Fruits have health benefits that should be considered when meal planning.
In the same manner, we need to know that fruits are
available in different kinds with different appealing colours, packed with
various types of vitamins—not all of them contain the same micro-nutrient.
Therefore, one should consume a variety to meet the micronutrient
requirements—a way of improving their nutrition.
Then, here are examples of fruits
with high varieties of micro-nutrient quantities:
·
The
pineapples
·
Kiwifruit
·
Oranges
·
Pawpaws
·
Bananas
·
Watermelons
·
Strawberries
and grape berries
·
Mangoes
·
Apples—fruits
subsist in many types; the types listed are not all rich in micronutrients.
Similarly,
serving fruits with other kinds of food is one way to make your plate look more
appealing.
Feeding on fruits improves appetites when eaten
before meals or dinner.
Raw fruits are more healthy than canned ones and
aid in the prevention of chronic diseases—they contain a variety of
micro-nutrients packed in their pigments that are required by the body for an
immune boost and proper function of the immune system, the formation of immune
cells, and skin care [help in keeping the skin healthy, thus preventing skin
diseases] since the nutrients gotten from fruits also aid in protecting the
body cells from being damaged.
How does fruit content prevent the human
body from chronic diseases?
Strawberries and grapes contain protective
antioxidants (rich in vitamin E) that prevent individuals from acquiring
diseases such as cancer. In preventing cancer, antioxidants protect cell
molecules and DNA from destruction by free radicals.
The antioxidant content makes free radicals less
effective. The probability of free radicals reacting with cell molecules to
destroy DNA becomes impossible.
Besides, they are rich in soluble fibre, which
slows down the emulsification of fats, digestion, and absorption of
carbohydrates with a high glycemic index.
The other useful micronutrients found in fruits
are benefits.
Folate
is essential for menstruating girls, prenatal women, and postpartum
women. They are a rich source of dietary water; most fruits contain high
water content, for example, watermelons, oranges, and strawberries.
Vitamin C, mainly obtained from oranges, lemons, and kiwi fruit, is essential for an immune boost and the prevention of chronic diseases like scurvy. Their intake to prevent deficiency should be watched since vitamin C deficiency leads to scurvy.
· Potassium:
The mineral obtained from bananas supports teeth and bone growth. Individuals
with low potassium suffer from hypokalemia.
Significant question related to potassium deficiency
Which symptoms are related to low potassium levels in blood serum?
· fatigue, constipation.
· leg cramps, and muscle weakness.
Where can we obtain vitamin E in fruits?
· Vitamin E obtained from avocados, mangoes, and kiwi fruits is used by the body to protect against cell damage and is necessary for skin health.
Most fruits have vitamin K.
· Vitamin K, sourced from avocados and kiwifruit, aids in blood clotting.
Fruits with foliate
· Folate, the B-9 vitamin sourced from fruits and their juices [orange juice], is necessary for the formation of healthy red blood cells, healthy cell growth, and proper cell function.
Additionally, fruits
contain dietary water.
·
Besides
being rich in micronutrients, fruits also contain dietary fibre.
·
Dietary
water due to fruit consumption contributes to 700–1000 ml of water per day, and
the dietary water obtained from fruit ingestion aids in preventing dehydration
and provides some electrolytes and little energy.
The dietary water will help replenish water
lost by people with diarrhoea and fever. Therefore, fruits with high water
content are of the essence when one is suffering from dehydration.
Fruits' advantages for women of childbearing age
Who are these women of childbearing age?
Women of childbearing age are all those aged from
15 to 49 years. Women of childbearing age need micronutrient-rich foods. They
need fruits to improve their micronutrient stores in the preconception stage.
Since fruits are one of the main sources of vitamins and minerals they need,
they should therefore be supplemented or provided in the diet in the right
portions since if insufficient, this puts them at risk of contracting
micro-nutrient deficiencies and pregnancy complications.
Providing them with fruits will aid in attaining
sufficient micro-nutrient dietary needs, thus saving them from contracting
micro-nutrient deficiencies like anaemia, neural tube defects, at
pr-conception, and pregnancy
They are vulnerable to health problems if they do not achieve good health at conception. Because pre-pregnancy complications such as anaemia will have an impact on the developing fetus, causing delivery of babies with healthy defects, especially infants that have not developed well-structured brain structures and components, will impair the baby's learning process in the future since the condition has caused low intelligence quotient just because of the mother's inability to access a micro-nutrient dense healthy diet.
Women of reproductive age should value the
consumption of fruits by making sure it is present in their diet since a high
percentage of micro-nutrients will aid in keeping them healthy, preventing
maternal morbidity, and determining the health outcome of their babies if they
are present in this micronutrient-rich stuff.
"Summary"
Why should we include fruits on our menu?
They should be included in your menus since they will provide you with various micronutrients to help in disease control.
They provide dietary fibre, which is necessary for blood glucose control and constipation control.
Dietary fibre regulates carbohydrate absorption and reduces the risks of acquiring chronic diseases.
Dietary fibre will help prevent chronic GIT conditions like diverticulosis.
How does soluble fibre in fruits work in preventing diverticulosis from occurring? The soluble fibre forms a gel-like material that promotes bulky stools, ensuring easy movement of materials along the digestive tract. Easy movement of materials reduces colon pressure and gas, which helps prevent inflammation that will cause diverticulosis.
Why should you value fruit varieties?
Variety is important because not all foods contain the same micronutrients that you require. Including them in different types in your menu for consumption will help you meet your micronutrient needs thereafter.
Why should women of reproductive age increase the density of fruits in their diet?
Since the preconception stage determines the pregnancy outcome, the foods that they supply in their diet impact their health. Consumption of micronutrient-rich foods will prevent pregnancy complications like anaemia. The fruits are rich in vitamin C and improve iron absorption. This is therefore important.
Why are fruits one of the leading roosters in chronic disease prevention?
They are well-known for the prevention of chronic diseases due to the content they contain, which are the packed vitamins in them;
Vitamin E and C are immune boosters.
Dietary fibre slows down digestion and absorption of high glycemic index carbohydrates.
Fruits rich in iron, like bananas, pomegranate and apples, help keep iron stores in the body—preventing iron deficiency anaemia.