We all need to eat two servings of fruit every day. So why not choose fruits with the biggest nutritional bang for your buck? Show
Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy Dietitian Jennifer Hyland, RD, CSP, LD, shares her top five favorite fruit choices that offer both taste and health benefits. “Our favorite fruits are packed with nutrients and fiber. And while they’re sweet enough to eat as a treat, they won’t trigger a sugar binge that’s common in other fruits,” she says. On so many levels you’ll love wrapping in more of these tasty, tempting fruits into your diet. 1. Blueberries“They’re sweet, juicy, flavorful and bursting with fiber and phytonutrients,” Hyland says. “Blueberries are also particularly high in antioxidants that protect your cells from free radical damage.” In fact, blueberries rank high on the American Institute for Cancer Research’s list of Foods that Fight Cancer. Some research even suggests blueberries may help reduce age-related memory loss. “What’s not to love? You can sprinkle them on everything like yogurt, oatmeal, salads, or simply snack on them by the handful,” she says. Here’s how to enjoy blueberries all year, at a fraction of off-season prices: Buy them in bulk in the summer, when they’re cheapest and most flavorful, she advises. Then wash, dry and store them in plastic zipper bags in your freezer to enjoy all year long. “Add frozen blueberries and cinnamon to plain Greek yogurt in the morning and place the container in the fridge,” she says. “By mid-day the blueberries have thawed and their juice has melded in, which is by far the healthiest way to sweeten up your yogurt!” 2. Pomegranate seeds“Pomegranate seeds may be tiny but don’t let their size fool you,” Hyland says. These small seeds are filled with some of the most powerful plant-based nutrients (polyphenols) that help decrease oxidative stress and inflammation. Research also links antioxidant compounds in pomegranate seeds (ellagic acid and anthocyanins) to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. One-half cup of pomegranate seeds contain 72 calories, 3.5 grams of fiber and 12 grams of sugar. “Try buying a whole pomegranate, cutting it in half and removing the seeds,” she says. “Store the seeds in a glass container in the fridge then add them to smoothies, salads and trail mix during the week.” 3. Raspberries“These berries really do pack a powerful nutritional punch,” Hyland says. “They’re high in fiber, vitamin C and antioxidants and are also low in sugar.” Raspberries are also full of those plant nutrients called polyphenols that decrease oxidative damage. One cup of fresh raspberries also provides 65 calories, 8 grams of fiber and 5.4 grams of natural sugar. “It’s hard to find another fruit with more dietary fiber which aids in digestion, blood glucose control and weight loss,” she adds. “Raspberries are also a great source of natural sweetness that can help you cut back on or eliminate other added sugars.” Fresh, ripe raspberries are easily enjoyed plain as a dessert — or use them frozen to sweeten smoothies or whole-grain pancakes or waffles. They’re also perfect to top yogurt, oatmeal or salads or infused in water to add a hint of natural sweetness and flavor. 4. OrangesOranges are packed with vitamin C and potassium. They also contain flavonoids, plant nutrients with anti-inflammatory properties. “Oranges aren’t too sweet so you don’t end up craving sugary sweets after eating one,” Hyland says. “They’re also the perfect fruit to eat before a long training run or other sports or aerobic activity.” Eating an orange is better than just drinking its juice. You get 3 grams of fiber in an orange, which has 69 calories and 12 grams of natural sugar. 5. Apples“Apples are one of the easiest, long shelf life fruits to pack and enjoy on the go — so if you always have them with you you can reach for the apple instead of other tempting treats,” she says. “The extra bonus is that they offer some satisfying sweet, along with a bit of weight-management-loving fiber,” she adds. Apples are also packed with antioxidant plant nutrients, and vitamins A and C and have been shown to help lower cholesterol due to their high soluble fiber content. When you’re choosing apples, just watch out for the size. Some very large apple varieties at your local market can harbor 200 calories or more. But one medium apple with skin has just 95 calories, 4 grams of fiber and 19 grams of natural sugar. “Remember, as a general rule for any fruits that have a higher natural sugar content, try to pair them with natural peanut butter or nuts to get some protein at the same time — this can prevent your blood sugar from spiking,” Hyland emphasizes. In many ways, asking which fruit is healthiest is sort of like asking which exercise is best: the answer changes based on the benefit you’re after. "Depending on what characteristics a person is looking for in a fruit—whether it is a higher fiber content, more vitamins like vitamin C, or more minerals like potassium—one fruit might be nutritionally superior to another,” says Lisa McAnulty, PhD, a professor of nutrition at Appalachian State University. But even this idea of nutritional "superiority" is kind of silly when we're talking about fruit. All fruit is good for you. All fruit is rich in nutrients. All fruit is loaded with disease-fighting antioxidants and a good source of stomach-filling fiber. All fruit is superior. If anyone has ever told you not to eat fruit for any reason (fruit is high in sugar, fruit is high in calories, blah blah blah), know that they are flat-out, totally and completely wrong. No legitimate registered dietitian we have ever talked to at Men's Health has ever, under any circumstance, recommended that you stop eating fruit. In fact, you're probably not eating enough fruit. Only 12 percent of adult me are eating the recommended goals of at least 2 cups of fruit and 3½ cups of vegetables each day, according to the CDC. Which means that any fruit that you may eat—apple, orange, banana, blueberries, pears, mango, dragonfruit, whatever—you should probably just eat the dang thing. But, if you want to go deeper on the health benefits of specific fruits, so be it. Here we go. What are the healthiest fruits to eat?Well, if you skipped over the intro, it's important. So go back and read it. (Pause for reader to follow instruction.) gettyWelcome back. According to USDA nutrition estimates, these are the healthiest fresh fruit sources for different vitamins and nutrients.
Again, these are nutrient-specific rankings and ultimately kind of useless, but there you go. The bottom line: Eat fruit, and a wide variety of it, to reap all the many benefits. Is the sugar in fruit bad for you?Despite what you might have heard, there isn’t a big difference among whole fruits when it comes to their effect on your blood sugar levels. Fruits that are high in sugar also tend to contain both soluble and insoluble fiber, which slows the absorption of these fruit sugars and so prevents big blood-sugar spikes, says Robert Lustig, M.D., professor emeritus of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco and author of Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease. "So even if you’re taking in a lot of sugar with some fruits, you’re not absorbing that sugar," he adds. Also worth noting: blending fruit (like in a smoothie blender) breaks down its insoluble fiber, and so allows your body to absorb a lot more fruit sugar in a short period of time. "The blades of the smoothie machine shear long strands of insoluble fiber to smithereens," Lustig says. While you’ll still get all the fruit’s vitamins and nutrients, you need to be careful about overdoing it with smoothies, he says. Which single fruit is the best to add to your diet?All of them. But assuming you’re sticking to whole fruits, and you’re wondering which kind is the absolute best to add to your diet, there is one type that should top your shopping list: berries. MARK RALSTON//Getty Images"Berries of all kinds—including blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, goji berries, cranberries, black currants, and bilberries—are an excellent type of fruit to consume because they are low in fat and calories and are a good source of fiber and several key vitamins and minerals," McAnulty says. Berries are also packed with a variety of healthy plant chemicals called polyphenols, she says. These include anthocyanins and anthocyanidins, which research has linked to improved heart and brain health, reduced cancer risks, improved insulin sensitivity, and better blood pressure scores. More evidence has tied the antioxidant bioactive compounds in berries to lower levels of inflammation and other health benefits. Raspberries in particular may be king of the hill when it comes to good-for-you fruits. Along with all the healthy berry attributes mentioned above, raspberries contain more fiber than sugar, per USDA estimates. That’s a very good thing. Research has consistently linked dietary fiber to lower rates of disease and death, but most Americans aren’t getting nearly enough of it. (The Institute of Medicine advises adult men to eat 30 to 38 grams of fiber a day, but the average man eats half that much.) That makes raspberries an especially healthy addition to your diet. To get your fill of these and other berries, McAnulty says fresh-picked are best because fruit tends to lose some of its healthy nutrients the longer it sits around in shipping containers or store shelves. “Another good option would be to consume frozen berries because, generally, the berries have been harvested and then immediately frozen, maximizing retention of their nutrients,” she adds. Finally, keep in mind that eating a variety of fruits is optimal. “Since different fruits possess different phytochemicals with the ability to exert a wide variety of beneficial health effects, it would be unwise to consume only one type of fruit,” McAnulty says, adding that a healthy diet should include about two cups a day of assorted fruits. Markham Heid is an experienced health reporter and writer, has contributed to outlets like TIME, Men’s Health, and Everyday Health, and has received reporting awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Maryland, Delaware, and D.C. Press Association. Paul is the Food & Nutrition Editor of Men’s Health. He’s also the author of two cookbooks: Guy Gourmet and A Man, A Pan, A Plan. |