Strawberries

Food · Fruit · Food, Typed Supps

A genuinely strong vitamin C source people do not associate with berries.

Stage by stage

Intake (Soft, minimal chewing): Soft texture requires minimal chewing to release nutrients.
Stomach (Fast-releasing vitamin C): Vitamin C and sugars begin releasing quickly given the fruit’s high water content.
Small intestine (SVCT1 transporter): Vitamin C absorbs via the same dedicated transporter as other vitamin C sources.
Immune & skin tissue (Collagen & immune support): Supports immune cell function and collagen production.

Timing

Fresh or frozen both retain most of the vitamin C content.

Time to effect

Hours: Vitamin C blood levels rise within a couple of hours.

Allergens

None of the fourteen major allergens. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.

Eating patterns

Fits: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Keto, Low-FODMAP.

In season

May to August in the northern hemisphere, November to February in the southern.

Satiety

The satiety index is measured on 240 kcal servings. At 32 kcal per 100 g that is 762 g of this, which is not a serving anyone eats — so the index has nothing to say about it.

Environmental footprint

1.5 kg CO2e and 420 litres of freshwater per kg, matched to "Berries & grapes" in Poore & Nemecek (2018), Science 360.

Cost band

Mid — roughly £9 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.

Key nutrients

Vitamin C
Fiber
Anthocyanins

Nutrition per 100g

Calories: 31.5
Protein: 0.7g
Carbohydrate: 5.6g
of which sugars: 5.5g
Fat: 0.2g
of which saturated: 0g
Fibre: 2.1g
Sodium: 0mg

Food vs. supplement

A cup of strawberries provides close to 90mg of vitamin C — more than an orange — alongside fibre and anthocyanins a plain vitamin C tablet doesn’t include.

Kitchen tip

They stop ripening once picked, so choose fully red ones at the store rather than expecting them to sweeten at home.

Common myth

“Berries are mainly valuable for antioxidants, not vitamin C.” In reality: Strawberries specifically are also a genuinely strong vitamin C source, not just an antioxidant-rich fruit.