by E.M.Robinson

Created on: June 28, 2008

An apricot a day keeps the doctor away!

Apricots are among the healthiest fruits and have been a valuable source of food since ancient times. Their nutritional value, chock full of vitamin A, Vitamin C, and potassium have been appreciated in cultures throughout the world where the valued apricot has grown. Today, we know that apricots are rich in lycopene and beta-carotene.

Centuries ago, apricots were thought to be an aphrodisiac. Even in Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream" comes the beautiful line:

"Feed him with apricots and dewberries, purple grapes, green figs, and mulberries. Steal
honey-bags for him from the bumble-bees, and with the wings of painted butterflies fan the
moonbeams from his sleeping eyes."

Add apricots to your diet to add flavor and nutrition. Apricots are enjoyed as a fresh fruit but are also dried, cooked into pastry, and eaten as jam. The apricot season in the U.S. runs from May through August. In the winter, apricots are imported from South America. Look for fruits which are tree-ripened, slightly soft, and that are a rich orange color.

There are numerous reasons why eating apricots is an excellent way to maintain good health.

1. Apricots provide high quality fiber which fights disease, preventing constipation and digestive conditions. Most Americans eat less than 10 grams of fiber per day, so adding apricots to the diet can increase fiber intake.

2. Apricots have nutrients that can help protect eyes.
Apricots also provide vitamin A which promotes good vision. Fruit is important for keeping your sight. A study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology indicates that eating 3 or more servings of fruit per day may lower your risk of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), the primary cause of vision loss in older adults, by 36%, compared to persons who consume less than 1.5 servings of fruit daily.

In this study, which involved over 100,000 women and men, researchers evaluated the effect of the consumption of fruits and vegetables high in the antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E; on the development of early ARMD or neovascular ARMD, which is a serious form of the illness associated with vision loss.

3. Apricots are a rich source of lycopene.

Eating lycopene-rich foods may greatly reduce a man's risk of developing prostate cancer, suggests research published the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Jian L, Lee AH, et al.) Men who most frequently enjoyed these foods were 82% less likely to have prostate cancer than those not eating foods rich in lycopene.

4. Vitamin A is also as antioxidant which limits free radical damage to cells and tissues.
The beta-carotene and lycopene found in apricots protect LDL cholesterol from oxidation, which may help prevent heart disease.

Eating apricots for snacking, on cereals, in baked goods, or in salads are all tasty ways to add this extra-healthy fruit to your diet.

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