Fresh fruit is the basis of a healthy diet, along with vegetables and greens, and is essential for its high content of vitamins (especially vitamin C and vitamin A), minerals, including zinc, selenium, copper, potassium, fibre, polyphenols and other antioxidants. The World Health Organisation suggests consuming 5 portions of fruit and vegetables per day, a standard portion of fruit, as indicated in the guidelines, corresponds to about 150 g, i.e. one medium fruit such as apple, pear, or two small fruits such as apricots or tangerines for a daily total of about 400 g. In fruit, lipids are almost absent.
Its lipid (apart from exceptions such as coconut and avocado) and protein content is practically irrelevant, while it is rich in water and sugar (fructose), on which its energy intake mainly depends. Who should pay attention to fruit consumption? People who suffer from diabetes or blood sugar problems should take their sugar intake into account. Fructose, contained in fruit, is a simple sugar that causes a rapid rise in blood sugar levels.
However, fruit also contains fibre, which in part slows down its absorption, which is why it is always preferable to consume the fruit whole and if possible with the peel, rather than the juice or extract, in which dietary fibre is almost absent and therefore has a higher glycaemic index. Some fruits, by their nature, are more sugary than others, so ripe bananas, grapes, figs and persimmons should be limited, preferring fruits with lower sugar content such as kiwis, pears, oranges, grapefruits, peaches, strawberries, raspberries and apricots.
It is also important to pay attention to the degree of ripeness; ideally, unripe fruit should be preferred over riper fruit as it has a lower sugar content.
Tips to avoid consuming excess sugar are:
- avoid eating fruit after a meal with other carbohydrates such as pasta, rice, pulses or sweets
- include fresh fruit at breakfast or as a snack, combining it with, for example, dried fruit such as almonds, walnuts or hazelnuts, or with a yoghurt; in both cases, the fat content of these foods will help reduce the absorption of sugars, thus reducing the risk of glycaemic peaks.
A common mistake to avoid, especially in this season, is to use fruit as a substitute for lunch or dinner: these meals should give us the right amount of all nutrients and not only sugars, but also fats and proteins that are not present in adequate quantities in fruit.
Moreover, too much sugar at a time of day when we also need other nutrients will lead us to feel hungry after a short time.
People with intestinal problems (irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulitis) or poor digestion (bloating and abdominal pain) should also pay attention to fruit consumption, because the fibre content of fruit, on the one hand improves intestinal regularity and the balance of the microbiota, i.e. the bacteria that populate the intestine, but on the other hand can be a problem in these individuals.
In general, a good way to consume fruit every day is to include:
- one portion at breakfast, adding fruit to yoghurt, porridge or to enrich pancakes
- one portion in snacks, whether mid-morning or afternoon
- possibly one portion after meals, the vitamin content has a positive effect by improving the absorption of certain compounds and the sense of satiety is stimulated.
All that remains is to choose from seasonal fruit!
So go for apricots, watermelons, raspberries, melons, blueberries, blackberries, pears, plums, plums, currants, grapes, gooseberries, figs and peaches.
(Article by Dr. Daniotti Giulia)
