You
don't have to be from Georgia to enjoy peaches. Like other fruits, peaches are
a naturally-healthy food. But you may wonder what makes them healthy as well as
how they affect your body. Examining their nutrients provides you with insight
on the benefits of peaches.
Peaches,
with their soft skin and sweet flesh, are a summertime staple. One of the
largest fruit crops grown across the globe, peaches provide a great deal of
nutrients with few calories and no fat. Peaches are a healthy way to fit in one
of your daily servings of fruit. Nonetheless, they are packed with numerous
health promoting compounds, minerals and vitamins.
Vitamins
Peaches
contain 10 different vitamins. A large peach provides 570 international units
of vitamin A, important to healthy vision, and 11.6 mg of vitamin C, an
antioxidant and tissue-builder. Peaches provide lower levels of vitamins E and
K, with about 6 percent of the daily value based on a 2,000-calorie diet.
Vitamin E is another antioxidant, while vitamin K is essential to your body's
blood clotting capabilities. Peaches are also a source of thiamin, riboflavin,
vitamin B-6, niacin, folate and pantothenic acid.
In
the "Journal of Medicinal Food," a study published in October 2009
reported that significant antioxidants are present in the flesh and skin of
peaches. One of the major antioxidants in peaches, chlorogenic acid, helps
scavenge free radicals -- compounds that your body acquires through exposure to
pollutants, food and the environment -- to reduce the effects of aging and
deter chronic diseases. This antioxidant may also help ward off cancer and
reduce body inflammation.
Vitamin
C is an essential vitamin because it supports a healthy immune system and
lessens the impact of free radicals on the body by acting as an antioxidant. If
you are a man over the age of 19, NIH advises that you consume 90 mg of vitamin
C per day. Women age 19 and older should consume 75 mg of vitamin C per day. A
medium peach has 9.9 mg of vitamin C to support your daily intake.
Weight Control
One
large peach, about 2 3/4 inches in diameter, contains just 68 calories and no
fat. Eating peaches instead of more fattening, processed snacks, such as chips,
baked goods, cereal bars and cookies, can help you manage your weight. Peaches
are naturally sweet and can replace some of the added sugars in your diet. Use
them to top unsweetened whole-grain cereal, plain yogurt or plain low-fat
cottage cheese, instead of choosing versions of these foods sweetened with
high-fructose corn syrup or cane sugar.
Minerals
According
to the National Institutes of Health, adults age 19 and older should consume
4.7 g per day. Potassium is a key element to your health because it keeps your
muscles healthy and supports the electrical functioning of your heart. A
large peach provides 333 mg of potassium. Potassium can help you maintain
healthy blood pressure as well as prevent kidney stones and bone loss. You need
about 2,000 mg of potassium daily. Peaches provide some magnesium, phosphorus,
zinc, copper, manganese, iron and calcium as well. These minerals work to
support red blood cell, bone and nervous system health.
Fiber
A
large peach provides 17 g of carbohydrates, 3 g of which come from fiber. Fiber
is essential to smooth and healthy digestion, preventing constipation and
ensuring colon health. Fiber may also play a role in regulating your
cholesterol levels, helping to reduce your risk of developing heart disease. An
adult woman should try to consume 25 g of fiber daily, and an adult man 38 g
daily.
Another
benefit of peaches is that they contain concentrations of dietary fiber.
Dietary fiber is important for your body because it aids in digestion and helps
to prevent cardiovascular disease. One medium peach 2.2 g of dietary fiber.
This contributes to your daily dietary fiber intake of 21 to 25 g of dietary
fiber if you are a woman and 30 to 38 g of dietary fiber if you are a man, in
conjunction with a 2,000-calorie diet.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates
are nutrients composed of strains of sugar. According to the U.S. Department of
Agriculture, carbohydrates are a part of a healthy diet. For example, if you
eat 2,000 calories per day you should consume between 225 and 325 g of
carbohydrates each day. A medium peach contains approximately 14 g of
carbohydrates. The carbohydrates from a peach are beneficial because they are
naturally-occurring.
It
is important to consume sugar as a part of a healthy diet as well. The American
Heart Association recommends limiting your intake of sugar to 30 g per day if
you are a woman and 45 g of sugar if you are a man. In addition, eating foods
that contain sugar naturally is preferable because it helps support a healthy
diet. A medium-sized peach contains about 12 g of sugar, which is significant.
However, it is easier for your body to process the natural sugar in fruit.
References
- MyPyramid.gov; Why Is It Important to Eat Fruits?; February 2011
- "Journal of Medicinal Food"; Antioxidant Potential of Peels and Fleshes of Peaches From Different Cultivars; S. B. Rossato, et al.; October 2009
- "Journal of Hygiene Research"; Biological Effects of Chlorogenic Acid and Body Health; S.Y. Li, et al.; November 2005
- Institute of Medicine; Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids; September 2002
- Institute of Medicine: Dietary Reference Intake, Vitamins; 2001
- USDA: Nutrient Database: Peaches, Raw
- National Institutes of Health: Potassium in Diet
- National Institutes of Health: Vitamin C
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Raw Peach
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