Strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, watermelon, peaches…Ahh, local summer fruits have begun to appear. This morning I was excited to find two ripe berries growing on wild black raspberry canes in my back yard. They were in my mouth in no time flat! Sweet and juicy –I can hardly wait for them and the blackberries to ripen in quantities large enough to enjoy in mouthfuls! I am especially looking forward to this year’s wild and cultivated berries, since last year we did without, thanks to the infamous April freeze. Now, if mine will just ripen for me before the deer find them…
This summer, instead of spending your money on costly exotic imports, support area growers and feast on delicious local fruits. You can pick your own at a few farms, or buy them in our farmers’ markets and grocery stores. How about planting some of your own for future enjoyment?
If you are serious about improving or maintaining your health, you should be consuming at least three to five servings of fruit each day. What better time to do this than in the summer when it’s so easy and tempting? Rediscover the sweet pleasures of fresh fruit. Out of hand, in salads, in ice cream, on pancakes, in smoothies —the possibilities are endless. Instead of the usual junky dessert or snack, make it fruit instead. Getting your kids into the fruit habit will benefit them for life. Research has proven that fresh fruit contains substances that maximize health, help prevent cancer, dementia, and cardiovascular disease, and regulate weight in unique ways like nothing else can. Many of them can even help protect your skin from sun damage and skin cancer—what I call “eating your sunscreen.” Generally speaking, the deeper or brighter the color, the more nutritious it is. Fruits are excellent sources of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and thousands of other important nutrients.
As always, I encourage you to choose organic or pesticide free produce whenever possible. You avoid eating dozens of dangerous chemicals (many of which are impossible to wash off), you help promote the long term health of the Earth (and protect our food supply!), and last, but not least, over 100 studies now confirm that organically grown produce is significantly more nutritious in the vast majority of cases.
Berries are among the healthiest fruits we can eat. Packed with more vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants, and phytonutrients (color related nutrients) than you can shake a stick at, berries deserve the title of super fruit.
Blueberries top researchers’ lists with major benefits that include protecting the brain from dementia and Alzheimer’s, protecting the eyes from macular degeneration and other vision loss, promoting urinary tract and digestive system health, and reducing the risk of colon, ovarian, skin, and other cancers.
Black raspberries, in particular, have been found to prevent the onset of esophageal cancer, and inhibit tumor growth in existing esophageal and colon cancers. Blackberries and red raspberries are also high in substances that have been shown to minimize cancer risk, improve vision, and more. Strawberries, like other berries, are high in vitamin C, while containing some unique compounds. A recent Harvard study determined that consuming strawberries lowers the levels of inflammatory proteins associated with heart disease.
Then there’s watermelon. Regardless of size, watermelons pack a big health punch. Lycopene is the anti-cancer (especially prostate cancer) red phytonutrient that we associate with tomatoes, but while tomato needs cooking to make its lycopene easily available to the human body (bioavailable), watermelon’s lycopene is bioavailable to us as is. You also get plenty of vitamins A, C, B1, and B6, plus plenty of fiber, all in a sweet, juicy low calorie (50 calories/cup) treat. In other words, dig in!
Peaches & nectarines from Georgia and South Carolina will come in soon, though a few truly local peaches can sometimes be found. (By the way, a nectarine is just a type of smooth skinned peach.) Peaches, like most fruits, are high in fiber and contribute to intestinal wellness while lowering the risk of many cancers. They are especially high in potassium, vitamin C, and beta carotene.
These are just some of the benefits of a few of our favorite local summertime fruits, and I hope I’ve inspired you to eat more of them. I invite you to visit my website and my July newsletter with its recipes for fruity red, white, and blue treats. I also have a guide available to help you choose produce with the least amounts of pesticides.
Until next month, eat well, be well!
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