Why is it Important to eat Fruits?

Fresh fruits are a great option for breakfast, snack or dessert. Most fruits are sweet and ready for you to eat without cooking or preparing a recipe. Take an apple, a peach, or a banana and just enjoy. Remember to always have fresh fruit available at home. If you have good choices available, you will make good choices.

1. Eating lots of fruit lowers the risk of developing diseases

Eating fruit every day lowers the risk of so many diseases, it’s hard to list them all! For starters, a 2003 study found that eating fruit (and veggies) lowers your risk of developing heart disease. Since heart disease is the #1 killer in the US, that’s definitely a major benefit that helps us all. In 2003, the Harvard School of Public Health also found that eating whole fruits may help lower the risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes.

2. Fruit makes you strong

As part of an overall healthy diet, fruit can really help make your bones and muscles stronger. A 2011 Florida State University study found that eating dried plums in particular can help prevent osteoporosis. Avocados are also fantastic for strong bones. Another study done by University of East Anglia just this year found that vitamin C can help you retain muscle mass. I don’t think I have to remind you that fruits are just loaded with C!

3. Water content in fruit helps keep you hydrated

Certain fruits are super high in water content, which helps keep your whole body hydrated. While straight and plain water is always best, eating more fruit can help you reach your daily requirement, especially if you’re just not a fan of the plain stuff. Watermelon is the obvious choice, as its name implies. Did you know that strawberries also have about 92% water content, though? Grapefruit and cantaloupe are also made up of about 90% water. Even apples are a good option, with about 86% water.

4. All fruit has antioxidants which combats free radicals

If you don’t know, free radicals are nasty little unstable atoms that make us age faster, damage our healthy cells, and even cause cancer. Antioxidants are substances that help fight them off. While all fruits have them to some degree, ripe fruits are especially loaded with antioxidants, according to this study.

5. Fruit is high in fiber, which helps keep you fit and healthy

One of the greatest benefits of fruit is all the healthy fiber in them. According to the USDA, it helps reduce blood cholesterol levels. That, in turn, goes back to the first point- it lowers your risk of heart disease. Fiber is also super important for healthy bowels. It helps keep you “regular,” which can prevent issues like constipation, hemorrhoids, and diverticulosis.