While you can choose from several varieties of berries at your local grocery store, the only berries typically served sliced are strawberries and cherries. Strawberries can be sliced and served over ice cream, angel food cake or eaten plain, while cherries can be sliced to remove the pits inside. However, regardless of how you eat them, sliced berries are a great source of essential nutrients, such as potassium and vitamin C.
Macronutrients
According to the USDA Nutrient Database, one cup of cherries without pits weighs about 5.5 ounces and provides 97 calories. One cup of sliced strawberries weighs about the same and contains 53 calories. Due to the primarily carbohydrate make-up of berries, both cherries and strawberries contain only small amounts of protein and fat. One cup of strawberries contains 1.11 g of protein and just 0.5 g of fat, while one cup of cherries contains 1.63 g of protein and 0.31 g of fat.
Carbohydrates
One cup of sliced cherries contains 24.66 g of total carbs, which can be broken down into two main categories: fiber and sugars. This serving size of cherries contains 3.2 g of fiber, and 19.74 g of sugars, which mostly come from glucose, at 10.15 g, and fructose, with 8.27 g, but traces also come from maltose, sucrose and galactose. One cup of sliced strawberries contains 3.3 g of dietary fiber and 0.07 g of starch. They also contain 9.12 g of total sugars, with 3.3 g from glucose, 4.05 g of fructose and traces of sucrose.
Vitamins
Sliced strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C, with 97.6 mg in one cup. Cherries provide some vitamin C as well, with 10.8 mg in a one cup serving. Both types of berries contain traces of the vitamin B family -- including folate -- and vitamin K. Strawberries also contain traces of choline, vitamin A and antioxidants such as lutein and vitamin E. Cherries also contain significant amounts of antioxidants, particularly beta-carotene, vitamin A and lutein.
Minerals
The highest mineral concentration found in strawberries and cherries is potassium, with 254 mg in one cup of sliced strawberries and 342 mg in one cup of sliced cherries. However, this is still only about 6 percent of your daily recommended intake. Both types of berries also contain small amounts of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus, with traces of zinc, copper, manganese, iron and selenium.
Member Comments