Strawberry season is nearly upon us. All berries are loaded with antioxidants, making them a nutritious, grab n go snack. Each 3/4c of fresh strawberries provides only 93 calories and is an excellent source of Vitamin C and a very good source of folate, potassium and fiber. That’s not all… they’re also sodium and fat free and have been known to lower blood pressure and increase HDL the “good” cholesterol. To extend their freshness, keep the stems on your strawberries until right before you are planning to eat them. Berries will spoil more rapidly once wet, therefore, don’t wash them too far in advance of using them. Try adding sliced strawberries to a spinach salad or add to a plain, low fat yogurt parfait as a healthy topping.
Linda Altenburger, MS, RD, CDN is a Senior Nutritionist with CCE Suffolk County, Community Nutrition Program. She can be reached at la276@cornell.edu.