What are the Healthiest Fruits?
Tricia Christensen
Tricia Christensen
Different fruits provide different health advantages. For example, some contain more dietary fiber, and others are rich in carotenoids, the chemicals that give fruit their color and are often antioxidants. Some have high values of some vitamins but not other vitamins. This makes it somewhat difficult to identify specific fruits as the healthiest, because the definition of "healthy" can vary. Among the fruits that are often considered the healthiest are guavas, pomegranates and kiwis, along with more common fruits such as watermelons and bananas.
Fresh vs. Canned
There are a few standby rules that people often consider when choosing healthy fruit. Any fresh fruit tends to be superior to canned fruit, which is often packed in sugar syrup. Even when packed in natural juices, canned fruit is often is peeled, which results in a less-healthful serving. Any kind of fruit, however, is healthier than no fruit at all, so even fruits that do not appear on lists of the most nutritious are still likely to be healthy to eat.
Guavas
By many standards, the healthiest fruit is the guava, which might not be easy for many people to find. These bushes are sometimes grown for ornamental reasons, but the fruits that fall off the bushes are edible. Guavas are low in calories, high in fiber and chock full of vitamin C and carotenoids. The fruits are believed to help treat high blood pressure, colds, constipation, diarrhea and scurvy, among other potential health benefits.
Pomegranates
A pomegranate is an exotic, healthy fruit that contains antioxidants, which limit the harmful effects of low-density lipoprotein, or "bad" cholesterol. This healthy fruit also is believed to help increase oxygen levels in the bloodstream and help reduce the effects of arthritis. It even has shown some ability to treat erectile dysfunction.
Kiwis
Kiwis are rich in vitamin C and potassium. They also contain beta-carotene, vitamin E and vitamin A, and they have a high fiber content. Among the health benefits attributed to kiwis are the prevention of the effects of asthma and reduced coughing and wheezing. They also might help reduce the occurrence of colon cancer.
Other Fruits
Grapefruits, which are full of vitamin C and help boost the body's metabolism; and papayas, which provide potassium and vitamin B, are healthy fruits as well. A cantaloupe provides lots of vitamins A and C, and dried apricots are terrific sources of fiber. Blueberries are chock full of antioxidants, as are strawberries, which are often less expensive. Tangerines offer a good mix of carotenoids, fiber, vitamin C, and potassium. Watermelon is low in calories and provides carotenoids, vitamin C, fiber and potassium.
Specific Needs
For people who are looking for certain nutritional values in a healthy fruit, it can help to evaluate them by category or intended benefit. The fruits that are highest in fiber, for example, tend to belong to the berry category, particularly raspberries and blackberries. For vitamin C, the healthiest fruits include citrus fruits, berries and most melons. Carotenoids are especially plentiful in fruits such as melons and guavas. For potassium, consumers, fruits such as grapes, kiwis, papayas and bananas are the healthiest, and vitamin B is provided especially by cantaloupes, papayas and bananas.
Tricia Christensen
Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent TheHealthBoard contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.
Tricia Christensen
Tricia has a Literature degree from Sonoma State University and has been a frequent TheHealthBoard contributor for many years. She is especially passionate about reading and writing, although her other interests include medicine, art, film, history, politics, ethics, and religion. Tricia lives in Northern California and is currently working on her first novel.
AS FEATURED ON:
AS FEATURED ON:
-
![Kiwi fruit contains lots of vitamins.]()
Kiwi fruit contains lots of vitamins. -
![Pomegranate is considered a very healthy fruit.]()
By: volffPomegranate is considered a very healthy fruit. -
![Apricots can be dried to provide a good source of fiber.]()
By: Malyshchyts ViktarApricots can be dried to provide a good source of fiber. -
![Fruits can be blended into a healthy smoothie drink.]()
By: TanouchkaFruits can be blended into a healthy smoothie drink. -
![Technically a fruit, tomatoes are packed with lycopene and vitamin C, two potent antioxidants.]()
By: hitdelightTechnically a fruit, tomatoes are packed with lycopene and vitamin C, two potent antioxidants. -
![Guavas are considered a healthy fruit.]()
By: Yong Hian LimGuavas are considered a healthy fruit. -
![The pulp of guava is pale yellow to pink, depending on the variety.]()
By: tashka2000The pulp of guava is pale yellow to pink, depending on the variety. -
![Guava have many healthy properties.]()
By: wuttichokGuava have many healthy properties. -
![Tangerines have carotenoids, fiber, vitamin C, and potassium.]()
By: hanabiyoriTangerines have carotenoids, fiber, vitamin C, and potassium. -
![Watermelon is high in nutrients and low in calories.]()
By: oksun70Watermelon is high in nutrients and low in calories. -
![Grapefruit is high in vitamin C.]()
By: volffGrapefruit is high in vitamin C. -
![Baby bananas.]()
Baby bananas. -
![Golden passion fruit is high in vitamin C.]()
Golden passion fruit is high in vitamin C. -
![Berries and melons are both very healthy.]()
Berries and melons are both very healthy. -
![Dried apricots are a good source of fiber.]()
By: Volodymyr ShevchukDried apricots are a good source of fiber. -
![Grapes are a good source of potassium.]()
By: NatikaGrapes are a good source of potassium. -
![Blueberries are high in fiber.]()
By: Brian JacksonBlueberries are high in fiber. -
![Tangerines and kiwis are excellent sources of vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that helps reduce inflammation.]()
By: monticelllloTangerines and kiwis are excellent sources of vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant that helps reduce inflammation.
Discussion Comments
Eating more fruits have made me feel better, but what fruit would you say gives helps with energy. I feel I'm always tired when I shouldn't be.
I know that pomegranates, blackberries and blueberries are very rich in vitamins and antioxidants. I'm sure they're some of the healthiest fruits out there.
And let's not forget about tomatoes and avocados. They are fruits as well! Tomatoes are rich in vitamin C and lycopene and avocadoes are rich in healthy fats and magnesium.
Doctors always say that we should eat dark fruits and vegetables because these have antioxidants that fight against diseases.
So are dark red fruits the most healthy then?
This article is a good place to start when deciding which fruits to add to a diet. But it doesn't really give the whole picture because what's healthy for me might not be so healthy for someone else.
What I mean by this is, for example, watermelons are generally healthy. But I'm not allowed to have them because I have diabetes and watermelon is one of the fruits with the highest amount of sugar and has a high glycemic index. So watermelon for a diabetic is not healthy.
We have to consider these other factors before deciding which fruits to eat.
It is also very easy to add vegetables to these smoothies that you can't even taste. This is a great way to get my kids to eat vegetables they might not eat otherwise, like cabbage.
When I was a kid I remember they served canned fruit cocktail at school. I guess this is better than no fruit at all, and healthier than junk food, but I never liked this. It always looked like parts of fruit that weren't good for much else and preserved in a sticky syrup. Some kids only liked it for the cherries, but I didn't even like the taste of them.
I love to pick fresh strawberries when they are in season. They are so sweet and I usually make it to the strawberry patch several times a year. I come home loaded down with strawberries and love to eat them on ice cream and in desserts. I usually take the time to slice them up, but sometimes I just eat them whole.
@anon81049 -- It does seem like with a lot of diet plans you can eat about as many vegetables as you want, but you are much more limited on the amount of fruit you can eat. I think a healthy diet includes fruit, but you also need to balance that out with other food.
I knew a guy who went on a watermelon fast a couple times a year. He said this was a good fast because you were still able to eat something while you were fasting. The watermelon has crunch and nutrition, but most of it is water so it works great to cleanse the body.
He had a history of cancer and felt like this was a way to keep his body free of toxins. He included a lot of fruit and vegetables in his diet every day, but the watermelon fast was something he only did occasionally.
Is it true that you get the best results in nutritional value if fruit is consumed before other food during a meal?
Thanks for the information. i just want to know more about eating these yummy fruits, and how good they are for my body. thank you. please post a little bit more about nutrition too. Thanks.
Goji and Acai are both crackpot schemes. And the people who are talking about all fruit and all vegetable diets are cracked as well. Balance, moderation, a mixture fats carbs and proteins while watching how many calories you intake is the only right way along with exercise.
Various acai companies are scamming consumers with hard-to-cancel credit-card charges. There is also no scientific evidence supporting the supposed health benefits of these products.
And yes, an all-anything diet is bad for you. Be it all veggie, all fruit, or all meat, it's going to be bad. But the sugar in fruit isn't terrible for you. It's much better than eating a lot of less sugary things, like a burger.
Fruits do have some sweetness in them best thing to eat is vegetables! I saw some say they were going to start a fruit diet. I don't know if that would be so healthy due to the amount that the sugar maybe in them! Go for a veggie diet you will lose tons of weight!
Love those guavas.
strawberries are the most healthy.
i decided to start an all fruit diet. What do you all think?
apples have a lot of fiber.
what are acai berries?
someone needs to get a current update on blueberries and acai. Health derived from anti-oxidants are looming large.
I'm surprised there's no mention of apples. I hate apples, goood!
acai berries are number 1....
what about goji berries?!
Post your comments