Apricot
The Apricot was first cultivated in
India in about 3000 BC. In Armenia
it was known from ancient times,
having been brought along the Silk
Road; it has been cultivated there
so longit is often thought to be
native there.
Apricots are those beautifully
orange colored fruits full of beta-
carotene and fiber that are one of
the first signs of summer. Although
dried and canned apricots are
available year-round, fresh apricots
with a plentiful supply of vitamin C
and are in season in North America
from May through August. Any
fresh fruit you see during the
winter months have been
imported from either
SouthAmerica or New Zealand.
Relatives to peaches, apricots are
small, golden orange fruits, with
velvety skin and flesh, not too juicy
but definitely smooth and sweet.
Some describe their flavor as
almost musky, with a faint tartness
that lies somewhere between a
peach and a plum.
Health Benefits
Nutrients in apricots can help
protect the heart and eyes, as well
as provide the disease-fighting
effects of fiber. The highbeta-
carotene content of apricots
makes them important heart
health foods. Beta-carotene helps
protect LDLcholesterol from
oxidation, whichmay help prevent
heart disease .
Apricots contain nutrients such as
vitamin A that promote good
vision. Vitamin A, a powerful
antioxidant, quenches free radical
damage to cells and tissues. Free
radical damage can injure the eyes'
lenses.
The degenerative effect of free
radicals, or oxidative stress,
maylead to cataracts or damage
theblood supply to the eyes and
cause macular degeneration.
Researchers who studied over
50,000 registered nurses found
women who had the highest
vitamin A intake reduced their risk
of developing cataracts nearly
40%.
Apricots are a good source of
fiber, which has a wealth of
benefits including preventing
constipation and digestive
conditions such as diverticulosis.
But most Americans get less than
10 grams of fiber per day. A
healthy, whole foods diet should
include apricots as a delicious way
to add to your fiber intake.
Protect Your Eyesight
Your mother may have told you
carrots would keep your eyes
bright as a child, but as an adult, it
looks like fruit is even more
important for keeping yoursight.
Data reported in a study published
in the Archives of Opthamology
indicates that eating 3 or more
servings of fruit per day may lower
your risk of age-related macular
degeneration (ARMD), the primary
cause of vision loss in older adults,
by 36%, compared to persons who
consume less
than 1.5 servings of fruit daily.
In this study, which involved over
100,000 women and men,
researchers evaluated the effect of
study participants' consumption of
fruits; vegetables; the antioxidant
vitamins A, C, and E; and
carotenoids on the development of
early ARMD or neovascular ARMD, a
more severe form of the illness
associated with vision loss. Food
intake information wascollected
periodically for up to 18 years for
women and 12 years for men.
While, surprisingly, intakes of
vegetables, antioxidant vitamins
and carotenoids were not strongly
related to incidence of either form
of ARMD, fruit intakewas definitely
protective againstthe severe form
of this vision-destroying disease.
Three servings of fruit may sound
like a lot to eat each day,but by
simply tossing a banana into your
morning smoothie or slicing it over
your cereal, topping off a cup of
yogurt or green salad with a half
cup of berries, and snacking on an
apricot, you've reached this goal.
Description
Apricots are small, golden
orangefruits, with velvety skin and
flesh: not too juicy but
definitelysmooth and sweet. Their
flavor is almost musky, with a faint
tartness that is more pronounced
when the fruit is dried. Some
people think of the flavor as being
somewhere between a peach and
a plum, fruits to which they're
closely related.