What Are the Benefits of Apples, Oranges & Grapes?

Apples, oranges and grapes may seem common, but they are packed with nutrients and antioxidants that provide exceptional benefits for your digestive tract, heart and weight. You should enjoy apples, oranges and grapes as whole fruits. Juices lack fiber and have added sugars, which can lead to weight gain. It is important to eat a variety of different fruits so that you will get all of the nutrients that your body needs. Men should eat 2 cups of fruit each day while women should eat 1.5 to 2 cups, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's My Plate guidelines.

Apples

A small apple will provide you with 17 percent of the daily value of fiber . Fiber makes you feel full, which can decrease your appetite and make you eat less. The soluble fiber in apples can help lower your LDL cholesterol and help slow the release of sugar into your bloodstream. Apples also contain insoluble fiber which promotes regular bowel movements and prevents constipation. You should eat the apple's skin in order to get the most nutrients from an apple. The apple's skin contains most of the insoluble fiber and vitamin C.

Oranges

What Are the Benefits of Apples, Oranges & Grapes?

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Your body needs vitamin C to make collagen, heal wounds and maintain healthy bones and teeth. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant that fights free radicals that may promote aging and the onset of many chronic diseases, such as heart disease. Not getting enough vitamin C can cause gingivitis, nose bleeds and dry skin. Eating an orange is an easy way to get the vitamin C that you need because it will give you more than 100 percent of the daily value.

Grapes

Eating grapes may help improve your body's regulation of blood pressure, cholesterol and inflammation in your blood vessels as well as decreasing the amount of free radicals in your blood. Grapes are packed with hundreds of antioxidants with the most famous being resveratrol. Resveratrol may be able to protect against heart disease, slow weight gain and increase the amount of fat that your body burns. A study published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" found that adding resveratrol to human precursor fat cells prevented them from developing into mature fat cells.

Serving Suggestions

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All three fruits are delicious additions to a green salad. Grapes and oranges are juicy enough to replace dressing in your favorite salad, and apples pair well with walnuts in salads. You can have a high-protein, high-fiber snack by spreading peanut butter on apple slices. Freeze grapes in the hot summer months to have a nutrient-dense frozen treat. An orange’s disposable outer peel makes it the perfect portable snack for when you are on the go.

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