Anti-cancer and antioxidant properties! The efficacy of ‘this’ we did not know [푸드인사이트]

This is a corner that points out foods or foods that cause hot issues that are good to eat at this time.
Clinical nutritionists introduce the nutrition and efficacy of foods, how to choose, how to store, and how to eat.

These days, you can easily find menu promotional materials using ‘this’ such as drinks, bread, and cakes on the street. Even in the market or mart, ‘this’, which boasts a red and shiny color, steals the eye. it’s strawberry Strawberry season is coming. Strawberries are eaten raw or used to make drinks, cakes, ice cream, tarts, etc. You can also make strawberry jam and eat it with bread or rice cakes. Strawberries are used in various ways in our food. Let’s find out about the benefits of strawberries that we have not known about.

fruit, red, strawberry | Source: Clip Art Korea

4 strawberries meet the recommended daily amount of vitamin C
Vitamin C can be synthesized in the body of most animals, but it is a nutrient that must be ingested from food because humans cannot synthesize it. Lemons are usually cited as a fruit with a lot of vitamin C, but it is abundant in most fruits and vegetables, especially in citrus fruits, strawberries, and green peppers.

100 g of strawberries contains 67 mg of vitamin C. It is 1.3 times more than 100g of lemon, which is known to have a lot of vitamin C. The recommended intake of vitamin C for adult men and women is 100 mg/day, and 4 to 5 medium-sized strawberries are enough to consume the recommended amount per day.

Vitamin C, which is abundant in strawberries, is a nutrient necessary for collagen synthesis and helps to maintain moist and elastic skin. In addition, it removes active oxygen in cells through antioxidant action and protects cells from aging and damage. Here, it also has the effect of enhancing resistance to infection, such as strengthening immune function, and it also helps prevent viral infections by taking advantage of weakened immunity due to changes in weather and environment.

Nutrient content per 100 g of apples, strawberries and lemons | Source: Haidak

Rich in folic acid for pregnant women
Strawberries are rich in folic acid and iron, making them a recommended food for pregnant women. Folic acid is one of the essential nutrients recommended during pregnancy, and is essential when the neural tube of the fetus is created in the early stages of pregnancy. According to the ‘Nutrition Management for Pregnancy’ published by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Institute for Health Promotion in 2018, a lack of folic acid can cause anemia in pregnant women, premature placental abruption, miscarriage, and neural tube defects in the fetus. It is recommended to consume a sufficient amount of folic acid. In addition, the 2020 Nutrient Intake Standards for Koreans recommend that pregnant women consume 1.5 times (620 mg/day) of folic acid than before pregnancy.

Rich in physiologically active substances with anti-cancer and antioxidant functions
Strawberries are rich in antioxidant and anti-cancer properties. A representative component is ellagic acid. Ellagic acid is a polyphenol of strawberries and has antioxidant, antiviral, antimutagenic, and anticancer functions. Many studies have reported that it plays a role in suppressing cancer cell activity in the breast, esophagus, skin, etc., and in experiments on laboratory mice, there has been a study in which the toxicity of substances that cause fibroids has been reduced. A domestic study revealed that ellagic acid prevents collagen destruction and inflammatory reactions caused by ultraviolet rays, preventing skin wrinkles.

Another component is anthocyanins. Anthocyanin, which is abundant in berries such as strawberries, is also a substance that gives plants a red color. This pigment component exerts an antioxidant function in our body to protect blood vessels or cells from active oxygen. In addition to strawberries, berries rich in anthocyanin include cranberries, blueberries, and bilberries.

How to Pick Strawberries
Strawberries have a thin skin, so moisture evaporates quickly, and it is difficult to store them at room temperature for more than a day. In order to pick the right strawberries, you need to pick one that looks pretty and has a glossy surface that doesn’t dry out. Also, choose those that are turned inside out and have a deep blue color without drying out. Strawberries taste better the more fragrant they are, and ripe strawberries are those that have a reddish color that spreads to the stem.

When eating, wash quickly under running water to reduce vitamin C loss, and if you are worried about pesticides on the outside, rinsing with water diluted with vinegar or salt water is also helpful.

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