Some of Your Best Friends Are Fruits
by Willie Victor
Summer is here and many sweet luscious fruits are in season. There is nothing like sinking your teeth into a juicy peach or nectarine on a hot summer day…yum!
So What Are We Getting?
What fruit is rich in, beyond anything else, is antioxidants. Antioxidants inhibit oxidation, which creates free radicals. Free radicals start chain reactions that damage cells. Oxidation is what turns an apple core brown. Antioxidants also reduce inflammation, which is key in fighting such diseases as cancer, macular degeneration, diabetes, arthritis, hypertension, heart disease and Alzheimer’s.
Here is a breakdown of the specific nutrients found in each of the fruits below:
- Oranges – the fruit with the highest amount of vitamin C (a super antioxidant), folate, thiamin, and cancer-fighting phytochemicals; freshly squeezed orange juice has more vitamin C than juice made from concentrate
- Grapefruits - have the second highest amount of vitamin C
- Peaches and nectarines – vitamin C and potassium, a key electrolyte that supports the muscles, heart, kidney, and nerve cells, and balances the water in the body
- Apricots – vitamin A, beta carotene, and lycopene, a phytochemical which protects against free radicals
- Strawberries – vitamin C, potassium, sodium, and iron
- Raspberries – vitamin A, fiber, and lutein, a caratenoid which protects the eyes
- Blueberries – anthocyamins which improve night vision
Is There Too Much of a Good Thing?
Although fruits have all the wonderful qualities mentioned above, they still have quite a bit of fructose, which raises our blood sugar and reduces our ability to burn fat. Dr. Walter Willet, the Chair of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard’s School of Public Health, and author of Eat, Drink, and be Healthy, recommends seven servings of vegetables daily and two of fruit.
What About Fruit Juice?
When possible, eat the fruit rather than just its juice. Juicing usually removes the skin and the pulp. As an example, it can take up to four apples to make one eight-ounce glass of apple juice. Three to four apples have 12-15 grams of fiber; the juice has none. A fruit’s skin contains carotenoids and flavonoids which provide antioxidants; the pulp contains fiber, which helps regulate both the bowel and blood pressure.
When drinking fruit juice, beware of the words “drink”, “punch”, “cocktail”, “beverage”, or “blend”. That’s a flag that it’s not 100% fruit juice, and likely contains added fructose or corn syrup, which cause the blood sugar to spike and crash.
It is good to dilute any juice being served to children or infants. Because their intestines are immature, more of the absorbable sugar reaches the colon and ferments, causing gas and diarrhea.
I remind my clients constantly to avoid processed sugar, but fruit is a sweet treat I can certainly endorse wholeheartedly. In fact, it would be criminal to let summer go by without enjoying its gorgeous bounty.
