Many nutrition experts recommend eating pears as they are full of health benefits.
Pears are not only delicious they are full of antioxidants, dietary fiber and potassium. Adding pear to your diet can help reduce the risk of heart disease, and even help lower cholesterol. On top of this they are absolutely delicious.
Pears were first cultivated over three thousand years ago in ancient china. Long considered a luxury fruit, many cultures have since cultivated this healthy fruit as it can be eaten fresh, canned, dried and as juice.
Fortunately today pears are no longer a luxury food as pears are readily available in any local grocery store. So you are probably wondering: why should I eat pears? Well first of all – Pears contain no cholesterol, sodium, saturated fat. Pears on top of being a great source of fiber are also a good source of vitamin C, potassium and anti oxidants; on top of this a medium sized pear contains only 50 calories, making it a great choice for people looking for a tasty low calorie snack.
Another benefit of eating pears is that anyone can enjoy the health benefits of pears.
Babies – Pears are an excellent first fruit to introduce to your child.
Children – They are a healthy dessert substitute full of vitamins
Adults – Pears are rich in nutritional fibers and provide antioxidants to help guard against cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
Seniors – Pears can help regulate bowel movements and prevent constipation.
Dietary Fiber
Pears contain a good amount of dietary fiber that will do much more for your health than just helping prevent constipation. The fiber in pears can help lower cholesterol thereby lowering your risk of heart disease. Research performed by researchers at Harvard on 40 adult males found that adding dietary fiber to your diet caused a 40% decrease in risk of heart disease and diabetes compared to subject who consumed low amounts of dietary fiber.
Other research has shown that the fiber in pears can help lower breast cancer rates by 34%.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin that a person cannot produce themselves, therefore they must attain this vitamin through diet.Vitamin C is vital to many bodily processes such as building bodily tissue and acting as a powerful antioxidant against disease by preventing free radicals from damaging tissue and cells.
According to the many nutrition experts, you should try eating 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Combining a pear into the daily menu will definitely help you get the most out of this daily recommendation.
Free Radical Protection
Pears contain powerful phytochemicals – the natural component of fruits and vegetables which help your body protect itself from free radicals and oxidation.
Free radicals are unstable organic molecules that are cause by your body using food as energy (in the drive to provide your cells with ATP). Other sources of free radicals are smoking, polluted air, toxic waste, and burned food. Excessive free radicals can weaken the immune system as they attack tissue cells ultimately leading to disease and even death, Free radicals can also speed up the aging process.
Natural Medicine
Pears have many health benefits that are being used in natural medicine. They are used to treat medical conditions such as allergies and skin problems as well as they are used in the treatment of constipation. Ancient Chinese medicine advocates using pears to lower a fever. A good way to get the hea;lth benefits of pears is by drinking natural pear juice.
How to Choose the Right Pear to Eat?
Since pears tend to ripen quickly, try picking ones that are solid but not too hard, smooth and without bruises.
Here are some great tips when eating and storing pears:
• Store pears at room temperature
• Once a pear is ripe, store it in a fridge
• If you want to ripen pears more quickly, simply place them in a brown paper bag, or beside a bunch of bananas.
• Pears tend to brown quickly when cut open; you can prevent this process by adding lemon or orange juice to the cut pear.
• To get the full antioxidant benefits of pears, you should eat them while they are ripe.
• Eat pears without peeling them as there is much heart healthy fiber in the peel itself.
Here are some great tips on how to include pears into your daily meals:
• Breakfast: Add some pear slices to your yogurt with granola
• Snack: Eat a whole pear
• Lunch: Upgrade your salad by adding slices of pear to your salad
• Dessert: Eat a baked pear filled with brie cheese