How long does fruit stay nutritious?
March 28th 2008 21:57
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From RealAge, available free on the web.
You've got a ripe banana and a juicy plum. Which one's antioxidants will hold up best after a couple of days in your fruit bowl?
The answer: Eat the banana now. Turns out bananas may lose their antioxidant qualities quickly. Dark plums, on the other hand? They could actually get a tiny antioxidant boost with short storage.
The antioxidants in black grapes, apples, oranges, and tomatoes (yes, tomatoes are fruit!) also seem to hold up well during storage. But not so much when it comes to apricots and cherries.
Fun with Polyphenols
Researchers are busy finding the best way to measure the antioxidant power of individual pieces of fruit. Not an easy task, because the content can vary from piece to piece within the same variety of fruit, depending on the fruit's genes, the environment in which it grew, when it was harvested, and how it was stored. But you don’t have to wait for the final results. Start boosting the colors in your diet right now with these tips
In the world of finance, experts advise you to avoid putting all your eggs in one basket. When it comes to your diet, a similar rule exists but with this twist: avoid filling your basket with only eggs.
Just as with your finances, diversity is the smartest choice around when it comes to choosing the foods that you eat. Applying a diversity strategy to your eating patterns can provide you with easy opportunities to lose pounds, gain years, and enjoy some of the most delicious foods on the planet.
Step inside the major food categories
You probably know all the major players in the nutrition game: vegetables, fruits, grains, dairy, meat-based foods, and fats. Getting an appropriate amount of each major kind of food every day is a good start toward eating a diverse diet. But can you name five different fruits you've eaten in the past week? Within each food category is a vast array of nutrient-rich foods, each one containing hundreds of unique substances. The key is to get to know all the different powerful choices within each food category and to introduce these different foods into your diet on a rotating basis. With a little exploration, you can find hundreds of nutritious newcomers to add to your meals and make them more satisfying and more nutritious.
Take a colorful adventure
Start by taking a trip to the grocery store and spending a little more time than usual exploring the offerings. Hit the produce aisle first and while you're inspecting the offerings, focus on the range of colors. Richly colorful plant foods—bright berries, sunny tangerines, and dark green lettuces—contain important protective phytochemicals and antioxidants that help prevent disease and preserve health. Such healthful vegetables, fruits, and legumes are the items that are often lacking in most diets. Pick out four or five that you've never had before or that you rarely eat, plus grab a few of your favorites, too. Make sure you see a range of colors in your cart. The following table will help you appreciate the full range of nutritional power these different colors have to offer.
Red
Make these fruits and vegetables a regular part of your diet:
tomatoes, watermelon, cherries, cranberries, pomegranates, beets, red peppers, radishes, radicchio, red potatoes, rhubarb
These foods contain the important phytochemicals, lycopene and anthocyanins, which help promote:
• heart health
• memory function
• urinary tract health
And, lower your risk of certain types of cancer.
But don't become a fanatic, just do the best you can.
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Comment by Tracy
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Raven, the green is a good idea, trouble is in summer here there's no green ones in the shops, winter is a bit better.
Glad Tisha is looking after you well, she's got your number,
and Tracy you will still get good nutrition from the bananas if you don't eat them quickly, but as I said, it's the antioxidant effect that's being emphasised here.
Happy and healthy eating to you both, glad to see some committed people.