Fruits are immensely enriched with nutrients such as fibers, vitamins minerals and antioxidants. All these nutrients are crucial for healthy functioning of your body and mind.
fruits
Botanically, fruits are the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. The fruits include sweet produce like apples and mangoes, as well as savory items like tomatoes, cucumbers, and nuts. Nutritionally, fruits are great sources of dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Common types of fruits:
- Citrus: Oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits.
- Berries: Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.
- Tropical/Exotic: Mangoes, bananas, pineapple, dragon fruit, and papaya.
- Pomes & Stone Fruits: Apples, pears, peaches, plums, and cherries
Health benefits of fruits
Fruits are abundant sources of fibers, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. The nutritional value of various fruits is different and the health benefits they provide also differ accordingly. Therefore, it is always recommended that you take a mix of various fruits together in moderation at least four times a day along with a balanced diet. It is always advisable to consume cut fruits instead of juicing as it strips the fiber.
- Great source of fibers
Fruits contain a lot of soluble and insoluble fibers. The fibers help to reduce cholesterol in your body and help gut health. They also have crucial role in reducing obesity or in promoting weight loss.
- Improves heart health
The antioxidants, fibers and some minerals in fruits help to improve cardiovascular health. They help to reduce plaque development inside blood vessels of heart and prevent heart attack and stroke. Fibers also have crucial role in reducing bad LDL cholesterol. The fibers also help weight loss mitigating the risk for heart attacks.
- Enriched with various antioxidants
The fruits contain various types of antioxidants which have beneficial effects on vital organs of human body and on skin. The antioxidant content varies among fruits. However, most of the antioxidants are powerful and prevent free radical induced oxidative stress.
- A rich source of vitamins
Fruits are enriched with many important vitamins including vitamin A, B, C, E and folates. All these vitamins are effective antioxidants also and play vital role in maintaining health.
- Abundant source of essential minerals
Fruits contain minerals such as calcium, magnesium, manganese, potassium etc. in good amounts which have significant roles in heart health and bone health.
- Helps to prevent lifestyle diseases
The fibers in fruits slows down digestion and help to reduce blood sugar spikes and low glycaemic index type fruits can be consumed by diabetic people as well. The fiber helps to reduce bad LDL cholesterols and protect from cardiovascular diseases. Potassium in fruits help to reduce and control blood pressure and therefore help heart health. The anti-inflammatory potential of fruits help to reduce diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
- Boost immunity
The vitamins and minerals in fruits boost the immunity. Vitamin C rich fruits and vitamin A and carotenoids play crucial rule in it.
- Improves digestion
fruits regulate bowel movements, prevent constipation, and nurture a healthy gut microbiome due to the presence of fibers in them.
- Helps weight loss
Fibers in fruits help to reduce weight loss as the fibers give a feeling of satiety and reduce excessive food intake.
- Improves skin health & glow
The antioxidants, vitamins in fruits help to glow your skin from within. It also helps to promote hair growth.
- Anti -inflammatory properties
The fruits have antioxidant vitamins with anti-inflammatory properties and they help to reduce chronic diseases of vital organs.
The nature provides you with a wide variety of fruits in every season abundantly. Beyond the nutritive value, the fruits and their harvesting is a pleasant experience for people and therefore now fruit cultivation and their harvests are part of many resort projects globally. The urban population who lives in concrete jungles most of their life, visit such fruit farm resorts as a retreat centre of green space occasionally for relaxing and rejuvenating the mind and body. These fruit farm resorts welcome thousands of such visitors in quest of sustainable eco-friendly healthy living. In a nut shell the significance of fruits is enhancing day by day in this digital era of technological development when human beings search their roots for healthy living in close connection with nature.
It is indeed a welcomely trend to have more farm stay orchards as part of Agri tourism. Furthermore, nowadays fruit gardens are part of home plans of many people who love and foster healthy living with nature.
A few healthy fruits available in India & their nutritive value
- Pine apple
It is enriched with fiber, potassium, calcium, manganese and vitamin C. The fruit has great role in boosting immunity, heart health & skin health. It has anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties also.
The bromelain in pineapple helps digestion and absorption of nutrients.
- Pomegranate
Pomegranate is rich in vitamin C and several other antioxidants such as ellagic acid which can fight against free radical damage to the cells. The fibers help digestive and cardiovascular health. Furthermore, minerals such as potassium and calcium play crucial roles in cardiovascular health and bone health.
- Apple
Apple contains fiber and vitamin C. They also boost heart health and gut health. Furthermore, it is a great source of potassium and calcium. It has critical role in boosting immunity in children as well as adults. They contain antioxidant quercetin which help in preventing inflammations. Apples are best for consumption in people attempting weight loss.
- Grapes
Grapes contain fiber, calcium, magnesium, potassium and vitamin C. Antioxidants in grapes reduce oxidative stress in the brain and protect against cognitive decline
- Oranges
Oranges belong to citrus group of fruits and is well known for being a great source of vitamin C and antioxidants like hesperidin and quercetin.
- Strawberries
Strawberries are rich source of fibers, vitamin A, C, B1, B2, B6, K, folates and many important minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium. Along with potassium the antioxidants in strawberries help to protect heart health.
The major antioxidants in strawberries include ellagic acid, and certain flavonoids such as anthocyanin, catechin, quercetin and kaempferol. The antioxidants in strawberries also help to prevent cognitive decline and protects your brain from neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.
It contains about 99%of the daily requirement of vitamin C and it is much more than that in oranges and help to boost immunity.
Vitamin C also helps to boost collagen production and thus skin health and beauty.
The glycaemic index of the fruit is less than 40 and hence it can be consumed by diabetic patients also. It will not cause blood sugar spike.
Conclusion:
Fruits are enriched with several vital nutrients which can boost immunity, heart health, bone health, brain health and skin health. Include a wide variety of fruits into your daily diet for better health and productivity in life.
written by dr sanjana vb