There are almost no unhealthy choices when it comes to fruits, however, some choices are better than others.
Whenever possible buy organic. If you can’t always find or afford organic, refer to the “Dirty Dozen” for the best choices when buying organic.
Choose fresh fruit over fruit juices, especially if you do not juice them yourself. To many of the fruit juices on the market today have added sugars or hidden sugars that are very unhealthy for us. There are a few out there such as the just juice line from RW Knudsen.
Try and avoid canned fruit as many of the brands on the market have added sugar and have lost nutrition from the processing. Canned fruit is placed in boiling water which can destroy the vitamins. Even if you can fruit yourself, you will accelerate the loss of vitamins through the processing.
Choose fresh fruit whenever possible as fruit will lose some of the nutrition beginning at harvest and all the way to when you finally consume it. Exposure to air and light, air can reduce the nutrients in fruit.
Choose fresh fruit over dehydrated only because you will most likely eat more when choosing a dehydrated fruit. Dehydrating foods keeps them raw with all nutrients and enzymes intact as long as the dehydrator does not use a high heat. It is an excellent way to preserve fruits, vegetables and meats. Most think dehydrated fruits contain more sugar but this is not true. A dehydrated apple still contains the same amount of sugar as a whole apple, only now the apple has no water in it. However, people have a tendency to eat larger amounts of dehydrated fruits so their intake of fructose is higher. Most people don’t eat 5 whole apples at once, but they do have a tendency to eat 5 dehydrated apples at once- which means they would be getting the amount of sugar in 5 apples all at once.
Here are some great reasons to eat fruit every day!
- Fruits are a good source of natural sugars that provide quick energy.
- The carbohydrates of fruits are completely absorbed.
- Fruit is low in sodium.
- Fruits digests easily and is an excellent source of fiber.
- Fruits are contain bioflavonoid which protects against cancer and other diseases.
- Fruits can help prevent wrinkles and give you a smooth and radiant complexion.
Eating fruit is great for over-all health. Eating fruit daily will supply you with a great deal of energy which is helpful for daily activities and weight loss. A good target would be to have 1-3 servings per day. Of course this will depend on the individual person and their particular situation. Those who are sensitive to natural fructose, should limit it to 1-2 servings per day. See our food guide for more serving information.
For more information on individual fruits and their benefits, click here.
