If you love fruit, you may wonder which options are best for you and your health. When you go into the store there are plenty of options to choose from, which makes the decision even harder. For those who love strawberries, there is plenty of information circulating that could be confusing, making you wonder if you should eat your favorite fruit. So let’s be clear, are strawberries fattening?
Raw strawberries are not fattening. You can also eat them frozen with no sugar added and canned without syrup. All these options make them healthy selections. It’s only when you add sugars and other high-calorie additives that make this tasty fruit fattening. In addition to being a great supplement to a healthy diet, strawberries offer many excellent benefits to your overall health.
Now we’ll explore the nutrition behind strawberries and whether or not they’re good for your weight loss efforts. We’ll also explore the different health benefits this small fruit can offer. We’ll answer the questions of whether or not strawberries are fattening at night and if chocolate-covered strawberries are fattening. Read on for everything you need to know about whether strawberries are fattening.
How you consume your strawberries will determine whether they are fattening. When you choose to eat them fresh, they are considered healthy and can even help with weight loss. However, selecting fruit juices or dried strawberries will mean consuming more concentrated amounts of sugar and calories, which can achieve the opposite effect (9).
When ingredients are added to strawberries, such as sugar and heavy syrups, that’s when high-calorie problems arise. Strawberry nutrition is, on its own, very good.
According to the USDA, these are the strawberries nutrition facts for a 100 g serving of raw strawberries:
In addition, the calories in strawberries are very low. In a 100 g serving, there are 91 calories, making this an ideal snack or addition to a healthy meal (5).
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Strawberries are high in fiber, which helps fill you up fast while eating them. In fact, the total fiber content of this fruit is approximately 26% of its carbohydrate content. Every 3.5-ounce serving offers 2 grams of fiber in soluble and insoluble forms. Consuming dietary fiber is essential to feed your friendly gut bacteria, improving digestive health. In addition, dietary fibers are very supportive of weight loss efforts and the prevention of many diseases.
Fresh strawberries have a significantly low carbohydrate content due to their high water content. In 3.5 ounces of strawberries, there are less than 8 grams of carbs. Furthermore, this serving size’s net digestible carb content is less than 6 grams. Their glycemic index score is 40, which is a relatively low number, indicating that strawberries will not lead to excessive spikes in blood sugar levels. This means they are generally considered safe to eat by those with diabetes (7).
In addition to offering weight loss benefits, you’ll enjoy many strawberry benefits, including support for your heart health, normal blood pressure, and blood sugar regulation. We’ll look at each of these benefits now.
Strawberries contain anthocyanin and quercetin. Both of these are linked to better heart health. Anthocyanin is related to a reduced risk of heart attacks, while quercetin is known for its anti-inflammatory properties, which have been linked to a reduction in atherosclerosis.
In addition, berry consumption is linked to a lower risk of heart-related deaths. For those with well-established risk factors for heart disease, consumption of berries, including strawberries, an improvement in HDL cholesterol, blood pressure, and the function of blood platelets has been shown.
Strawberries are also known for having a high potassium content. This potassium is also linked to promoting excellent heart health. Consuming strawberries may also be linked to the following:
Relative to heart disease, eating a diet that contains strawberries may help reduce high blood pressure. The potassium content can offset the negative effects of sodium within your body, reducing blood pressure. In turn, this can reduce the chances of events like heart attack and stroke (1).
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When you consume carbohydrates, your body breaks them down into simple sugars. These sugars are then released into your bloodstream. Your body’s response is to secrete insulin. In response to the insulin, your cells will pick up the sugar from your bloodstream to use for fuel or storage.
Blood sugar regulation imbalances and high-sugar diets are directly linked with increased risks of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity. Strawberries appear to slow glucose digestion, reducing the spikes in glucose and insulin that follow a carbohydrate-rich meal, compared to a carbohydrate-rich meal that did not contain strawberries (7).
Strawberries are also known for having anti-inflammatory benefits. Because of this, those with osteoarthritis have shown promising results when consuming them daily. They experience reduced swelling and joint pain, improving their quality of life (5).
Eating a diet high in fiber and consuming enough water will help alleviate problems with constipation. Fortunately, strawberries contain both. Consuming them regularly can help promote regular bowel movements, keeping you comfortable (1).
The recommended number of strawberries you should consume daily is approximately eight. However, this can vary based on the size of the berries. In addition, experts suggest consuming four average-sized strawberries or up to six small-sized strawberries at each meal every day.
The recommended daily amount of fruit is 200 grams. However, it’s also recommended that this be varied among different fruits. For example, you could add three or four strawberries to a mixed bowl of fruit (6).
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Strawberries contain the same nutritional value and content regardless of what time of day you consume them. What matters is how you consume them. Eating them raw, frozen, or canned without syrup added is the way to keep them low-calorie and not fattening. When you add them to desserts or add sugars and syrups, you increase the sugar content, making them no longer the healthy snack they once were. In addition, you won’t feel as full after you are done eating (9).
When choosing a late-night snack, it’s better to reach for a bowl of sliced strawberries than a bag of potato chips or a bowl of ice cream. You’ll receive all the nutritional benefits, plus you won’t consume all the calories and fat the other options present. Making healthy choices, especially late at night, can help keep you feeling great.
Chocolate-covered strawberries nutrition facts depend on the ingredients you use to make them. If you choose your chocolate wisely, the impact made on this nutritious fruit will be minimal. Of course, you’ll also have to eat them in moderation, as chocolate will increase the number of calories per strawberry. Here’s a simple recipe with nutrition facts that you can try.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Nutrition information:
As you can see, adding chocolate drastically reduces the serving size, and the calories still increase. You can enjoy chocolate-covered strawberries, but you must do so in moderation to keep them from becoming fattening (2).
As with any sweet treat, you cannot overindulge, or it will become fattening. Carefully choosing the chocolate you use can also affect the outcome of the nutritional value. Selecting a lower-calorie chocolate or one that is sugar-free will reduce the total calories of the chocolate-covered strawberries, making them even less likely to be fattening. However, you will still want to eat them in moderation.
Now that we’ve explored the answer to the question of strawberries fattening, you can make an informed decision on how you will add this fruit to your diet. Fresh strawberries are generally the best option to get the most out of your fruit, but canned and frozen without sugar or syrup added is second best. Always try to get the purest form of your fruit to ensure you’re not consuming added sugars. This will keep it as healthy as possible.
Adding strawberries to your diet offers excellent health benefits beyond supporting weight loss. This fruit is very powerful, with support for heart health, blood sugar regulation, and blood pressure reduction. In combination with a healthy diet, strawberries can significantly boost your overall health.
While adding chocolate to your strawberries doesn’t exactly make them the healthiest option, you can eat them in moderation and still maintain a healthy diet. Choosing a lower-sugar and calorie chocolate will help make the snack a better option. Now that you know how healthy strawberries are, how will you incorporate them into your diet?
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