Fruits Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits

Fruits are nature's candy. They are sweet and delicious, and they contain a unique nutrient composition that helps the human body be fit and stay away from disease.

What are the nutrients in fruits?

Fruits provide significant amounts of sugar, dietary fiber, water, and carbohydrates, and many are generally high in vitamin C. Many dark fruits have a very high antioxidant value compared to vegetables and grains. These fruits contain many antioxidants, such as polyphenolic flavonoids and anthocyanins, that help remove free radicals from the body and thus provide protection against cancer, aging, and infections.

What are the health benefits of fruits?

The dietary fiber consumed in eating fruit promotes satiety and may help to control body weight and aid in reducing blood cholesterol, a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Regular consumption of fruit is generally associated with reduced risks of several diseases and functional declines associated with aging.

What's the difference between fruits and vegetables?

Fruit is the ultimate convenience food, requiring little or no preparation. It is easy to carry and enjoyable to eat any time, anywhere, making it a versatile snack. Because most fruit can be eaten raw, and many vegetables can be eaten raw in salads or lightly cooked, they retain most of their vitamins and minerals, which in other foods are depleted or destroyed by cooking.

Compared to vegetables, fruits are low in calcium, protein, iron, zinc, most B vitamins (especially B12), and essential fatty acids.

Fruit has a lot of sugar and can play havoc with both blood sugar and insulin. Almost all the nutrients found in fruits are also available in vegetables, with substantially less impact on blood sugar.

If you’re concerned about sugar, weight loss, diabetes, or metabolic syndrome, you should read more about the glycemic index and glycemic load. Consuming high levels of fruit also poses a risk to those who are diabetic or pre-diabetic due to the negative effect that the large amounts of sugar in fruits have on blood sugar levels.

Here is a list of fruits that may be a part of your healthy diet, also provides information on the origin and nutritional benefits.