Fruit a-peel

Don't you just love fruit? But do you know what makes it good for you? Here are a list of your top ten favourite picks. Find out what is available, what makes it healthy and the nutrition content of each one.

1. Apple

What's available: a large number of dessert varieties are available, such as Cox's Pippin, Empire, Gala, Granny Smith, Red Delicious, Egremount Russet, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Spartan and Braeburn.

Cooking apples tend to be larger and have a lower sugar content than the eating varieties. Apples contain traces of starch (carbohydrate), especially when they're still growing. Apples are rich in pectin (a type of fibre) and some varieties are used to make cider.

Healthy highlights: apples contain flavonols called quercetin, which has been shown in numerous studies to have anti-cancer properties. A long-term study carried out in Finland found that eating lots of apples was strongly linked to a reduction in the risk of developing lung cancer. Quercetins have also been shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory properties, so may be useful in conditions such as arthritis. In traditional medicine, raw apples have been used to treat constipation, whilst cooked apples have been used to help stop diarrhoea.

Nutritional content: apples contain vitamin C, but not as much as citrus fruits.



2. Strawberries

What's available: cultivated strawberries come in many different shapes, from small, to large, conical and globular, and some have more seeds and hairs than others.

Healthy highlights: strawberries contain ellagic acid, which is a potent antioxidant. Studies carried out under laboratory conditions have shown that ellagic acid can halt the growth of tumours in the lungs, oesophagus, breast, cervix and the tongue. A study in the USA showed that strawberries reduced the effects of carcinogens in tobacco smoke. In traditional medicine, strawberries are thought to have anti-bacterial properties and were used to cleanse and detoxify the digestive system.

Nutritional content: strawberry seeds are almost indigestible, but have a high vitamin C content. They are highly perishable, which means that loss of vitamin C due to storage will be minimal because they are usually eaten on the same day as they are bought. Just eight strawberries a day provide a fifth of the folate requirement for an adult woman.



3. Banana

What's available: bananas are cultivated throughout the tropics, harvested whilst green and transported under controlled temperatures. Ripening is usually done in the importing country.

Healthy highlights: Bananas are an excellent source of vitamin B6, which is needed to make a neurotransmitter called serotonin in the brain. Serotonin has been shown to reduce pain, depress appetite and make you feel relaxed and less stressed. In traditional medicine, bananas have been used to treat stomach ulcers.

Nutritional content: unlike other fruits, the banana is rich in carbohydrate. Bananas contain low levels of carotene and vitamin C, but are rich in potassium.