Health Benefits of Fruits
Here are some interesting facts about fruit that you can use to interest your friends and family at your next dinner conversation.
Healthy Fruits to Eat
Apples — Besides being a notable source of phytonutrients and antioxidants, apples also work as a natural mouth refresher, cleaning your teeth with each bite, while leaving behind a pleasing aroma in your mouth. Do note that an apple’s flavour and aroma come from fragrance cells found in its skin. So for maximum taste and added fibre, leave that skin on.
Bananas — Bananas contain one of the highest amounts of potassium found among fruit. A medium-sized banana contains around 422mg of potassium (about 10%) of the requirement for an average adult. Potassium is an important nutrient for the functioning of muscles. To hasten the ripening process of a banana, place it in a paper bag. The reason this works is that bananas and other fruits such as apples produce ethylene gas — which helps to trigger ripening. Contrary to popular belief, placing bananas in the fridge does not cause them to go bad faster. While the outer skin does indeed turn black and patchy, the fruit inside stays relatively unaffected and can last for about an additional week, as compared to leaving it outside the refrigerator.
Berries — Among all the fruits, berries contain the highest amount of antioxidants. The antioxidant properties of these fruit help to fight off diseases and potentially prevent cell deterioration. Ranked in order of antioxidant content are blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries.
Durians — Durian lovers will be pleased to know that there are many health benefits of consuming this love-it-or-hate-it fruit. The fruit is full of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B-1 (thiamin) and B-6 (pyridoxine), contributing 31% and 24% of RDA respectively for adults[1]. It is also a good source of dietary fibre as five seeds provide 16% of our dietary fibre requirements. You might be surprised to know that durians actually contain zero cholesterol, since cholesterol is only found in animal products. Nevertheless, because of its high sugar content, they are relatively rich in calories, (250 kcal over five seeds), so do consume in moderation (not more than four seeds per sitting).
References
- Benefits of Fruits: Fun Fruity Facts for Health (healthhub.sg)
- Rudrappa, U. (n.d.). Durian fruit nutrition facts [Website].
Retrieved June 2016 from http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/durian-fruit.html