The Healing Power of the Strawberry

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The Healing Power of the Strawberry
By Barbara Salerno

A great deal of my offline time is spent studying and researching alternative health topics, the latest being foods and herbs that cleanse and detoxify the body. Many candidates are on my list, including garlic, lemon, onion, dandelion, and a variety of herbs and vegetables.

So it took me quite by surprise when I came across the strawberry as a candidate for the list. The idea of eating strawberries to help the body cleanse was a new one to me. But a little research showed that the strawberry contains high levels of vitamin C and helps to remove harmful free radicals from the bloodstream! In my book, any food or herb that removes any potentially toxic bodily substances qualifies as a detoxifying agent.

Free radicals are the by-product of any kind of charbroiling meat or food, and they also are by-products of metabolic processes in the body. In excess, free radicals can cause damage to cells, increase the likelihood of cancer, accelerate the aging process, and create arterial clogs. They are counteracted by high levels of antioxidants, such as those present in citrus, leafy green vegetables, and fruits such as strawberries. Strawberries also contain bioflavonoids, which minimize the effect of free radicals and assist the immune system.

To honor this latest member of my detoxifying foods and herbs list, I located an interesting recipe for a strawberry mousse dessert shown below. Yes, one can enjoy detoxifying foods in desserts and mousses too! Eliminating all those harmful free radicals and carcinogenic agents can be done in style!


Strawberry Dessert

Ingredients:

1 pound roughly chopped strawberries 1 cup silken tofu 1/2 outer rind of orange peel 1 tsp. honey

Drain tofu and place it in blender or food processor. Add strawberries, honey and orange peel and process until smooth. Spoon into a dessert dish, refrigerate for 20 minutes, enjoy!

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