When eating keto, there are strict do’s and don’ts you must abide by, or else you will not be keto dieting right. The basic rule of a keto diet is, if it’s low carb, it’s a yes, while high carb content foods get a no. Keto dieters who are carb-counting need to know which food contributes to their net carbs and by how much.
Strawberries are beautiful red berries with numerous health benefits. But as mentioned earlier, your carb intake matters on a low-carb diet, therefore before endorsing strawberries into your healthy diet, we must answer the question, are strawberries keto-friendly?
By the end of this article, you will know strawberry nutrition facts, if it is a low-calorie food, the health benefits of consuming strawberries, how many carbs in 4 strawberries, and the calories in raw strawberries. The beauty of organic strawberries goes beyond the surface!
Strawberry Nutrition Facts
The general nutrition advice given to an adult is to consume 2,000 calories per day to maintain optimum body function. With weight loss, how much a nutrient in a serving size of your food contributes to your diet. So, how many vitamins you take contribute to your daily value. How many carbs in 4 strawberries matters because it contributes to your carb limit.
A larger percentage of raw strawberries is water (90%), with the macronutrient distribution being 7.7% carbohydrates, 0.3% fat, and 0.7% of protein. According to the USDA, eating a 100 g serving size of strawberries will give you:
- Energy: 36 kcals
- Water: 90.8 g
- Total fat: 0.22 g
- Protein: 0.64 g
- Total carbs: 7.96 g
- Total sugar: 4.86 g
- Sucrose: less than 0.25 g
- Glucose: 2.24 g
- Fructose: 2.62 g
- Dietary fiber: 2 g
- Vitamin C: 59.6 mg
- Potassium: 161 mg
Fresh strawberries are low in calories and carb count, and high in water content, making them good for weight loss.
How Many Carbs in 4 Strawberries?
A serving size of 4 large strawberries contains 23 calories, 0.22g of total fat, 0.48 g of protein, 5.53 g of total carbs, 1.4 g of dietary fiber, 3.36 g of sugars, and 4.13 g of net carbs. The riper the strawberry the higher the carb content because sugar levels increase with maturity.
Are Strawberries Good or Bad Carbs?
How many carbs in 4 strawberries? Sugars, starch and fiber are all carbs. Strawberry carbs are simple sugars, that is fructose, glucose, and sucrose. Simple sugars are found naturally in every fruit and vegetable. Fructose is the sweetest sugar but has the least effect on blood sugar levels. From strawberry nutrition facts, you can see that the largest amount of sugar per serving comes from fructose.
Strawberries also contain a relative amount of fiber that can be useful in regulating blood sugar levels. Fiber slows down digestion and absorption of foods reducing insulin and blood sugar levels.
Why fresh strawberries are a good choice on a keto diet? They have the lowest carb count of most berries. Now, that we are here, berries are among the few fruits allowed on a keto diet because they are low in carbohydrates than other fruits. What are the net carbs of others in a 100 g serving?
- Blueberries: 17.4 g
- Raspberries: 11.9 g
- Blackberries: 9.61 g
Strawberries have a glycemic index of 40, meaning when you eat strawberries your blood sugar will not spike fast. They also have a glycemic load of 3, which simply means when you eat strawberries your blood sugar is not raised as much.
How Many Calories in 4 Strawberries?
The high-water content in strawberries makes them low in calories. In addition, the type of fiber in this fruit is insoluble fiber, which translates to 2 calories per gram of fiber. The low fat, protein, and carb content also contributes to the reduced calories in strawberries.
All this makes our red fruit keto-friendly. These are traits you want to add to your daily diet when trying to lose weight. Because it is low in fat, combining your strawberries with high-fat foods like Greek yogurt will increase your fat intake achieving ketosis. By doing so, most of your calories will be from fat than carbohydrates.
What Are the Health Benefits of Eating Strawberries?
Other than being low in net carbohydrates making them a good choice for weight loss, there are other health benefits you can enjoy when you eat strawberries. They include:
Reduce Inflammation
Strawberries are rich in antioxidants that reduce inflammation by scavenging reactive oxygen species that cause oxidative stress and cell damage. Some of the antioxidants are:
Pelargonidin
Pelargonidin is a flavanol categorized under anthocyanidin. It is responsible for the beautiful red color strawberries boast of! This antioxidant has been associated with the reduced risk of chronic diseases like liver, colon, and brain cancer. For brain cancer, this is achieved by inhibiting proliferation, migration, and invasion of C6 cells (most of these cells are cancer stem cells) and enhancing the apoptosis of these cells.
Procyanidins
These are flavonoids with antioxidative health benefits. They are found in high concentrations in the seeds and skin of strawberries. Procyanidins‘ antioxidant properties are attributed to the chelation of transition metals, inhibition of prooxidative enzymes and lipid peroxidation, and free radical scavenging activities.
Ellagic acid
Ellagic acid (EA) is a polyphenol found in high concentrations in fruits, seeds, and nuts. Intake of this antioxidant has been associated with a reduced risk of chronic diseases. Ellagic acid is converted to urolithins in the gut by microbiota.
EA and urolithins reduce the risk of developing prostate and colon cancer it induces antiproliferative and apoptotic activities on cancer cells inhibiting their growth. They also display estrogenic and/or antiestrogenic properties inhibiting cell growth in prostate and colon cancer.
Ellagitannins
Ellagitannins are derived from ellagic acid. It is a polyphenol with similar antioxidative properties as EA.
Promotes Heart Health
You remember fiber, right? It is not only good for regulating blood sugar, but also for improving your lipid profile. It regulates cholesterol and triglyceride levels. This, plus blood sugar control reduces your risk of developing metabolic syndrome.
Strawberries also contain folate and vitamin C which play a role in promoting heart health. The phytochemicals and antioxidants in strawberries improve heart health.
Good for Wound Healing
The recommended daily allowance (RDA) of Vitamin C is 45-120 mg in adults. A 100 g serving of strawberry provides about 49% of your daily value making this fruit a good source of vitamin C. Vitamin C is needed to make collagen, a necessary component for the skin. Your body cannot make vitamin C, so to meet your daily value you have to get it from your diet.
Regulates High Blood Sugar
Strawberries are low in carbs, so they do not spike blood sugar levels. A study published to test the anti-inflammatory and blood glucose-regulating capacity of strawberries showed that eating strawberries reduced the risk of diabetes and obesity.
Improve Symptoms of Arthritis
Consuming strawberries reduces inflammation in obese people with osteoarthritis. Polyphenols and other antioxidants in berries improve pain in osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is caused by oxidative stress, joint space narrowing, and cartilage degradation. Antioxidants reduce oxidative stress and inflammation.
Nutrient Dense Foods
Strawberries are rich in minerals and vitamins. It is rich in vitamin C an essential vitamin for immune health. It also contains potassium which is necessary for regulating blood pressure. Another function of potassium is to regulate muscle and nerve function.
You can get vitamin B9 essential for cell function, especially for pregnant women and adults. Another important mineral in strawberries is manganese which is needed for the absorption of foods, immune response, and bone formation.
Varieties
You can use strawberries to make smoothies or add to cream and Greek yogurt. Avoid sugary drinks termed as strawberry flavored because they are high in carbs and can kick you out of ketosis.
A serving of fresh strawberries or frozen strawberries works well as a healthy snack alone or together with the yogurt.
Adverse Effects
People can have an allergic response to strawberries. Strawberries contain a protein that could react with people sensitive to birch pollen or apples, commonly referred to as a pollen-food allergy.
The common symptoms of this allergy are a tingling mouth, itching, headaches, swelling, and breathing problems. Allergies caused by strawberries are associated with their anthocyanins. Moreover, the goitrogens in strawberries affect the function of the thyroid gland in people with hyperthyroidism.
Summary
How many carbs in 4 strawberries? Low enough to be keto-friendly! A serving of strawberries contains potassium, vitamin C, manganese, and antioxidants which is good for your overall health.
Fresh strawberries are the best option over strawberry-flavored products that contain added sugar. Enjoy your strawberries on keto!
How do you incorporate strawberries into your keto diet? Let us know in the comment section! Have a berry day for a nice day!
