Fill Up on Fruits

They taste great and love you back

 By Mary Lou Perry, R.D., Registered Dietitian in UVA’s Heart and Vascular Center

Virginia’s lazy hot summer is the best season to get your fill of nutrient-packed fruits. Studies show eating a generous amount of fruits (and vegetables) can help you control blood pressure; prevent heart disease, stroke and cancer; maintain a healthy body weight; and improve your eye sight and sleep. Not bad for something so yummy.

Here are my 4 local favorites.

Read on to learn which one can protect you from damaging sun rays, which can help protect you against breast cancer, and which can help lower your bad cholesterol. Also get great ideas for adding fruits to meals and salads and turning them into thirst-quenching delights.

Watermelon contains lycopene -- your body’s best defense in fighting off free radicals. Lycopene reduces inflammation and protects again prostate, breast and lung cancer. Moreover, lycopene acts as a natural sun-block and can protect your skin from the sun’s UV rays. 

Strawberries are loaded with vitamin C, folate B vitamins and fiber. These red berries contain an abundance of phenols. Phenols are specialized antioxidants that help fight off different kinds of cancer and protect the heart.

Cantaloupe is low in calories, sodium and fat free. High in vitamin A, C and a good source of B6, B3 and folate. Because of their deep color, cantaloupes are high in the antioxidant Beta carotene and potassium. Diets rich in potassium are known to lower blood pressure. Beta carotene improves your vision.

1 Peach delivers 10 percent of your daily intake of vitamin C and provides 2 grams of fiber, most of it as cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber. Soluble fiber drops the bad or lethal cholesterol known as LDL and can minimize plague build-up in the arteries.

Eating freshly picked fruit right out of your hand is a wonderful treat.

But why not add fruit to your favorite dishes? Here are 7 tasty ideas:

1. Grill fruit on the barbeque. The natural sweetness will add a different dimension of flavor to your meat
2. Make a fruit salsa with mangos, papayas, peaches or pineapple.
3. Add strawberries to Boston Bibb lettuce to “pop” your salad to a new level.
4. Blend chunks of fruit (pineapple, orange slices, mango) into turkey or chicken salad for that fresco feeling.
5. Try a watermelon chiller -- watermelon blended with a splash of lime.
6. Freeze grapes, bananas or strawberries for a cool summer treat.
7. Make a heart-healthy smoothie by blending yogurt and fresh fruit for a delightful snack. 

Not matter what fruits are your favorite, don’t miss them at their sweetest and most nutritious.