Bananas, Apples, Mangos, Starfruit, Strawberries, Cherries, Peaches, Plums and Pears- the list of options goes on and on, which is fantastic, because it’s fruit week! Despite most of us no longer being seafarers and having to worry about contracting scurvy due to our lack of Vitamin C, this does not negate the absolute importance of including plenty of fruits into your diet.
Fruit has so many benefits for your body. They are high in vitamins and water, gives you a healthy energy spike from the sugar, and it’s fantastic for your skin thanks to all the antioxidants. Now people always say “fruit is good for you” but then we don’t and why not? I really feel it boils down to what you are choosing to eat that will either be an incentive for you to eat more or a deterrent to not be coming back to your fruit bowl. Before the price tag makes you high tail it in another direction, remember: the money you spend now investing in your health is money, time and sickness you won’t have to pay in the future and will do you wonders in terms of your health.
Take the time to try out a whole bunch of different fruits. You may not like apples but find you love pomegranates. Although you are getting different benefits from each different type, you will not be losing out by incorporating more into your diet. Turns out, I hate bananas, the texture and smell are too much for me to handle. But I LOVE peaches, I could eat a peach a day and still want more peaches. Diet Health Club did a study and as it turns out, peaches are good for lowering cholesterol, rejuvenating skin tissue, treating infectious disease and helping remove excess fat layers. Buying bananas is a waste of money for me, but peaches make my skin glow.
Because each type of fruit has different nutrients, every time you eat a piece of fruit, you are doing your body a service. Mangoes and cranberries are rich in antioxidant which fight free radicals. Raspberries and apples provide your belly with lots of fiber to help aid your digestion. Oranges, papaya, and kiwi are all high in Vitamin C and indulging in grapefruits gives your body amazing detoxifying results. And let’s not forget low grade chronic inflammation we have discussed ad nauseam by now: Cherries, avocados and blueberries can all fight inflammation.
The great thing about fruit too, is you can eat it raw, in a smoothie, or canned from last seasons harvest. The most important thing to look out for however, if you are not eating it raw, is that sugar content in anything you buy. The sugars found in fruit are easily and quickly processed by your body. But processed sugars such as high fructose corn syrup or sucrose you body DOES NOT assimilate the same way as they have been treated with preservatives and have been processed. Taking something healthy then adding sugar to it just leaves your body with a jumble to process through and skyrockets your blood sugar and insulin levels. Better to just avoid any added sugars.
Due to this sugar content, fruit is a healthy way to get an energy boost as it raises your blood sugar level to give you the energy but won’t give you the same crash which say, coffee, will do. If you’re in need of a little pick me up. As we’re speaking, pear juice is running down my arm, as that is today’s choice for a little boost.
Please keep in mind, as much as we would all love apple pie or peach cobbler; as far as counting them as adding more fruit to our diets, it sadly does not count…
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