One of the worst myths about eating healthfully is that to get the health benefits of fruits and vegetables, you need to eat things you don’t like or things you haven’t heard of.
Earlier this week, I received an email from a coworker extolling the benefits of apricot seeds their richness in B-17. This little nugget of information leads one to wonder what other common fruits have big time health benefits?
Diets don’t need to include rambutans and mangosteens to help your body. Rather, “common” fruits like apples, blueberries and strawberries contain nutrients which help improve overall wellness.
It shouldn’t be surprising that we start with apples. However, apples are great for your heart and circulatory system. A Florida State University study showed women, aged 45 to 65 ate a cup of dried apples daily saw an average drop of 23 percent in their LDL cholesterol. Conversely, the women’s HDL (the good cholesterol) rose by a little less than five percent.
Blueberries are on the cutting edge of nutrition. It’s kind of an odd thing to say but scientists are making advancements with these berries. A compound in blueberries has worked with vitamin D in order to fight off infection. It’s not clear if that will be the same in humans.
Don’t sleep on blueberries even if the science doesn’t carry over. We already know that they can limit the amount of fat tissue created.
While strawberries may not be berries, they are possibly the next great cancer fighters. Taking directly from the article, “36 people with precancerous esophageal lesions ate two ounces of freeze-dried strawberries daily for six months, 80 percent saw a decrease in the severity of the lesions.”
Regardless of what fruits you choose to eat, it will help you lead a healthier lifestyle. We can help with that, too. ThirdLeafNW delivers healthy snacks and fruits throughout the Puget Sound. We can bring you a free trial if you click here!