{"id":62111,"date":"2019-07-08T14:11:26","date_gmt":"2019-07-08T19:11:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/?p=62111"},"modified":"2019-07-08T14:11:26","modified_gmt":"2019-07-08T19:11:26","slug":"eat-those-fruits-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/eat-those-fruits-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Eat Those Fruits"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">With summer upon us, there is now an abundant amount of summer fruits available. Peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, and watermelons are only some of the tasty fruits unique to the summer season. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Fruits play a very important role as an integral and healthy aspect to our overall diet. We know that people who eat an abundance of fruits and vegetables substantially reduce their risk of many diseases. Fruits provide nutrients vital for health and maintenance of your body. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>The Nutrition in Fruit<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The United States government sponsored site, \u201cMy Plate,\u201d does an excellent job in describing the nutritional benefits of eating fruit:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Most fruits are naturally low in fat, sodium, and calories. None have cholesterol.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Fruits are sources of many essential nutrients that are generally under consumed, including potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin C, and folate (folic acid).<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Diets rich in potassium may help to maintain healthy blood pressure. Fruits that are sources of potassium include bananas, prunes and prune juice, dried peaches and apricots, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, and orange juice.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Dietary fiber from fruits, as part of an overall healthy diet, helps reduce blood cholesterol levels and may lower risk of heart disease. Fiber is important for proper bowel function. It helps reduce constipation and diverticulosis. Fiber-containing foods, such as fruit, help provide a feeling of fullness with fewer calories. Whole or cut-up fruits are sources of dietary fiber; fruit juices contain little or no fiber.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Vitamin C is important for growth and repair of all body tissues. It helps heal cuts and wounds, and keeps teeth and gums healthy.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Folate (folic acid) helps the body form red blood cells. Pregnant women should consume adequate folate from foods, and, in addition, 400 mcg of synthetic folic acid from fortified foods or supplements. This reduces the risk of neural tube defects, spina bifida, and anencephaly during fetal development.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Health Benefits from Fruit<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">It is easy to see that you can get all of these important nutrients from tasty choices. \u201cMy Plate\u201d also tells us some of the great health benefits of eating fruits on a daily basis:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Eating a diet rich in vegetables and fruits as part of an overall healthy diet may reduce risk for heart disease, including heart attack and stroke.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Eating a diet rich in some vegetables and fruits as part of an overall healthy diet may protect against certain types of cancers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Diets rich in foods containing fiber, such as some vegetables and fruits, may reduce the risk of heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Eating vegetables and fruits rich in potassium as part of an overall healthy diet may lower blood pressure, and may also reduce the risk of developing kidney stones and help to decrease bone loss.<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\">Eating fruits instead of higher-calorie foods may be useful in helping to lower calorie intake.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Preventing Heart Disease and Type 2 Diabetes<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in fruit may help keep your heart healthy so you can reduce your risk of problems as you get older. Walter Willett reports in his book, <i>Eat, Drink and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Eating Healthy,<\/i> that individuals who eat five servings of fruits or vegetables a day are 15% less likely to have a heart attack. Fruit may also promote the healthy circulation of your blood, which reduces your risk of heart disease. Willett adds that citrus fruits, such as oranges and grapefruit, may be particularly beneficial for reducing your risk of heart disease. It can also cut your risk of contracting type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes affects many people and is characterized by an inability to use insulin the proper way with insulin resistance or not being able to produce enough insulin. Type 2 diabetes can be life-threatening if not diagnosed and treated. A 2016 review article published in the <i>Journal of Diabetes Investigation<\/i> found that fruit, especially berries, was linked to a decreased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Fruit contains fiber, which can improve how your body uses insulin. It can also make you feel full, which can keep you from eating unhealthy foods and may result in weight loss. Fruit contains many different nutrients that your body needs to maintain your health and eating several servings a day may cut your risk by providing you with the vitamins and minerals you need.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Selection and Storage of Fruits<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Choose in-season fruits.<\/b> The closer you are to where they were grown, the fresher your produce will be and the better it will taste. <\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Select fruits that feel heavy for their size.<\/b> Heaviness is a good sign of juiciness. <\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Smell fruits for characteristic aromas.<\/b> Fruits should generally have their characteristic ripe scent but not smell overly ripe. For example, melons, both orange and green, shouldn&#8217;t smell too musty, especially if you don&#8217;t plan to eat it right away. <\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Test texture.<\/b> An apple that feels mushy to the touch probably is too ripe. However, an avocado with a somewhat spongy texture is ideal. <\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Buy dried fruits processed without added sugar.<\/b> Dried fruits are a concentrated source of dietary fiber but are also higher in calories than fresh fruits. Use dried fruits sparingly and buy ones that don&#8217;t contain added sugar. <\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Read the labels on packaged fruits.<\/b> Look for frozen fruits processed without added sugar. Choose fruit canned in water or fruit juice. Avoid fruits preserved in sugar-sweetened syrup, which is a source of calories without nutrients. <\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Keep fruits in your refrigerator after you wash and prepare them for eating.<\/b> Refrigerate sliced fruits or sections of fruit. Don&#8217;t store melons in the refrigerator until they are cut up. <\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Throw away produce you have kept too long.<\/b> Discard fruit that is moldy or slimy, smells bad, or is past the &#8220;best by&#8221; date. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>What a Melon!<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Personally, I love watermelon. I look forward to watermelon season and I use it for dessert most of the time for my Shabbat day meal. This past Shabbat, as I cut open a watermelon, I saw by the color that we had a winner and we all agreed it was the best one so far this season. Not only do they taste good, but watermelons are mostly water \u2014 about 92% \u2014 and full of nutrients. Each juicy bite has significant levels of vitamins A, B6, and C, lots of lycopene, antioxidants, and amino acids. There&#8217;s even a modest amount of potassium. Plus, this tasty summer snack is fat-free, very low in sodium, and has only 40 calories per cup.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>A Word of Caution<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Fruits are high in natural sugars, so try to keep it to about 4 per day and spread them out throughout the day\u2014don\u2019t eat them in one sitting. Including fruits as a part of a good healthy and balanced diet will \u201c<b><i>add hours to your day, days to your year and years to your life.\u201d<\/i><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With summer upon us, there is now an abundant amount of summer fruits available. Peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, and watermelons are only some of the tasty fruits unique to the summer season. Fruits play a very important role as an integral and healthy aspect to our overall diet. We know that people who eat an<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":469,"featured_media":62112,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-62111","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Eat Those Fruits - OU Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/eat-those-fruits-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Eat Those Fruits - OU Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With summer upon us, there is now an abundant amount of summer fruits available. Peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, and watermelons are only some of the tasty fruits unique to the summer season. Fruits play a very important role as an integral and healthy aspect to our overall diet. We know that people who eat an\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/eat-those-fruits-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"OU Life\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-07-08T19:11:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/fruitsssdd.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"360\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Alan Freishtat\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Alan Freishtat\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/eat-those-fruits-2\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/eat-those-fruits-2\/\",\"name\":\"Eat Those Fruits - OU Life\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/eat-those-fruits-2\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/eat-those-fruits-2\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/fruitsssdd.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-07-08T19:11:26+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#\/schema\/person\/f1abe9e48d32d5a2a473e32020a2317f\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/eat-those-fruits-2\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/health\/eat-those-fruits-2\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/fruitsssdd.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/fruitsssdd.png\",\"width\":360,\"height\":200},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/\",\"name\":\"OU Life\",\"description\":\"Everyday Jewish Living\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#\/schema\/person\/f1abe9e48d32d5a2a473e32020a2317f\",\"name\":\"Alan Freishtat\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Alan-Freishtat_avatar-96x96.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/life\/files\/Alan-Freishtat_avatar-96x96.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Alan Freishtat\"},\"description\":\"Alan Freishtat is an A.C.E. CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER and a BEHAVIORAL CHANGE and WELLNESS COACH with over 19 years of professional experience. Alan is the creator and director of the \u201c10 Weeks to Health\u201d program for weight loss. He is available for private coaching sessions, consultations, assessments and personalized workout programs both in his office and by telephone and skype. Alan also lectures and gives seminars and workshops. 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