The apricot is a stone fruit with a seed nut within it. Its shape is similar to that of the peach but slightly smaller, with skin that is velvety and golden orange in color.
Apricot is not suitable for juicing but can be blended to be mixed with other juices. The fresh fruit tastes smooth and sweet, with a flavor that is a cross between a peach and a plum. An apricot in its raw state is somewhat acidic but the acidity decreases as it ripens and its sugar content increases. When it ripens, the vitamin A within, also doubles, according to whfoods.com.
The health benefits of apricot include its ability to treat indigestion, constipation, earaches, fevers, skin diseases, cancer and anemia. Apricot oil is useful for treating strained muscles and wounds. It is also believed that apricot is good for skin care, especially for women. This is why you find it added in various cosmetics. Furthermore, apricots have the ability to improve heart health, reduce cholesterol levels, prevent the deterioration of vision, help you to lose weight, treat respiratory conditions, boost bone strength, and maintain electrolyte balance in the body, according to whfoods.com.
Apricots are grown in many countries of the world. They are most popular in countries of North America, South America and New Zealand. Apricots are highly rich in nutritional content. A single, fresh apricot of an average size provides you with 4.6% of Vitamin C, 3.7% of Vitamin A, 3.3% of Copper, 2.7% of Fibers, 2.5% of Potassium and just 17 calories! It is closely related to peach and plum in the way it tastes.
Fresh fruits are low in calories, composing just 50 calories per 100 g weight. Nonetheless, they are rich source of dietary fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. The fruits are enriched with numerous health promoting phyto-chemicals; that helps prevent heart disease, reduce LDL, levels and offer protection against cancers.
Apricots are excellent sources of vitamin-A, and carotenes. 100 g fresh fruits have 1926 IU or 64% of daily-required levels of vitamin A. Both compounds are known to have antioxidant properties and are essential for vision. Vitamin-A is also required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin. Consumption of natural fruits rich in carotenes helps protect the body from lung and oral cavity cancers.
Fresh fruits contain vitamin-C, another natural anti-oxidant. Vitamin-C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen-free radicals.
They are an also good source of minerals such as potassium, iron, zinc, calcium and manganese. Potassium is a heart-healthy mineral; an important component of cell and body fluids that help regulate heart rate and blood pressure.
The total anti-oxidant or ORAC value of raw apricots is 1115 umol TE/100 g. Much of this in these fruits comes from some important health promoting flavonoid poly phenolic anti-oxidants such as lutein, zea xanthin and beta cryptoxanthin. Altogether, these compounds act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging, cancers and various disease process.
Further, zea-xanthin, a carotenoid selectively absorbed into the retinal "macula lutea" in the eyes where it is thought to provide anti-oxidant and protective light-filtering functions. Thus, consumption of fruits like apricots rich in zea-xanthin helps eyes protect from age-related macular disease especially in the elderly people.
Caution
Fresh apricots contain a small amount of oxalates. Individuals with a history of calcium oxalate-containing kidney stones should not consume too much of this fruit.
Whereas dried apricots contain sulfur-containing compounds such as sulfur dioxide. These compounds may cause adverse reactions in people who suffer from asthma.
