Fruit health benefit, nutrition,
nutrients, buy a variety from your grocery store
June 16 2018
Ray Sahelian, M.D.
Try many
different ones rather than just purchasing the ones most people normally do such
as apples, oranges, and grapefruits. Each fruit has a different set of beneficial plant substances such as
carotenoids and flavonoids that have antibacterial,
anti-oipinflammatory, antitumor and
antioxidant properties. Reduce your fruit juice intake if you are diabetic. Avoid drinking lots
of fruits juices since they contain a large amount of
fructose. Fructose can elevate blood
sugar and lead to weight gain.
Wash all fruits before eating to reduce pesticides and contamination by
germs. Buy organic when possible.
Benefit of eating fruits
Diabetes and influence on blood sugar
Epidemiology. 2013. Fruit intake and
incident diabetic retinopathy with type 2 diabetes. Increased intake in ranges
commonly consumed is associated with reduced incident diabetic retinopathy among
patients adhering to a low-fat energy-restricted diet.
Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2013. Effect of daily supplementation of fruits on oxidative stress indices and glycaemic status in type 2 diabetes mellitus. This study sought to examine whether consumption of two low-calorie fruit/day for 3-months can effectively improve oxidative stress, anthropometry, blood pressure and glycaemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Study involved 123 patients who were assigned to receive either standard care or with additional dietary therapy. Dietary intervention resulted in significant reduction in malondialdehyde, plasma glucose, glycated haemoglobin and improvement in antioxidants like vitamin C and reduced glutathione when compared to controls. Mean plasma levels of vitamin C increased by 64%. There were no differences in waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, blood pressure, vitamin E and superoxide dismutase in the intervention group at follow-up. Diet rich in fruits can improve some antioxidants which are likely to reduce oxidative stress in type 2 diabetes. Regular consumption of fruits can lower the glycaemic status in these patients. The study supports the usefulness of plasma vitamin C as a biomarker for fruit intake.
Biochemicals found in berries, citrus fruit and red wine might help men maintain healthy erections. Foods rich in these flavonoids are associated with reduced risk of erectile dysfunction.
Types of Fruits available to the consumer
Acai Berry is from the Amazon rainforest
and delicious
acai berry smoothies are
available.
Acerola fruit is available
as a supplement.
Amla extract is used in India and by Ayurvedic
doctors.
Apple. In 2013 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, after decades of
consideration, has proposed limiting the amount of inorganic arsenic in apple
juice to the same level of the potential cancer-causing chemical allowed in U.S.
drinking water.
Apricot
Aronia fruit
Banana - Salustiano Sanchez, 112, was named world's oldest man in June 2013. He
died in September 2013 at a nursing home in western New York. Salustiano
Sanchez enjoyed gardening, crossword puzzles, gin rummy, and playing music. His
longevity, he once said, is a result of eating a banana a day. I am not sure
that a babana a day can help one live longer, but at least we know it is not
harmful to consume it since Salustiano ate one daily and managed to live to 112.
Baobab Adansonia Digitata - Baobab, Monkey Bread Tree, Kremetart Tree, Cream of
Tartar, Upside-down Tree. Baobab fruits have a hard coconut-like shell, inside
which are the seeds and a natural fruit powder that is tangy in taste. It is
this powder that is used in food and drink products.
Berries - bilberry, blueberry,
cranberry, raspberry, strawberry. See
berries for more
information.
Borojo fruit grows in
South America, including the country of Colombia.
Caigua is a curved, long
fruit native to Peru sometimes eaten as a vegetable.
Camu Camu is a fruit from
the Amazon rainforest that has a high content of vitamin C.
Cantaloupe fruit health
benefit
Cherry fruit extract
is available as a supplement
Coconut fruit
Cranberry fruit and juice are helpful for
urinary health.
You can find
Cranberry extract for sale at Physician Formulas.
Cupuacu fruit from the
Amazon forest
Date fruit has served as a staple food in the Arab world for centuries. It can provide many essential nutrients and potential health benefits to the consumer. Date fruit goes through four ripening stages named kimri, khalal, rutab and tamer. The main chemical components of date fruit include carbohydrates, dietary fiber, enzymes, protein, fat, minerals, vitamins, phenolic acids and carotenoids. The chemical composition varies according to ripening stage, cultivar, growing environment, postharvest conditions, etc. The nutritional and medicinal activities of date fruit are related to its chemical composition. Many studies have shown that it has antioxidant, antimutagenic, anti-inflammatory, gastroprotective, hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, anticancer and immunostimulant activities. Various date fruit-based products such as syrup, paste, juice and their derived products are available. Date by-products can be used as raw materials for the production of value-added products such as organic acids, exopolysaccharides, antibiotics, date-flavoured probiotic-fermented dairy produce, bakery yeasts, and others.
Dragonfruit is delicious
Durian fruit health
benefits
Fig
Gac fruit has a high
concentration of lycopene, vitamin C, zeaxanthin, and beta carotene. Gac fruit
grows in Asia.
Goji berry
Guava
Grape has many health
benefits due to content of
Resveratrol and other beneficial substances.
Grapefruit fruit. Grape seed extract is sold as a supplement.
Irvingia gabonensis is also known
as African mango, a fruit commonly eaten in West Africa, including Cameron and
Gabon. Extracts from this fruit are helpful as weight loss supplements.
Kiwi
Compared with other commonly consumed fruit,
both green and gold kiwifruit are exceptionally high in vitamins C, E, K, folate,
carotenoids, potassium, fibre, and phytochemicals acting in synergy to achieve
multiple health benefits. Kiwifruit, as part of a healthy diet, may increase
high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and decrease triglycerides, platelet
aggregation, and elevated blood pressure.
Effects of kiwifruit consumption on serum lipid profiles and antioxidative
status in hyperlipidemic subjects.
Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2009.
The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of consumption of two
kiwi fruit per day on the lipid profile, antioxidants and markers of lipid
peroxidation in hyperlipidemic adult men and women in Taiwan. Forty-three
subjects who had hyperlipidemia, including 13 males and 30 females were asked to
consume two kiwi fruits per day for 8 weeks. No significant differences from
baseline to 8 weeks of the intervention were detected for triacylglycerol, total
cholesterol, or LDL cholesterol. However, after 8 weeks of consumption of kiwi
fruit, the HDL-C concentration was significantly increased and the LDL
cholesterol/HDL-C ratio and total cholesterol/HDL-C ratio were significantly
decreased. Vitamin C and vitamin E also increased significantly.Regular
consumption of kiwi fruit might exert beneficial effects on the antioxidative
status and the risk factors for CVD in hyperlipidemic subjects.
Lemon -
Citric acid is responsible for the tart
taste of many fruits where it is found.
Citric acid is present in
citric fruits such as lemons, limes, oranges, and pineapples.
Lime
Longan berry - I have tasted dried longan berry and it is delicious.
Luo han guo fruit extract is many times sweeter than sugar.
Luo-Han-Guo has been used as a natural sweetener
in China for nearly a millennium due to its flavor and lack of food energy,
Loquat fruit and loquat
leaf extract
Lucuma fruit powder is
used in ice cream
Lychee fruit
Mango fruit
grows in the tropics.
Mangoes belong to the genus Mangifera which consists of about 30 species of
tropical fruiting trees.
Lupeol is a compound in
fruits like mangoes and strawberries.
Mangosteen fruit grows in Asia and
Mangosteen
supplements have become quite popular.
Mulberry
Nashi
Orange
Papaya
fruit (Carica papaya) - Papaya has an enzyme
called papain, a protease.
See
Wobenzym supplement that contains papain.
Green papaya extract
is becoming more popular.
Passion fruit, or purple
granadilla (‘little pomegranate’ in Spanish), is full of vitamins A and C,
potassium, and fiber -- with only 20 calories. Tasting a lot like guava, enjoy
the passion fruit sliced in half, scooping out the seedy pulp.dd
Peach
Pear
Pineapple -
Bromelain is an
enzyme found in
pineapples. Supplements of
Bromelain are available over the counter.
Plum
Pomegranate fruit has become quite popular due to many purple colored
antioxidants. See
Pomegranate if you would like to buy this
supplement.
Prickly pear cactus fruit is delicious and has many health benefits.
Supplements of
Prickly-Pear-Cactus are available.
Prune juice is great for those who have constipation. Prunes are high in dietary
fiber and are beneficial in preventing constipation, may be helpful in weight
loss, promote a healthy colon, and lower inflammatory.
Purple Grape
Quince fruit
Star Fruit (Carambola) is a waxy, golden-yellow fruit tasting of citrus, apple, and plum,. Star fruit comes from Southeast Asia. Sweet-tart, each fruit contains 40 calories and is a great source of vitamin C. Wash, slice, and eat the entire star-shaped treat -- there’s no need to peel or seed it.
Tangerine peel has
some anti cancer potential
Tomato -
Botanically speaking, a tomato is a fruit since it is the ovary, together with
its seeds, of a flowering plant. However, from a culinary perspective, the
tomato is served as part of a main course of a meal, as are other vegetables,
rather than at dessert.
Watermelon is a fruit
that has a pinkish color which is due to the high
Lycopene
content. Watermelon
is a delicious fruit dessert when eaten with feta cheese.
White Grape
Wolfberry is also called
goji berry.
Eur J Clin Nutr. 2010. Free fruit at workplace intervention increases total fruit intake: a validation study using 24 h dietary recall and urinary flavonoid excretion.
Promotional email
received in 2016
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Allergy to fruit, oral
allergy syndrome
Some people have an allergic reaction to certain fruits -- for example, raw
apples but not cooked apples. That's because there are proteins in raw apples
that are very similar to the proteins in birch pollen. Cooking the offending
fruits and vegetables change the shapes of these proteins, so people with an
allergy syndrome will usually be able to eat them without a problem.
A common oral allergy syndrome, for instance with itchy or swelling
lips, occurs with eating a mango and being exposed to the rind. Some people find
that the peel of a fruit has more allergens than the meat. Because the reaction
is usually localized to the mouth area, including lips, tongue, and throat, some
people will choose to ignore the symptoms and continue to eat offending foods.
In rare cases people with oral allergy syndrome experience anaphylaxis, a
life-threatening reaction that may include blocked airways, hypertension,
anxiety, vomiting and diarrhea. The most severe reactions require the use of an
injection of epinephrine to subsides. Some people who undergo allergy shots for
pollen allergies will experience relief in oral allergy syndrome.
Pollens and associated foods
Ragweed: Bananas, melons (watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew), tomatoes
Birch: Apples, carrots, celery, peaches, pears, potatoes, hazelnuts
Grass: Kiwis, tomatoes
Mugwort: Apples, carrots, celery, kiwi fruit, peanuts, some spices (caraway
seeds, parsley, coriander, anise seeds, fennel seeds)
Source: The Mayo Clinic
Toxic fruits
Manchineel
poisoning happened to me.
Vegetable and Fruit Powder
Immunity and antioxidant capacity in humans is enhanced by consumption of a
dried, encapsulated fruit and vegetable juice concentrate.
J Nutr. 2006. Nantz MP, Rowe CA,
Percival SS.
Food Science and Human Nutrition Department University of Florida Gainesville,
Florida.
We hypothesized that a commercially available encapsulated fruit and vegetable
juice powder concentrate could support functional indices of health due to
increased intake of various phytonutrients. This was a double-blind, randomized,
placebo-controlled investigation of 59 healthy law students who consumed either
fruit and vegetable juice powder concentrate or placebo capsules for 77 days.
Blood was collected on d 1, 35, and 77 to examine the number of circulating
alphabeta- and gammadelta-T cells, cytokine production, lymphocyte DNA damage,
antioxidant status, and levels of carotenoids and vitamin C. A log of illnesses
and symptoms was also kept. The FVJC group tended to have fewer total symptoms
than the placebo group. By day 77 there was a 30% increase in circulating
gammadelta-T cells and a 40% reduction in DNA damage in lymphocytes in the fruit
and vegetable juice powder concentrate group relative to the placebo group.
Plasma levels of vitamin C and of beta-carotene, lycopene, and lutein increased
significantly from baseline in the fruit and vegetable juice powder concentrate
group as did plasma oxygen radical absorptive capacity (50%). Interferon-gamma
produced by phorbol-stimulated lymphocytes was reduced 70% in the fruit and
vegetable juice powder concentrate group, whereas other cytokines (IL-4, IL-6,
transforming growth factor beta) were unchanged relative to treatment or time.
fruit and vegetable juice powder concentrate consumption during this study
period resulted in increased plasma nutrients and antioxidant capacity,
reduction in DNA strand breaks, and an increase in circulating gammadelta-T
cells.
Fruit Juice and Weight Gain
Experts generally recommend limiting children's fruit juice drinking due to
potential excess calorie intake. The higher a child's fruit juice intake, the
greater the gain in body fat over time -- generally among children who are
initially overweight or on the verge of becoming so. Children who eat whole
fruits gain less body fat. Many fruit juices typically contain added sugar, and
therefore, calories. The fruit juice boxes so popular with kids typically
contain about 100 calories each. So a few of those each day can start to add up.
Pediatrics, November 2006.
However, pure fruit juice should not put weigh on kids if drank in
moderate amounts. Contrary to popular belief, drinking pure 100 percent fruit
juice does not make young children overweight or at risk for becoming
overweight. Pure fruit juice provides essential nutrients and, in moderation,
may actually help children maintain a healthy weight. The key here is
moderation.
Consumption of skim milk, in comparison with a fruit drink, leads to increased perceptions of satiety and to decreased energy intake at a subsequent meal.
Fruit juice or eating fruit
- which is better?
Researchers have for years believed that vegetable and fruit juice do not
have the same health benefits as a their whole fruit counterparts. But a study
conducted by British nutrition researchers challenges this view. It is likely
that 100 per cent fruit juice extracts could be just as effective in reducing
the risk of some cancers and cardiovascular disease. the positive impact fruits
and vegetables offer comes not from just the fiber, but also from the
antioxidants, which are present in both the fruit juice as well as the whole
fruit and vegetables.
Advances in Nutrition 2018. Review of 100% Fruit Juice and Chronic Health Conditions: Implications for Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Policy. Although 100% fruit juice may contain as much sugar as regular soda, it provides needed nutrients to Americans’ diets. We systematically reviewed the current evidence of the association of 100% fruit juice consumption and chronic health conditions in children and adults. Aside from increased risk of tooth decay in children and small amounts of weight gain in young children and adults, there is no conclusive evidence that consumption of 100% fruit juice has adverse health effects. Guidelines from groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics and Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommending that 100% fruit juice may be consumed in moderation are consistent with the available evidence and should be used to inform food policies.
Fruit drinks and diabetes
Sweetened fruit drinks are marketed as a healthier alternative to
non-diet soft drinks but are just as likely to cause weight gain and increase
the risk of diabetes.
Fruits and prescription drug
absorption
Juice from certain fruits such as grapefruit, oranges, and apples, as
well as the whole fruits, decrease oral absorption of some drugs by blocking an
intestinal uptake transporter. Dr. David G. Bailey had previously reported that
grapefruit juice blocks the drug-metabolizing enzyme cytochrome p450 3A4,
boosting blood concentrations of some drugs to potentially toxic levels. Since
then, nearly 50 medications have been found to carry the risk of
grapefruit-induced adverse drug reactions. When consumed with either a glass of
grapefruit juice or water containing the grapefruit flavonoid naringin,
antihistamine fexofenadine drug absorption is reduced by half. Naringin has
influence on the absorption of water soluble prescription drugs. The effects of
fruits may be noticed with immunosuppressant cyclosporine, the antineoplastic
agent etoposide, some beta blockers (atenolol, celiprolol, talinolol), and some
antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, itraconazole). Prescription
medications should be taken at least 4 hours after fruit juice intake.
Questions
I'm working on an article for a health magazine about hybrid fruits, and their
health benefits. I'm trying to find out more about plumcots, and some of the
benefits they may offer. I read a bit about phenolic compounds and was wondering
if plumcots (a 50-50 split of apricots and plums) would be a good source of
these antioxidants, and possibly any others. Also, I'm wondering what kind of
benefits the presence of these antioxidants could offer my readers.
It's difficult to know the full benefits of a hybrid fruit
since it's nutritional value would not be as well investigated. But, as a
general rule, it is a good idea to obtain a wide range of antioxidants from
different fruits as opposed to a limited number. Many people have 2 or 3 of
their favorite fruits and return to them over and over. It is a good idea to
expand one's range and hybrid fruits are such an option. These fruits do contain
phenolic antioxidants.
Every day I have been putting a bunch of fruits
and veggies in a blender and juicing them. Specifically -- one banana, one
tomato, one orange, one apple, some baby carrots, some spinach leaves, four to
five strawberries, some blueberries, and about five blackberries. Then I add a
tablespoon (or less) of honey with a dash of cinnamon. (I've read about the
nutritional benefits of honey and cinnamon.) I also take a good liquid
multi-vitamin (Eniva Vibe) and two tablets of combined fish / flax / borage oil
every day, and drink about 4-5 bottles of water as well. Is this a sufficient
amount of fruits and veggies? Should I be doing more? Any input you could offer
would be greatly appreciated. I am 29 years and and not necessarily looking to
lose weight. I'm just interested in a nutritionally sound lifestyle.
It's a good idea to include a wide variety of vegetables in the
diet as opposed to consuming the same ones every day.