While checking out the lovely sites of some of the Tired Garden readers, I saw Liza's strawberry post. I then wrote a really nice article about different minerals and vitamins and which fruits have them. I then accidentally navigated away from the screen I was writing it in and I lost it. I'll try to recreate it here.
Variety in diet is very important and different foods give us different vitamins and minerals that we need. I was curious about which fruits give us which vitamins and minerals, so I did a little research. First I identified 5 minerals and vitamins I was curious about, then I found out exactly what they do. After than I listed the fruits that best provide this need.
Iron
Iron helps with the transport of oxygen in your blood. Without iron you can feel tired, apathetic or cold. High iron foods include blackberry, kiwi, strawberry, tomato, banana and grape.
Calcium
Calcium helps decrease insomnia and helps nutrition enter cells. It also helps bones and teeth to be strong. Without enough calcium, bones and teeth become brittle and break down, your muscles spasm and cramp and in the long term osteoporosis can occur. Good fruit sources of calcium include orange, blackberry, kiwi, tomato, lime, strawberry, lemon, grape, apple, cantaloupe, banana and peach.
Folic Acid
Folic acid is actually a synthetic form of B9. The natural form is called folate. Folate is needed in pregnancy to help the embryo form and build a good neural network. It also helps to produce red blood cells. Getting enough folate reduces certain birth defects by as much as 70%. Good fruit sources of folate include kiwi, blackberry, tomato, orange, strawberry, banana
and cantaloupe
.
Riboflavin
Also known as B2, riboflavin helps to produce and maintain red cells as well as body growth and reproduction. Only a few fruits have riboflavin in them, the best source is liver. Notable riboflavin carrying fruits include kiwi and avocado.
Niacin
Niacin, also known as B3, helps with the functioning of the digestive and nervous systems. It is also one of the many important nutrients in converting food to energy. Some of the notable fruits that carry niacin include peach, tomato, kiwi, banana, cantaloupe and watermelon
.
Yes, I realize it is Saturday, not Friday, but I ran across the Food Friday meme and I had to join in.
