Fruit: Just Eat It!

Fruit has gotten a bad rap in the last several years, owing mainly to popular low-carb diets such as South Beach, Atkins and The Zone, which limit or prohibit foods based on their glycemic content. Yes, fruit is high on the glycemic index, and many health- and body-conscious people avoid it for that reason.

Reality check: The fact is that if you’re not eating fruit on a regular basis, you’re probably not getting getting the full range of vitamins and minerals your body needs for optimal health. There’s more to fruit than sugar and carbs. For one thing, fruit is high in soluble fiber, which regulates blood sugar and lowers LDL (or “bad”) cholesterol. Furthermore, fruit is a great source of antioxidants, which neutralize disease-causing free radicals and help to rid the body of toxic buildup. Fruit is also packed with phytonutrients, the natural bioactive compounds which stimulate the immune system and help to ward off a number of ailments ranging in severity from cataracts to cancer.

Your body needs between 125 and 150 grams of glucose per day in order to function properly, and eating fruit is the very best way to get it. Unlike the refined sugars and high-fructose corn syrup found in candy, soda and cereal, which flood your system with an immediate surge of glucose, sugar from fruit enters the bloodstream at a steady rate as your body digests it. This allows your body to benefit from glucose without the subsequent “sugar crash” so many people experience.

Still worried about sugar content? Good news: The fruits lowest in sugars are some of the highest in nutritional value. For example:

• Blackberries and blueberries are high in antioxidants and help to speed up your metabolism.
• Grapefruit is high in folate and potassium, and contains fat-burning enzymes. (Grapefruit is also believed to lower blood-insulin levels, which in turn curbs hunger.)
• Papaya fights premature aging and is full of proteolytic enzymes, which aid protein digestion.
• Cantaloupe is rich in beta-carotene, which helps to prevent cataracts and muscular degeneration in the eyes.
• Apricots contain less than 20 calories apiece, and are an excellent source of vitamins A, C and E, riboflavins, niacin, potassium, and essential minerals such as calcium, iron and phosphorus.
• Strawberries are loaded with Vitamins C and K, folic acid, magnesium and mood-lifting Omega 3 fatty acids.

Bottom line: fruit tastes great, and it’s good for you, too. So do yourself a favor and just eat it! Your body will thank you for it.