| p>Fruits follow the blooming of the healthy plants like | | | | - almost any fruit can be dried and preserved that |
| trees, shrubs and vines. They carry the seeds from | | | | way for a longer period of time |
| which new generation of fruit-bearing plants will grow | | | | - nature's perfect foods - fruits are in addition vibrant |
| in favorable conditions. One of the best ways to | | | | in colors, they taste sweet and sometimes even |
| enjoy these nature's perfect gifts is - to eat them | | | | have crunchy texture |
| fresh and alone (without combining them with other | | | | Fruits are at times also classified as: |
| foods or even eating them on top of other foods) | | | | - sweet: dried fruits like apricots, bananas, figs, raisins, |
| since they are digested and utilized more rapidly than | | | | prunes etc. |
| other foods. The only exemption seems to be citrus | | | | - subacid: juicy fresh fruits like apples, apricots, |
| fruits, combined with nuts. Citrus' high level of acid | | | | cherries, grapes, mangoes, papayas, peaches, pears, |
| assists the digestion of fats in nuts. | | | | plums and others |
| The most important positive qualities and roles of | | | | - acid: several berries, citrus fruits, pineapples and |
| fruits are listed below: | | | | pomegranates. Their high level of acid aids the |
| - fruits have a very valuable natural nutrient content | | | | digestion of fats. |
| (most of them are abundant in vitamins A and C, | | | | Every kind of fruit should be eaten when fully ripe in |
| some Bs and E in seeds; they are also rich in minerals: | | | | view of the fact that unripe fruits can be quite |
| calcium, magnesium, copper, manganese and some | | | | aggravating. |
| others) which may help to make our immune system | | | | Take into account that on many, especially tropical |
| stronger | | | | fruits, different chemicals are used to keep the |
| - fruits may have cooling and calming effect on the | | | | insects away for the duration of shipping or to speed |
| body and nervous system which helps reducing | | | | up the ripening. Therefore, cleaning/washing (in |
| stress | | | | particular) the store-bought fruits thoroughly (before |
| - organic fruits are natural and healthy | | | | eating them) is very important! |
| - most fruits are juicy (high in water content, similar | | | | According to Dr. Elson M. Haas, "A diet of only fruit |
| to that of the water content in human body); fresh | | | | and vegetables for a week or two is a good way to |
| and natural fruit juices are higher in vitamins and | | | | realkalinize our body and blood, which aids |
| minerals than most other drinks available, they have | | | | detoxification and lowers blood fats." |
| cleansing effect and aid elimination | | | | Dried fruits lose most of their water content during |
| - fruits are high in natural sugars (that makes them | | | | the process of drying. At the same time, the sugar |
| good substitute for highly caloric and nutrient-blank | | | | content becomes concentrated. Eating too much of |
| sweets which can become foundation for many | | | | dry fruit might cause constipation. Hence, the best |
| health problems, so wide-spread in Western societies) | | | | way to enjoy dried fruits is to rehydrate them in |
| - fruits are low in fat, calories and sodium | | | | some clean, fresh water. |
| - fruits are also known to be high in fiber | | | | |