Other Healthy Superfruits

I found this great article about new superfruits on webmd. I thought it was an interesting article to blog about since it boasts of the benefits of eating more than just the traditional go-to fruits like apples, bananas, and oranges. While these fruits that are typically eaten are all really good for us, it is also good for us to eat other less common fruits and vegetables to get additional health benefits that might not be found in our usual, sometimes repetitive eating routines. The article postulates that broadening our fruit choices can measurably improve our health!

Here are some of the suggestions:

(1) For perfect blood pressure, consider figs instead of just eating bananas. Six figs actually contain double the amount of potassium as one large banana, while also containing as much calcium as a half a cup of fat free milk (this was news to me!). You can add figs to your steel-cut oatmeal, fage yogurt, low calorie cereal, wrapped in fat free cheese, or even buying them pre-made in a bar like figamajigs or a snack like figamajig bites.

(2) To protect against heart disease, consider Lychees instead of just eating red grapes. Lychees contain higher levels of heart-healthy antioxidants than grapes and are believed to possibly help protect against degenerative diseases like cancer. I myself have not found a great way to eat lychees, although the article suggests adding them to stir-fries or to chicken kebabs. Do you guys have any other good ideas?

(3) For beautiful skin (something I think about all the time!), consider guavas instead of just eating oranges. Guavas are actually packed with Vitamin C -- with one cup of guava having about five times as much C as a medium orange. Vitamin C is believed to help protect against wrinkles. Guavas are full of healthy antioxidants! Guava is a really yummy fruit. It can be added to your banana smoothies.

(4) To lower cholesterol consider Asian pears instead of just apples. This one was the most interesting to me, as I'm already a huge fan of apples due to their delicious flavor, and I'm intrigued by the very long list of health benefits from apples. Asian pears are similar to apples in nutrients, but they also have more fiber than apples, which helps lower cholesterol and is also believed to help protect against weight gain. Pears can be eaten in all sorts of foods: cereals, oatmeal, salads, with yogurt, with cheese. The possibilities are endless!

(5) To help fight cancer, consider eating papayas instead of just eating watermelon. Papayas contain beta-crypoxanthin, which is believed to help protect our bodies against lung cancer. They also contain good amounts of lycopene, which is believed to protect against other cancers as well. Papayas are great in smoothies, yogurt, fruit salads, in grilled dishes, and as juice.

Enjoy!
Juliet

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