What Can Fruit Do For You?
Fruit is amazing. Including it in your diet can help prevent a whole host of nasties, such as type 2 diabetes, constipation, obesity and cancer. So what's best to eat, when and why?
Why Are Fruits So Great?
They contain vitamins, minerals and all the building blocks we need to stay fit and healthy. It's like putting fuel in your car instead of mud, without the right stuff you won't go far.
Our obsession with sweet stuff has obliterated fruit from our diets. Perhaps that why were getting progressively fatter and unhealthier.
Which Fruits Should I Eat?
All of them, but here's a run-down of the ones you'll easily find in Aldi.
Bananas - difficult to eat in public, but they do support cells, nerves and muscles. The potassium helps lower your blood pressure, so it's worth the embarrassment.
Apricots - whether fresh or dried, these great snacks full of beta-carotene to keep your skin and eyes healthy.
Avocado - these are a great source of natural fats, which support your skin, hair and nails. Essential fats are an important part of our diet.
Citrus Fruits (lemon, oranges, grapefruit and kiwis) - all contain loads of vitamin C. This helps protect against colds, and also helps your immune system repairs cuts, scabs and bruises.
Pomegranates - may help your sex life as they can reverse oxidative damage, repair the vascular system and prevent erectile dysfunction.
Grapes - researchers at De Montford Univeristy in Leicester have found an anti-fungal agent in grapes and this may help prevent cancer. Chop them in half for children.
Apples - an apple has four grams of fibre, you don't have to wrap it and you can throw the core anywhere. It's a perfect portable snack. Apples also contain quercetin, which has antihistamine and anti-allergy properties.
How To Eat It
- Any way you please! Raw, washed fruit keeps the most vitamins intact.
- Some people think it's best to eat fruit on an empty stomach but there's no scientific evidence to support this. What is important is to eat lots of fruit.
- Fruit makes a great dessert, particularly sweet pears, raspberries, strawberries or melons.
If You Have A Health Condition
There are no bad fruits, but if you have a health condition its best manage your intake.
IBS sufferers need to experiment. Skin and pips can irritate your stomach, and some fruits such as green unripe bananas, apples and pears may cause excess wind. If you get diarrhoea cut down on fruit but up your veggie intake so you get at least 5 a day.
Constipated folk can increase fruit consumption for extra fibre, but do so gradually so it doesn't upset you.
Fruit contains a lot of sugar, which you need to be careful with, but it also contains fibre, vitamins and minerals. Fruit has a low to medium glycaemic index and it doesn't raise your glucose levels like bread or other carbohydrates.
Spread fruit intake throughout the day by replacing unhealthy foods with it to avoid overeating.
All Hail Fruit
You can't eat a better fuel, other than maybe vegetables. If you incorporate fruit into your diet, such as a pot of chopped pear and banana instead of crisps in your lunchbox, you'll feel the benefits. It's pretty cheap, it tastes great and it may stop you developing cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.