Fructose is Different: Update Your Diet with These 6 Healthy Fruits

People realized the health benefits of fruits and vegetables as far back as 1866. We've all heard the saying about apples and doctors: "An apple a day..." It seems the original phrase, out of Pembrokeshire, Wales, went more like this: 

"Eat an apple on going to bed, and you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread.”  - Healthline.com

What About the Fructose?

Eating a healthy quantity of fruit every day sounds great but what about fructose? Fruit has fructose and fructose is sugar, right? We've been told for decades that sugar is bad for us. Now we're supposed to eat a bunch of it every day? Sounds like one of those things that make you say, "Hhmmm...."

It's really not a "Hhmmm..." moment if you look at the bare-bones facts about fructose. 

• Fructose is a monosaccharide, and bonds with glucose to form sucrose or table sugar.  
• Consuming excessive sucrose can be harmful to the body's metabolic processes.
• Whole fruits, however, don't contain enough fructose to cause harm. 
• Whole fruits are loaded with fiber and water and require significant chewing, which means they take a while to eat and digest. Our bodies process whole fruit fructose differently because of the fiber.
• Fructose releases slowly into the body, making it much easier to metabolize.  
• By slowing the rate of release of natural fructose into the bloodstream, we don't get the spikes and crashes that can come with eating refined sugar.

6 Excellent Fruits for a Healthy Diet

Including more fruit in your daily diet is an excellent way to improve your overall health and reduce your risk of certain diseases. An excellent source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, fruits provide a range of health-enhancing antioxidants. 

Which healthy fruits should you include in your newly updated diet? Here are a few suggestions for your consideration:

1. Lemon

This powerful citrus fruit is packed with nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and other goodies. The nutrients found in a medium-sized, raw, peeled lemon include:

• calories: 24
• sodium: 2mg
• dietary fiber: 2.4g
• sugars: 2.1g
• potassium: 116g  

Some of the healthful benefits of adding lemon to your diet include:

• aids digestion by supplementing stomach acid levels  
• daily lemon water helps you stay hydrated
• low in calories to help maintain weight
• contains phytonutrients with antioxidant properties to protect against disease
• provides potassium which promotes muscle and nerve communication

2. Blackberries

These sweet berries are rich in antioxidants that keep free radical compounds in the body at safe levels. One cup of raw blackberries provide these healthy nutrients:

• calories: 62
• sodium: 1mg
• total carbohydrate: 14.7g
• dietary fiber: 7.6g
• sugars: 7g
• vitamin A: 310mg
• vitamin C: 
• 30mg
• magnesium: 29mg

In addition to increasing antioxidants by adding blackberries to your healthy diet update, you'll also gain the following benefits:

• blackberries provide about one-fourth of the daily fiber needed to maintain good gut health
• vitamin C in blackberries supports your immune system
• provide vitamin K, a nutrient essential for bone health and normal blood clotting
• magnesium is essential for creating energy, muscle movement, and nervous system regulation

3. Avocado

There are few fruits as versatile as avocado. One average-sized fruit contains the following healthful nutrients:

• calories: 321
• sodium: 14mg
• total carbohydrate: 17.1g
• dietary fiber: 13.5g
• sugars:  1.3g
• protein: 4g
• potassium 975mg
• calcium: 24mg
• vitamin A: 291mg
• vitamin C: 20mg

Avocado is a great choice for a snack before and after your workout. 

• avocado's monounsaturated fats help repair muscle irritation that may occur in a workout
• vitamin B provides a metabolic boost and help assimilate carbohydrates

4. Grapes

Grapes are usually classified as white (green), red, purple, or black. Regardless of which color you prefer, there's more to the humble grape than the wine they may become. One cup of grapes of any sort provides the following nutrients: 

• calories: 104
• sodium: 3mg
• total carbohydrate: 27.3g
• dietary fiber: 1.4g
• sugars: 1.1g
• calcium: 15mg
• potassium: 288mg
• vitamin A: 98mg
• vitamin C: 16mg

Adding grapes to your stable of healthy fruits also affords you other benefits:

• grapes, regardless of color, supply antioxidants that fight against high levels of harmful free radicals
• polyphenols, a type of antioxidant in grapes, aid healthy skin and may help protect against diabetes, cancer, and aging
• grapes provide insoluble fiber to help regulate your digestive system
• nutrients in grapes help your body's ability to repair wounds and heal infections

5. Kiwi

Also known as Chinese gooseberries, kiwi fruit is a powerhouse of healthy nutrients. One whole kiwi with a diameter of two inches provides the following:

• calories: 42
• sodium: 2mg
• total carbohydrate: 10.1g
• dietary fiber: 2.1g
• sugars: 6.2g
• calcium: 23mg
• potassium: 215mg
• vitamin A: 59mg
• vitamin C: 64mg

Kiwi makes a great after-workout snack by providing these benefits:

• packed with antioxidants that help relieve soreness in muscles and joints
• kiwi can increase the levels of serotonin in the brain, which improves mood and sleep quality
• kiwi helps maintain proper pH balance in the blood
• high levels of vitamin C in kiwi help support the immune system

6. Mango

Mango is a favorite fruit for many. One cup of the sweet yellow pulp provides the following nutrients:

• calories: 99
• sodium: 2mg
• total carbohydrate: 25.7g
• dietary fiber: 2.6g
• sugars: 22.5g
• calcium: 17mg
• potassium: 277mg
• vitamin A: 1262mg
• vitamin C: 46mg

Mango is also known as "the king of fruit." Although mangoes are high in sugar, they offer some other impressive perks:

• one cup of mango supplies about a quarter of the vitamin A recommended each day
• promotes healthy hair, skin, and sebaceous glands
• antioxidants in mangoes may help regulate blood sugar levels
• lutein and zeaxanthin, two natural compounds found in mangoes, help protect the retina and lens in the eyes

Up Your Game with Healthy Fruits

Eating healthy doesn't mean you have to forego the fruits you love. Healthy fruits are a plus to a balanced diet, provide nutrients your body needs to meet the demands you place on it, and even make great snacks before and after a workout. So grab your favorite fruit and get moving!