Fruits | Benefits | Draw backs |

FRUITS :

1. APPLE
2. AVOCADOS
3. BANANAS
4. DATES
5. FIGS
6. GRAPES
7. GUAVAS
8. KIWI
9. LEMON
10. MANGOES
11. ORANGES
12. PAPAYAS
13. PEACHES
14. PINEAPPLES
15. PLUMS
16. POMEGRANATES
17. PRUNES
18. RASPBERRIES
19. STRAWBERRIES

1.APPLE

A fresh Apple is an ideal snack. It is easy to carry, flavorful, filling and is low in calories. A five ounce piece of fruit has only 90 calories. Apples can be eaten in many forms. They can be eaten raw or they can be cooked or baked into pies, crisps and tarts. It can also be added to poultry stuffing made into Jelly. Apple butter and sauce. Apple cider vinegar is an ingredient in many salad dressings. Pasteurized apple juice and fresh pressed cider are popular drinks.

BENEFITS:

• Apple helps to lower cholesterol since they are low in calories and high in soluble fiber.
• It helps to prevent heart disease and cancer, since it is packed with numerous phyto chemicals such as quercetin.
• Apple enhances dental hygiene.

DRAWBACKS:

• It is relatively low in nutrients.
• Its skin may contain pesticide residues. (Apple trees are easily vulnerable to warm scale and other insects, so they are usually sprayed with pesticides several times. Hence, Apple should be watched carefully before eating)

2.AVOCADOS:

Avocados are often mistaken for a vegetable, but the avocado is a fruit. The reproductive part of the plant. It has a rich buttery flavour and smooth texture, making it a complementary addition to vegetable meat and pasta salads. Avocados start to ripen only after being cut from the tree. Mature fruit can be left on the tree for six months without spoiling. Once picked, it will ripen in few days.

BENEFITS:

• It is a rich source of folate, vitamin A and potassium.
• Avocados have more protein than any other fruit, approximately 2 grams in four ounce serving.
• It has useful amounts of iron, magnesium and vitamin C, E and B6.
• It has more soluble fibre than any other fruit.
• They are rich in monosaturated oil, the same heart-friendly fat oil found in olive oil.

DRAWBACKS:

• It is very high in calories with 85% coming from fat.

3.BANANAS:

Healthful, filling and tasty, bananas are one of nature’s ideal snacks. Bananas, along with rice, applesauce, and toast are one of the foods in the diet recommended after a bout of diarrhoea.

BENEFITS:

• An excellent source of potassium and vitamin B6.
• It is also a good source of folate and fibre.
• Bananas also contain amino acid tryptophan, which stimulates the production of Serotonin, a neurotransmitter that has a calming effect on the body.

4.DATES:

Fresh dates are classified according to their moisture content falling into three categories: soft, semi, soft and dry. With 60 to 70% of their weight coming from sugar, dates are one of the sweetest of all fruits.

BENEFITS:

• It is an excellent source of potassium.
• It is a good source of iron, niacin and vitamin B6.
• It is high in fiber.

DRAWBACKS:

• It has high sugar content.
• Its stickiness promotes tooth decay.

5.FIGS:

Fresh figs are divine, but dried figs are also quite delicious and available year round.

BENEFITS:

• It is at its source of potassium, calcium and iron.
• It is high in fiber.
• Both fresh and dried figs are high in pectin, a soluble fiber that helps lower blood cholesterol.
• Figs also have laxative effect, so they are Especially beneficial to people who suffer from chronic Constipation.

DRAWBACKS

• Fresh figs spoil quickly.
• Dried figs are high in calories, their sugar content and stickiness contribute to decay.
• Eating lot of figs can cause diarrhoea.
• It may be contaminated by moulds and their toxins.

6.GRAPES:

One of the oldest and most abundant of the world’s fruit crops, grapes are cultivated on six of the seven continents. Calories grapes are favoured for their sweet, juicy flavour. Another reason for eating grapes may be found in research on the disease prevention role of bioflavonoids and other plant chemicals.

BENEFITS:

1. It is high in pectin and bioflavonoids.
2. It contains phyto chemicals that may reduce risk for heart disease, cancer and strokes.
3. It is a fair source of iron and potassium.
4. It is a low calorie sweet snack and dessert.

DRAWBACKS:

• Since they are often treated with sulphur dioxide to retard spoiling, grapes may present a problem for sulphide sensitive people.
• The natural salicyclates present in grapes may provoke an allergic response.

7.GUAVAS:

The acid, sweet taste and pungent aroma of guavas evoke images of a tropical paradise. Although the entire fruit is edible when fully ripe, many people discard the seeds and the skin.

BENEFITS:

• It is an excellent source of vitamin C (Almost twice as much as vitamin C in and orange)
• It is high in protein and other types of soluble dietary fiber In the form of pectine, a soluble fiber that lowers high blood cholesterol as well as promoting good digestive function.
• Good amounts of potassium and iron are also found.

DRAWBACKS:

• The fresh fruit is expensive and not widely available.
• The sulphides in dried guavas may provoke an asthma attack or allergic reaction in susceptible persons.

8.KIWI:

On the outside, a Kiwi fruit looks like a fuzzy brown egg. On the inside, it’s bright green flesh is sprinkled with a ring of small black seeds. Ripe Kiwis are eaten raw. Even the skin can be consumed if it is diffuzzed

BENEFITS:

• It is an excellent source of vitamin C.
• It is a good source of potassium and fiber
• It can be used as a meat tenderizer.

9.LEMON:

Ideal for flavouring everything from fish to vegetables to Tea, lemons are one of the most widely used of all the citrus fruits. Sweetened, diluted and chilled fresh lemon juice is an old-fashioned summer thirst quencher.

BENEFITS:

1.It is an excellent source of vitamin C.

2.It may help to relieve dry mouth.

DRAWBACKS:

1.The peel contains an irritating oil.

2.It may be sprayed with fungicide.

10. MANGOES:

The mango is known as the king of the fruit throughout the world. They are considered a comfort food in many parts of the world they contain an enzyme with digestive properties similar to papain found in papaya which also makes them very good tenderizing agent.

BENEFITS:

• It is an excellent source of beta carotene and vitamin C
• It is low in calories and high in fiber.

11.ORANGES:

French oranges are a delicious snack or dessert, and a flavorful ingredient in salads and some meat dishes. The peel of oranges sometimes dried to make candied orange peel or flavorings.

BENEFITS:

• It is an excellent source of vitamin C.
• it is a good source of folate ,thiamine and potassium .
• It has antioxidant properties and protects against the cell damage caused by the free radicals.
• Oranges are low in calories and have a good amount of pectin, a soluble dietary fiber that helps control blood cholesterol level.

DRAWBACKS:

• It may produce allergic reactions in some susceptible people.
• Orange peels contain limonene and oil that is a common allergen.

12.PAPAYAS:

Like most yellow- orange fruits, papayas are high in vitamin C. One medium sized papaya supplies more than twice the adult require recommended dietary allowance of vitamin ,  almost 30% of the RDA of folded and 800 milligram of potassium. The seeds of a papaya are edible too. Just rinse them and add to a salad for a nutty and slightly peppery taste.

BENEFITS:

• It is an excellent source of vitamin C and potassium
• It is high in folate and beta carotene.
• It’s extract is used to tenderize meat.
• Papayas contain papain and enzyme that is similar to the digestive juice pepsin.

DRAWBACKS:

• It can cause dermatitis in some people.

13.PEACHES:

Nutritious and versatile features can be enjoyed fresh added to fruit salads or cooked with meat and poultry dishes. This can also be baked, grilled, broiled or poached to create pies, Cobblers, and other desserts.

BENEFITS:

• It is a good source of beta carotene with useful amounts of vitamin C and potassium.
• It is also a good source of dietary fibre, Especially pectin, which is a soluble fibre that is instrumental in lowering high blood cholesterol.
• It is low in calories, a medium sized Peach contains only 35 calories.

DRAWBACKS:

• They may provoke allergic reactions in susceptible people.
• They also contain Salicylates, which may provoke a reaction in aspirin sensitive people

14..PINEAPPLES:

The sweet and tangy flavour makes fresh pineapple a delicious choice. It can be added to fruit salads and grilled or baked with seafood, ham, poultry or other meats. As pineapple is cooked, its texture softens due to the breakdown of cellulose, a type of fibre in its walls.

BENEFITS:

• It is a good source of vitamin C, with useful amounts of vitamin B6, folate, time in iron and manganese.
• Topically applied,bromelain may help control tissue swelling and inflammation associated with arthritis strains and sprains.

DRAWBACKS:

• It may cause dermatitis in individual, sensitive to bromelain an enzyme in pineapple juice.
• It can also cause skin irritation to susceptible people.

15..PLUMS:

Plums are a nutritious, low calorie food which can either be eaten whole, added to fruit salads, baked goods, compotes, pudding or meat dishes, or made into butters, jams, purees or sauces.

BENEFITS:

• It is a useful source of vitamin C and potassium.
• It is a good source of dietary fibres like cellulose and pectin.
• It has antioxidant properties which can protect against cancer and heart diseases by mopping up free radicals, unstable molecules that damaged cells.

DRAWBACKS:

• It may cause allergic reaction in susceptible people.
• Canned plums are higher in calories than fresh plums.

16.POMEGRANATES:

The word pomegranate is old French for “seeded Apple”,a fitting name for this apple sized fruit filled with jewel- like clusters of red seeds.Pomegranate fruits are most often consumed as juice and can be juiced in several ways. The juice can be used to make jellies, sorbets, or sauces, as well as to flavour cakes and baked apples.

BENEFITS:

• Pomegranates are a good source of potassium. One fruit contains about 400mg more than in most oranges.
• They are a good source of fiber, vitamin C and niacin.
• They are rich in plant chemicals.
• Pomegranate and their juice are rich in anthocyanins and ellagic acid, both of which have antioxidant properties.

17..PRUNES:

Although all prunes are plums, not all plums are prunes. Prunes are the dried fruit from a few particular species of plum trees, whose fruit has firm flesh and is naturally high in sugar and acidity. Like all dried fruits, prunes contain very little water and are a more concentrated source of energy and nutrients than their fresh fruit counterparts.

BENEFITS:

• They are a rich source of fiber.
• They are high in vitamin A, potassium and iron.
• They help to relieve Constipation.
• Unlike other types of juices, prune juice retain most of the fruit nutrients because it is made by pulverizing the dried prunes and then dissolving them in hot water.

DRAWBACKS:

• It leaves a sticky residue on the teeth that can lead to cavities.

19..STRAWBERRIES:

Strawberries are delicious, low in calories and are very high in vitamin C. Beside from being delicious people in many cultures have found strawberries useful for certain conditions. For example, the Chinese claim that a handful of red berries is a cure for a hangover. They are also said to whiten teeth and are used to get rid of garlic breath.

BENEFITS:

1.It is an excellent source of vitamin C.

2. It contains folate and potassium.
3. It is low in calories and high in fiber.
4. It provides anti cancer bioflavonoids.

DRAWBACKS:

1. It can provoke allergic reactions in many people.
2. It contains oxalic acid, which reduces mineral absorption and may aggravate kidney and bladder stones.

18.RASPBERRIES:

There is no sweeter surprise on a summer day than to stumble across a wild Raspberry patch. Raspberries, both wild and cultivated, are low in calories under its source of vitamin C.

BENEFITS:

• .It is an excellent source of vitamin C.
• It contains useful amount of folate, iron and potassium.
• It provides bioflavonoids, which may protect against cancer.
• It is high in fiber.

DRAWBACKS:

• It contains a natural salicylate which can cause an allergic reaction in aspirin sensitive people.
• It contains oxalic acid, which can aggravate kidney and bladder stones in susceptible persons.