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Friday, August 31, 2012

California Strawberry Tea Kettle Giveaway!


Summer is slowly winding down and this also means the end of strawberry season. There's still a little time left to get some great California strawberries though! To celebrate the end of another great season, the California Strawberry Commission has partnered with Griffin Eats OC to give away a Copco Strawberry Tea Kettle! To enter the contest, wait for the Rafflecopter form below to load and then follow the directions to enter!

Did you know that in addition to being delicious, strawberries are EXTREMELY healthy?
Here is an excerpt from David Grotto's book 101 Optimal Life Foods with some great info about the health benefits of strawberries:

Strawberries are SUPER! Let Me Count the Ways
By David Grotto, RD, LDN
Author of 101 Optimal Life Foods
Spokesperson for the California Strawberry Commission

You may have seen the term “superfruit” associated with various fruits in the marketplace. It certainly has become a popular term tossed around quite a bit in the media lately. It prompted me to think, “What exactly qualifies a fruit to be ‘super’?”

When writing 101 Foods That Could Save Your Life, I researched the term “superfruit” and found that there wasn’t a legal definition for it. But as a registered dietitian, I knew that certain fruits had unique qualities and health attributes that made them different from others. In deciding what fruits to include as worthy members of the 101 Foods book, I looked for distinguishing factors such as nutrient density, which is a measure of how much nutrition is delivered in comparison to the calories provided.

Another important attribute was evaluating the health benefits of adding in a specific fruit into the diet. But as a consumer who also has an eye on taste and versatility, regardless of how healthy and nutritious a superfruit is, if it isn’t accessible, easy to prepare, and great tasting, then in my book, that fruit is less-than-stellar. Not surprisingly, strawberries are a perfect example of a superfruit that meets all “super” criteria!

Super Nutritious

And with such a low calorie and sugar profile they are a welcome addition for people who want to look and feel their best all year long – not just in the summer! Strawberries are packed with a variety of nutrients including vitamin C, folate, fiber and potassium.

They also contain important plant nutrients called polyphenols such as anthocyanins, ellagic acid, ellagitannins, gallotannins, quercetin, kaempferol and phenolic acids.

Super Healthy

Being nutritious is great, but what about the effect of those nutrients on health? Scores of studies exist that evaluate the health benefits of the nutrients found in strawberries.

Potassium helps control blood pressure and fight stroke.
Fiber helps control weight and relieve constipation.
Vitamin C helps repair damage in the body and is an important nutrient in promoting a healthy immune system. This is especially important during cold and flu season. Folate is a B vitamin that fights birth defects and helps control the inflammatory process associated with heart disease.

The plant nutrients found in strawberries, particularly polyphenols, have antioxidant capabilities that can reduce inflammation and oxidative stress. These two harmful processes have been linked to major challenges to our health, including cancer, cardiovascular and neurological disease, arthritis, obesity, diabetes, autoimmune disorders and pulmonary disease. Polyphenols help protect and repair cells.

Research on these and other nutrients found in strawberries have shown
promise in various studies in:

Improving cognitive decline,
Reducing damage that leads to aging,
Enhanced signaling between brain cells,
Reducing total and LDL cholesterol and preventing the oxidation of LDL cholesterol,
Reducing the requirement of insulin for glucose control, and
Protecting DNA from harmful mutations.

Super Accessible

Some superfruits are only available fresh at certain times of the year or not at all – not so super. Because California strawberries are grown year round, you can find them fresh or frozen at your local grocery store whenever you want them.

Super Delicious
Perhaps this is the one “super” trait that trumps them all. Who cares if a fruit is good for you if it isn’t delicious? In fact, strawberries are ranked #1 as kids’ favorite fruit and adults love them, too! They are versatile as an ingredient in salads, soups, sweet and savory dishes…you name it. And best of all, they are pretty super tasting all by themselves.

References
Willis LM, Shukitt-Hale B, Joseph JA. Recent advances in berry supplementation and age-related
cognitive decline. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2009 Jan;12(1):91-4. Review.
Shukitt-Hale B, Lau FC, Joseph JA. Berry Fruit Supplementation and the Aging Brain. J Agric Food
Chem. 2008 Feb 13;56(3):636-41.
Basu A et al. Freeze-dried strawberry powder improves lipid profile and lipid peroxidation in women
with metabolic syndrome: baseline and post intervention effects. Nutr J. 2009 Sep 28;8:43.
Jenkins DJ et al. The effect of strawberries in a cholesterol-lowering dietary portfolio. Metabolism.
2008 Dec;57(12): 1636-44.
Zafra-Stone S. et al. Berry anthocyanins as novel antioxidants in human health and disease. Mol Nutr
Food Res, 2007 Jun;51(6): 675-83.
Weaver J et al. Strawberry polyphenols are equally cytotoxic to tumorigenic and human breast and
prostate cell lines. Int J Oncol. 2009 Mar;34(3): 777-86.
Cheplick S, Kwon YI, Bhowmik P, Shetty K. Phenolic-linked variation in strawberry cultivars
for potential dietary management of hyperglycemia and related complications of hypertension.
Bioresour Technol. 2010 Jan;101(1): 404-13.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

52 comments:

Rachel said...

I eat my strewberrys with sugar!

chris z said...

with whipped cream

Katy said...

I love my strawberries with angel food cake!!! :)

Katy

Unknown said...

I like to eat them with sugar or chocolate

Ann said...

By itself since its so yummy !

Amanda Higbie said...

On angel food cake covered with whip cream!<3

Deborah H. Bateman said...

I would love a chance to win the red tea kettle. It would look great in my kitchen. Deborah H. Bateman

Unknown said...

nothing in the the world better than strawberries

Kate Guinn said...

I like strawberries pretty much any way you can eat them! Covered in chocolate is best for anything, though. My kitchen is decorated in strawberries, so this tea kettle would be perfect!

Rachael Leventhal said...

Green part removed, cut in half, and boiled. My grandmother used to ass sugar or Sweet & Low, but I like them plain.

rachaellea1979 at yahoo dot com

Rachael Leventhal said...

Red part cut and boiled. green thrown out.

Unknown said...

i love them dipped in whipped cream!

Sherrie C. said...

I love strawberry's plain, dipped in chocolate or sugar, as strawberry shortcake, in desserts, on desserts and more! I just love strawberries :)

Thanks for the giveaway

callawishes(at)hotmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

I eat my strawberries with whip cream

Ruth Hill said...

I eat strawberries with honey, chocolate and whipped cream

whirlofwings said...

I eat them raw!

carol scheive said...

I eat strawberries plain

Unknown said...

They are best plain

Unknown said...

strawberry's dipped in whipped cream and or chocolate.

McKenzie said...

Its takes away the healthiness, but I love to hollow out the middle of the strawberry and fill it with sugar! :P

Unknown said...

I got to have mine with strawberry short cake-Yummy!

lv said...

fresh out of the field

nancy hilderbrand said...

fresh with a little cream

Katherine said...

i eat strawberries in green monster smoothies!

Sally said...

I make individual short bread and put the chopped and sweetened strawberries over them and the of course whipped cream.

Deb Anderson said...

fresh with a little sugar and heavy cream

Frogger101 said...

fresh, with sugar, sometimes with shipped cream, but my favorite is on a fresh made strawberry shortcake.YUM

Sharon Garrett said...

I dip my strawberries in Cool Whip, I also like them in cereal.

Crystal S. said...

Strawberries dipped in white chocolate

Terri Patillo said...

Slice strawberries, add a bit of brown sugar, tbls. white wine, mix well, serve over pound cake!

Terri P
pr4gatheringroses AT gmail DOT com

lizzi88 said...

I love eating them with sugar!

Kaylie said...

I love eating them with milk chocolate like dipping fondue :D

Wanda McHenry said...

I love to eat my strawberries dipped in Marzetti's cream cheese fruit dip

Wanda McHenry

pennelope merriweather said...

I like my strawberries with a little suger and chilled in the refrigerator..!! Thanks for this generous giveaway..!!

Lori said...

I like my strawberries dipped in sugar.

lotusdragonfly said...

I like to eat my strawberries reclining on a chaise longue under a flowering fruit tree with a glass of champagne in the other hand.

Anonymous said...

I cut them up and put them on yogurt

Britni Nolen said...

I eat my strawberries with a little sweetener & whipped cream!!

Almarosa Vargas said...

I love eating my strawberries with Whipped Cream =)

Anonymous said...

I love eating Strawberries with chocolate,whipped cream & angel food cake,with vanilla frozen yogurt and of course right off the vine. :o)

Anonymous said...

i love making a strawberry sonker with mine

Anonymous said...

i eat them in ice cream or by themselves

Anonymous said...

I eat them straight out of the strawberry patch

Unknown said...

I love fresh strawberries in my smoothies, they make it taste so much better.

Unknown said...

I like to eat my Strawberries with Banana's and Vanilla Whipped Cream, actually just ate a Strawberry 10 minutes ago then found this! : )

AmandaC said...

I like to cover my strawberries in frozen cool whip! It's delicious!

Chocolate Loving Dietitian said...

With honey and cinnamon with dark cocoa powder

micheal dale grim said...

i like them on shortcake!!!!

emchelly77 said...

i like to eat them fresh with whipped cream! but my 3 year old takes one bite out of all of them and puts them back!

Kathleen Smith said...

I like shortcake and jello salad and in smoothies

Unknown said...

I like to eat them any way! But dark chocolate covered are my favorite. :)

Unknown said...

THsi is one tasty blog!