As summer fruits like strawberries come into season, did you know that the correct way to eat them is to keep the leaves on?
A doctor recently took to TikTok advising people to stop cutting the leaves off strawberries for one important reason – it increases the nutritional value!
Stop cutting the leaves off strawberries
NHS doctor Karan Rajan shared some kitchen food hacks with his followers on TikTok and Instagram, and he sure did shock people by announcing that the leaves should be left on strawberries.
While many strawberry-lovers are under the impression that the leaves on strawberries should be removed for tidiness sake and hygiene reasons, this doctor encourages you to stop cutting the leaves off.
Doctor Karan Rajan reveals: “A strawberry top with the leaves is known as a calyx and has a nutritional value on par with the berry itself.”
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Strawberry leaves are packed with polyphenols, which are antioxidents.
A diet high in antioxidants may reduce the risk of many diseases (including heart disease and certain cancers). According to Better Health Channel, antioxidants scavenge free radicals from the body cells and prevent or reduce the damage caused by oxidation.
Additionally, strawberry leaves contain almost as much vitamin C as the berry. Mayo Clinic states that vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is a nutrient your body needs to form blood vessels, cartilage, muscle and collagen in bones. Vitamin C is also vital to the body’s healing process.
The TikTok-famous doctor adds that strawberry tops also contain other nutrients like magnesium and and extra bits of fiber too, so eating the leaves is a great way to pack more nutrients into your diet.
Doctor’s other food tips and tricks
It’s not just strawberries that you have been eating incorrectly… the doctor revealed you should also consider eating broccoli stems too.
The broccoli floret (the flower of the broccoli) contains high levels of vitamin A, and the stem contains just as many other nutrients including vitamin C, E, K, potassium, magnesium, iron, folate, zinc, along with more insoluable fibers that will contribute to your daily fiber intake.
If you’re a fan of radish, you can also eat those leaves as Dr. Karan Rajan revealed that theyare packed with vitamins C and A.
Instead of eating around the apple’s centre, try eating the apple core too! Apple core contains good-gut bacteria, and probiotics are found in the apple core as opposed to the flesh or skin of the fruit.
Not only does this increase your nutrition intake, all of these new ways to eat fruits and vegetables also reduces food waste!
Dr. Karan Rajan is an NHS surgeon and one of the biggest health and science creators on social media. He is a senior clinical lecturer at the University of Sunderland School of Medicine and was formerly at Imperial College London. In addition to being a regular advocate of health promotion on behalf of the NHS and the UK government, he has also worked closely with the UN, the World Health Organization, and the British Red Cross in an ambassadorial capacity.
