Fruit Nutrition facts

1. Fruits are low in calories and fat and are a source of simple sugars, fiber, and vitamins, which are essential for optimizing our health.

2. Fruits provide plenty of soluble dietary fiber, which helps to ward off cholesterol and fats from the body and to help in smooth bowel movements as well as offer relief from constipation ailments.

3. Fruits compose of many antioxidants such as polyphenolic flavonoids, vitamin-C, and anthocyanins. These compounds, firstly help the human body protected from oxidant stress, diseases, and cancers, and secondly; assist the body in developing the capacity to fight against these ailments by boosting our immunity level. Many fruits, when compared to vegetables and cereals, have very high anti-oxidant values, which measured regarding their "Oxygen Radical Absorbent Capacity" or (ORAC).

4. Anthocyanins are flavonoid category of polyphenolic compounds found in some "blue-fruits" like blue-black grapes, mulberries, acai berry, chokeberry, blueberries, blackberries, and in many vegetables featuring blue or deep purple pigments. Consumption of fruits rich in blue pigments offers many health benefits. These compounds have potent antioxidant properties that help remove free radicals from the body, and thus provide protection against cancers, aging, and infections. A majority of these pigments in the fruits tend to concentrate just underneath their skin.

5. Fruit’s health-benefiting properties are because of their richness in vitamins, minerals, micro-nutrients, pigment anti-oxidants. Altogether, these compounds help the body prevent or at least prolong the natural changes of aging by protecting from damage and rejuvenating cells, tissues, and organs.

   Their overall benefits are manifold! Fruit nutrition benefits are enormous! The inclusion of fruits in the daily diet helps protect oneself from minor ailments like wrinkling of the skin, hair fall, and memory loss.

   In the long run, fruit nutrition help avert major diseases like age-related macular degeneration (AMRD) of the retina in the eyes, Alzheimer’s disease, colon cancers, weak bones (osteoporosis)…etc., and this list of fruit nutrition benefits simply never ends!

Dry fruits

Dry fruits are a rich source of nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. Consumption of some dry fruits daily enhances the overall bioavailability of nutrients.

Dry fruits like raisins (dried grapes), goji berry, apricots, dates, figs, tamarind..., are indeed very good in iron, calcium, zinc, selenium and manganese. Also, mixing dry fruits with some fresh fruits would help you get vitamin-C which in turn facilitates complete absorption of iron inside the stomach.

How much fruit nutrition should be included in our daily diet?

Research studies suggest that one may eat any servings of fruits daily. It is recommended to eat at least 2-3 servings of fresh fruits every day.

The term, "one fruit serving" is about 250 g of cleaned, "edible-portion" of the fruit, excluding discards like the peel, seeds, etc.

Include seasonal fruits in the daily diet. Varieties of fruit types (tropical, sub-arctic berries, tree fruits, etc.), color (blueberries, mangoes, pink guava, yellow-watermelon, black grapes, black sapodilla, etc.), and different flavored should be encouraged to get maximum health benefits. Yellow and orange color fruits are rich sources of &alfa; and ß carotenes, zeaxanthin, and cryptoxanthin, while blue, black colored like black or blueberries are an excellent source of polyphenolic anthocyanin antioxidants.

Selection of fruits

Prefer organic over inorganic produce to avail maximum fruit nutrition benefits. Many "wild" varieties of berries and "tropical tree" fruits are still not treated with any chemical fertilizers or insecticide sprays and can be safely purchased from the local farm owners. Organic fruits tend to be smaller and expensive; however, they endowed with a special flavor, rich in vitamins and minerals, and stuffed with numerous health-benefiting antioxidants.

In the store, however, choose fruits that feature freshness, bright in color and flavor and feel heavy in your hands. Look carefully for blemishes, spots, molds, and signs of insecticide spray. Buy whole fruits instead of a section (portion) of them (for example, buy a small size watermelon instead of a big cut section).

How to use fruits?

Barring few fruits like wild berries, always wash them soon after shopping. Rinse them in saltwater for a few minutes and then wash in cold running water until you are satisfied with the complete cleanliness. This way, you make sure that the fruit you eat is rid of dirt, sand, and any residual chemical spray. Eat them while they are fresh since certain fruits have a very short shelf life and their health-benefiting properties decline with time. To store, place them in paper wrappings or zipping pouches and keep them in the refrigerator for short periods until you are ready to use them. Eat fruits as a whole without any additions to enjoy their true flavor, taste, and to get maximum fruit nutrition benefits.

≻≻-Further reading:- Fruit peel nutrition facts and health benefits.

≻≻-Back to Home page from Fruit Nutrition.

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