You don't need a spoonful of sugar to help this medicine go down.
- Sara Burden
- Dec 11, 2020
- 2 min read
We all know (and love) the upbeat song that Julie Andrews performed in Mary Poppins talking about how "a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down." However, I don't think anyone realized how accurate that lyric was until they had to take the medicine they were prescribed.
What if I told you that you could make your medicine taste like fresh cut strawberries? What? Medicine that tastes good?
That's right! Not only will your medicine taste like fresh strawberries, but it will BE strawberries.
Fragaria vesca (Strawberry) of the Rosaceae Family is a pink berry native to North America that is commonly eaten as a fruit. While this tasty berry makes a beautiful addition to any meal, it can also be used to treat many inflammatory conditions, according to the Therapeutic Research Center (2020).
Strawberries contain many biologically active compounds (phytochemicals) that are responsible for their medicinal capabilities. In this case, Anthocyanin is the star of the show. Anthocyanin is a phytochemical that is responsible for the anti-inflammatory effects of strawberries. Anthocyanin reacts with Prostaglandins, a group of lipids within the body, to stop the inflammatory process (Lee et al., 2017). While eating one strawberry a day may not yield the results you desire, recent research concludes that 50 gram of freeze-dried strawberries, or about 500 grams of fresh strawberries, reduce pain and inflammation associated with many inflammatory conditions.
Easy ways to incorporate strawberries into your daily routine:
Blending strawberries into a morning smoothie/bowl is a quick and easy way to fight inflammation.
Enjoy strawberries as a healthy snack: 1/2 cup fresh cut strawberries, served with 1/4 cup of natural hummus or 1/4 cup of plain Greek yogurt.
Create a flavorful strawberry-chia seed pudding.
References:
Lee, Y., Yoon, Y., Yoon, H., Park, H., Song, S., & Yeum, K. (2017, October 1). Dietary Anthocyanins against Obesity and Inflammation. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5691706/
Therapeutic Research Center. (2020). Natural Medicines: Strawberry. Retrieved from https://naturalmedicines.therapeuticresearch.com/databases/food,-herbs-supplements/professional.aspx?productid=362
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