Fruit

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Fruit is a food which is thought to be vital for a healthy diet - remember the saying an apple a day keeps the doctor away.? However fruit has not always enjoyed such praise, the view expressed by the Greek physician Galen that fruit provoked gastric disorders continued well in to the nineteenth century.

Now we all recognise the nutritional value of fruit and it is becoming increasingly popular. Fruit is fashionable because of its taste and availability; large supermarkets have cashed in on the technical advances in fruit production and promote deliciously different recipes containing exotic fruit such as lychees and kiwi.

Water Content	The nutrient content varies considerably between different varieties of fruit but their high water content makes them very refreshing particularly when eaten raw. Take an apple weighing 100g as an example. A full 65g of such an apple is water. It is not hard to see why fruit is a delicious, healthy, slimming way to end a meal.
Don't lose the Vitamins	To make the most out of fruit follow the guidelines below: Buy young fruit - old and damaged fruit loses its vitamin C Avoid peeling fruits such as apples - the skin contains nutrients. Stew fruit for a limited time, only using a little water. Prepare fruit only when you need it - chopping causes loss. Other than vitamin C some fruits contain strong levels of the vitamins in the A & B groups as well as protein and fibre, for example the stone fruit analysed in the vitamin C test fairs better when looking at vitamin A. The peach contains large amounts of vitamin A which is necessary to avoid a disease which causes blindness.
Exotic Fruits	The availability of many exotic fruits in the shops has opened up the use of fruit in many meals and menus, providing ample alternatives to stodgy puddings. However, not everyone is keen to take up the opportunities exotic fruits provide, with the average British person eating only 675g (or 1 1/2lb) of fruit each week.