How Nutritious Is Fruit?
Fruit is great for you. Fruit is an important source of vitamin C, folic acid, beta carotene, potassium, and magnesium. All that nutrition means that your bones, blood, skin and eyes will all be healthier if you eat enough fruit. They also provide a useful source of fibre. The most nutritious fruit is the kiwi fruit. They contain two thirds more vitamin C then oranges as well as vitamin E, potassium, magnesium, fibre and antioxidants.
How Well Do They Keep?
Heat, water and the air destroy some of the vitamins in fruit. They are especially vulnerable when cut open, so make sure you keep the fruit salad refrigerated and in a sealed container.
Won't The Sugar In Fruit Lead To Cravings?
Not necessarily. Some fruits have low glycaemia indexes, which means that the sugars are released slowly into the blood. This will actually suppress your appetite rather than cause cravings. Low glycaemia fruits include cherries, grapefruit, grapes, oranges, kiwi fruits, plums, peaches, apples and pears.
Are Some Fruits High In Fats Or Calories?
Nearly all fruits are very low in fat and so provide only small amounts of calories. In fact, filling yourself up on fruits will not increase your calorie intake and will substantially improve your health. It will also reduce cravings for sweet foods which are high in calories. Even black olives have only 3 calories each. The only fruit which you should limit yourself on are avocados. Although they are extremely good for you, an average avocado contains 20 grams of fat and 275 calories. You should also be careful about the amount of dried fruit you eat. Fresh or tinned apricots have around 30 calories for 100 grams (about 4 oz), while the same amount of dried apricots would contain over 150 calories. However, dried fruit often has a more concentrated level of nutrition, so it is still good to eat dried fruit in moderation.
Are Frozen, Tinned And Dried Fruits As Good As Fresh?
Fresh, raw fruit usually contain the highest natural amount of vitamins, especially vitamin C. However, the older the fruit, the greater the level of reduction in these vitamins. Dried fruit does not contain as high a level of vitamin C, but it can actually have higher levels of iron, fibre, potassium, and magnesium. Frozen fruits can provide better nutrition in some cases than older raw fruit as they are generally frozen within hours of being picked. Tinned or canned fruit may be lower in nutrients, although added fruit juice can actually increase the levels of vitamin C. However, it is still very good for you, and will still count towards your 5 portions a day target.
