Fruits are awesome things; they're like nature's candy. I'm not really a fan of candy (except for Trader Joe's peanut butter cups), but fruit is awesome nonetheless.
I'm going to lay this out the same way I did the Awesome Veggies list; fruit by wonderful fruit, telling you some of the benefits and fun trivia as we go along.
Fantastic fruit #1: Grapefruit.
I love grapefruit. I've loved it since I was a wee lass. As I've mentioned before, I don't enjoy excessively sweet things, so grapefruit is my ideal fruit. It's more tart than sweet, and packs just as much vitamin C goodness as oranges. I have cravings for grapefruit juice multiple times a week... in fact, now that I'm thinking of it, I really would love some right about now. ^_^ (Also an awesome citrus fruit: limes.)
Fantastic fruit #2: Pears.
Fun fact about pears: they're a member of the rose family; related to the apple and the quince. Also, they are delicious. They are fantastically juicy when ripe, and they totally melt in your mouth... mmm. Yeah. I grew up with pear sauce instead of apple sauce (except the awesome fresh apple sauce from the Macintosh tree in our backyard!) as my mom has an intolerance/allergy to apples, and we made frozen pops out of it, which was awesome. I recently discovered that it makes awesome cake, too-- use any applesauce cake recipe and substitute in an equal amount of pear sauce. YUMMY. They're high in fiber, they're a good source of vitamins C and K as well as copper; and another awesome thing about pears is that the different varieties of pears have different prime growing seasons... which means they're available just about year-round! Totally fantastic.
Fantastic fruit #3: Plums.
Plum season is fast approaching! Juicy, sweet, tangy, tender, mmmmmm... I want some plums. They come in a few different varieties; there are the red plums, which are the ones most people know, there are green plums and yellow plums and even black plums... the flesh can be different colors too; they're quite the artsy little fruits. They contain bunches of vitamins A and C, dietary fiber and b2, along with other powerful antioxidant phytonutrients. Plums rock.
Fantastic fruit #4: Pomegranates.
Probably the most exotic of my fantastic fruits, pomegranates have been hyped up in recent years as a superfruit and some have even referred to them as the fountain of youth... so how much is hype, and how much is fact? Well, I personally don't believe that pomegranates are magical or anything like that; HOWEVER, the pomegranate is a great source of powerful antioxidants (anthocyanins in particular), which will prevent the cholesterol in your blood from becoming oxidized (oxidation is what causes cholesterol to build up and harden in your arteries). Pomegranates are also a great source of fiber. Pomegranates do contain vitamins C, K, a good bit of potassium (which will also keep your heart healthy), dietary fiber (have I mentioned lately that we don't get nearly enough fiber in this country??), and magnesium.
Also, a fun fact regarding pomegranates: they are supposedly a natural aphrodisiac. This thinking is due in part to the bright red color (the color of desire), as well as its multitude of seeds (a symbol of fertility).
So I guess what I'm trying to say is yeah, pomegranates are good for you. ^_^ Take the other effects with a grain of salt.
Fantastic fruit #5: Peaches.
You know, most people think of citrus fruits when they think of summer... and I do too. But more than oranges and whatnot, I think of peaches. I think this is because when I was growing up, my mom had this thing about making peach... well, she called it peach daiquiris, but the teensy bit of rum she threw in there was really just for flavor, and not enough to warrant being called a legit daiquiri. But whatever. It was a yummy blend of fresh peaches, limeade (the frozen stuff), ice, and for an entire blender pitcher she would throw in not-quite-a-full-shot of Puerto Rican rum. We would sit out on the giant deck we used to have and sip away... it was awesome. When I was little, I didn't care that peaches were healthy. I didn't care that they contain a nice balance of a lot of essential vitamins and minerals (A, C, K, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, etc.); I didn't care that they contain Omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acids and those lovely phytosterols. But they do, so eat them.
Fantastic fruit #6: Grapes.
I love crunchy grapes. When I used to go shopping with my dad, I would always insist on squeezing the grapes just a little so that I could see for myself that he wasn't trying to stick me with squishy grapes. (When I look back on it now, I may have been a bit paranoid... I mean, why on earth would he buy squishy grapes?? *shrug*) Nowadays I'm not so controlling, and I buy my own grapes.
Grapes are a great source of manganese, which is good. They also have awesome polyphenols (phytonutrient compounds like FLAVONOIDS) in them, and they are very refreshing and good for staying hydrated, something a lot of us have trouble doing nowadays (kind of like the whole getting-enough-fiber thing).
Heard of resveratrol? That's the new hot supplement on the market, and guess what-- you can get it just by eating grapes! You don't have to buy that $35 bottle of pills! WOO!! And just to get it out of the way, I like grape juice too. If you prefer to buy a giant bottle of grape juice so it lasts longer in your household or whatever, all I ask is that you CHECK THE INGREDIENTS. Make sure there's nothing in there besides "grape juice". Grapes are plenty sweet; you don't need to add sugar. Ideally, your juice is not from concentrate, but even if it is you're still getting the flavonoids and a lot of other good things. Also, make sure it's RED or PURPLE grape juice. White grape juice has a whole lot less of the good stuff; if you're going to drink wine, the same rule applies. Red, not white.
Fantastic fruit #7: Kiwi.
Aside from being furry and incredibly cute, kiwis are totally awesome. They've got vitamin C like whoa, a cool green color, a tangy-sweet flavor and lots of juice, and crispy seeds that make for a really interesting eating experience. They're like little tiny Rice Krispies or something! So cool. I think the kiwi is one of the coolest fruits ever, and that's why it's on this list. ^_^ They've also got some copper, potassium, fiber, vitamin E, and magnesium going on, which is extra cool. They're great in fruit salads with some strawberries, peaches, and grapes, or you can eat them slice-by-slice or just cut the fruit in half and dig it out with a spoon. I haven't tried slices of kiwi on fish yet, but man... that sounds so good.
Fantastic fruit #8: Strawberries.
It's a recurring theme on this list, I know, but I love strawberries. They are tasty, they are packed full of nutrients and they are beginning to be on sale everywhere, so buy them!! With regard to the nutrients, yes, a lot are similar to the ones that are in other fruits, but check it out! Strawberries have omega 3 fatty acids, vitamins B2, B5 and B6, folate... and they have iodine. Iodine is important, and there aren't too many sources of it in our diets besides seaweed, fish, and iodized salt-- and by the way, funny thing about iodized salt: natural, unrefined sea salt actually contains iodine. But when all the extra minerals and "stuff" are processed out of it, the naturally occurring iodine is lost. So it's "enriched" back into the finished salt product, kind of like all the vitamins and minerals that would have been in the flour anyway are put back in after processing rips them all out. *sigh* Wanna see a picture of what happens when you don't get enough iodine? Here ya go! (Yeah... if there are little kids around, you might want to cover their eyes... I've seen lots of pictures like this in my life, and I still hate looking at it.) According to www.WHFoods.com, "Strawberries' unique phenol content makes them a heart-protective fruit, an anti-cancer fruit, and an anti-inflammatory fruit, all rolled into one." How cool is that???
And did I mention they're on sale?
Fantastic fruit #9: Pineapple.
Pineapple has lots of good stuff in it, not the least of which is the helpful digestive enzyme, bromelain. This stuff helps digest protein-- which is helpful for people like me, who don't eat meat that often... enzymes can be a use-it-or-lose-it situation; your body pays attention to the ones it uses more and the ones it uses less, and in order to increase efficiency, will actually cut down production of the ones that seem to be unnecessary. That's why if you're a vegetarian and you suddenly decide one day that you're going to eat a giant steak... you're gonna have issues. But enzymes are available in supplement form too, so if you are ever in that situation, pop one... or 2.
But back to the fruit. Pineapple also has compounds in it that have shown in recent studies to help protect again vision loss due to aging and it also offers antioxidant immune support. That's pretty cool. And it tastes great, too!
That's all for today kids; some other noteworthy fruits are: raspberries, blueberries, cranberries, canteloupe, apples, watermelon... and lots of others. I mean, really, if you're eating a whole fruit it's going to be good for you. That said, I'm going to go eat; still haven't learned that I need to bring snacks to school when I plan on writing on this thing. *sigh*
Now go buy some strawberries. ^_^
Ciao!
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