Have you noticed that it is strawberry season? The grocers are full of them, and many have them on sale! Here’s what you need to know. Strawberries are the dirtiest fruit in our nation right now. It’s not the kind of dirt that washes off either. Every year the Environmental Working Group comes up with the past year’s dirtiest crops in terms of pesticides. For 2018, the standard strawberry batch had at least 10 different pesticide residues…. But one particular batch of strawberries came up with 22 different pesticide residues! So strawberries tops our dirty dozen list this year at #1 – the worst crop. Consider buying organic strawberries for this reason.
A recent study in May, 2018 gives good news for anyone suffering from inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis. Strawberries contain an antioxidant called Pelargonidin-3-O-glucoside (P3G) which is a potent anti-inflammatory compound. It has the potential to decrease inflammatory marker levels and reduce the number of white blood cells that normally overrun in inflammatory issues. This translates into less pain and less inflammation. P3G is also a potent polyphenol, which lends to strengthening our immune system. These are great reasons not to pass on these tasty red gems when shopping. See other 2018 Dirty Dozen crops.
