My Three Favorite Winter Fruits
Hi. My name is Diana Fleming, and I’m the nutritionist here at Full Plate Living.
I’d like to share with you my three favorite winter fruits, some of their health benefits and a delicious recipe for each one. Here’s to your health in 2021!
Apples
In my opinion, nothing compares to a freshly-harvested, crisp, juicy apple! Apparently a lot of people think so too because apples are the second most consumed fruit in the US.(1)
Health Benefits
While it’s probably not true that an apple a day is enough to keep the doctor away, it is true that apples have many health benefits. They have been associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, some forms of cancer, especially lung cancer, asthma and weight loss.(2),(3). Apples contain a wide array of phytochemicals, especially in the peel, many of which have powerful antioxidant and anticancer activity.(2) One medium apple provides 4-5 grams of fiber,(4) which can help lower LDL cholesterol and increase beneficial gut bacteria.(5)
Tips for Eating
My favorite variety of apple is Fuji, probably because it’s one of the sweetest. My favorite way to enjoy a Fuji is at breakfast: diced and added to cold or hot cereal, or sliced on top of whole grain toast with peanut or almond butter. Apples add delicious, sweet crunchiness to both fruit and vegetable salads. Baked apples can be a healthy breakfast or dessert treat. Click here to try a scrumptious, quick-and-easy baked apple recipe.
Pears
Even though they’re not among the top 10 most-consumed fruits in the US,(1) pears have many health benefits to offer.
Health Benefits
Pears are noted for their high fiber content, about 6-7 grams per medium pear,(4) which can help promote regularity, lower cholesterol and fuel beneficial gut bacteria. Daily pear consumption has been associated with weight loss, decreased lipids and waist circumference, all factors for improving heart health.(6),(7) Pears have also been associated with decreased risk of asthma.(8) They are a rich source of various antioxidant, anti-inflammatory polyphenols, with at least 6 times greater concentrations in the peel.(9)
Tips for Eating
I enjoy Bartletts, but my favorite variety is the Concorde pear. It’s not as common in the US which may be because it originated in England as a cross between the Comice and Conference varieties. If you have a chance to eat one, don’t hesitate. When they’re ripe they have a unique juicy, vanilla-like sweetness. My favorite way to enjoy pears is the same way I like to eat apples--at breakfast. Pears are also a wonderful addition to both fruit and vegetable salads. For a delicious, sugar-free dessert, try our Cranberry Pear Pie recipe in our Healthy Holiday Cookbook.
Pomegranates
An ancient fruit originating in the region from modern-day Iran to northern India, this beautiful, regal-red fruit is a festive hallmark of the winter season.
Health Benefits
Pomegranates are filled with hundreds of fibrous, edible seeds, each seed encased in a sweet, juicy sac called an aril. Removing the seeds from the fruit can be a messy, laborious task, but fortunately for all of us, ready-to-eat pomegranate arils can be purchased in the refrigerated area of many supermarket produce sections.
One half cup of arils provides 4 grams of fiber from the seeds.(10) Both the seed and the juice in the aril contain a wide variety of phytochemicals, especially polyphenolic compounds with powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.(11),(12)
In vitro studies have shown that pomegranate juice and extracts can increase the beneficial, health-promoting bacterial species in the gut while inhibiting the growth of the pathologic, disease-promoting ones.(11) Various human studies have shown that pomegranates display numerous protective effects on the cardiovascular system,(13) including pomegranate juice consistently lowering blood pressure, especially systolic blood pressure.(11),(13) Numerous animal and cell culture studies have shown that pomegranate extracts and juice have many anti-cancer properties, which may make them helpful in the prevention and treatment of several cancers.(11),(12),(14)
Tips for Eating
Pomegranate arils make a sweet, crunchy addition to many foods: hot and cold breakfast cereals, yogurt, fruit and vegetable salads, bread puddings and dressings, casseroles, meals-in-a-bowl and desserts. I may be a bit biased, but my favorite way to enjoy pomegranate arils is in our Thanksgiving Kale Salad recipe from our Healthy Holiday Cookbook.
References
https://www.statista.com/statistics/477475/us-most-consumed-fruit-and-fruit-products-by-type/
Boyer J, Liu RH. Apple phytochemicals and their health benefits. Nutr J. 2004;3:5. Published 2004 May 12. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-3-5
Asgary S, Rastqar A, Keshvari M. Weight Loss Associated With Consumption of Apples: A Review. J Am Coll Nutr. 2018 Sep-Oct;37(7):627-639. doi: 10.1080/07315724.2018.1447411. Epub 2018 Apr 9. PMID: 29630462.
https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/food-features/apples/
Navaei N , Pourafshar S , Akhavan NS , Litwin NS , Foley EM , George KS , Hartley SC , Elam ML , Rao S , Arjmandi BH , Johnson SA . Influence of daily fresh pear consumption on biomarkers of cardiometabolic health in middle-aged/older adults with metabolic syndrome: a randomized controlled trial. Food Funct. 2019 Feb 20;10(2):1062-1072. doi: 10.1039/c8fo01890a. PMID: 30720034.
de Oliveira MC, Sichieri R, Venturim Mozzer R. A low-energy-dense diet adding fruit reduces weight and energy intake in women. Appetite. 2008 Sep;51(2):291-5. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2008.03.001. Epub 2008 Mar 7. PMID: 18439712.
Woods RK, Walters EH, Raven JM, Wolfe R, Ireland PD, Thien FC, Abramson MJ. Food and nutrient intakes and asthma risk in young adults. Am J Clin Nutr. 2003 Sep;78(3):414-21. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/78.3.414. PMID: 12936923.
Li X, Wang T, Zhou B, Gao W, Cao J, Huang L. Chemical composition and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential of peels and flesh from 10 different pear varieties (Pyrus spp.). Food Chem. 2014;152:531-8. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.12.010. Epub 2013 Dec 11. PMID: 24444971.
Kandylis P, Kokkinomagoulos E. Food Applications and Potential Health Benefits of Pomegranate and its Derivatives. Foods. 2020;9(2):122. Published 2020 Jan 23. doi:10.3390/foods9020122
Zarfeshany A, Asgary S, Javanmard SH. Potent health effects of pomegranate. Adv Biomed Res. 2014;3:100. Published 2014 Mar 25. doi:10.4103/2277-9175.129371
Wang D, Özen C, Abu-Reidah IM, et al. Vasculoprotective Effects of Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.). Front Pharmacol. 2018;9:544. Published 2018 May 24. doi:10.3389/fphar.2018.00544
Rahmani AH, Alsahli MA, Almatroodi SA. Potential Antitumor Effects of Pomegranates and Its Ingredients. Pharmacogn Rev. 2017;11(22):136-140. doi:10.4103/phrev.phrev_25_17
