Strawberries are succulent, sweet and nutritious. This is the understatement of the year as a nutritional analysis of strawberries revealed that these red fruits have higher levels of vitamin c, fiber, folate and potassium compared to bananas, apples and yes, even oranges! In fact, a study has shown that eating 8-10 strawberries a day significantly decreases blood pressure, lowers the risk of heart disease, reduces cancer risk and enhances memory function. A serving of 8 to 10 fresh strawberries gives an individual 50 calories, 1 gram of protein, 0.6 grams of fat, 11 grams of carbohydrates, 7 grams of sugar, 3.5 grams of fiber, 0.6 mg of iron, 2 mg of sodium, 22 mg calcium, 30 mg of phosphate, 0.1 mg of riboflavin, 85 mg of Vitamin C, 240 mg of potassium, 0.2 mg of zinc, 0.4 mg of niacin, 92 mcg of Vitamin B6 and 34 mcg of folate.

Strawberries can be enjoyed when eaten as is. But they are even better when made into a delicious fruit smoothie that combines its nutritional value with other fruits, yogurt or nuts that you want to add into it. Whether fresh or frozen, strawberries make for a refreshing smoothie drink you can enjoy with your meals or as an afternoon snack. Its smooth texture and sweet taste will make it your children's favorite in no time.

The most basic strawberry smoothie recipe is given below. However, there's no stopping you from modifying or adding to any of the ingredients listed. For as long as you've got the strawberries there, then you can make your own variations of the strawberry smoothie that you and your family will enjoy and benefit from health wise for years to come.

You will need about a cup of fresh or frozen strawberries, half a cup of diced pineapples and about a cup of ice cubes. Before putting in the strawberries, make sure that they're washed. You can hull them if you like or put them in the smoothie maker whole. For frozen strawberries, you can use one cup of plain water since that works just as well. Put the strawberries and pineapples into the blender or smoothie maker, Put in the ice cubes or the water and begin to blend slowly. Add water gradually, depending on the consistency you like your strawberry smoothie to be. You can add yogurt and or nonfat milk to your mixture as well. If you want to sweeten it a bit, add about 4 tablespoons of honey, not sugar. If it gets too sweet, you can squeeze a little lemonade to it. Once the blending is done, transfer your strawberry smoothie to a clear glass and serve.

You can add other kinds of fruit or other ingredients to vary your strawberry smoothie. Strawberries and bananas or strawberries and oranges are good combinations for smoothies as well. If you need more amino acids in your diet, you can add a tablespoon of flaxseed oil to the basic recipe, and if you're into body building whey protein powders can also be mixed in to give you help in building muscle mass.