Fruits - Everything You Need To Know About

Fruits - Everything You Need To Know -

We are consuming fruits from early civilization. Our ancestors were dependent on fruits at one point of time. They are the sweet edible part of the plant with a high amount of vitamins, minerals, fibres.  

Fruits are also very low in calories and sugar. They are regarded as protective foods. We should be eating food for good health, healthy skin and to boost our immunity. However, We are not eating the recommended amount of fruits. We have a habit of eating fruits only when we are sick. 

Fruits can be classified into:-

1. Soft fruit: Strawberry, Blackberry, Raspberry

2. Hard fruits: Apple and pear

3. Stone fruits: Cherry, Mango, peach and plum

4. Citrus fruits: lemon, orange, grapes

5. Tropical fruits: papaya, pineapple, banana

6. Kiwi fruits: kiwi and litchi. 

Fresh fruits are far better than canned fruits. Similarly, it is best to drink 100% fruit juice. Most Fruit juices in the market have very less amount of fruit juice. They simply have water mixed with added sugar which is very harmful to health. 

Fruits are also very delicious. There are more than 2000 varieties of fruits in the market. We can consume less than 20% among 2000 varieties. Fruits skin are also equally healthy & beneficial as Anti-oxidants, fibre is present in fruits skin. Fibres are carbohydrates which are not digested by our body. It helps in weight loss, reducing blood sugar levels, cholesterol level. It also prevents constipation. 

There is a mis-concept among us that, Eating Fruits will help in weight loss easily. Yes, eating fruits aid in weight loss but the fruit itself won't lead to any weight loss. we have to understand the mechanism about weight loss i.e how fruits help to weight loss. 

If we consume more calories in body than we burn, extra calories get stored in our body as fats and if we consume fewer calories than we burn, our body takes remaining from stored fat. We need to know this for weight loss. So, simply we need to substitute our ingredients in breakfast, lunch and dinner with fruits by reducing intaking of rice (main source carbohydrates). Every 3800 extra calories that don't get burnt in the body turn into 1/2 kg excess fat! This is how we gain Wright. Fruits are low in calories thus, substituting them in the diet will help us to loose weight. 

We may be eating around 600-1000 calories in every lunch. Another 600-1000 calories in every dinner. So, we can replace our dietary carbohydrates with fruits. Mainly apple, banana, salads. An apple and a banana when combined give us 150 calories. So, why to go for 600-1000 calories when we can save calories with fruits, salads, vegetables. 

If we save 700 calories every day then, we would be saving 7000 calories in 10 days. Thus, loosing 1 kg weight in every 10 days without any exercise!

Fruits also have several health benefits. Especially the fruits like pineapple, watermelon, Apples, Avocado, pomegranate, jackfruit, kiwi, bananas are the goddess of nutrients. 

For example, bromelain is present in pineapple which directly helps in boosting immunity power, digestion and recovering from surgery. It also increases the absorption of iron from the diet. Similarly, watermelon lowers blood sugar level. It has around 90% of water. Apples are good for weight loss & prevent from heart disease. Moreover, Avocado prevent high blood pressure, fatigue ness. It also lowers cholesterol level as the fat present in Avocado is good fat- MUFA (monounsaturated fatty acid). Kiwi helps in digestion by avoiding constipation. Also, jackfruit reduces cholesterol, blood pressure, increase the health of bones. We are missing health benefits from fruits unknowingly. 

Eating seasonal food Save's our money, time and enhances nutrients. Apple is found throughout the year but certain fruits are seasonal. For example, summer ( June - August) is the best time for pear, plums, cherries, blueberry, peach, grapes, watermelon. While, winter ( Dec-Jan-Feb) is best for Orange, kiwi fruit, strawberry, guava, papaya. Spring ( march-may) is best for jackfruit, litchee, mango, pineapples. Autumn ( September- November ) is best for dragon fruit, 

The fruits like Avocado, Apple, orange, banana, kiwi, watermelon, pear, peach, orange, guava are very good for diabetic patients. Diabetes patients should go for fruits with low sugar content and avoid mango, grapes as they are high in sugar. 

We should eat 1 cup-2 cup of fruits each day.  They protect us from different disease. 

Some common name of fruits available worldwide are:-

Apple, Apricot, Avocado

Bananas, blackberry

Cherries, carambola ( chaarpaatey)

Dates

Elderberries

Figs

Grapes, guava

Honeydew

Jackfruit

Kiwis

Lemons 

Nectarine

Oranges

Pears, pineapple, peach, plums,

Quince,

Raisin, Raspberries

strawberries

Tangerine

Watermelon e.t.c

Soft fruit spoils quickly so care must be taken. fruits should not be allowed to overripe and should be kept in the refrigerator to enjoy it refreshingly. Also, never store banana on the refrigerator as it will turn black and remove spoiled food immediately as it will spoil other food also. It is best advised to keep fruits in a cool room in shelves. 

Not only human beings but animals are also benefited by fruits. Fruits are equally good for dogs and cats. Apple (without seeds), banana, blueberries, cranberry, mango, oranges pineapple are good for them while avocado can cause vomiting and diarrhoea. Similarly, grapes can cause kidney failure. So, avoid seeds of apple, Dates, Apricot, cherries, peach to animals. For human beings, too much cranberry can cause kidney stone and too much citric fruits can decrease hardness of enamel of teeth. 

Hence, fruits are very important components of a healthy diet. However, they are not a very good source of protein and one need to take a variety of fruits to get maximum benefits. They should be wash properly before eating. We can protect ourselves by increasing consumption of fruits every day.