Fruits & Antioxidants - FOOD INFORMANT ONLINE

Fruits & Antioxidants

Fruits continue to tantalize our taste buds for many a time. Today, we understand the nutritive benefits and even more seek out the bounty it brings to satisfy and feed us. Studies reveal that fruits nutrient capacity go farther – the synergistic effects particularly antioxidant properties may counter diseases such as cancer. Prevention is always the key. Add fruits to your meal in moderation since it does contain sugar, but good sugar along with fiber.

A study(1) found in the American Society for Nutrition in October 2006 found that olive fruit extracts helped fight against colon cancer cells and promoted cell rejuvenation. Along with antioxidant capabilities many diseases can be prevented just by adding a mixture of fruits in our diet.

With the pandemic occurrence of diabetes type 2 careful consideration must be given to diet. Pre-diabetics have a chance of changing their lifestyle to avoid the often deadly disease. Diabetes leads to so many complications such as blindness, numbness, and heart disease that is well worth the effort to add vegetables and fruits in any diet. A study in Food & Nutrition Research 2007 noted that high intake of fruit and vegetables related to lower level of oxidative stress and inflammation in a group of patients with type 2 diabetes. In other words, the symptoms in diabetic patients were greatly reduced just by eating more vegetables and fruits.

Careful attention, however, should be noted with fruits since these have sugars although better than refined sugars such as found in sugary candies and desserts. Consider the dietary allowance and use techniques for diabetics such as carb choices in the constant carbohydrate meal plan and carb counting via reading the nutrition labels. In addition to carb counting, diabetics often counter carbohydrates consumed with insulin – 1 unit of insulin for every 15 grams of carbohydrtes.

According to USDA foods in the fruit group are any fruit or 100% fruit juice. Fruits may be fresh, frozen, canned, dried, whole or pureed. The recommended daily allowance is as follows: 1 cup for 2-3 year olds; 1 to 1 ½ cup for 4-8 year olds; 1 ½ cup for 9-13 year old girls and boys, 14-18 year old girls, and women 31 years and up; and finally, 2 cups for 14-18 year old boys, women 19-30 years old, and men 19 years and over. These allowances are for individuals who are moderately active and get at least 30 minutes of physical activity.

Below are the following 1 cup equivalents of fruit.

½ large apple

1 small apple

1cup sliced, chopped, raw or cooked apple

1 cup applesauce

1 cup sliced banana

1 large banana (8”-9”)

1 cup diced melon

1 cup whole or cut up grapes

32 seedless grapes

1 medium (4” diameter) grapefruit

1 cup sections grapefruit

1 cup diced, sliced, raw or canned and drained fruit cocktail

1 large orange

1 cup section orange

1 cup canned , drained mandarin oranges

1 large peach

1 cup peach sliced, diced, raw, cooked, or canned, drained

2 halves, canned

1 medium pear

1 cup pear sliced, diced, raw, cooked, or canned, drained

1 cup pineapple chunks, sliced or crushed, raw, cooked or canned, drained

1 cup plum sliced raw or cooked

3 medium 2 large plums

8 large strawberries

1 cup strawberries whole, halved, or sliced, fresh or frozen

1 small watermelon wedge (1” thick)

1 cup watermelon diced or balls

½ cup dried fruit is equivalent to 1 cup fruit ½ cup prunes, ½ cup dried apricots

100% fruit juice (orange, apple, grape, grapefruit, etc.)

Resource: USDA

ANTIOXIDANTS: SUPER ANTIOXIDANTS

Aging, browning of fruits and vegetables have something in common – free radicals. Naturally, you leave anything out and it becomes rotten or rancid. The process of exposing to oxygen or oxidation takes place when free radicals ignite cell damage. The body is quite efficient in metabolizing oxygen. Although, this is a natural process, a minute percentage of cells will undergo damage. Free radicals, rather then completely destroying cells, which would make way for new cells, free radicals damage the DNA causing cells to replicate abnormally-disease causing. Therefore, the “anti” oxidants in produce help fight free radical damage. Bioflavanoids are antioxidants present in a variety of fruits.

ANTIOXIDANT RICH FRUITS

Prunes, raisins, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, plums, oranges, red grapes, cherries.

ANTIOXIDANT RICH VEGETABLES

Kale, spinach, brussels sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, broccoli flowers, beets, red bell peppers, onions, corn, eggplant

NEW SUPERFRUITS IN MARKET

Environmental pollutants of today such as pesticides, increase ulta-violet from sunlight, smoking and alcohol amongst more have created a mess of free radical attacks. More so today we need to engage in fruits that have super anti oxidative qualities.

These newly acknowledges super fruits have super antioxidant qualities that promote health and fight disease.

Noni, Mangosteen, Goji, Pomegranate and Acai Berry. Assessed antioxideant levels in 100 foods. Disease fighting antioxidants can be found in just one cup of most berries in one day.

USDA developed a rating scale “Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity” or (ORAC) to measure levels of antioxidants. The recommended level for eating antioxidant foods should contain at least 3,000 ORAC units a day. Although berries have had their star quality, spices actually have the lead. Spices such as ground cloves, sumac bran, ground cinnamon, sorghum bran and dried oregano are top of the line in spices with high ORAC values. Below is a listing of fruits and spices with their relative ORAC values ranked. For more information check out “Super Fruits: Back to Basics.”

Ground cloves 314,446

Acai berry, freeze-dried 161,400

Cocoa, dry powder 80,933

Wild blueberries 13,427

Cranberries 9,584

Cultivated blueberries 6,552

Prunes/dried plums 6,552

Black plums 6,259

Blackberries 5,347

10.

Raspberries 4,882

11.

Dates 3,895

12.

Strawberries 3,577

13.

Cherries 3,365

14.

Raisins 3,037

Resource: USDA

Footnotes”

This page was last updated: February 16, 2010

Blueberries are rich in bioflavanoids querticin and anthocyanin which help fight tissue damage and resveratol which lowers risk for heart disease and cancer

Resource: http://www.mypyramid.gov/pyramid/

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