Strawberries – More Vitamin C than Oranges!

Strawberries!

You think of red, sweetness, heavenly, delicious, romance…

How much more do you know about the fruit?

Fun Facts:

• The straw”berry” we eat is not a berry or even a fruit; it is the enlarged receptacle of the flower.
• Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds (about 200) on the outside.
• They are a member of the Rose family.
• Strawberries are grown in every state in the US and every province in Canada. California produces 80% of the strawberries in US.
• Ancient Romans believed that strawberries alleviated symptoms of melancholy, fainting, all inflammations, fevers, throat infections, kidney stones, bad breath, attacks of gout, and diseases of the blood, liver and spleen… just about everything.
• The current version is a hybrid of North American and Chilean wild strawberries, developed by the French in the 18th century.
• A museum dedicated this wonderful fruit is located in the strawberry-growing town of Wepion, Belgium.

Nutritional value:

Strawberries is rich in potassium, which assists in muscle contraction and in maintaining fluid and electrolyte balance in body cells. Its folic acid, a crucial vitamin for pregnant woman (for brain development of baby) is one of the highest among fruits. A cup of strawberries has more Vitamin C than an orange!

Here is the easiest an greatest way to take the fruit – besides the wonderful vitamins and minerals from strawberries, you’ll get lots of calcium from the milk and yogurt. Enjoy!

Healthy Strawberry Smoothies

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Servings: 2

Ingredients:

• 1 cup strawberries
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
• 2-1/2 tbsp sugar
• 1 teasp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Pick 2 perfect strawberries from the crowd. Freeze the rest.
2. Look at the strawberry. Smell it. How sweet! No wonder it’s one of the most favorite fruits.
3. Pour everything else into a blender or food processor. Blend until silky pink, the color of ballerina’s slippers. Adjust sweetness to taste.
4. Garnish the glasses with the perfect strawberries. Eat one – I know it’s irresistible. Cut the other one in half for garnishing.

Tips:

• In case you are wondering, frozen strawberries (vs fresh ones) make the smoothie thicker.
• Reduce the amount of milk by half or add a scoop of ice cream to get a thicker texture.
• If you don’t like yogurt, replace with 1 cup of milk.
• Replace the sugar with 1.5 tablespoon honey to make the drink even healthier!