When eating strawberries not pull or the leaves or stems – Proexpansión Peru

It is well known the importance of antioxidants in the diet of people because it is considered a way to reduce the risk of some chronic and degenerative diseases and even slow the aging process. So often recommended to consume all kinds of berries are those that contain the most antioxidants. One of these fruits are strawberries that are so well known and consumed.

What was not known until now is that the nutritional goodness and the antioxidant effect of this fruit also reached their vegetative parts, ie, their roots, stems and leaves.

In this lies the value of a recent study called Nutritional parameters of infusions and decoctions Obtained from Fragaria vesca L. roots and vegetative parts produced by Maria Ines Dias, Lillian Barros, Patricia Morales, Maria Cortes Sanchez-Mata, M. Beatriz PP Oliveira and Isabel C.F.R. Ferreira, ALIMNOVA group of researchers from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM), along with Portuguese scientists from the University of Oporto. According to the study, the vegetative parts of the strawberries have many nutritional and antioxidant properties as the fruits themselves.

The research was conducted with samples from wild strawberries collected in Serra de Nogueira in Portugal and commercial strawberries, which It allowed to conclude that the vegetative parts are rich in vitamins E, C, and other organic acids. However, wild plants (growing in the woods and slopes) were more sugars, magnesium, iron, manganese and vitamin B9 (folic acid and folate) highlighting that commercial potassium, zinc and copper, although both had good levels of nutrients.

Another novelty of this study is that the researchers also studied infusions and decoctions with the same samples and concluded that consuming 100 milliliters of these preparations could also take in nutrients. The difference between the infusion and decoction is that in the first case the plant samples were added as the water was boiled; and in the second they were added from the start before taking the water to a boil.

It would be important that the varieties of strawberries and strawberries produced in Peru and other countries in the region were analyzed at the level of its nutrient composition, given the recommendation that exists on the daily intake of 200 micrograms per day of vitamin B, which could be satisfied with strawberry leaf tea in our countries are discarded or used to feed smaller breeds.

Until that happens, do not hesitate and explore the potential of urban gardens and eat strawberries and vegetative parts.