#HealthyEating: Benefits of Fruits
Sunday December 22, 2019
What are fruits?
Fruits are the edible fleshy part of a tree or a plant that contains seeds. Fruits grow in a variety of flavors, including sweet, sour, and bitter.
There are 8 main types of fruits:
Simple Fruit
These fruits develop from the ripening of a single ovary of a flower. Simple fruits are of two types, dry and fleshy. Dry simple fruits can include strawberries, coconut, and walnuts. Fleshy simple fruits can include cherries, tomatoes, peaches and noni.
Aggregate Fruit
These fruits develop from multiple ovaries of a single flower. There are four main types of aggregate fruits:
- Follicles
- Achenes
- Drupelets
- Berries
Multiple Fruit
Multiple fruits originate from a cluster of flowers (inflorescence). Each of these flowers individually produces a fruit. The cluster of fruits, when matured, come in the form of a single mass such as pineapples, figs, and mulberries.
Berries
Berry is a type of simple fruit as it develops from a single ovary of a single flower. Cranberries and blueberries are the two most common examples of berries.
Accessory Fruit
An accessory fruit is any fruit whose edible part comes from the ovary of the flower. Accessory fruits can be simple, multiple, or an aggregate fruit as well. Most common examples of accessory fruits are pineapples, apples, and strawberries.
Seedless Fruit
Seedless fruits can mature in two ways.
- The fruit develops without parthenocarpy (the development of a fruit without prior fertilization).
- Pollination stimulates fruit development.
Benefits of Fruits:
Cardiovascular Health
- A study conducted by the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, found a diet that was rich in fruits and vegetables can lower the chances of developing cardiovascular disease. Compared with those who consume less than 1.5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
Fun Fact: According to the same study, individuals who averaged 8 or more servings a day were 30% less likely to suffer from a heart attack or stroke.
Blood Sugar Levels
- A study of over 190,000 women found that an increased consumption of whole fruits was associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Fun Fact: The study also discovered an increased consumption of fruit juice was associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
Digestive Health
Fibrous fruits aid the digestive system. This is because the skin of some fruits are rich in dietary fiber. Dietary fiber is a major factor in proper digestion and detoxifying the body.
Fun Fact: The fiber content in fruit is not only good for digestive health but will also help you feel full by adding bulk nutrition to the diet.
Skin and Hair Care
Fruits contain vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants making fruit an essential part of long-term skin and hair care. For example: Vitamin A brings luster to your hair and encourage healthy skin cell turnover. The vitamin C content in citrus fruits can help keep your hair shiny and is a great natural antioxidant for your skin.
How to incorporate more fruit in your daily diet
- Store fruit where easily accessible such as a bowl on the counter or chopped in a glass bowl in the refrigerator.
- Explore something new! Try to get at least one fruit you’ve never tasted before. You may discover a new favorite!
- Eat in session. Seasonal fruits ensures what you’re eating is the freshest fruit available and usually cheaper.
- Eat fruit raw. Cooked or preserved fruits usually lose up to 50% of their nutrients due to high heat and preservatives.
Whole Fruit vs Fruit Juice
- Fruit juices are available in two forms, 100% fruit juices and as fruit pulp + water + sugar. In both cases, preservatives and additives are added to increase the shelf life of the juice. Very few juices contain no preservatives.
- Homemade fruit juice contains the same fiber content as whole fruits, provided you don’t add artificial flavors and preservatives. However, if bought from the store, these juices may not have the equal fiber content after the vigorous processing. Moreover, when you consume processed juices, you are at a risk of unhealthy weight gain.
Noni Fruit Leather vs Noni Juice
When we sent a sample of our Noni Fruit Leather and a sample of a leading brand of noni juice to an independent lab, they confirmed that our product was 14 times more potent. Removing the water from noni stops the fermentation process while maintaining the potency of the raw noni fruit.
Source:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3649719/
https://www.choosemyplate.gov/fruits-nutrients-health
https://www.healthyeating.org/Healthy-Eating/All-Star-Foods/Fruits
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/20-healthiest-fruits
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324431.php
https://www.livestrong.com/article/410687-what-are-the-benefits-of-eating-a-lot-of-fruit/
https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/fruit
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/vegetables-and-fruits/
https://fruitsandveggies.org/stories/top-10-reasons-to-eat-more/
