Sunday, September 19, 2010

Saying Goodbye to Summer


Summer is just about gone - the first official day of autumn is Wednesday, September 22nd.

I always feel a little sad this time of year as I bid a bittersweet goodbye to the season.  Is it the heat I'll miss?  Well, no, not really.  Especially not this year.  The lazy days at the pool?  Nope - I'm not that big into lazy days or water.  

Summer is my all-time favorite season because of one word: fruit.

I love fresh, summer, seasonal fruits - peaches, berries, apricots, cantaloupe and watermelon, in particular.  I savor their taste and aroma.  You know what I mean if you've ever been stopped dead in your tracks by the heady fragrance of a perfectly ripe peach, or have been led by your nose to buy a sugary-sweet cantaloupe.  There's really nothing quite like it.

And I know you can find all of these fruits pretty much any time of year now, thanks to worldwide distribution.  But I like buying seasonal for the freshest taste - for me, blueberries from Chile in December just don't taste quite the same as Texas-ripe blueberries at the peak of their season in June.
So as summer fades away, allow me to pay tribute to a few of my favorite fruits - which also happen to be nutrient superstars, as you'll see.  And let me know what your favorites are - or what you may be looking forward to in the fall (juicy, ripe pears anyone?).

Strawberries
My kids adore strawberries. And that's great, because one tiny cup contains over 100% of our daily vitamin C needs - essential for maintaining healthy teeth and gums, as well as healing cuts and scrapes.

Raspberries
Just one cup of raspberries contains as much fiber as three slices of whole wheat bread - meeting 1/3 of your daily fiber needs.  Raspberries are also a good source of vitamin K, essential for bone health.
Blueberries
Their beautiful blue color comes from an antioxidant called anthocyanin - believed to help keep your immune system working in peak form, reducing your risk for several diseases including cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

Apricots
Their season is short - just a few weeks in early summer.  But don't miss it.  By eating just three apricots, you'll be getting 75% of your daily requirement for vitamin A, a key nutrient for healthy vision. 

Peaches
Lucky for us, Texas had a bumper crop this year.  And they were awesomely good.  Not only is a perfectly ripe peach sublime, but it is a good source of fiber, vitamin C and beta carotene - the antioxidant that gives the peach its golden glow and keeps your vision healthy.  Plus, peaches have a high water content, helping with weight control by keeping you feeling fuller, longer.

Tomatoes
Yes, a tomato is technically a fruit.  And the rich red color comes from the antioxidant lycopene, which aides in reducing heart disease and cancer risks.  Eat them raw with a little healthy fat like olive oil or cooked up in a sauce to fully take advantage of lycopene's benefits.

Watermelon
On a hot day, watermelon can't be beat.  And these babies are 92% water, so they are super low in calories, yet fill you up.  And just like tomatoes, the red color is the result of lycopene - and lots of it.  One cup of watermelon contains twice the lycopene as a fresh tomato (and only 40 calories to boot).

Cantaloupe
Kids love super-sweet cantaloupe (or "lopey" as my son calls it).  Eating just a quarter of a melon (about a cup) gives kids all the vitamins A and C they need in a day.  And it provides as much potassium as one banana, a key nutrient for healthy blood pressure.

3 comments:

  1. I agree 100%. Late fall, winter and early spring provide only two choices; apples or pears. I'm not doing the pomegranate (is that a fruit?). I read a good article the other day and thought you might enjoy: http://www.sott.net/articles/show/215007-Study-Finds-Commercial-Organic-Farms-Have-Better-Fruit-and-Soil-Lower-Environmental-Impact

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  2. Hi Eddie,
    Thanks for the link; interesting article to fuel the never-ending debate on whether or not organic is more flavorful and/or nutritious than conventional. I personally like to buy organic as much as possible - preferably USA organic. And yes, pomegranate is a fruit. :) Maybe I'll do an entry on my favorite fall veggies - there seems to be more variety than fruit for the season. Thanks for your comment! Susan

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  3. I think a fall fruit article is needed. Could there be more that I don't know about?! I am like you, the imports from Chile just aren't the same for some reason.

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