As much as we love peaches in the state of Georgia, a great
alternative to keep your fruit intake “well-rounded” (pun intended) is to
rotate some apricots into your fruit arsenal.
Apricots are a stone fruit similar to peaches and nectarines, and they
are in peak season right now through September.
You can consume them fresh in just a few juicy bites, chopped up in a
salad, reduced down in a marinade for pork or chicken or many other ways.
Eating a single apricot, you only consume about 20
calories. Eat a few and you get about
half of your daily requirement of Vitamin
A. The orange color clues you into
the presence of carotenes which are important for healthy eyes and vision, as
well as for cancer-fighting antioxidant properties.
Good quantities of Vitamin
C and fiber are also
present. Vitamin C helps boost the
immune system, so the fruit may help defend against the inconvenient summer
cold. Fiber helps with satiation,
regulating the digestive processes and keeping cholesterol within healthy
ranges.
As when picking out similar fruits, avoid buying apricots
that are bruised or overripe. Eat within
a few days of buying for best flavor and texture. Dried apricots are also a great snack, just
be aware that the calories are condensed due to all of the water being
extracted out. The seeds inside the pit
or “stone” of the fruit are edible, you just have to crack it open and enjoy!
Katie Jensen, CSCS, NPTI
Fitness/Nutrition Coach
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