Fruits Help Health

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Fruits That Boost Your Immunity

If you’re looking for an immunity boost, these fruits can do wonders for your health. Learn more.

Benefits of fruits

An apple a day keeps the doctor away, the saying goes. While that’s not literally true, apples and other fruits provide a wide range of health benefits, says Lisa Garcia, a registered dietitian based in Laconia, New Hampshire. If you’re looking for a nutritious complement to a meal or a healthy snack, you can’t go wrong with fresh fruit.

NEXT:A multitude of health benefits

A multitude of health benefits

Eating a wide array of fruits will provide you with a host of nutrients and vitamins that can boost your health – and keep you from getting bored, says Cordialis Msora Kasago, a registered dietitian nutritionist with Maitano Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine in Menifee, California. “Let’s face it, eating the same fruit every single time can be uninspiring.”

“Fruits contain many beneficial nutrients, including fiber, vitamin C and potassium,” Garcia says.

Some fruits have phytonutrients, substances found in plant foods that may help ward off disease and keep your body functioning well. The 2020-2025 dietary guidelines for Americans recommends that for a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, most people should eat about two daily cups of fruit.

This may vary for different types of fruits, as some fruits are more calorically dense than others. For instance, a half cup of raisins is equivalent to a full cup of fruit. The USDA also recommends filling about half of your plate with fruits or vegetables at each meal.

When adding fruit to your diet, it’s important to add multiple types of fruit – and multiple colors.

“I recommend that most people eat over the course of three days fruits that come from all colors in the rainbow, including white,” Garcia says. Some examples of white-colored fruits are coconuts or mulberries.

“This way your body will be getting a broad range of nutrients,” says Garcia. “You’ll also be getting an enjoyable variety of tastes, colors and textures.”

A multitude of health benefits

Eating a wide array of fruits will provide you with a host of nutrients and vitamins that can boost your health – and keep you from getting bored, says Cordialis Msora Kasago, a registered dietitian nutritionist with Maitano Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine in Menifee, California. “Let’s face it, eating the same fruit every single time can be uninspiring.”

“Fruits contain many beneficial nutrients, including fiber, vitamin C and potassium,” Garcia says.

Some fruits have phytonutrients, substances found in plant foods that may help ward off disease and keep your body functioning well. The 2020-2025 dietary guidelines for Americans recommends that for a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, most people should eat about two daily cups of fruit.

This may vary for different types of fruits, as some fruits are more calorically dense than others. For instance, a half cup of raisins is equivalent to a full cup of fruit. The USDA also recommends filling about half of your plate with fruits or vegetables at each meal.

When adding fruit to your diet, it’s important to add multiple types of fruit – and multiple colors.

“I recommend that most people eat over the course of three days fruits that come from all colors in the rainbow, including white,” Garcia says. Some examples of white-colored fruits are coconuts or mulberries.

“This way your body will be getting a broad range of nutrients,” says Garcia. “You’ll also be getting an enjoyable variety of tastes, colors and textures.”

atures expert sources.

Sugar in fruits

Fruits contain natural sugar, which gives them a sweet taste without the need for added sweeteners that are commonly found in grocery store goodies like candy, cookies or cakes – and can contribute to obesity and diabetes.

There is “no comparison” between natural sugars in the fruit to added sugars in processed food, says Msora Kasago.

“When you eat a sugar-sweetened food such as a cookie, you are more likely to experience a spike in blood sugars than if you bite into a nice crisp apple,” adds Msora Kasago. “Furthermore, when you eat the fruit, you not only get the natural sweetness, but also vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients and fiber which also plays a role in regulating blood sugars and preventing disease.”

Still, all that natural sugar puts fruits in the carbohydrate category that the body uses for fast “fuel”– meaning that often people will want to pair their fruits with a protein or fat source if they’re looking to “manage blood glucose levels and help with satiety,” says Christyna Johnson, a registered dietitian in Dallas

Here are 17 fruits that are tasty and especially healthy:

Pears

If you’re looking to add more fiber to your diet, pears are the way to go, Garcia says. A medium-sized pear weighs about 6 ounces and provides about 30% more fiber than an apple of the same size.

What’s more, a lot of the fiber found in pears is soluble fiber. Soluble fiber adds water to food and slows digestion, which can make you feel fuller longer. Pairing (no pun intended) your soluble fiber source with a protein or fat source can take this a step further and help prevent blood sugar spikes, aid in weight loss, weight maintenance or diabetes management.

It can also aid in cholesterol management “by helping to reduce the amount of cholesterol your body absorbs from the foods you eat,” Garcia says. “To get the maximum benefit from the fruit, be sure to eat the skin if it’s edible. You lose about half of the fiber if you peel the fruit.”

Apricots

Apricots are high in vitamin C and are also a good source of phytochemicals, which are compounds that generate antioxidants, says Christina D’Angelo, a clinical registered dietitian at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, New Jersey.

Antioxidants protect cells from damage, which may play a role in both cancer and chronic disease prevention. One of the phytochemicals in apricots is beta carotene, which is also responsible for giving apricots their rich yellow-orange color. Beta carotene converts to vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A plays a role in vision, skin integrity, immunity against infection, gene regulation and nerve development, D’Angelo says.

She recommends adding apricots to cereal, blending them in smoothies or eating them dried “for an easy energy booster.”

Bananas

This yellow-skinned fruit is high in potassium, a mineral that helps muscles contract and regulates the balance of fluids and minerals in our cells. Eating foods rich in potassium can help maintain normal blood pressure or fight against hypertension.

Bananas contain pectin, a type of soluble fiber, which may improve blood sugar control and digestive health.

“Try pairing bananas with a protein and fat, like peanut butter or almonds, for an energizing snack,” D’Angelo says.

Lemons

While you probably won’t be eating this tart fruit, squeezing lemon juice onto food or in water has lots of health benefits, says Betsy Opyt, a registered dietitian based in Naples, Florida.

For starters, lemons are high in vitamin C, which promotes immune system health, gut health, heart health, weight control and more, Opyt says. Lemons also help ward off painful kidney stones, she says. Lemons’ role in kidney stone prevention isn’t entirely proven, but some studies suggest that the citric acid in lemons may bind to materials in kidney stones to help them pass.

Lemons are also good for preventing iron-deficiency anemia. Though they contain small amounts of iron, lemons help iron absorb in the gut. As such, dousing your meat in lemon juice marinades will “pump up your blood” and support iron absorption, Opyt says.

Not a marinade fan? You can consume other ways too. She recommends making spa water with lemon, mint and cucumber; zesting lemon rind over a salad, meats or fish; adding it to baked goods; tossing lemon in salad dressings or marinades; or freezing lemon juice in an ice cube tray for a vitamin C-rich refresher.

And, if you do want to nibble on some lemon, consider grating lemon rind over a dish. The rind contains soluble fiber that can “help your heart and watch your waist” by making you feel full and satisfied and eliminating cholesterol from the body, Opyt says.

Peaches

Sweet and juicy peaches are a popular summer fruit and are also packed with nutrition, says Lise Gloede, a registered dietitian based in Arlington, Virginia.

“Peaches are loaded with vitamin C, which helps fight free radicals and keeps your body’s defense systems working up to speed,” Gloede says.

Peaches have bioactive phenolic compounds that promote an anti-inflammatory response in your body. Their high fiber content, as part of a high-fiber diet, helps in lowering LDL cholesterol – known as bad cholesterol – and preventing cardiovascular disease.

“With so many things promoting disease, it’s great to know one of summer’s favorite fruits can be enjoyed for its flavors and health-promoting properties,” says Gloede.

Clementines

These bright orange fruits are tasty, portable and easy to peel and eat, Garcia says.

Plus, they’re an excellent source of vitamin C. At about 35 calories, a single clementine provides more than a third – about 36 mg – of the recommended daily vitamin C allowance for an average non-smoking adult. Smoking depletes vitamin C levels, so people who smoke are recommended to get in an extra 35mg of vitamin C a day – or about one extra clementine.

Vitamin C is important in promoting skin health and boosting our immune system. Vitamin C can help your body absorb iron found in plant-based foods.

Avocados

An avocado is technically a fruit. Though based on its nutrition profile, you might mistake it for a vegetable.

For example, an avocado provides almost a quarter of the recommended dietary intake of potassium. Potassium helps maintain the body’s cells and reduces your risk of heart disease, stroke and kidney failure, Opyt says.

Avocados are high in monounsaturated fats, which is a good thing, and are “a rich source of fiber,” Opyt says. Depending on the size of an avocado, it may contain up to a third of the recommended daily allowance of fiber.

Further, avocados boost gut-friendly bacteria and make you feel full, which aids in weight management. You can eat avocados in myriad ways: sliced atop a salad or inside a sandwich or mixed with cacao and honey to blend into chocolate pudding.

Plums

Featuring an eye-appealing purplish skin, plums are high in polyphenols, a type of antioxidant that has anti-inflammatory properties and fiber, which promotes lower cholesterol, bowel regularity and will help make you feel full.

Plums also contain small amounts of vitamin K, magnesium and potassium.

Nectarines

Nectarines are a bright orange fruit that look similar to peaches. But while the skin of peaches is fuzzy, the skin of nectarines is smooth.

Nectarines are high in vitamin C and vitamin E, which can act as antioxidants, fighting free radicals that could damage your cells. They are also high in lutein, which is an antioxidant that can decrease the risk of cataracts and lower the risk of age-related macular degeneration.

“These wonderful fruits also contain copper and potassium, which are helpful for (maintaining a healthy) blood pressure and keeping mineral balance in your body,” Gloede says.

Persimmons

Persimmons roughly resemble tomatoes but are much sweeter. There are two popular types of persimmon: the Fuyu and the Hachiya; the latter type is shaped like an acorn and needs to be fully ripe and soft before it becomes sweet and full of taste.

A good way to determine if a persimmon is ripe is if the leaf detaches from the fruit easily when pulled off. “Once cut open, the middle can be eaten like pudding,” D’Angelo says. “The Fuyu persimmon can be eaten when still firm and is more like an apple: crisp, sweet and crunchy.”

Persimmons can also be part of a high-fiber diet; one raw piece of the fruit contains about 6 grams of fiber, which is about 20% of the daily recommended fiber intake. They also have high amounts of vitamin A.

Watermelon

A juicy slice of watermelon can hit the spot on a hot day. It’s also a good source of lycopene, a phytonutrient and antioxidant that research suggests could be helpful in protecting against chronic conditions such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease and cancer, says Anna Taylor, a registered dietitian with the Cleveland Clinic.

Several studies suggest that eating watermelon helps support a healthy blood pressure level, she says. For example, research published in 2014 in the American Journal of Hypertension suggests that eating watermelon may protect against the elevated blood pressure that occurs when the body adjusts to colder environments.

Blueberries

This tiny fruit is a nutritional powerhouse, especially for cancer prevention, says Kailey Proctor, an oncology dietitian with the Center for Cancer Prevention and Treatment at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, California.

“Blueberries have been shown to prevent pro-inflammatory molecules from forming in the body,” Proctor says.

Thanks to the antioxidant anthocyanin, “consuming blueberries also reduces oxidative stress, which helps protect our DNA from damage by preventing cancer cell growth,” she adds.

Blueberries also contain about 3.5 to 4 grams of fiber per cup. High-fiber diets have been associated with lower rates of colorectal cancer. “Strawberries, raspberries and cranberries provide similar benefits,” Proctor says.

Blackberries

These dark berries are high in polyphenols as well as vitamins C and K, folate, manganese, flavonoids and fiber.

“The health benefits of blackberries include improved brain function and reduced inflammation,” says Julie Canseco, a New Orleans-based registered dietitian with Main Squeeze Juice Company.

Blackberries also promote healthy skin, she says. “Above all, the most well-known benefit of the blackberry is its protective effects against cancer,” Canseco says.

Cherries

Cherries are relatively low in calories and loaded with important nutrients, including fiber, vitamin C, carotenoids and potassium, says Reema Kanda, a registered dietitian with Hoag Orthopedic Institute in Irvine, California. Research suggests eating cherries can help reduce inflammation, aid post-workout muscle recovery, boost heart health and ward off symptoms of arthritis.

And there’s evidence that Bing sweet cherries, one variety of the fruit, contain anti-inflammatory properties that may relieve joint pain and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Both sweet and tart cherries have anti-inflammation properties that could help reduce joint pain, Kanda says.

Apples

The jury’s still out on whether eating an apple a day will keep the doctor away, but research suggests eating the fruit may decrease the risk for stroke, Taylor says.

One study suggests that eating apples correlates with a decreased risk for thrombotic stroke. Research also suggests that consuming fruits and vegetables with white flesh – like apples and pears – is associated with a lower risk for stroke. To get the full benefit of the fruit, eat the entire apple, including the peel, Taylor says. Apple peels are a rich source of fiber and antioxidants.

NEXT:Oranges

Oranges

Can eating an orange a day keep the ophthalmologist at bay?

A 2018 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that people who regularly eat oranges are much less likely to suffer macular degeneration – the leading cause of vision loss for people over the age of 50 – than people who don’t eat the citrus fruit. Researchers interviewed more than 2,000 Australian adults aged 50 and older over a span of 15 years. Study participants who ate at least one daily serving of oranges reduced their risk of developing late macular degeneration by more than 60%, according to the research.

The study’s findings suggest that the flavonoids found in oranges (and in most fruits) are responsible for this protection. “It’s exciting to see research that highlights that eating something as common as an orange each day may help prevent a very common cause of vision loss as we age,” Garcia says.