The Health Benefits of the Strawberry

The strawberry is the most popular berry fruit in the world, according to www.whfoods.org. It's succulent taste and beautiful crimson color, make a delightful aesthetic addition to salads, and desserts. It is naturally high in Vitamin C. A high dose of vitamin C in our diets is said to help lower our chances of developing arthritis and fighting other ailments. They also have been proven to decrease cancer related deaths due to the ellagitannin content they hold. Ellagitannin protects the cells in our bodies from damage causing radicals like tobacco smoke and food additives. Both of which are known to cause cancer. Radicals are fought by anti-oxidants in our body, thus the need for vitamin C in our diets.

If thinking about adding more Vitamin C to your diet, the healthy and natural qualities of strawberries are just the way to do that. They preserve well in fruit salads and make for a delicious dessert for the entire family.

A recipe that has low fat content and nutritious strawberries is strawberry shortcake. It is one of the simplest low fat desserts to make. Some people use biscuits, Twinkies, or regular shortcake but angel food cake's light texture and sweet taste is the best choice in this recipe. Without the sugar mixture, it is a great choice for dessert for diabetics also.

Ingredients:

1 container strawberries, rinsed and sliced

1 angel food cake (purchased in rectangular shape is best)

1 low fat container of vanilla ice cream

1 container low fat cool whip

In my family, we don't create a sugar mixture but if you would like to it's better to make mixture the night before to allow strawberries and sugar to mix properly.

If you would like sugar mixture:

Put sliced strawberries in small bowl, add 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of water. To help with tartness, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice can be added. Mix together, cover, and place in refrigerator. The next morning mix together again and the mixture is ready to put on angel food cake!

For final preparation, cut 1/2 inch of angel food cake and place on saucer. Put a scoop of low fat vanilla ice cream on top. Add 1/2 cup of strawberries, or strawberry sugar mixture, on top of ice cream. Put a dollop of low fat whipping cream and this tasty dessert is ready to serve! This recipe serves 4 but can easily be doubled, or tripled.

Keep your body healthy with natural vitamins in strawberries. You won't be sorry you did.

Source

http://www.absolutevitamins.com/ellagic.htm