Summer Sweets You Should Eat

What do you love most about summer? Maybe it’s spending lazy weekend days by a body of water, or enjoying dinner alfresco with the family? For us, one of our favorite things is the abundance of fresh and inexpensive in-season fruits like strawberries, raspberries, peaches, and Rainier cherries. You can find us munching on them raw by the handful. And bonus! It turns out these tasty treats provide a range of benefits for your well-being.     

We challenge you to get creative and try some new ways to enjoy all the tasty, bountiful fruits below!

Berries

Berries are truly one of the most super of all the superfoods. Savor some strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries to get a dose of antioxidants in the form of anthocyanins, ellagic acid and resveratrol. Anthocyanins give berries their color and also act as an anti-inflammatory, while ellagic acid can fight viral and bacterial infections and resveratrol inhibits your body from growing fat cells and is great for your skin.

Berries are also packed with fiber and vitamin C, can help lower cholesterol, and are suitable for just about any type of special diet thanks to their low glycemic load. In fact, berries have been shown to lower blood sugar and reduce insulin response, even in people with insulin resistance. Looking for new ways to enjoy them? The folks of Finland have got you covered.

Stone Fruit

Not only are stone fruits delicious right off the tree, they also deliver tons of nutrients in every juicy bite. Choices like peaches, cherries, nectarines, and pluots (a cross between a plum and an apricot) are a great source of fiber, potassium, and vitamins A and C, which support the healthy function of your heart, muscles, eyes, and skin. And these super fruits help aid digestion, improve circulation, and reduce inflammation. All of this for relatively little sugar. Try stone fruits like peaches, nectarines, and apricots on the grill for an interesting twist.

Passion Fruit

Passion fruit is among a variety of “functional foods” that are being studied for their potential assistance with weight loss and management. Like berries, passion fruit is chock full of resveratrol, which in addition to inhibiting fat cell growth, has been found to lower glucose levels and increase stamina. It also contains a whopping 98% of the daily recommended intake of fiber, which helps reduce appetite and lower insulin levels. You can simply cut a passion fruit in half and eat the inner pulp with a spoon, or cut the entire fruit into pieces, simmer it in boiling water until soft, and then blend to create a tasty topping for yogurt. 

Watermelon

In addition to being hydrating, watermelon is loaded with lycopene, which gives the fruit its red hue and may help prevent or delay degenerative brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Lycopene has also show potential to prevent stroke, stimulate the immune system, and treat infertility in men. Watermelon also both contains and increases the bioavailability of citrulline, an amino acid that helps reduce muscle soreness, and its vitamin A and C content helps with skin repair and healthy hair growth.

Tomatoes

Yes, if you didn’t know it already, tomatoes are (technically) a fruit! As with watermelon, tomatoes have tons of lycopene and thus provide all of the benefits noted above. Plus, they’re a great source of both folate, which is important for tissue and cell growth (essential for pregnant women), and vitamin K, which is necessary for blood clotting. Tomatoes also have the lowest sugar content of all the fruits on this list, which is why they’re generally considered a vegetable.

Fruit makes a wonderful sweet treat or balanced snack paired with a bit of protein, but don’t overlook its place as a complement to main dishes, too! It’s delightful atop of fish, mixed in with a salad, or as part of a quick breakfast. Bon appetit!