Fruits are nature’s perfectly created snack for humans which is packed with goodness and satisfies a craving for sweetness. Filled with vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals with anti-viral, anti-cancer and antioxidant properties, fruit is the foundation of your health and a powerful weapon to fight disease.
Yet, as a society we are eating less fruit than ever before (6). In fact, some diets recommend against eating carbohydrates including fruits due to the sugar content.
In this article we will explain why it is important to include as much fruit as possible into your diet, debunk some common misconceptions about eating fruit and will provide tips how to make eating fruit a habit.
Why is fruit your best weapon against disease?
Eating fruit is vital to optimize your health and to live a long healthy life. Consumption of fruit (and vegetables) will lower your likelihood to die from all types of cancer, more than any other food (2).
Fruits are an important source of phytochemicals which are bioactive chemical compounds only found in plants. Phytochemicals have unique medicinal benefits important for preventing chronic diseases. They repair our body’s DNA, improve the immune cells power to kill microbes and cancer cells, improve body’s detoxification process to remove toxins, and fight free radicals to remove oxidative damage and inflammation.
Fruit helps our body maintain the alkaline-acidic balance which is important for maintaining healthy bones and reducing inflammation in the body. The typical western diet rich in animal protein can add heavy acidic load on our bodies, resulting in calcium loss and pro-inflammatory response. Fruits help to counteract this effect by helping buffer the acid load to reduce calcium loss.
Eating fruit is linked with the lowest death rate from all types of cancer.
Is sugar in Fruit healthy?
Some diets recommend avoiding eating fruit due the sugar content, claiming the natural sugars in fruit may have the same effects on the body as processed sugars. In this section we explain that the sugars in fruit are harmless and that fruit can actually help with blood sugar control.
Fruit is nature’s perfect package made up of natural water, minerals, vitamins, protein, fat, pulp, fibre, antioxidants, pectin a small amount of natural sugar (fructose). When you eat fruit, fructose is packaged with the fibre, antioxidants and phytonutrients and the adverse effects of fructose are nullified. This is because the fibre in fruit has a gelling effect in your stomach and the small intestine that slows the release of sugar. In addition, phytochemicals in fruit block the absorption of sugar through the gut wall and into your bloodstream (1).
According to studies, eating fruit with each meal helps you lower (rather than raise) the blood sugars in your body (1). This is why the researchers concluded that fruit should be eaten without any restrictions, including patients with type 2 diabetes.
The whole (fruit) is greater than the sum of it’s parts: The nutrients in whole fruits are perfectly designed to work together to promote health.
Why humans are designed to eat fruit?
Together with the great apes and other primates, humans are the only species on the planet that have been gifted with a sweet tooth and eyesight that can see colours. A sweet craving is a natural instinct that was designed by nature to draw us to eating fruits of various colours so we can provide our bodies with diverse disease-fighting nutrients (2).
In this modern age, our desire for sweet food is often satisfied with processed foods that contain refined sugar. These junk foods are empty calories that contain processed sugar but zero disease-fighting nutrients. By eating processed food high in refined sugar our taste buds become overpowered and unable to enjoy the natural sweetness of fruits. As a result, we stop eating fruit and our body becomes deficient in many life savings nutrients and weakened to developing disease (2, 5).
Eating tips
How much fruit to eat?
There are absolutely no limits on how much fruit you can eat. Eat as much fruit as you want but at least 4 servings daily. Eating sweet fruits will fulfil your natural sweet cravings so you won’t reach for junk foods.
Make eating fruit a habit and you will see that your natural taste will change. Soon you will start craving and enjoying fruit more and more.
What fruits are the most powerful?
If we had to pick one fruit with the most anti-disease effects, the winner would be wild blueberries due to their powerful anthocyanins with antiaging and anti-cancer compounds.
Raspberries, strawberries, cranberries, lemons and other citrus fruits have also shown strong anti-cancer properties that can protect your cells from free radicals and DNA damage. In addition, peaches, plums, cherries, apricots and apples contain significant amounts of polyphenols called hydroxycinnamic acids with strong anticancer properties (2,4).
Fruit recipes
Fruits are the perfect food for your breakfast and snack times. Start your day with this morning smoothie containing banana, wild blueberries and orange. It will give your body plenty of micronutrients, antioxidants, fiber and fluids for building a strong immune system, improving your gut health and making your liver strong.
If you feel like something more filling, try this easy oatmeal porridge with wild blueberries. The powerful anthocyanins in berries will turn your bowl into the perfect disease-fighting meal.
For a healthier dessert option, blend some frozen fruit in your high-speed blender and enjoy immediately as an alternative to a traditional ice-cream. Try berries, banana or mango for this nice cream creation!
Where to get the best fruit?
Fruits that cannot be pealed or that are hard to wash like berries are best to buy organic to avoid pesticides and herbicides used by the growers.
The Farmer’s Markets are the best place to shop for your fruits as you buy local and seasonal produce straight from local farmers who pick the produce just a few days before they sell them. In contrast, large supermarkets often store their produce for up to months in large refrigerated coolers in the back room which may reduce the nutritional content of the fruit.
Frozen fruits are great way to access your favourite seasonal fruits all year round. It is often much easier to find organic frozen fruits at more affordable prices compared to fresh organic produce. Frozen fruits are also a very convenient way to stock up on your favourite fruits for a smoothie.
The message on fruits is clear – eating lots of fresh fruits daily is your best health insurance against disease you can ever get. That’s a safe bet!
Reference
- Michael Greger M.D., How not to die, 2015, London, UK.
- Joel Fuhrman, M.D., Eat to live, New York, 2011, USA
- Chris Wark, Chris Beat Cancer, 2018, Hay House, USA
- Richard Beliveau, Denis Gingras, Foods to fight cancer second edition, 2017, London, UK
- Joel Fuhrman, M.D., Fast Food Genocide, 2017, New York, USA
- USDA ERS – A Closer Look at Declining Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Using Linked Data Sources
