We all know that natural food is good for you (and if you didn’t know that, now you do). Fruit is an excellent source of vitamins and energy that can keep you going throughout the day.  But are all fruits created equal? The short answer is no, but since that tells you virtually nothing I’ll explain why.

Each fruit has a unique set of vitamins and nutrients that benefit our bodies in different ways. An apple is going to give you some fiber, potassium and a bit of vitamins A and C, but not much else. A Cantaloupe on the other hand is going to give you not only potassium but calcium and folate along with much higher levels of Vitamin A, C, and K.  So if you have the choice, reach for the cantaloupe.

How to tell a good fruit from fruit that isn’t as good —

It’s all about color. In fruit, oranges, yellows, and reds are promising. But the biggest factor in knowing when one fruit holds more nutritional value than another is to get fruit that has a brighter inside than an outside. Hence the choice of cantaloupe.

Berries in general are good, although strawberries don’t pack as big of a punch. But other berries are an excellent sources of protein and packed with vitamins in a small calorie package. Try and make blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries part of your daily diet. If you add some nuts in the mix you can avoid eating meat all together, you’ll have the protein you need.

A Few Tips on Picking the freshest fruit from the store —

It’s okay to buy frozen. Frozen may even be better for you because they are generally preserved at their fresh peak- right off the vine.

To find the best cantaloupe scratch the little green spot on the bottom of the fruit. The sweeter it smells, the better the fruit.

Watermelons can be picked out by knocking on the outside of the fruit. The more hallow sounding, the better.

You can tell a pineapple is fresh not by the color on the outside but by how loosely the leaves come out of the top (you’ll want to start with the middle leaves). If you don’t need to pull and the leaf falls out it’s too ripe. If you have to yank really hard it’s not ready yet.

Oranges are best judged by weight. The heavier they feel the juicer they are.

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Make sure you come back tomorrow, I’ll be doing a similar post on vegetables!

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