MeatLess March

Fruits are nature’s sweets. They are the part of a plant that contains the ripening seeds - in a sense, the female part of the plant. By this definition, many foods that we call vegetables are actually the fruits of their respective plants. For example, tomatoes, squash and string beans all contain seeds. But in practical terms, what we commonly refer to as fruit is the seed-bearing part of plants that also consists of sweet flesh that we usually eat raw.

Fruits are high in carbohydrates. In fact, they are almost entirely composed of sugars. But unlike refined sugars used to sweeten our cereal, coffee or baked goods, fruits also contain high concentrations of vitamins, certain minerals and nutrients known as phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are compounds derived from plants that are thought to have a variety of health benefits. For example, phytochemicals known as bioflavonoids are found in abundance in the inner rinds of oranges and other citrus fruits. Bioflavonoids are a kind of “super antioxidant” that prevents cell damage and is thought to help prevent a range of diseases, including cancer.

Nutrition experts recommend including 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables in our diets every day. The fruits we eat provide us with important antioxidant vitamins. It is well known that citrus fruits and berries are excellent sources of vitamin C. Many fruits with orange flesh, such as cantaloupes and mangos, are good sources of beta carotene (the precursor of vitamin A). The mineral potassium is another nutrient found in high concentrations in certain fruits, particularly bananas, kiwis and watermelon.
 
Humans have been eating fruit since the beginning of time. It’s easy to see why, since most people are drawn to sweet tastes, and most fruits can easily be plucked from trees and eaten raw. Early humans foraging for food would have found fruits readily available in a variety of natural settings. In fact, even the word “fruit” has a very positive association in most cultures. For example, we hear phrases like “by their fruits you shall know them”, which usually refers to the good works of people.  
 
While it’s best to eat fruits raw and whole in order to consume all of the health-promoting compounds they contain, they have the added benefit of easily being incorporated into goodies like ice cream, pies and breads, and they can also be pulverized and consumed as juices. For those with a really sweet tooth, the drawbacks of consuming processed sugars and chemical colorings can be avoided by using fruits and fruit juices to sweeten and color baked goods, ice cream and even some kinds of candy.