Delicious UK - (09)September 2020

eat well every day.

2

MEDIUMPLUMS

OR DAMSONS

PLUMS

lThedarkertheskin,themoreantioxidantsplums

contain,sochoosepurpleplumsoverredoryellow

varieties.Purpleandblackplums, in particular,

arepackedwithanthocyanins.

lDriedplums(prunes)arepackedwithfibre.

A servingofjustfourprunesprovides 10 per cent

of your recommended daily fibre intake.

1

5-A-DAY

HOW MANY?

PEARS

lAswithapples,manyofthephytochemicals

(andfibre)inpearsarefoundintheirskins.

Studiesshowthattheripening process increases

theantioxidantshere,too.

lRed-skinnedpearscontainanthocyanins– a

typeofflavonoidthat’sbeenlinkedtobetter

circulation, heart health and brain function.

DAMSONS

lThey’rericherinmostvitaminsandminerals

thanapples,pearsandplums,andtheirdark

colourmeanstheyhavelotsofanthocyanins.

lDamsonscontainplentyofpotassium,a

nutrientthathelpstocontrolbloodpressure.

Theyhaveone-and-a-halftimesmore

potassiumthanplums,and three times more

than apples and pears.

ALLOFTHEM...

lArenaturallyrichinantioxidantslProvidefibreforhealthydigestion

lAre great for satisfying a sweet tooth without providing lots of fat and saturates

1

MEDIUMAPPLE

OR PEAR

4

DRIEDPLUMS

OR DAMSONS

flavonoids,appleswerefoundto
offerthegreatestprotectionagainst
thecondition.Betterstill,studies
suggestthatpectinhelpsto
increasetheabsorptionof
quercetin,a flavonoidinapples
that’sbeensingledoutasoffering
protection against type 2 diabetes.

HELPINGYOUBREATHEMOREEASILY?
Studieshavefoundthathigher
intakesofflavonoids,especially
quercetin,mayhelpprotectagainst
conditionssuchasasthma,poor
lungfunctionandevenlungcancer.
Forexample,onelargestudy
showeda 37percentreductionin
theriskoflungcancerinwomen
whohadoneservingofapplesor
pears every day. Other research

foundthatmenwhoateatleastfive
applesa weekhadbetterlung
function,whichcanlowertherisk
ofrespiratorydisease(afactworth
taking on board in the Covid-19 era).

GOODGUTFOOD
Pectinactsasa prebiotic(foodfor
thegoodbacteriainourgut).
Prebioticshelpthosebacteriagrow
andflourish,ensuringgood
digestivehealth.Somestudies
haveshownthatapplesmayoffer
protectionagainstallcancersofthe
digestivetract,includingthebowel.
Driedplums(prunes)arepacked
withfibreandhelptomaintain
normalbowelfunction.They
naturallycontainsorbitol,which
is oftenaddedtoproductsas
a calorie-freereplacementforsugar.
Sorbitolisn’tdigestedandhasa
laxativeeffect.Thismakesprunes
a goodchoiceforhelpingtoprevent
oralleviateconstipation.
FollowJulietteonInstagram
@juliettekellownutritionist

RIPEFOR THE PICKING

The nutritional benefits of autumn fruit at a glance

APPLES

lOfalltheautumnorchardfruit,applescontainthe

mostquercetin,anantioxidant linked to many of the

fruit’shealthbenefits.

lTheskincontainsfourtimes more quercetin than

theflesh,sodon’tpeel.

lStoringapplesseemstohavelittleeffectontheir

phytochemical content, so enjoy them year-round.

Choosedarker

skinnedplumsoverthe

redoryellowvarieties

asthey’repacked with

the good stuff