Health Benefits of Mixed Fruit Salad
Are you stuck in a banana-a-day rut? Here's a good reason to chop up that 'nana with some strawberries, apples, grapes, and oranges.
It's called synergy. You don't just get a wider variety of nutrients by eating more fruits. Those nutrients actually work together to produce even more powerful health benefits than any single fruit could alone. Think of it like compounding interest -- but with fruit!
One Fruit, Two Fruit, Three Fruit, Four
We all know that the antioxidants in fruits and veggies work hard to protect your body from aging and disease. But what you may not know is that those antioxidants work even harder when they have the company of other antioxidants. That's why researchers recommend people eat 5 to 10 servings of a wide variety of different fruits and veggies every day. Watch this video for tips on sneaking more veggies into your comfort foods.
Whole Is the Goal
If you tend to eat the same fruit over and over, consider breaking the mold next time you're at the grocery store or farmers market, and pick up something you've never tried before. And choose whole fruit, so you get the most antioxidant bang for your buck. Read this article to learn about the five produce colors you should put into your shopping cart every time you shop.
Recipe Corner
Try these simple summer-fruit salads that can be whipped up in a matter of minutes:
Find out about the health benefits of these 12 unique fruits.
Effects of the mango components mangiferin and quercetin and the putative mangiferin metabolite norathyriol on the transactivation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor isoforms. Wilkinson, A. S. et al., Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry 2008 May 14;56(9):3037-3042.
