Top Fruits – Page 4 – Juice Health Benefits & Recipes

13 Jan

Which Fruit Has The Most Dietary Fiber?

If you’re confused about dietary fiber, you’re not alone. We all know we need it, but it’s difficult to know how much and what kind. Fiber plays an important role, and understanding that role and how to get the fiber you need is essential for good health.

What is Dietary Fiber?

Dietary fiber is the parts of fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains that our bodies can’t digest. Unlike fat, protein and carbohydrates, fiber just passes through the stomach, intestines and out of the body mostly intact. There are two kinds of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber is found in apples, whole grains and beans. It helps lower cholesterol and blood glucose levels. Insoluble fiber is found in whole-wheat flour, nuts and lots of vegetables. It helps with constipation.

Dietary Fiber in Our Bodies

Fiber is important because it helps keeps our bowels healthy. It gives us normal bowel movements by making stool soft and bulky so it passes easily through the body. This decreases the risk of constipation, hemorrhoids and diverticular disease. Fiber also helps lower cholesterol by lowering “bad” cholesterol levels. It helps improve blood sugar levels by slowing down the absorption of sugar by the body. Fiber also helps us feel fuller longer when we eat, so we eat less.

Adults should eat 25 to 40 grams of fiber a day. It should be a combination of soluble and insoluble fiber. Not eating enough fiber can cause constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticular disease and many other health problems. When you start adding more fiber to your diet, do it slowly: adding a lot of fiber too quickly can cause gas and cramping. Increase the amount gradually over a few weeks. Also increase the amount of water you drink. Fiber needs to absorb water for bulky stools.

Which Fruit Has The Most Beta Carotene (Carotene-ß)?

What Is Beta Carotene (Carotene-ß)?

Carotenes (from the Latin word “carota”) are unsaturated hydrocarbons, which are synthesized by plants. Carotene is orange, and is a photosynthetic pigment that is important for photosynthesis in plants. The carotene is a means of protecting the plant’s cells from being damaged by ultraviolet light. But carotenes cannot be made by animals.

Why Is Beta Carotene Good For Our Health?

Beta carotene – ß-Carotene – is stored in body fat and in the liver. It is a form of vitamin A important to human health. The body is able to convert the beta carotene into retinal when it is needed. Interestingly, different animals have either an efficient or inefficient ability to convert carotenoids that contain retinal into usable vitamin A retinals – meat-eaters are particularly poor at converting carotenoids.

Not only orange foods contain beta carotene. There are fruits and vegetables ranging from green to red that have carotenes in them. Here are a few, which shows the wide range of colors where beta carotene can be found: goji berries, cantaloupe, mangoes, spinach, chard, cilantro, broccoli, rose hips, pumpkin, kale, mustard greens and cassava. It is generally true, however, that the more orange the color, the more beta carotene is present.

Beta carotene is an anti-oxidant. The function of an anti-oxidant is to inhibit the oxidation of molecules. This is beneficial because oxidation produces free radicals, which damage and destroy cells.

There are studies that a small amount of beta carotene may contribute to preventing cognitive decline, and it can also help people who are overly photosensitive. But there is considerable support for an increase in certain kinds of cancer with excessive amounts of beta carotene supplements. In particular, smokers are warned not to take β-carotene supplements, due to the increase in the risk of lung cancer.

But everyone needs their vitamin A, and eating carrots does indeed contribute to good eyesight and a healthy body.

Which Fruit Has The Most Carotene-a (Alpha-Carotene)?

What is Carotene-a?

As a precursor to vitamin A, carotene is a necessary part of the diet. The most commonly talked about and studied is beta-carotene, because it readily converts to vitamin A in the body. Less well known is carotene-a, which is also known as alpha-carotene. All carotenes are pigments that allow more efficient photosynthesis in plants and protect against them against free radicals.

Carotene-a In Our Body And Why Is It Good For Our Health?

Since it only contains one retinyl group, versus beta-carotene’s two, conversion of carotene-a to vitamin A is only half as efficient. However, the benefits of this form are not limited to vitamin production. It is also a potent antioxidant, scavenging the by-products of metabolism and removes them from the body. It is also important in promoting communication between cells. Through both of these mechanisms, many researchers believe that alpha-carotene in the diet will reduce the risk of many types of cancer, autoimmune disorders, and yeast infections.

Carotene-a is a fat soluble micro-nutrient, meaning that it is stored in body fat and requires fat for proper absorption. Low-fat diets and certain conditions that inhibit fat absorption can prevent absorption of carotenes. Certain medicines used to treat high cholesterol and margarines containing plant sterols will inhibit absorption. No health consequences are linked to a deficiency in carotene-a, but it is found in most of the same foods containing beta-carotene. A lack of sufficient carotenes in general may lead to vitamin A deficiency. Lack of sufficient levels of vitamin A will depress the immune system and lead to blindness.

The Institute of Medicine has not found any toxicity issues associated with carotene-A or carotene intake in general. Vitamin A can be toxic in high amounts, but the body will not continue to manufacture it from carotenes when sufficient amounts are already present.

Which Fruit Has The Most Vitamin A?

What Is Vitamin A?

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that is part of the retinoid family. It is found in many foods including fruit, eggs, vegetables, milk, meat and butter. Vitamin A can also be produced in a laboratory. It is required for proper functioning and developing of our eyes, skin and immune system.

Why Is Vitamin A Good For Our Health?

Vitamin A plays an important part in our health in many ways. It acts as an antioxidant and boosts immunity, protects against infection, and plays a role in the functions of vision, gene transcription, embryonic development, bone metabolism and skin/cellular health. Vitamin A is essential for the eyes for low light and color vision. It is also used as a very successful treatment of skin conditions.

Not enough vitamin A can cause serious health problems. Unfortunately this is common in developing countries. One of the first signs of vitamin A deficiency is night blindness. Because vitamin A aids in immunity and fights infection, many children without proper immunizations die from measles and other infectious disease.

On the flip side, having too much vitamin A can cause health problems as well. Excessive intake of vitamin A can increase the risk of fracture. People can actually overdose on vitamin A, causing toxicity. Because this vitamin is stored in the body, taking too much over a period of time can build up over months and years. Symptoms of vitamin A toxicity include blurred vision, bone pain, headaches, muscular weakness and diarrhea. Too much vitamin A in pregnant women has also been shown to cause birth defects.

Vitamin A is an essential nutrient used by our bodies to make it run properly. It’s important to follow the recommended dosing guidelines to insure that you are taking the right amount for optimal physical and mental performance.

Which Fruit Has The Most Vitamin C?

What Is Vitamin C?

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient that has many benefits for healthy living. Fruits, vegetables and supplements all contain this vital nutrient. Vitamin C is an antioxidant, maintains and forms bones, skin and blood vessels. Most notable is that it plays a vital role in collagen production. Having proper amounts of vitamin C has several benefits for healthy living.

Why Is Vitamin C Good For Our Health?

Humans and other animals cannot live without this vitamin. Humans and other mammals cannot make vitamin C on their own and must obtain the nutrient from various fruits and vegetables. Vitamin C is water soluble, so daily replenishment is necessary to prevent deficiencies. The body cannot store vitamin C, so overdosing on the vitamin is difficult. Taking too much vitamin C may cause stomach upset and diarrhea.

The largest role vitamin C plays in the body is collagen production. Collagen production depends highly upon vitamin C to play its part in enzymatic reactions. Collagen production is essential in healing, maintenance of healthy blood vessels and capillaries, and protection against infections, oxidative stress and scurvy. Scurvy is not as common in the past but is the main result of a vitamin C deficiency. Scurvy has many different symptoms including gum disease, bruising and wounds that will not heal.

Vitamin C helps the healing of any wounds the body may incur, fight against infection and slow down the effects of carcinogens. Proper vitamin C intake also lowers risks of heart disease, high blood pressure, cataracts and cholesterol. Kidney, eye and nerve health also benefit from proper Vitamin C levels. The antioxidant properties of Vitamin C are perhaps most beneficial to anyone who is conscious of their supplement intake. Scientists and doctors believe antioxidants help to prevent many debilitating diseases.

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