The strength of strawberries
By John Briffa The Guardian, UK The Hindu Thursday,
June 17, 2004
The last decade or so has seen me undergo considerable
nutritional rehabilitation. Put simply, the diet of utter
rubbish that I subsisted on as a student has given way to
one consisting largely of natural and unprocessed foods.
In recent times I have also become inclined to be more
choosy not just about what food I eat, but from whence it
came: my preference is to buy local produce.
This small act not only offers a helping hand to local
farmers and producers, but also helps to contain the
environmental impact of the transportation of food around
the globe. There seems little doubt that opting for produce
sourced from close to home has clear benefits both near and
far a field.
My food-buying policy pays off handsomely as British
strawberries come on line. Fruit aficionados claim British
strawberries are simply the best from a flavour and texture
perspective, and I would not disagree with them.
Also, research reveals that seasonal strawberries are
replete with useful nutrients. Scientists whose job it is to
identify health-promoting compounds in food have a field day
with the strawberry. Nutritional research reveals that
strawberries are rich in disease-protective plant substances
known as phytochemicals.
One strawberry-derived substance is ellagic acid -- one of a
group of phytochemicals known as the phenolics. It has what
is known as `antioxidant' activity in the body, which means
it can quell the effects of `free radical' molecules, which
are believed to be an underlying factor in chronic disease.
Ellagic acid's ability to subdue free radical action seems
to translate into an anti-cancer effect: animal experiments
have found that this compound helps protect against
cancerous tumours.
The antioxidant effects of the compounds anthocyanin,
catechin, quercetin and kaempferol -- all of which belong to
a class of phytochemicals called flavonoids -- seem to
extend to benefits for the circulatory system, too.
Flavonoids help prevent cholesterol from oxidation -- a
protective action that is believed to reduce the propensity
for blood fat to deposit itself on the inside of our
arteries. They also promote health in the lining of the
blood vessels and reduce the tendency for the blood to clot.
The combined biochemical effects exerted by flavonoids are
believed to keep cardiovascular diseases such as heart
disease and stroke at bay. While it is true that the
strawberry's health-preserving effects might be had from
other plant-based produce, there is evidence that this fruit
wields particular power.
A rough guide to the disease-protective effects of any food
can be had by measuring its total `oxygen radical absorbance
capacity' (orac) in the laboratory.
In one study, strawberries were found to have the second-
highest orac of 24 fruits and vegetables. The evidence
suggests that those of us who like strawberries can look
forward to a bumper crop of bodily benefits.
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The terrorist mission of Jesus stated in the Christian
bible:
"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I
came not so send peace, but a sword. "For I am come to
set a man at variance against his father, and the
daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law
against her mother in law. "And a man's foes shall be
they of his own household.
- Matthew 10:34-36.
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