Fruits with Healing Benefits

This information about fruits with healing benefits is for everyone to prevent your health

Source: Yahoo 7 News

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Many fruits deliver more than just good taste; they can help prevent and cure conditions and boost your overall health and wellbeing. Here's a list of some superfruits that pack quite a nutritional punch and whole lot of health benefits!

Want to know more about the healing power of foods? Buy The Doctors Book of Food Remedies today!

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PineappleIn lab and human studies, bromelain, an enzyme extracted from pineapple, eased the swelling and inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis, tendonitis, bursitis, soft-tissue injuries, inflammatory conditions in the colon and even chronic pain.Pineapple is also a rich source of vitamin C, and it contains substances that keep bones strong and promote digestion. One cup of pineapple chunks, for example, contains about 24 mg of vitamin C. Juice is even better: a glass of pineapple juice contains 60 mg of C.

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ApplesPut away the peeler, and eat your apples with the peel intact. “The peel contains three- quarters of the fibre and most of the antioxidants in the apple,” says Wendy Davis, RD, director of communications and consumer health for the US Apple Association. Cornell University food scientists who tested four varieties of apples found that the peels better inhibited the growth of cancer cells than the rest of the apple. As a result, apple peels “may impart health benefits when consumed and should be regarded as a valuable source of antioxidants,” the researchers wrote

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GuavasOne cup of guava has nearly five times as much skin-healing vitamin C (a key ingredient in collagen production) as a medium orange (377 mg versus 83 mg)—more than five times your recommended daily intake. Women who eat a lot of vitamin-C-packed foods have fewer wrinkles than women who don’t eat many, according to a recent study that tracked the diets of more than 4,000 women aged 40 to 74. You’ll also get bacteria-busting power. Guava can protect against foodborne pathogens such as listeria and staph, according to research by microbiologists in Bangladesh. And a study by Thai scientists and the US Department of Agriculture found that guava has as much antioxidant activity as some well-known superfoods, such as blueberries and broccoli.

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LycheesA French study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that, of all fruits tested, lychees had the second-highest level of heart-healthy polyphenols—nearly 15 per cent more than the amount in grapes (considered a ‘king of polyphenols’). “Polyphenols protect your cells by neutralising free radicals in the body. They also keep your arteries flexible and elastic,” says Catherine Saxelby, nutritionist and author of Nutrition For Life ($29.95; Hardie Grant). Lychees are also thought to help protect against breast cancer: A recent test-tube and animal study from Sichuan University in China found that lychees may help prevent the formation of breast-cancer cells, thanks to the fruit’s antioxidant activity.

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ApricotsMost of apricots’ health benefits are due to the same substances that make them look so luscious, their carotenoids. These are the powerful pigments in plants that paint many of our favourite fruits and vegetables red, orange and yellow. Researchers have identified more than 600 carotenoids, and apricots contain some of the most potent—including betacarotene.Women whose diets contain high levels of betacarotene had significantly less risk of coronary-artery disease, according to a study that followed 73,000 women for 12 years, and a significantly lower risk of heart attack, according to another study.

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AvocadosOleic acid, a monounsaturated fat in avocados, can help lower cholesterol. In one study, researchers compared the effects of two low-fat diets, which were identical except that one diet included avocados. Although both diets lowered levels of dangerous LDL (bad) cholesterol, the avocado-inclusive diet raised levels of healthy HDL cholesterol.The fibre in avocados also helps in our cholesterol-lowering quest. Fibre adds bulk to stool, causing it, and the cholesterol it contains, to be excreted from the body more quickly. One avocado packs more fibre—about 10g— than a bran muffin.

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 BlueberriesPacked with antioxidants, vitamin C, manganese and fibre, blueberries boost brain health, improving learning and keeping memory sharp. Look for berries that still have their silver-white surface bloom. This coating signals freshness and helps them retain their juices. Jiggle the punnet: the fruit should move around easily, a sign that no soft or mouldy berries are stuck together. Eat half a cup and you could double your daily intake of anti-ageing antioxidants.

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Nashi PearsOne large nashi pear offers a whopping 10 g of cholesterol-lowering fibre, about 40 per cent of your daily requirement. In a recent US study, people who ate the most fibre had the lowest total and LDL cholesterol levels. The researchers also found that those who ate the most fibre also weighed the least and had the lowest body-mass indexes and waist circumferences.

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 WatermelonSeedy in a good way, watermelons are water-dense (hence their name) and a great source of carbs, too, which help you refuel. An added bonus: this fruit fights nausea.

Want to know more about the healing power of foods? Buy The Doctors Book of Food Remedies today!