Consuming fruits is a great deal! When is the best season to do so?
Out-of-season fruits may contain pesticides for its conservation!
Nutritionists generally recommend a fruit consumption of approximately 15 ounces per day. It's the most appropriate quantity for the prevention of diseases such as obesity, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.
Which is best: raw or cooked fruit?
Raw
Researchers at the University of Otago in New Zealand interviewed 422 young adults in New Zealand and the US and found that those who ate raw fruit had fewer symptoms of depression compared to those who eat cooked, canned, or processed fruits and vegetables.
Cooked
On the other hand, a study developed by nutritionists at Harvard University detected that cooking the fruit facilitates its chewing, which allows better digestion, as it increases its net energy value. Furthermore, cooked fruits could concentrate more on natural sugar, which makes them taste sweeter.
However, avoid adding extra sugar during the cooking process. If you do it, the liquid used to cook fruit will be healthy, says a HuffPost publication.
Some popular fruits and their nutrients:
Avocado
It is a good source of monounsaturated fat, helping to maintain adequate blood cholesterol levels. It also contains potassium, phosphorus, protein, vitamins A, C, and B complex.
Banana
One of the most popular tropical fruit which is rich in carbohydrate, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, and zinc. Banana also contains vitamins A, C, and B complex.
Apple
There are many apple different versions. Some taste sweeter and others not. It is full of vitamins C, B vitamins, as well as phosphorus and calcium. The fruit can be consumed both cooked or raw. Who doesn't love a great apple pie? The bark, besides being edible, can be used in the preparation of teas.
Pear
Pear is a source of vitamin C, folate, potassium, iron, pectin, and fibers. It should preferably be consumed with peel, plenty of concentrated vitamin C.
Tangerine
Tangerine is rich in vitamin C, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, and retinol. It also contains pectin, a fiber that helps lower bad cholesterol.
Watermelon
With only 46 calories per cup, watermelon is rich in vitamin C, vitamin A, lycopene, among other compounds that provide benefits such as cancer prevention, oxidative stress, inflammation, among others.
Pineapple
Pineapple is a tropical fruit of the citrus family, such as orange and lemon, which are rich in vitamin C and other antioxidants, essential nutrients to ensure health.
Seasonal fruits are tastier, fresher, and cheaper as well!
If the fruit is out-of-season in some part of the country, it is likely in season elsewhere in the United States.
The sheer diversity of the US means that some produce is in season in different parts of the country at different times. It's obvious that few factors such as weather can, at times, push the seasonality of produce a month forward or backward.
The following list of fruits is divided into months, according to their specific seasons
WINTER
NOVEMBER
- Apple
- Corn
- Grapefruit
- Grape
DECEMBER
- Guava
- Kale
- Kiwis
- Pineapple
- Summer squash
- Valencia orange
- Winter squash
JANUARY
- Avocado
- Green pea
- Navel orange
- Strawberry
- Passion fruit
FEBRUARY
- Avocado
- Kumquat
- Lemon
- Tangelo
- Tangerine
SPRING
MARCH
- Avocado
- Blood Orange
- Grapefruit
- Medjool date
- Strawberry
APRIL
- Cherry
- Nectarine
- Passion fruit
- Raspberry
- Strawberry
- Tomato
MAY
- Apricot
- Asian pear
- Corn
- Fig
- Peache
- Plum
- Raspberry
- Summer squash
SUMMER
JUNE
- Apricot
- Avocado
- Cherry
- Corn
- Grapefruit
- Lemon
- Melon
- Navel orange
- Nectarine
- Plum
- Raspberry
- Valencia orange
JULY
- Apple
- Apricot
- Avocado
- Cherry
- Fig
- Grape
- Melon
- Peache
- Pear
- Plum
- Summer squash
- Strawberry
- Tomato
AUGUST
- Avocado
- Grapefruit
- Fig
- Grape
- Melon
- Nectarine
- Persimmon
- Plum
- Raspberry
FALL
SEPTEMBER
- Apple
- Asian pear
- Orange
- Corn
- Grape
- Guava
- Nectarine
- Passion fruit
- Peache
- Pear
- Persimmon
- Pineapple
- Plum
- Raspberry
- Sapote
- Strawberry
- Tomatillo
- Tomato
OCTOBER
- Avocado
- Carambola
- Cherimoya
- Grapefruit
- Grape
- Kiwi
- Lemon
- Pumpkin
- Pomegranate
- Raspberry
- Sapote
- Strawberry
- Tomatillo
- Tomato
Do fruit colors influence your nutritional complex?
The pigmentation of each fruit has antioxidants responsible for different benefits:
- Blue-blue purple: rich in resveratrol, with antioxidant, vasodilating, cardioprotectors, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory, cholesterol control, and anti-aging properties. Ex: grapes, blueberry, blackberry, and raspberry.
- Red: lycopene sources of the carotenol group. They act as antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, and prostate cancer prevention. Ex: guava, watermelon, and papaya.
- Orange-yellow: a source of beta carotene with higher pro-vitamin A. Potent activity in the elimination of free radicals. Ex: mango, papaya, peach, orange, and orange juice.
- Green: due to chlorophyll pigmentation, they activate the production of enzymes that aid the liver in the destruction of carcinogenic substances. Ex: kiwi, green apple.
- White: a source of allicin that has as its function of controlling cholesterol and anti-inflammatory properties reducing infections in the body. Ex: banana, melon, pear, and green grapes.
How to differentiate fruits and vegetables?
Botanically speaking, the fruit has the structure of a plant that surrounds its seeds, while a vegetable can be virtually any edible part of the plant, besides its fruit and seed. Fruits most confused as vegetables: tomato, sweet pepper, eggplant, pumpkin, zucchini, cucumber, green beans, peas, avocado, sweet corn, okra, and olive
In most states of the United States, fruits are in season for a short period of time. For instance, Florida, Texas, Arizona, and California have mild climates and large fertile, arable landmass, some products may be grown for longer time periods than in the more temperate U.S. zones. But even in these states, seasonality still limits production for most commodities requiring import of products from the southern hemisphere (mainly from Brazil).