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FRUIT

Fruits are rich in vitamin C and fibre and are indispensable in the diet of a healthy person. Recommended whatever the season, we eat them fresh or dried, depending on the season, or imported from countries with a milder climate. They are low in sodium but rich in potassium; some contain beta-carotene (plums, apricots, peaches), others iron (figs, dried peaches and apricots, plums or grapes) and most of them a lot of water (watermelon 94 %, oranges). 86 %, apples 84 %)

Eaten fresh, fruits are an important source of ascorbic acid (vitamin C). Heat treatment destroys a large part of it, so it is better to eat them fresh, in 2-3 portions a day.

In terms of carbohydrate content, fruits have been classified as follows:

  • Fruits with 5 % carbohydrates: watermelon, currants, strawberries, oranges, grapefruit, lemons, blueberries.
  • Fruits with 10 % carbohydrates: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, apples, peaches, cherries, early cherries, walnuts, hazelnuts;
  • Fruits with 15 % carbohydrates: Jonathan apples, apricots, cherries, ripe plums;
  • Fruits with 20 % carbohydrates: bananas, pears, bergamot, plums and grapes;

Among other things, fruit supplies the body with:

  • organic acids, which give the typical fresh taste;
  • minerals such as potassium and magnesium;
  • fibre, above all in the skin and the flesh;
  • plenty of water, especially melons, berries and citrus fruit;
  • tannins, which give a tart taste – in blueberries, for example;
  • natural fruit sugar as a quick source of energy
  • vitamins, for example:
    • Vitamin A and carotene: apricots, lemons, oranges, pineapple, mandarins, dates, grapefruit, apples, pears, almonds, walnuts.
    • Thiamine: lemons, oranges, bananas, mandarins, grapefruit, apples, pears, almonds, walnuts.
    • Riboflavin: lemons, oranges, bananas, mandarins, apricots, grapes, apples, pears, almonds, walnuts, peanuts, chestnuts.
    • Vitamin C: lemons, oranges, bananas, blueberries, apples, pears, kiwi, cranberries, goji, acerola.
    • Vitamin E: almonds, walnuts, olives.

Raw fruits contain natural simple sugars in a matrix of fibre, minerals, vitamins and phytonutrients. They travel quickly through the digestive tract into the small intestine, where the simple sugars are absorbed directly and the fibre passes into the large intestine with beneficial effects. When they are combined with fats or starches (doughs, puddings, creams and so on), this combination makes them enter into fermentation and putrefaction, drawing other foods into these processes as well.

They are always eaten between meals, separately from other foods, which allows them to use all their nutritional properties and to be digested quickly and easily (2 hours before a meal or 3 hours after it, on their own as a sweet snack).

Fruits contain small amounts of sodium: 1-5 mg/100 g, which is why they are recommended in a low-sodium diet (sweet chestnuts are relatively rich in sodium, with 20 mg of sodium/100 g of product).

Cooked fruits have a higher digestibility because of the partial hydrolysis of the cellulose structures.

Vegetable products preserved by freezing are of very good quality compared with the same products preserved by other methods. The changes in quality can be physical, chemical and microbiological in nature. Changes of a physical nature are: structure – texture, which becomes looser because of ice crystals that can break cell membranes in the case of migratory recrystallisation, an increase in volume of 10–15 % during freezing and a reduction of 20–40 % during thawing.

From a chemical point of view, plant products lose a range of nutrients during freezing, particularly vitamin C. In fruits with intense enzyme activity, the oxidation of vitamin C can reach up to 65-70 % after storage lasting longer than 8 months.

With minerals, the greatest losses occur during preparation, freezing and storage. Comparative studies have shown that freezing retains 2-3 times more niacin, thiamine, riboflavin and vitamin C.

Dried fruits are recommended above all for those who prefer a simple snack in a bag that they can always keep in their pocket without much effort. Through dehydration the fruits lose their water, reduce in volume and become sweeter. For this reason they are very high in calories, and it is recommended that they be eaten in small portions.

Their sweetness suits both a meal in itself and a snack in between. In both cases they can satisfy our sweet tooth and supply us with energy for several hours. Even if some of the vitamins contained in the fresh fruits are destroyed by dehydration, dried fruits are rich in fibre and antioxidants and keep a large part of the minerals of the raw fruits (calcium, zinc, potassium, magnesium, iron).

At breakfast or as a snack between meals, dried fruit is filling and provides fibre and quickly available energy – in small portions, since it contains a lot of sugar.