Making a conscious decision to consume more fruits and veg as part of healthy diet is a no-brainer. We are all aware cutting calories and adding colour to the plate will help shed weight and provide the body with whole food nutrition, naturally balanced for optimal utilisation.
So what matter should the platter choices make?
All fruits contain elements of good nutrition but some supply more benefits per bite than others. Discerning a prize pick comes down to criteria, calorie vs content and flavour vs points in favour.
GI is a Great Guide!
One way of weighing up your options is by using the GI Index and GI Load as a guide to which fruits sustain energy and support good health vs those which act like natures candy. The GI rating measures the effect of a food on blood sugar relative to pure glucose. The GL takes into account how much of the carbohydrate is in the food. A knowledge of both will help you steer clear of empty calories, mood swings and cravings.
Checkout this Chart which includes GI and GL levels for fruits and other foods.
Antioxidants are an Advantage!
Stress accumulates and influences physical well-being in a number of ways, work, environment, mental attitude and of course food choices all take a toll on our bodies immune system. To combat counter-productive renegade radicals your best bet is to consume fruits high in antioxidants. These mighty molecules are capable of slowing or preventing oxidation which creates free radicals that damage cells.
Check the antioxidant power of different fruits (and veggies, herbs, etc.) with the ORAC report (PDF), ORAC standing for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. It’s a database of antioxidant levels compiled by scientists at the National Institutes of Health, specifically the National Institute on Aging.
Gauge your fruit by how its Grown!
Wild and organic fruits with out chemical treatment or genetic modification not only boast more flavour but are chemical-free fruits to favour. Loading up on antioxidants is a good start to tackling toxins but eliminating the edible culprits is one step better. Avoid shinny apples scrubbed and rubbed to perfection and coated with waxy substances to catch your eye and preserve shelf life as they contain chemicals which are harmful to your health. Look for labels that indicate the produce is 100% organic.
Click here to learn the logistics of labels and how foods are rated.
Alternatively if you know what to look for and feel competent in your knowledge of wild foods you could become a huckleberry hound and forage for fruits in more remote areas away from traffic and free from pollution.
The following overview offers insight into the growing interest and industry for Wild Fruits! Make a conserve and learn how to preserve your foraged finds with this pdf on Wyoming’s Wild Berries and Fruit.
Related posts:
- The Honest Food Guide
- Dishing the ‘Earthy Dirt’ on Plant-based Diets!
- The Food Magazine that Really Feeds People!
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