By Lindsay Christ
An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Most of us have heard this rhyme at least once in our lives. However, apples are not the only fruit that can benefit your health. All fruits and vegetables are good for you, but there are some that are particularly healthy and many that we rarely hear about.
A fruit that is not well known to many people is a tropical fruit called noni. Noni comes from Southeast and South Pacific Asia, and has many benefits. It is said to help the immune, metabolic, digestive and circulatory systems, and also helps carry beneficial substances to the hair, skin, tissues, and cells. Tahitian Noni® Juice is a way to obtain noni, and can be ordered online at www.tahitiannoni.com.
Another exotic fruit is mangosteen, which originates in places such as Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines. Roughly the size of a tangerine with a purple rind and white pulp, it is said to be sweet with a hint of sour. Dr. James Duke of the U.S. Food and Drug Association has studied the health benefits of mangosteen and has found over 138. Examples are that mangosteen protects heart muscle, lowers fevers and blood fat, and prevents Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, cataracts and gum disease.
Avocados, a fruit that is pear shaped with a rough green skin, has many health benefits. While it is grown all over the world, the places that it is usually cultivated in the United States are California, Florida and Hawaii. According to www.avocado.org, Avocados can be used to help prevent heart disease and to maintain and lose weight. Avocados are unique from many other fruits because they contain a high amount of lutein. Lutein is an organic pigment that helps prevent eye damage and harm to the skin. Avocados are fairly easy to find in supermarkets, and can be added to salads, soups and sandwiches.
Although these fruits are especially high in nutrients, regular every day fruit is also healthy for you. Consuming foods that are high in antioxidants can help keep a healthy lifestyle. Scientists and nutritionists use oxygen radical absorbance capacity, also known as ORAC, as a method of measuring the amounts of antioxidant levels in different foods. High scoring fruits are blueberries, raisins, black raspberries, pomegranates and wild blueberries. Antioxidants aren’t the only health benefit you can acquire from eating fruits.
“Strawberries are a lowglysemic, which means that they make it easier for you body to digest,” says Rachel Sergeant, a nutritionist at Fitness Incentive, a health club located in Babylon, N.Y. “Pineapples are also good because they are anti-inflammatory.
According to the Harvard School of Public Health, oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits and other citrus fruits can help to prevent cardiovascular disease. In two separate studies it was shown that for every extra serving added to a diet the risk of heart disease dropped by 4 percent. A lot of these fruits can be found by themselves or in drinks that are sold at almost every food establishment on campus.
Next time you’re at the Student Center debating whether to buy a bag of chips or an orange, or drink diet Pepsi or pomegranate juice, think about how many diseases you could be preventing by just one meal or snack.
