7 Benefits of Fruits

There are many benefits of  fruits, one of nature’s most wonderful sources of natural sugars.

But for the average person, when they think of eating sugars, their mind automatically goes to sugary foods rather than to fruits. Fruits are so sweet and satisfying, and can easily satisfy your sweet tooth. Aside from being tasty, what are the health benefits of fruits? Here are some of them…

1. Fruits are full of vitamins and minerals. This includes potassium, Vitamin C, and folic acid. Pineapple, 1 cup, gives us 131% of the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for vitamin C and 76% of the RDI for manganese.
2. Fruits are full of fiber. Eating a high fiber diet helps prevent constipation, helps maintain healthy gut health, and reduces the chance of digestive problems. They also reduce our risk of bowel cancer.
3. Fruits are high in antioxidants. Antioxidants fight free radicals, compounds that can cause damage to body tissues if they exist in the body in greater than normal amounts.  Blueberries, grapes, and pomegranates are  good examples  and they also boost the immune system.
4. Fruits reduce our risk of inflammation, heart disease (apples are especially good for this), diabetes, and cancer. According to Healthline, grapefruit alone provides many health benefits, including weight loss, reduction in insulin levels and insulin resistance, reducing cholesterol levels, and helping to prevent kidney stones.
5. Fruits are low in calories, fats, sodium, and cholesterol.
6. Fruits contain a variety of textures, colors, and tastes. Because of this, they aid satiety and therefore decrease our interest in less healthy foods, like sugary and salty snacks. Fruits with deep, rich colors are said to have the highest content of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. For example red colored fruits are rich in vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium and antioxidants. Blue and purple fruits aid urinary tract health, memory function, and promoting healthy aging. Green fruits are rich in potassium and Vitamin K.
7. Some fruits aid in weight loss, such as grapefruit. This fruit contains ezymes which help burn off fat if eaten before other foods.

If you’re not in the habit of eating these natural sweets, here’s what you do to increase the benefits of fruits for yourself…

1. Go shopping once a week to make sure you have lots of fresh fruits in your house. In the warmer weather, farmer’s markets are a great source of fresh, local fruits such as apples, pears, grapes, and berries.
2. Explore ways to use them. Fresh raspberry popsicles and banana ice cream are great summer ideas.
3. Set a goal to have a couple of pieces of whole fruit a day. Be mindful not to go too overboard (i.e., 5 pieces of fruit a day due to the high sugar content).