What are summer fruits?

Like the name suggests, the term “summer fruits” refers to a variety of fruits that are easily available, during the summer season. During the summer it is common for people to lose their appetites, which makes them stay away from rich and heavy foods.

There are several varieties of fruits that are available during the summer. Given below is a lost of some of the most common summer fruits, as well as the health benefits that are associated with it.

• Apricots: High in Beta carotene, which gets converted to Vitamin A by the body
• Berries: High in antioxidants and help the body fight off several diseases
• Cherries: Contain diuretic properties, as well as Vitamin C
• Honeydew melon: Help treating infections in the urinary tract
• Mangoes: Rich in Vitamin C & E & also contain potassium, iron & nicotinic acid
• Nectarines: Can help with fluid retention, constipation and high cholesterol 
• Papayas: Great for weight loss and can also help in improving digestion. It is often used as a natural remedy for constipation too.
• Peaches: Can reduce anemia, fatigue as well as high cholesterol
• Pineapples: Contains antioxidants that protect the body against diseases. Are also great for digestion and weight loss.
• Watermelons: Can help treat kidney, bladder and other digestive problems 

Once in season, it is easy to purchase these summer fruits and vegetables from anywhere, like a fruit market, or a grocery store. These fruits can all be mixed together to make a tasty and nutritious fruit salad or a smoothie. Fixing a salad is very easy as compared to other recipes. For those who are not really watching their weight, a summer fruit trifle could make a tempting dessert.

Summer is the season where the sun rays are at their highest peak. To stay well hydrated is very important in these days. Although most of the fruits like apples, bananas, or pears are now available through out the year, some fruits are seasonal. Summer along with the scorching heat also brings these sensational seasonal fruits like pineapples, watermelon, muskmelon, honeydew melon, mangoes, cherries, strawberries, and other beautiful berries. These fruits not only satisfy our taste buds but are also great as a part of a balanced diet. They provide vital vitamins and minerals, fiber, phytochemicals and antioxidants with negligible amount of fat. Fruits have approximately 80-90% water, natural sugars and give you a healthy, radiant looking skin.

Summer fruits and health benefits -

Watermelon – this summer fruit not only helps to quench the thirst but is also a good source of beta carotene, vitamin C, pectin, lycopene, potassium and iron.

Apricots – fresh apricots are good source of iron, vitamin C, beta carotene, potassium and fiber. Dried apricots help people with fluid retention and constipation. The health benefits of apricots includes anemia, cancer, skin diseases, fevers, earache, indigestion and constipation.

Berries – enjoy most of the berries in summer. Strawberries with stem intact can be stored up to one year with or without added sugar. The phytochemicals in blue berries, blackberries, strawberries helps boost immunity, have a protective effect against cancer, protects against heart diseases and circulatory problems. Cranberries have a healing effect in urinary tract infection.

Peaches and plums – contain good amount of vitamin C, beta carotene, antioxidant phytochemicals and anthocyanins all of which help to eliminate the free radicals from the body.

Papayas and mangoes – both are excellent source of vitamin C, beta carotene, vitamin A and fiber. Eating sufficient amount of mangoes alone can make the body a rich store of vitamin A which lasts for months.

Cherries – bright red cherries not only taste great but also contain ellagic acid which inhibits the growth of carcinogenic cells in the body.

Pineapples – besides being packed with most of the vitamins and minerals, pineapple is a very good source of an enzyme bromelain which aids digestion.

For variety you can even try fresh fruit salad with some flavored low-fat yoghurt or just a plain fruit salad for dessert.

A fresh fruit juice will also help to satisfy thirst and avoid dehydration in summer months. But avoid consuming preserved fruit juices which contains preservatives, added sugar and negligible fiber in it.

Summer is a great season to enjoy these delicious seasonal fruits not only to satisfy your sweet taste buds but also to gain maximum nutritional benefits from them.

Since the fruit is rich in iron and potassium, it is beneficial for pregnant women for their complete well being.

The peach is a fruit that is actually native to China but is cultivated in almost countries in the world that have a cool climate. A peachy basically has an outer skin that is reddish yellow in color while the flesh of the peach is either yellow or white. Peaches that tend to have a white flesh are known to be very sweet and also have very little acidity. The health benefits of peaches are numerous as they are abundant ins plenty of nutrients such as vitamin A , potassium, calcium, iron, vitamin C , niacin, riboflavin , carbohydrates and so on.

Before listing the health benefits of peaches one should also know that the calories present in peach are around 46. One of the benefits of peach is that its aids color to the complexion and also makes keeps the skin healthy. The benefits of peaches are also nutritional as the consumption of peach is known to aid the removal of any possible worms from the intestinal tract of the individual. Another one of the benefits of peach is that since this fruit is rich in Vitamin A, the regular consumption of peaches also results in the prevention of the growth of cancerous cells in the glands and the organs that have epithelial tissue. Peaches also aid weight loss as they are a good source of water and dietary fibre. Hence the consumption of peach as part of a weight loss diet is beneficial as dietary fibre makes an individual feel full and satiated for a prolonged period of time thereby resulting in them not overeating. One of the other benefits of peaches if consumed on a regular basis is that they keep the bowel movements clear and regular and hence help one avoid straining or even constipation. Research has shown that one of the health benefits of peach is that they have excellent antimicrobial activity as well as antioxidant activity and are also conducive to inhibiting any tumour growth activity. On account of the nutritional benefits of peach, most dieticians will also recommend the consumption of peach for those suffering from gout and rheumatism. This is mostly because peaches tend to have a powerful diuretic effect and a light laxative effect as well.

On account of the health benefits of peach, people suffering from medical conditions such as asthma, kidney and bladder stones, high blood pressure, gastritis, anaemia, poor digestion, dry cough and so on are recommended to incorporate peaches in their daily diet as far as possible.