Autumn is the season of abundant fruits, such as pears, hawthorns, jujubes, pomegranates, persimmons, oranges, grapefruits, bananas, sugarcane, and kiwis. The fruit stalls are filled with a variety of options, but with so many choices, how do you know which one has higher nutritional value? And how do you choose based on different body types? Xiao Jian has gathered the top five champion fruits of the autumn season and invited experts to teach you how to choose and eat them.
Top Five Recommended Fruits for Autumn Health
Hawthorn has the highest calcium content
Nutritional Analysis
Hawthorn has the highest calcium content among autumn fruits, with 52 milligrams of calcium per 100 grams of flesh. Pregnant women and children have higher calcium requirements, so they can eat some hawthorn after meals.
In addition, hawthorn is also known as a "little helper" for lowering blood pressure and cholesterol due to its triterpenic acids and flavonoids. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that hawthorn has a sour and sweet taste, with a slightly warm nature. It can aid digestion, invigorate the stomach, promote blood circulation, stop diarrhea, and lower blood pressure. Raw hawthorn also has the effect of eliminating body fat and reducing fat absorption, which is beneficial for people who want to lose weight.
Eating Reminder
Do not consume excessive amounts of hawthorn for weight loss, especially for those with weak gastrointestinal function. Long-term consumption of raw hawthorn can lead to gastric stones and increase the risk of gastric ulcers, gastric bleeding, and even gastric perforation. Therefore, it is recommended to cook or brew hawthorn for tea before consumption.
Preparation Tips
Slice the hawthorn and steep it in boiling water to greatly dilute its sour taste. In addition to making tea, hawthorn can also be used in cooking, such as adding 5-8 hawthorns when cooking porridge or meat dishes. This not only adds flavor but also ensures the absorption of hawthorn's nutritional components.
Recommended for
Women and children can eat some hawthorn after meals.
Grapefruit has the lowest carbohydrate content
Nutritional Analysis
The carbohydrate content of grapefruit is 9.5 grams per 100 grams. This is good news for obese individuals. Medical studies have shown that foods rich in carbohydrates can cause a rapid increase in blood sugar and insulin, leading to obesity and even diabetes and heart disease.
Eating Reminder
It is advisable for most people to consume no more than 200 grams of grapefruit per day, equivalent to one large segment. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that grapefruit has a cold nature, so it is not suitable for people with weak constitution who are prone to feeling cold.
Shopping Tips
When buying grapefruit, pay attention to three aspects: appearance, smell, and tapping. For appearance, choose the standard type with a pointed top and wider bottom. The skin should be thin and shiny, with a pale green or pale yellow color, indicating that it is soft and juicy. For smell, ripe grapefruits have a fragrant aroma. For tapping, press and tap the fruit's skin to see if it sinks. If it doesn't have elasticity and sinks, the quality is poor. Freshly picked grapefruits are not at their best taste, so it's better to let them sit indoors for a few days. After about two weeks, as the water content in the grapefruit gradually evaporates, the taste will become sweeter.
Recommended for
Diabetes and obesity patients.
Orange is the champion of vitamin B1
Nutritional Analysis
Vitamin B1 plays an important role in the transmission of signals in the nervous system. Among the fruits abundant in autumn, oranges have the highest vitamin B1 content. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that oranges nourish Yin, generate body fluids, and aid digestion. They also have the effect of relieving cough and resolving phlegm, making them suitable for people with discomfort in the lungs.
Eating Reminder
Vitamin B1 needs to be supplemented daily because, like all B vitamins, excess B1 is not stored in the body and is completely excreted. Therefore, during the autumn season when oranges are abundant, it is advisable to eat 1-2 oranges per day to supplement the body's needs for vitamin B1. However, excessive consumption should be avoided because oranges have a hot nature and consuming too many can cause internal heat, especially during the dry autumn season.
Misconception Correction
When eating oranges, do not remove the white fibrous strands outside the pulp. This part is very beneficial to human health. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that these fibrous strands have the effect of promoting blood circulation, resolving phlegm, and facilitating smooth airflow. They are not only a good dietary therapy for patients with chronic diseases such as chronic bronchitis and coronary heart disease but also have auxiliary therapeutic effects on chest pain caused by persistent coughing.
Recommended for
Suitable for those with cough and phlegm, and those with poor digestion.
Fresh dates are the all-around nutritional champion
Nutritional Analysis
Compared to other autumn fruits, fresh dates have the highest content of various nutrients such as vitamin C, potassium, and magnesium. Vitamin C can soften blood vessels, prevent hypertension, coronary heart disease, and arteriosclerosis. Additionally, vitamin C helps to block the formation of carcinogenic substances called N-nitroso compounds, thereby reducing the risk of tumor formation. Potassium enhances muscle excitability and is involved in the synthesis of proteins, carbohydrates, and heat metabolism. Magnesium inhibits nerve excitability, participates in protein synthesis, muscle contraction, and temperature regulation.
Eating Reminder
Fresh dates have the effects of nourishing the spleen and stomach, nourishing the blood, and replenishing Qi. They are suitable for people with deficiency of Qi and blood and poor spleen and stomach function. It is recommended to eat 8-10 dates per day. However, caution should be exercised by those with excessive phlegm and constipation since dates have a hot nature that can aggravate internal heat.
In addition, fresh dates have a hard skin that is difficult to digest and can burden the gastrointestinal tract. They also contain a high amount of sugar, with a sugar content exceeding 20%. Therefore, it is not suitable for people with abdominal bloating, women during their menstrual periods, patients with stomach diseases, and diabetes patients to consume dates excessively.
Shopping Tips
Instead of just choosing larger dates, look for ones with regular shapes and a fragrant smell. Pay attention to the color as well: good dates have a main body that is green with one-third of the area being red. Dates with this color combination tend to have a relatively higher sugar content.
Recommended for
Recommended for those who want to soften blood vessels and lower blood pressure, especially suitable for hypertensive patients.
Pomegranate has the highest dietary fiber content
Nutritional Analysis
Among the above-mentioned autumn fruits, pomegranate has the highest dietary fiber content, with 4.8 grams per 100 grams of edible portion. Unlike coarse grains like corn, the dietary fiber in pomegranate is water-soluble and is not broken down by enzymes in the digestive tract. It can absorb water and expand, greatly increasing the volume of feces, which can prevent constipation and relieve diarrhea symptoms. Moreover, the bacteria in the intestines can ferment these fibers and produce B vitamins.
In addition, red pomegranates are rich in minerals and antioxidants such as punicalagins and anthocyanins, which can reduce oxidative damage caused by free radicals, helping with whitening and delaying aging.
Eating Reminder
Many people think that eating pomegranate is a complicated process, but since pomegranates are abundant in autumn, it is worth consuming them for their rich nutritional value. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that pomegranates have a warm and sour taste, with significant effects of moistening dryness and astringency. They are especially good for relieving dryness and thirst in the throat. However, due to their astringent properties, they are not suitable for people with constipation.
Recommended for
Recommended for those who want to prevent constipation and relieve diarrhea.
Clever Use of Pomegranate
Pomegranate peel has mosquito repellent effects. Since there are many mosquitoes in autumn, you can dry the leftover pomegranate peel and use it for bathing or use fresh peel directly to naturally repel mosquitoes. In addition, fresh pomegranate leaves have the effect of improving eyesight. Take 30 grams of fresh pomegranate leaves, add a bowl of water, boil until half a bowl, and wash your eyes. This can improve symptoms of dry eyes.
Xiao Jian's Tips
Although the nutritional content may vary among different fruits, maintaining a balanced diet is still the "bible" for nutrient absorption from a health perspective. Therefore, it is recommended to choose a variety of fruits and consume them in moderation. Only by maintaining a long-term habit of eating fruits can the nutrients truly benefit your body.
