by Holle Abee

Created on: May 13, 2008   Last Updated: June 16, 2008

There's just nothing more refreshing than coming inside on a hot afternoon and grabbing an ice cold, cruchy pear out of the fridge. As the sweet flesh caresses your tongue and the juice runs down your chin, you might wonder how something that tastes so good can be so good for you...but it is!

Even the famed Homer, who wrote the Iliad and the Odyssey, knew how wonderful these fruits were way back in 8th century B.C. Greece. He referred to them as "the gift of the gods," and ol' Homer didn't even know about the pear's healthy benefits!

Pears contain vitamin C, beta-carotene, potassium, plant proteins, important minerals, and lots of healthy fiber. In fact, just one pear provides a fourth of an adult's daily fiber requirements.

We've all heard that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but you can easily substitute a pear for the proverbial apple - especially when it comes to fiber content. In a study at the State University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, 411 overweight women were fed the same diets except for one exception: one group was given a pear or apple each day for a snack, while the other group was given a cookie. The women who got the fruit lost more weight than the cookie eaters, even though all the women received the same amount of calories. Researchers believe the answer to the weight loss was the fiber content of the fruits.

Another study of 2,900 healthy adults, conducted by doctors at the Boston Children's Hospital, the University of Minnesota, the University of Alabama, the University of Utah Medical School, and Northwestern University, made a connection between fiber and health. Increased daily fiber intake decreased body weight, fasting insulin levels, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, blood pressure, and body-mass index. An exciting unexpected bonus was that those with increased fiber consumption also lowered their levels of fibrinogen - the substance that makes blood clot. This could offer new promise in the treatment and prevention of heart attacks and strokes.

Furthermore, an Australian study found that pears and apples, among all fruits and vegetables studied, offer the best protection against asthma. And a joint Norwegian-U.S. 20-year study discovered three foods that significantly decreased the mortality risk of 34,000 post-menopausal women from cardiovascular disease: red wine, apples, and you guessed it - pears!

As we learned from Homer, pears have been cultivated for thousands of years. The Romans learned from the Greeks how to grow them and used grafting techniques to develop over 50 varieties. Pear cultivation spread to the rest of Europe and much of Asia. English colonists brought the first pear trees to America, and through cross pollinations, there are now over 100 varieties.

In the U.S., pears generally ripen in early autumn, but because they store well and are grown in several different parts of the world, they are available year round at practically any grocery store or market. They can also be found canned, made into jams, jellies, and chutneys, or pressed into wine and pear nectar.

Pears make a wonderful dessert, too, either poached or baked. Grilled pears are an excellent accompaniment to grilled or smoked meats, and they're also great with cheese. And a warm fresh-out-of-the-oven pear cobbler, with the tantalizing aromas of cinnamon and ginger, makes the perfect fall dessert!

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