Fruits and vegetables contain natural antioxidants that help your body function at its best. Therefore eating a diet that fulfills your daily required quantity of fruits and vegetables is one of the most excellent methods to provide your body with a strong defense against disease. Summer peaches are one of the best creations of nature. They’re soft and sweet, smell excellent, taste great both cooked and raw, and are high in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Improved digestion, a healthy heart, a robust immune system, and reduced allergy symptoms are just a few of the potential health advantages of peaches. To know peach nutrition facts, read further.
Peaches are a stone fruit with juicy, sweet flesh, similar to nectarines. The skin is the fundamental distinction between the two. Nectarines have smooth, fuzz-free skin, but peaches have thin, fuzz-covered skin. The flesh is white to pale orange and can be used interchangeably in recipes. The best thing is that both are high in vitamins and antioxidants, which are beneficial to one’s health.
Peach Nutrition Facts
What is Peach?
The peach (Prunes Persia) is a deciduous tree tamed and farmed in Eastern China’s Zhejiang region. It produces edible, juicy fruits with various qualities, referred to as peaches and others as nectarines (the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy types). Persia alludes to the widespread cultivation of the plant in Persia (modern-day Iran), from which it was transported to Europe.
It belongs to the rose family’s Prunes genus, which contains the cherry, apricot, almond, and plum. The peach belongs to the subgenus Amygdales, which is distinguishable from the other subgenera by its corrugated seed shell (endocarp). Because of their close kinship, the kernel of a peach stone tastes remarkably like an almond, and peach stones are sometimes used to produce Persian, a low-cost variant of marzipan.
What are the Benefits of Eating Peaches?
Here are some health benefits of eating peaches:
Heart Health
Peaches, like all fruits, are an essential element of a heart-healthy diet, but they may offer some unique advantages. The peach extract has been shown in animal experiments to help decrease cholesterol and blood pressure. Peaches are also a good source of potassium, which is an essential vitamin for blood pressure control.
Improved Digestion
“Both soluble and insoluble fiber can be found in peaches,” Smith notes. “Soluble fiber helps control blood sugar levels and cholesterol levels, and insoluble fiber promotes digestion and aids in constipation prevention.” You can increase your fiber intake by eating the fruit’s skin, and peaches may keep your stomach comfortable in other ways and provide fiber. According to certain studies, tea and extracts prepared from peach flowers may aid digestion.
Decreased Inflammation
Plant-based polyphenols (micronutrients) and prebiotics (living bacteria) present in peaches and other plant-based foods can help reduce inflammation, lowering your risk of various chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer’s.
Stronger Immune System
Peaches have antioxidants such as vitamin C, polyphenols, and carotenoids in their fuzzy skin and luscious meat. Antioxidants are plant-based molecules that protect cells from damage, and antioxidant-rich diets can help your body battle aging and illnesses like cancer. According to research, postmenopausal women who ate at least two servings of peaches each week had lower rates of specific forms of breast cancer.
In several studies, peach pit extracts have also been reported to reduce the body’s allergic response. More research is needed, but the possibility that peaches may help the immune system in various ways is intriguing.
Healthy Eyes
“Beta carotene, a red-orange pigment present in fruits, is found in moderate amounts in peaches,” Smith explains. The body converts beta carotene into vitamin A, which is necessary for good vision.
Smoother Skin
According to some laboratory studies, extracts derived from peach pits or peach blooms can help skin maintain moisture and decrease UV damage when applied to the skin. More research is needed, but it’s yet another reason why peaches are so popular.
Are Peaches a Super Food?
Here are four important reasons to say peach is a super food:
- Peaches are loaded with potassium to help you live a longer life, and potassium helps to prevent heart problems and low blood pressure.
- Fiber is essential in a balanced diet, and thankfully, peaches have plenty of it. Fiber helps to keep everything running smoothly to promotes good colon health.
- The beta-carotene found in peaches helps to promote eye function and reduce the risk of certain eye disorders, like glaucoma and cataracts. Diets rich in beta-carotene can also reduce the risk of macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness.
- Peaches are loaded with antioxidants and Vitamin C, two essential ingredients needed for healthy skin.
These qualities make the peach a super food; hence, it can be claimed that the peach is also a super food.
How to Eat Peaches?
Peaches are surprisingly versatile, and they can be grilled, sautéed, or baked. Get creative:
- Pair peaches with berries and a bit of dark chocolate for a healthy dessert.
- Chop peaches into a sweet-and-spicy salsa.
- Grill peaches to pair with pork chops or serve in a cinnamon-spiced dessert.
- Blend fresh or frozen peaches into a creamy smoothie.
- Add sliced peaches to salads, oatmeal, or yogurt for a sweet treat.
Or keep it simple and enjoy a fresh, juicy peach on its own. This delicious fruit is anything but the pits!
Points to Remember While Picking Peaches
Here are some essential points that should be remembered while picking peaches:
- Buying your peaches from a farmer directly from the orchard increases the chances of good quality fruit. Local farmers take pride in their fruit and are more likely to handpick your peaches than anyone else.
- Furthermore, they know their peach’s taste and can provide the best quality fruit. Buy directly from the farmer, and you’ll be more likely to enjoy a delicious peach.
- When selecting your peaches, you need to make sure they’re ripe. Peaches should have a firm, snappy feel when squeezed, and the stem and ground should be smooth but not wrinkled.
- The flesh should also smell like peaches, and peaches with wrinkled skin are too early or too green. Also, they should have a yellow-white or orange hue. If these are yellow-white or orange-colored, they’re probably overripe.
- If you’re looking to buy peaches at the market, you should try to find the ripest ones. Peaches from the farmers’ market are typically the best because they have spent less time traveling and cold storage.
How to Store Peach?
If your peaches are hard when you buy them, set them out on the counter to soften for two to three days at room temperature. Please place them in a paper bag with an apple to speed up the ripening process. When they’re ripe, could you put them in the fridge? Peaches will not ripen further once refrigerated; eat within two or three days. It should not be washed until they are ready to use.
Peaches are delicious, but they also go well in smoothies, yogurt, cottage cheese, and hot or cold porridge. They’re also great in salsa and other savory relishes and chutneys. Toss them into salads to add taste, sweetness, and color. Sautéed, grilled, stewed, or used in jellies and preserves, peaches are versatile.
Conclusion
The peel of peaches contains a lot of nutrients. (Make sure you clean them thoroughly before eating them to remove any debris.) If you don’t like the fuzzy feel, try a nectarine. At their core, they’re peaches, and they have a smooth peel thanks to a single distinct gene. Fresh peaches are a delicious summertime treat, with the best months being July and August. When purchasing peaches, look for those that have a pleasant aroma. They should have unwrinkled skin and a creamy, yellow, or yellow-orange tint.
They should also give a little when pressed. If the fruit’s skin is green, it was plucked too soon and won’t ripen; avoid it. Also, peaches with bruises or soft patches should be avoided. Just before using, wash them with cold running water. Fresh, ripe peaches should be eaten whole, including the skin. Otherwise, pierce the fruit lengthwise until the hard seed is felt, then remove it. As with apples, the skin can be peeled using a paring knife.