Les fruit, gourmands et essentiels.

Why fruit is your best ally

Beyond the pleasure, fruit stacks up the nutritional advantages. Vitamins (C, A, B9, K), minerals (potassium, magnesium), fibre, antioxidants and water: it is an ideal cocktail for supporting immunity, slowing cellular ageing and keeping digestion regular. Its natural sugar, fructose, has nothing to do with the added sugars in processed products: it always comes with fibre and micronutrients that regulate how it is absorbed.

The health benefits

Recognised cardiovascular protection

Studies agree: regularly eating fruit is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. Potassium helps regulate blood pressure (a key principle of the DASH diet), and fibre helps keep cholesterol in check.

An asset for digestion and fullness

Soluble fibre (pectin in apples) and insoluble fibre (fruit skin) ease digestion and feed the gut microbiome. Biting into an apple as a snack means avoiding the 4 pm slump and the craving that follows.

An antioxidant powerhouse

Vitamin C, polyphenols, carotenoids: fruit is among the best sources of natural antioxidants. Red fruits (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries) are particularly rich, as we explain in our article on antioxidant foods.

How to eat it well

Fresh and whole is the ideal form. You get all the fibre, and the feeling of fullness is at its greatest. Avoid turning everything into juice: a glass of orange juice contains the sugar of 3 to 4 oranges without the fibre, which is almost like drinking a fizzy drink in terms of its effect on blood sugar.

A few practical recommendations:

• Favour seasonal and local fruit: fruit picked ripe tastes better and is richer in vitamins
• Eat the skin when you can (washed, or organic): that is where the fibre and antioxidants are concentrated
• Frozen or tinned with no added sugar are excellent plan Bs out of season
• Go easy on dried fruit and nuts (raisins, dates, dried apricots): very dense in sugar, even if natural

Should you limit fruit?

Some voices demonise fruit because of fructose. That is a mistake. The fructose in whole fruit is no problem as part of a normal diet. Be wary of extreme marketing claims, in either direction. 2 to 3 fruits a day is a range recommended by most nutritionists; beyond that, simply adjust according to your energy needs.

What to choose

• For vitamin C: kiwi, citrus fruit, strawberries, papaya, guava
• For antioxidants: blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, pomegranate
• For fibre: apple, pear, banana, raspberries
• For potassium: banana, apricot, melon, kiwi (see our full analysis of the banana)
• For pre-workout: banana, dates (fast sugars that are well tolerated)

Going further

To reach the 5 portions a day recommended by the PNNS, combine fruit with vegetables: they complement each other perfectly and together provide the variety of micronutrients your body needs. An apple in the morning, a salad at lunch, a piece of fruit in the afternoon, a portion of vegetables at dinner: the target is reached without effort.