Fruits and vegetables are important sources of micronutrients and dietary fibers and are components of a healthy diet, which help in preventing major diseases. Due to the fact that fruits and vegetables have health promoting properties, they contribute to dietary guidance, which are guidelines that help people eat better. In today’s blog, we shall be talking about fruits in general and why we should eat them more often.
A fruit is defined as the edible part of a plant that consists of the seeds and surrounding tissues, while vegetables are plants cultivated for their edible parts.
Fruits are a good source of vitamins and minerals, recognized for their role in preventing some nutrient deficiencies. People who incorporate fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy eating pattern have a reduced risk of some chronic diseases and that’s why USDA’s MyPlate encourages filling half of the plate with fruits (and also vegetables) at mealtimes.
*USDA -United States Department of Agriculture*
Now what foods are in the fruit group?. Yes, the fruit group.
Any fruit or 100% fruit juice counts as part of the Fruit Group. Fruits may be fresh, canned, frozen, or dried, and may be whole, cut-up, pureed, or cooked. Half of the recommended amount of fruit should at least come from whole fruit, rather than 100% fruit juice.
Eating fruit provides health benefits, people who eat more fruits as part of an overall healthy diet are likely to have a reduced risk of some chronic diseases. Fruits provide nutrients vital for health and maintenance of your body. They are naturally low in fat, sodium and calories and none of them have cholesterol, which gives an edge over many foods.
Fruits are sources of many essential nutrients that many people don’t get enough of such as potassium, dietary fiber, Vitamin C and folate. So, as part of an overall healthy diet, eating foods such as fruits that are lower in calories per cup instead of some other higher-calorie food may be useful in helping to lower calorie intake.
Also, eating a diet rich in fruits as part of an overall healthy diet may reduce risk for heart disease, including heart attack and stroke, and protect against certain types of cancers.
Now, let’s take a look at some of the popular fruits and their amazing health benefits
- Citrus: Some of the fruits in this category are lime, lemon, orange, tangerine and grape. They contain flavonoids, which are thought to contain some anticancer properties. Flavonoids are antioxidants that protect from heart diseases and improve blood flow through the coronary arteries. Citrus fruits are high in vitamin C and contain folate as well as thiamin. Vitamin C protects the body from free radicals that could destroy the body and helps in wound healing and holding blood vessels, tendons, ligaments and bone together. Thiamin is an important component of metabolism, while folate is required for cell division.
2. Mango: Mangoes are low in calories, high in fibre and can help avoid constipation while the fibre assists in metabolism by aiding the absorption of vitamins. The peels contain enzymes, which aid in breaking down carbohydrates, fats and proteins to form easily absorbable by the body. Mangoes contain magnesium, an electrolyte mineral that helps in regulating blood pressure, and vitamin A, a protective role in eye health, and help to protect the DNA structure.
3. Pawpaw: Pawpaws have low calorie content, soluble dietary fibre and do not contain cholesterol. They are high in vitamin C, vitamin A and flavonoids. Vitamin A helps to maintain healthy skin and eyes; folic acid, thiamin (vitamin B1), riboflavin and pyridoxine are all useful in body metabolism.
4. Pineapple: They contain calcium, potassium, carbohydrates, crude fibre and vitamin C (ascorbic acid, an effective antioxidant that aids the body’s absorption of iron). It contains copper, which regulates the heart rate and blood pressure. They have natural anti-inflammatory properties and aids digestion. They are also a good source of manganese, a mineral that is required for building bones and connective tissues in the body.
5. Banana: It contains vitamins A, B6, C and D as well as potassium (that prevents muscle spasms). Banana helps the body to fight against ulcers; it is also useful in the treatment of anaemia, burns, wounds and arthritis. It aids constipation and presents a good relief for diarrhoea. Its main benefits include mood improvement, weight loss and promotion of the human muscles and bones.
6. Apples: Apples are rich in vitamins and minerals. Consuming these fruits aids weight loss, enhances brain health, provides antioxidants, reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome and prevents some forms of cancers.They are also rich in both soluble and insoluble fiber, such as pectin, hemicellulose, and cellulose.
7. Watermelon: It has low calorie and a good source of vitamins and minerals. It provides lycopene, a powerful antioxidant along with vitamins A and C that have antioxidant and anti-ageing properties. It is an anti-inflammatory food that helps in limiting body stress, relieves pain, detoxifies the body and keeps skin healthy.
8. Avocado: These fruits are creamy with high content of mono-unsaturated fats and are rich in dietary fibre and high in calories. They contain tannins which have anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcer properties. It also contains vitamins (A, E, K, folate, thiamin, niacin), minerals (iron, copper, magnesium, manganese) as well as potassium, which help regulate the heart rate and blood pressure.
There are many fruits, but these are just a few we decided to talk about.
Fruits come in all shapes and sizes, and different fruits have different health benefits. For the best results, add a variety of fruits to the diet, which can be either eating them whole, blending them into purees, juices or smoothies or even incorporating them to a meal. For example, oats, pancakes, yoghurts, and so on.
The quantity of fruits and type of fruits recommended to be consumed varies based on age, sex, height, weight, level of physical activity and even health condition (as some specific medical condition require taking fruits in specific quantities). So it is important to always consult a dietitian especially when you have a medical condition.
However, it is important to take 5 servings of fruits and vegetables everyday (according to USDA’s guidelines), so having fruits 3 times in a day can just be the right fit. By eating fruits, a person is providing their body with key vitamins, antioxidants, and dietary fiber and to reap all these great benefits, be sure to eat a variety of colorful fruits on a daily basis.
We hope you enjoyed reading about Fruits and more importantly, we hope you would find a way to incorporate them into your diet.
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REFERENCES
- Health Benefits of Fruits and Vegetables: Review from Sub-Saharan Africa;Ifeoluwapo Amao, Sept 2017
- Healthy Eating
- My Plate
