You can maintain good health and improve your physical well-being easily by eating fruit on a daily basis. Specifically, someone on a 2000-calorie-a-day diet should eat at least two cups of fruit daily to maintain good health and weight.
If you’re currently managing one or more health conditions, adding more or different fruit to your diet could help. Here is how fruit can improve five common health issues.
Reduce High Cholesterol and Constipation with Fruit
Adults need fiber on a daily basis: 25 grams for women, 38 grams for men. Eating a well-balanced diet is important to ensure you get the right amount of fiber in your diet. One way to increase your daily fiber intake is by eating more fruit.
You’ve heard the old saying, “an apple a day…” Whoever coined the phrase was probably concerned about high cholesterol or constipation. Eating an apple is a great way to incorporate more fiber into your diet. The average apple has about 5 grams of fiber in it.
Of course, you don’t have to limit yourself to just eating apples. There are other great fruit sources of fiber. Avocados offer 11 grams, a cup of blueberries offers 8 grams, and one-half cup of prunes offers 6 grams of fiber.
Fruit Can Decrease Stress
Most people experience stress at some time in their life. The problem is that chronic stress can negatively affect your immune system making you vulnerable to disease. To boost your immune system make sure to get your daily requirement of vitamin C.
While there are several fruits that are a good source of vitamin C including oranges, you can also find vitamin C in strawberries, kiwi, and papaya.
Eat Fruit to Help Clear Up Acne
It might seem counter-intuitive to eat fruit if you have acne because the natural sugar in most fruit can cause an outbreak. Therefore, be sure to choose fruit that is lower in sugar. Additionally, look for fruits high in vitamin A and antioxidants. Antioxidants include vitamins C, beta-carotene, and manganese.
Fruits rich in vitamin A include papayas, cantaloupes, and apricots. Fruits with high levels of antioxidants include blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and even apples. Finally, those with lower levels of sugar are berries, apples, and apricots.
Finding fruit with the right balance of lower natural sugar, high vitamin A, and antioxidants can help reduce inflammation and unblock pores to keep acne at bay.
Improve Blood Pressure by Eating Fruit
In general, blood pressure is the pressure of your blood when your heart contracts (systolic) over the pressure of your blood between heartbeats (diastolic) when your heart is at rest. A normal reading should be no higher than 120 over 80.
One of the best ways to improve your blood pressure is to increase your potassium intake. Potassium reduces the effects of sodium in your diet and lowers stress in blood vessel walls.
While several foods offer potassium, avocados, guavas, and bananas are the top three fruit sources. Additionally, cantaloupe provides potassium as well as vitamins A and C.
Whether you eat a wide variety of fruits or choose those that are best for your particular health situation, they’re important to your daily dietary needs and good health. Talk to your doctor about possible dietary restrictions and the best diet for you.
