A large part of living a Paleo lifestyle is limiting our carbohydrate intake. Grains and legumes are extremely high in carbohydrates and that is a very important reason for most of us to avoid them. However, the prescription to eat a “low-carb” diet still leaves a lot of wiggle room for individual needs. While some people feel the need to eliminate fruit entirely from their diet, or only eat it occasionally, others feel better when eating fruit every day or even multiple times a day.
The Benefits of Berries
One of the great equalizers of this debate is berries. They tend to be lower in carbohydrates than most fruit, and they come packed with anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants are great because they help to lower inflammation and prevent fat from oxidizing in our blood stream. All good things.
In addition to anti-oxidants, strawberries are a particularly excellent source of vitamin C and various B vitamins, and they also provide a healthy dose of manganese.
Strawberries are also high in phytochemicals. These are compounds developed by plants to protect them from predators. Unfortunately for the plants, these same compounds provide us with numerous health benefits when consumed, namely anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties, as well as decreased cardiovascular risk.
Mark Sisson has a whole post on how to identify the healthiest fruits, and strawberries definitely make the list.
So, if you know your carbohydrate tolerance will allow you to eat a handful of strawberries now and then, go for it, especially when they’re in season.
