberries are the freshest? Look for a bright red color, a natural shine and fresh-looking green tops. Avoid berries with white tops or tips.”* Pick your strawberries at the peak of ripeness, and wait to wash your fruit until you are ready to eat. They bruise easily so be careful about overloading your storage container.
Fun fact: They are a member of the rose family, and aren’t really a fruit or a berry but the enlarged receptacle of the flower that holds the fruit (which are what we commonly think of as the “seeds” and these fruits actually hold very tiny seeds). They were first cultivated in ancient Rome.
HEALTH BENEFITS:
- One cup has 55 calories and zero fat. According to Webmd, they “…protect your heart, increase HDL (good) cholesterol, lower your blood pressure, and guard against cancer.”
- An excellent source of vitamin C, 8 strawberries provide more vitamin C than an orange! One cup has 149% of your RDA.
- Strawberries are a good source of folic acid, potassium and fiber. They have a relatively low GI score of 41 because of the fiber content. One cup has 3g of fiber.
- They are one of the top fruits for antioxidants.
- They are an excellent source for the antioxidant ellagic acid. Additionally, they have healthy anthocyanins which cause the bright red color in strawberries.
RECIPE: Grilled Balsamic Chicken with Strawberry Salsa
Instead of tomatoes, this recipe from Simple and Savory uses strawberries along with a slightly sweet balsamic marinade/dressing. https://simpleandsavory.com/grilled-chicken-breasts-with-strawberry-balsamic-salsa/
CELEBRATE:
National Strawberry Day has been celebrated since 2013. Celebrate by sharing your berry mania with #NationalStrawberryDay and #innerathleteus
Find out more about national food holidays here: https://innerathlete.us/national-days-made-healthy/
View more recipes here: https://innerathlete.us/recipes/
Sources: nationaldaycalendar, simpleandsavory, webmd, healthline, nutritiondata, *tasteofhome.com,