02/04/2020
April 2nd 2020
My Top 6 Fruits that provide my Top 6 Vitamins.
Fruits are generally easier for kids (young and old 😉) to consume as they are naturally sweeter and appealing to most people’s palette. However, for this reason some guidelines around how to consumer fruits are beneficial. There are lots of nutrients in fruit that are important for health including fibre, vitamins and minerals, as well as a plethora of antioxidants and other phytonutrients (plant compounds).Fibre, especially soluble fibre, reduces cholesterol levels, slows absorption of carbs and increases satiety; studies have shown that soluble fibre can help you lose weight. But what is important to note here is that this applies to whole fresh fruit and not to pasteurised fruit juices, dried fruit, or even commercial fruit smoothies where the fruit is usually peeled.
Fruits natural sweetness can be used to good effect in order to make home made green smoothies more appetising. Blending a washed and chopped but unpeeled apple and either a few pieces of fresh pineapple, or even better berries such as raspberries, strawberries or blueberries with lemon juice, kale and lettuce for example gives a massive boost of easily bioavailable nutrients plus a good dose of fibre in an easy to drink format. Adding protein and good oil in the form of a tablespoon of seeds (I find that chia are the least noticeable in terms of flavour and visibility and are nutrient powerpacks in their own right) and you’ve got a wonderful elixir that even the toughest customer will find hard to say no to…. Trust me, I’ve tested it out successfully out on 4 of them! 😊
1. Apples
There is a lot of wisdom in our traditional phrases and the old adage ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’ couldn’t be more true! This humble fruit, often overlooked in favour of more exotic fare, is not only high in Vitamin C but also over 15 different polyphenol phytonutrients that give them their well-deserved super-antioxidant nutrient status. Not to mention the fibre and pectin which feeds our microbiome (the bacteria that live in our gut) and keeps them happy, healthy and working for us as well as making us feel sated more quickly contributing to a healthy weight. Apple anyone ?
2. Strawberries
Second only to papaya in Vitamin C content, strawberries are low GI, and again contain an amazing amount of polyphenol phytonutrients making them super antioxidant and super anti-inflammatory. Not to mention, they are of course delicious! Is there anyone who doesn’t like strawberries ?? (Papaya doesn’t make my top 6 because none of us like it – it is a personal list after all). Also unusually for fruit they contain a decent amount of folate and the mineral manganese, also an antioxidant, iodine and Omega 3 in their tiny little seeds. I will add a special note that whilst organic foods are generally more expensive, it is worthwhile considering buying organic strawberries as unfortunately due to their rather delicate nature, commercial strawberries do tend to be grown with a lot of pesticides. They’re also best kept in the cold drawer of your fridge and eaten within 2 days of purchase to maximise all those nutrients. Buy during the peak growing season of the year and freeze them whole with a squeeze of lemon juice to retain their colour and you can enjoy this superfruit all year round.
3. Avocados
Ok, maybe you think this is cheating but avocados are a fruit and a very healthy one at that! They are high in fat but being monosaturated fat they are very heart healthy. Adding this to the high vitamin E, vitamin K, potassium & fibre and you have one very alkaline, very satiating and very versatile fruit. They are so fatty that you can use them to make surprisingly successful desserts such as avocado cacao mousse, they fill out salads and smoothies, make toast great, Mexican meals would not be the same without guacamole and your skin can enjoy a direct benefit via a face mask! Avocado ? Thanks !!
4. Lemons
While you wouldn’t jump to munch on a lemon for your average afternoon snack, lemons are powerhouses of Vitamin C and flavonoids (phytonutrients)are very versatile and bring out the flavour of other foods so well that they are a several a day consumption item in our house; first and foremost just about ever salad we ever make has a good squeeze of lemon juice in it (and we eat salad every day!), they’re a favourite in hot water or tea, add their juice to smoothies as see how it lifts the other fruit flavours…. One of our favourite family dishes is ‘Lemon Chicken’ (recipe later!) and we often add it to other dishes like other people add salt. On the dessert side whipping up our locally produced cream with lemon juice makes for a delicious mousse (thanks Clive & Kate – still a fave after all these years!), and blending lemon with mint, a little stevia or cane sugar and ice makes a wonderful summer refreshment…..and it would be remiss of me if I didn’t also say a slice makes a gin and tonic perfect !
5. Berries (depending on season & availability – raspberries, blueberries, blackcurrants, blackberries, red currants, goji berries, mulberries, elderberries).
Strawberries got their own special mention but I couldn’t neglect the rest of these perfect powerhouses of powerful nutrition. We have a problem in Israel that its just too hot to grow most of these fruits successfully as they need a frost to set. However, I can’t live without raspberries and the other Forest Fruits and we luckily found a solution in buying them from our local ice lolly maker in 2kg bags and keeping them frozen. They’re not quite them same as fresh ones for which we have to wait for our annual UK visit, but they do the job!
Low GI, anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, high fibre, vitamin C and many other nutrients (raspberries especially are known for their ability to expel toxic heavy metals from the body), there is nothing bad to say about berries. Eat lots !
6. Pineapple
So pineapples are sweet and higher on the GI scale but they are a treat and when added to fruit salads or home made smoothies can give an appetising boost for your more difficult to please audience…..and apart from that not-to-be-underestimated benefit, they are an excellent source of vitamin C and manganese, a very good source of copper and a good source of vitamin B1, vitamin B6, dietary fiber, folate and pantothenic acid. Remember those B vitamins give you energy! Pineapples also freeze really well and can replace ice in your smoothie or contribute to a delicious sorbet.
