Fresh fruits have been a staple food in man’s diet since prehistoric times. They are very important for our bodies, for many reasons. Fruits are a great source of essential vitamins and minerals. Due to the special enzymes they contain, they are easily digestible. Fruits are a wonderful food, and are even useful for preventing various diseases, ranging from the common cold to cancer.

Eating raw fruits or fruit juice is a very easy way to maintain the body’s essential moisture levels. Fruits have a very low sodium level, which means that there is no risk for people who are on a low-salt diet. In addition, their low sodium level helps prevent bloating, which in turn makes you look slimmer and more shapely.

Dry fruits such as dried apricots, dates and raisins are essential sources of calcium and iron. Eating these fruits will help you have stronger bones and more energy during the day. Another excellent source of calcium is the custard apple.

Because fruits have a lot of fibre, eating one or two fresh fruits each day helps to clean the digestive tracts and makes bowel action easier. Due to their high fibre content, fruits also help in maintaining a clean colon.

Many fruits, especially citrus fruits, are excellent sources of vitamin C. Oranges, lemons, guavas and custard apples are high in vitamin C. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, which means that you need to replenish your body’s levels of this vitamin every day – citrus fruits are an easy way to do that.

Various fruits help in maintaining a healthy heart. Especially helpful in this regard are apples, oranges, lemons and pomegranates.

Apples, dates and mangoes contain nutrients which help to sharpen the memory, prevent exhaustion, insomnia, mental tension and hysteria.

All types of berries, including goji berries, blue berries, and acai berries are rich in phosphorous, sodium and iron. Berries’ high levels of minerals help in strengthening nerves and blood functions. In addition, berries contain large amounts of antioxidants, which help prevent signs of aging, and reduce the chances of developing cancers. Berries are considered to be super foods because of all these properties.

Beneficial properties of other fruits include:

• Lemons – good for indigestion and liver problems
• Watermelons – natural kidney cleansers
• Grapefruit juice – helps prevent and reduce symptoms of the common cold
• Pineapple and pomegranates – helps in soothing nose and throat inflammations, as well as reducing hay fever reactions

Fruits should ideally be consumed raw, in order to retain most of their vitamins and nutrients. Cooking can lead to loss of some of the nutrients. In addition, juicing fruits will lead to a loss in the fruit fibre content.

It’s essential to include servings of fruit in your daily diet to stay healthy and energetic. If possible, try to eat a variety of fruits so that you get the different health benefits of different fruits.