At West Suburban Wellness, we provide education for our patients on how to live a natural, healthy life. One thing we stress is a healthy diet, high in good foods that are closer to nature and eliminating the bad processed foods. Here we’ve given you some of our tips to have a sweet, fruit-filled Spring!
Bunches of Berries
Fresh berries are some of the most powerful and delicious disease fighting foods available. They contain antioxidants to protect your body by stabilizing free radical, a major source of disease and aging. Berries also contain dietary fiber, which helps maintain a healthy GI tract, lowers blood cholesterol, reduces heart disease and may help prevent certain types of cancers.
Plenty of Pears
You can find plenty of pears in Spring – and good thing, because they supply great health benefits. One medium-sized piece of this fruit alone provides about 24% of the daily value for fiber. Much of this fiber is in the form of pectin, which has been shown to reduce cholesterol and decrease the risk of heart disease. Pears also contain prebiotic fiber, which helps promote intestinal health. Keeping your gut healthy is key to maintaining strong immune and nervous systems. As pears are digested, they slow the growth of harmful bacteria without affecting beneficial bacteria with probiotic potential.
Ditch the Dried Fruits
This one may come as a surprise! There are some secret dangers lurking in dried fruits that have come with modern food science and mass-production. Many commercially available dried fruits are treated with sulfur dioxides to extend shelf life. The drying process removes water and concentrates on the fruits natural sugars – which can be ok in moderation. However, many nowadays are pumped with more sugars, artificial sweeteners etc. that can help contribute to type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Kick Your Canned Fruits to the Curb
While we know having canned fruits on hand can be convenient at times – we also know that they are usually swimming in high-sugar fructose syrup…yuck! Too much fructose is linked with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity and insulin resistance. The canning process can also destroy heat-sensitive Vitamin C found in many fruits.
Attend our next nutrition workshop/free brunch to learn more. For more information, call 630-629-9500.
-Ashley Evans