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Pick your way to health with York County’s fresh fruit

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DAILY RECORD - FILE

DAILY RECORD – FILE

By Julie Stefanski

There really isn’t a bad choice when it comes to fresh, local fruits.  All fruits are excellent sources of naturally occurring nutrients that we need to stay healthy.  Not to mention they taste good!  It’s berry season in York County which makes it a good time to pick your way to health.  Berries top the list of easily accessible, affordable local fruit.  All berries are high in water and fiber content which makes them lower in sugar ounce for ounce when compared to other fruits like bananas.

Julie Stefanski

Julie Stefanski

Since one cup of raspberries clocks in with more fiber than a bran muffin and less than 1/3rd of the calories, it’s certainly an item you want to add to your market basket.  Fresh berries have less than 60 calories for an entire cup!  The term superfood is easily applied to these little dynamos of taste and nutrition.  Natural sources of vitamins in dark fruits like blueberries and blackberries help support our immune system without overwhelming it the way a synthetic supplement can.

For most adults, 2 cups of whole fruit per day helps meet daily minimal vitamin needs.  A taller person or very active individual could include a greater amount of fruit without a negative impact on health.

Although natural, fruit sugar, known as fructose, is processed in our bodies the same way as any other form of sugar.  Too much fruit at one time can raise blood sugar levels and eventually lead to weight gain.  Fruit is really best for us when it can be chewed.  Having a drink made out of multiple servings of fruit all at once is currently popular, but for most people that extra sugar doesn’t benefit overall health.

Including one serving of fruit (the size of a baseball) as a snack every day is a great place to start.  Wash some fruit and throw it in a small container or swap an artificial fiber bar for a natural source of fiber like raspberries.  Rather than making a pie, try adding a cup of blueberries to a Greek yogurt at breakfast or include sliced strawberries in a salad.

Be on the lookout for local berries that are often hard to find except straight from the plant such as mulberries, huckleberries, and blackberries which grow naturally in PA.  Picking them locally also supports our local economy and if you are concerned about pesticides you can get an answer start from the source.  Due to the fragile nature of most berries it’s best to refrigerate them and wash right before eating.


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