The benefits of fruit for the health of the body are very diverse. In addition to maintaining healthy organs, the nutritional content in fruit is also useful for protecting the body from disease and can even help the healing process of disease.
Generally, all fruits contain nutrients that are important for the body. These nutrients make the benefits of fruit for health are unquestionable and very dear to miss. No wonder health experts recommend eating fruit every day.
Benefits of Fruit from its Nutrient Content
The following are some of the nutritional content commonly found in fruits:
- Fiber, which plays an important role in maintaining the function of the digestive tract
- Vitamin C, which is important for protecting body tissues from free radical damage
- Vitamin A, which is important for healthy eyes, skin and the immune system
- Folate, which plays an important role in the formation of blood and genetic material
- Potassium, which can help maintain blood pressure and nervous system function
Benefits of Fruit for Body Health
Eating fruits every day is a good diet and can support a healthy lifestyle. Some of the benefits of fruit for the health of the body include:
- Prevent obesity and maintain ideal body weight
- Lowers cholesterol levels and blood pressure
- Reduce the risk of diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease, cancer, and hypertension
- Prevent and treat digestive problems, such as constipation
- Maintain eye health and prevent eye diseases related to aging, cataracts, and macular degeneration
Maximizing the Benefits of Fruit
So that the benefits of fruit can be felt to the maximum, both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Indonesian Ministry of Health recommend that you consume about 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day.
To make it easier to implement, 1 serving of fruit can contain one of the following menus:
- One large fruit, such as an apple, pear, banana, or orange
- Two small fruits, such as plums and kiwi
- 100 grams (1 small bowl) grapes, strawberries, mulberries, cherries, elderberry.
- Two tablespoons of fruit salad or canned fruit
- One tablespoon of dried fruit
- 150 ml (1 cup) fresh fruit juice
You are advised to eat a variety of different fruits and vegetables every day to get a different combination of nutrients from each fruit and vegetable consumed.
Get around this by serving fruit of various colors in each serving per day. You can also serve fruit with different colors and textures to increase your and your family's appetite for fruit.
Now, so that you can get good quality fruit, buy fruit in season to ensure it ripens on time or without forced ripening with chemicals. In addition, choose fruit that is still fresh, seen from the surface of the skin and stems. Make sure the fruit is not deformed or rotten.
In addition to the quality of the fruit itself, there are several other things that must be considered when exploring the benefits of fruit. Some fruits may have pesticides in their skins. Therefore, do not forget to wash the fruit under running water until clean before peeling or eating.
In addition, avoid consuming fruit juices and packaged dried fruit that contain lots of sugar. Fresh fruit that has not been processed certainly has a better nutritional content than that which has been processed. If you want fruit juice, make juice without sugar and don't waste fiber or fruit pulp.
Despite the many benefits of fruit, there are some people who should limit or avoid fruit consumption, for example people with diabetes or fructose (fruit sugar) intolerance. If you are one of them, consult your doctor for advice on the right fruit consumption.