Fruits are nature's treasure or rather nature's gift to human
beings. Fruits are the tastiest of all healthy foods. They are healthy
because they contain all the essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals
and sugar, that are required by human beings on a regular basis. Fresh
fruits, in their natural form, are also easy to digest, as compared to
nutritional supplements. Therefore, fruits can be consumed by people of
any age group.
When asked to define a fruit, most of us will suggest that a fruit is that component of a plant which has a pulpy flesh, which often tastes sweet, tangy, sour or even sharp. Secondly, fruits have attractive colors and can be classified into different types. However, in botany, a fruit is defined as the one that contains seeds and is derived from a flower. Fruits, indirectly aid in reproduction through the process of seed dispersal.
If you take a look at the botanical definition of fruits, you will note that several vegetables can also be categorized into the 'fruit' group. This is indeed true. There are several vegetables that are botanically fruits. However, here we have mentioned only those that can be traditionally classified into the 'fruits' category. If you are looking for a list of all fruits with pictures, then you are at the right place. Mentioned below are the different kinds of fruits grown in the world.
When asked to define a fruit, most of us will suggest that a fruit is that component of a plant which has a pulpy flesh, which often tastes sweet, tangy, sour or even sharp. Secondly, fruits have attractive colors and can be classified into different types. However, in botany, a fruit is defined as the one that contains seeds and is derived from a flower. Fruits, indirectly aid in reproduction through the process of seed dispersal.
If you take a look at the botanical definition of fruits, you will note that several vegetables can also be categorized into the 'fruit' group. This is indeed true. There are several vegetables that are botanically fruits. However, here we have mentioned only those that can be traditionally classified into the 'fruits' category. If you are looking for a list of all fruits with pictures, then you are at the right place. Mentioned below are the different kinds of fruits grown in the world.
They are made up of water, melons up to 94%, which is also essential for the body and their skin and seeds contain plenty of fibre, which our body needs to help cleanse and rid itself of waste and toxins. Fibre is needed to keep bowel movements regular, lower cholesterol, prevent constipation, bowel cancer and other illnesses of the bowel and intestine such as diverticulitis.
Different coloured fruits and vegetables contain different minerals, nutrients and antioxidants and therefore it is recommended that we consume a wide variety of fruit and vegetables in order to receive the benefits from the various types.
For example, dark green leafy vegetables such as watercress, cabbage or spinach contain certain carotids that protect, delay and may prevent the onset of degenerative age-related eye diseases such as cataracts or muscular degeneration.
They are also rich in vitamins C and E, which are both very powerful antioxidants. This means that eating dark green vegetables daily could help to protect the body from developing cancerous cells and from suffering heart disease.
Red, orange and yellow coloured fruits and vegetables such as melon, tomatoes, carrots and apricots contain lots of vitamins A, C and E, which all help to fight certain types of cancer and act by neutralizing free radicals in the body.
As well as containing large amounts of vitamins A, C and E, fruits and vegetables are also rich in vitamins B and K plus minerals such as potassium, calcium, phosphorous, manganese and iron.
Why fruits?
Fruits are nature’s wonderful medicines packed with vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants and many photo-nutrients (Plant derived micro-nutrients). They are an absolute feast to our sight, not just because of their color and flavor but their unique nutrition-profile that help the body stay fit and healthy!
1. Fruits are low in
calories and fat and are a source of simple sugars, fiber, and vitamins, which
are essential for optimizing our health.
2. Fruits provide
plenty of soluble dietary fiber, which helps to ward of cholesterol and fats
from the body and to get relief from constipation as well.
3. Fruits contain
many anti-oxidants like poly-phenolic falconoid, vitamin-C, and
anthocyanins. These compounds, firstly, help human body
protected from oxidant stress, diseases, and cancers, and secondly; help
the body develop capacity to fight against these ailments by boosting our
immunity level. Many fruits, when compared to vegetables and cereals, have very
high anti-oxidant value, which is something measured by their "Oxygen
Radical Absorbent Capacity" or (ORAC).
4. Anthocyanins are falconoid
category of poly-phenolic compounds found in some "blue-fruits"
like blue-black grapes, mulberries, acai berry, chokeberry, blueberries,
blackberries, and in many vegetables featuring blue or deep purple color.
Eating fruits rich in blue pigments offers many health benefits. These
compounds have potent anti-oxidant properties, remove free radicals from the
body, and thus offer protection against cancers, aging, infections, etc. These
pigments tend to concentrate just underneath the skin.
5. Fruit’s health
benefiting properties are because of their richness in vitamins, minerals,
micro-nutrients, anti-oxidants, which helps the body prevent or at least
prolong the natural changes of aging by protecting and rejuvenating cells,
tissues and organs. Their overall benefits are manifold! Fruit nutrition
benefits are infinite! You are protecting yourself from minor ailments like
wrinkling of skin, hair-fall, and memory loss to major ailments like
age-related macular degeneration (AMRD) of the retina in the eyes, Alzheimer’s
disease, colon cancers, weak bones (osteoporosis)…etc., and the list of
fruit nutrition benefits never ends!
How much fruit nutrition should be included in our daily diet?
Research studies suggest that one may eat any servings of fruits daily. It is recommended to eat at least 2-3 servings of fresh fruits every day.The term one fruit serving is about 250 g of cleaned, edible-portion of the fruit, excluding discards like peel, seeds, etc.
Include seasonal fruits in the daily diet. Variety of fruit's type, color, and flavor should be encouraged to get maximum health benefits. Yellow and orange color fruits are rich sources of α and β carotenes, and crypto-xanthin, while blue, black colored like black or blueberries are a good source of poly-phenolic anthocyanin anti-oxidants.
Selection of fruits
To avail maximum fruit nutrition benefits eat organic produce. Many "wild" varieties of berries and "tropical tree" fruits have still not treated with any kind of fertilizers or chemicals and can be readily purchased from local farm owners. Organic fruits tend to be smaller; however, they feature special flavor and richness in vitamins, minerals and stuffed with numerous anti-oxidants.In the store, however, choose fruits that feature freshness, bright in color and flavor and feel heavy in your hands. Look carefully for blemishes, spots, molds, and signs of insecticide spray. Buy whole fruits instead of section of them (for example, buy a small size watermelon instead of a section of big size melon).
TYPE OF FRUITS
Pistil is the main female reproductive organ of a flower. A pistil includes an ovary and a tube called style. The style is topped with a stigma. The pollen for fertilization is received by the stigma. This reproductive setup of a flower determines the type of fruit. Let us understand more about the different types of fruits.
Simple Fruits: These fruits are produced by flowers containing one pistil, the main female reproductive organ of a flower.
Aggregate Fruits: These fruits are developed from flowers which have more than one pistils. They consist of mass of small drupes that develops from a separate ovary of a single flower.
Multiple Fruits: These fruits are developed not from one single flower but by a cluster of flowers.
Accessory Fruits: These fruits are developed from plant parts other than the ovary.
Fruits can be fleshy or dry. The main fleshy fruits are berry and drupe. Let us know more about the different fleshy fruit types according to the fruit category.
Fleshy Simple Fruits
Berries: These fruits have a soft epicarp and the mesocarp and endocarp is fleshly. The following is a list of fruits that come under types of berries
Grapes
Tomatoes
Bananas
Raspberry
Avocados
Eggplants
Currants
Persimmons
Hesperidiums: These fruits have thick, leathery exocarp and mesocarp. They have a juicy, pulpy endocarp arranged in a section of juice sacs from the ovary wall. The list of fruit under the type of hesperidium are as follows:
Orange
Lemon
Grapefruit
Limes
Citron
Mandarin
Clementine
Ugli fruit
Pepo: The berry has an outer wall or rind that is formed from receptacle tissue that is fused to the exocarp. The mesocarp and endocarp from the fleshy interior. The list of fruits under the type of pepo are:
Cucumber
Watermelon
Squash
Pumpkin
Honeydew melon
Sunberry
Drupe: The fruits are developed from one carpel ovary and with one seed. The endocarp is hard and stony that fits closely around the seed. The mesocarp is fleshy and the fruit has thin, soft exocarp. The list of fruits under the type of drupe are:
Cherry
Peach
Plum
Almond
Apricot
Olive
Lychee
Pin cherry
Coconut
Pomes: The fruit is developed from a compound inferior ovary. The ripened tissue around the ovary forms the fleshy edible part. The list of fruits under the types of pome are:
Apples
Pears
Quince
Choke-berry
Haw
June-berry
Medlar
Rowan
Sorb apple
Fleshy Aggregate Fruits
Poly-drupes: This is formed from the development of a number of simple carpels from a single flower. Few are dry fruits that are attached to a fleshy receptacle and the others are aggregation of simple fleshy fruits. The list of fruits under fleshy aggregate fruits are:
Strawberry
Blackberry
Raspberry
Boysenberry
Loganberry
Cloudberry
Wineberry
Fleshy Multiple Fruits
The individual ovaries from different flowers get clustered together forming a fruit. The list of fruits under the type of fleshy multiple fruits are:
Mulberry
Pineapple
Fig
Pomegranate
Date
The following is a list of fruits that are native to Asia.
Cornelian cherry
Goumi
Jujube
Jack-fruit
Kiwi fruit
Loquat
Kumquat
Persimmon
The following is a list of Mediterranean and subtropical fruits.
Guava
Longan
Lychee
Passion Fruit
This is a list of tropical fruits that have a common characteristic of intolerance to frost
Breadfruit
Camu Camu
Carambola
Chempedak
Custard apple
Durian
Guarana
Mamoncillo
Mango
Mangos teen
Papaya
Pineapple
Rambutan
Rose apple
Tamarind
These are a different types of fruits that come under the fleshy group. There are fruits that are dry fruits and can be differentiated as dry dehiscent and dry indehiscent. Fruit types that contain seeds in a seedpod that opens up and releases the seeds are known as dehiscent fruits. The indehiscent are those fruits that do not have a seed pot that opens. Let us have a look at different fruits that come under this group.
Dry Dehiscent Fruits
Follicle: The fruit is developed from a single carpel ovary. It splits open from one side only. This type of fruit contains one or many seeds. The list of fruits under follicle are:
Columbine
Milkweed
Legume: These fruits are dry dehiscent fruits that have pods that split on two sides. The list of fruits under legumes are:
Sweet pea
Beans
Peanut
Runner Bean
Silique: This is a fruit that develops from two-carpel ovary, with the halves that fall away leaving the seeds attached to persistent, central wall. The fruits under the Crucifiable family come under this type of fruits.
Capsule: The fruit develops from compound ovary with two or more carpel and the capsules. The fruits under this type of fruits are cotton, poppy and primrose.
Dry Indehiscent Fruits
Achene: This is a small one-seeded fruit. The pericarp is easily separable from the seed coat. The fruits of buckwheat and sunflower family come under this type of fruit.
Samara: These are one or two seeded achene’s-like fruits. They form wings from the outgrowth of ovary walls. The types of fruits under this group are elms, ash and maple.
Caryopsis: These are one-seeded small fruits that have pericarp completely fused to the seed coat. The type of fruits under caryopsis include:
Wheat
Oats
Rice
Corn
Barley
Rye
Nuts: These are one-seeded dried fruits with a hard pericarp. The list of fruits under this type are:
Walnut
Hazelnut
Chestnut
Acorn
These were some types of fruits found in nature. Most of the fleshy fruits are edible and are eaten all over the world. Not all dry fruits are edible, nonetheless they are types of fruits. Fruits are nature's way of treating us with sweet and sour foods that have many health benefits and help keep our mind, body and skin healthy. One should make it a point of including these abundantly found and healthy foods in their daily diet. I hope this 'fruity' list was useful in introducing you to Mother Nature’s sweet bounty.
Pistil is the main female reproductive organ of a flower. A pistil includes an ovary and a tube called style. The style is topped with a stigma. The pollen for fertilization is received by the stigma. This reproductive setup of a flower determines the type of fruit. Let us understand more about the different types of fruits.
Simple Fruits: These fruits are produced by flowers containing one pistil, the main female reproductive organ of a flower.
Aggregate Fruits: These fruits are developed from flowers which have more than one pistils. They consist of mass of small drupes that develops from a separate ovary of a single flower.
Multiple Fruits: These fruits are developed not from one single flower but by a cluster of flowers.
Accessory Fruits: These fruits are developed from plant parts other than the ovary.
Fruits can be fleshy or dry. The main fleshy fruits are berry and drupe. Let us know more about the different fleshy fruit types according to the fruit category.
Fleshy Simple Fruits
Berries: These fruits have a soft epicarp and the mesocarp and endocarp is fleshly. The following is a list of fruits that come under types of berries
Grapes
Tomatoes
Bananas
Raspberry
Avocados
Eggplants
Currants
Persimmons
Hesperidiums: These fruits have thick, leathery exocarp and mesocarp. They have a juicy, pulpy endocarp arranged in a section of juice sacs from the ovary wall. The list of fruit under the type of hesperidium are as follows:
Orange
Lemon
Grapefruit
Limes
Citron
Mandarin
Clementine
Ugli fruit
Pepo: The berry has an outer wall or rind that is formed from receptacle tissue that is fused to the exocarp. The mesocarp and endocarp from the fleshy interior. The list of fruits under the type of pepo are:
Cucumber
Watermelon
Squash
Pumpkin
Honeydew melon
Sunberry
Drupe: The fruits are developed from one carpel ovary and with one seed. The endocarp is hard and stony that fits closely around the seed. The mesocarp is fleshy and the fruit has thin, soft exocarp. The list of fruits under the type of drupe are:
Cherry
Peach
Plum
Almond
Apricot
Olive
Lychee
Pin cherry
Coconut
Pomes: The fruit is developed from a compound inferior ovary. The ripened tissue around the ovary forms the fleshy edible part. The list of fruits under the types of pome are:
Apples
Pears
Quince
Choke-berry
Haw
June-berry
Medlar
Rowan
Sorb apple
Fleshy Aggregate Fruits
Poly-drupes: This is formed from the development of a number of simple carpels from a single flower. Few are dry fruits that are attached to a fleshy receptacle and the others are aggregation of simple fleshy fruits. The list of fruits under fleshy aggregate fruits are:
Strawberry
Blackberry
Raspberry
Boysenberry
Loganberry
Cloudberry
Wineberry
Fleshy Multiple Fruits
The individual ovaries from different flowers get clustered together forming a fruit. The list of fruits under the type of fleshy multiple fruits are:
Mulberry
Pineapple
Fig
Pomegranate
Date
The following is a list of fruits that are native to Asia.
Cornelian cherry
Goumi
Jujube
Jack-fruit
Kiwi fruit
Loquat
Kumquat
Persimmon
The following is a list of Mediterranean and subtropical fruits.
Guava
Longan
Lychee
Passion Fruit
This is a list of tropical fruits that have a common characteristic of intolerance to frost
Breadfruit
Camu Camu
Carambola
Chempedak
Custard apple
Durian
Guarana
Mamoncillo
Mango
Mangos teen
Papaya
Pineapple
Rambutan
Rose apple
Tamarind
These are a different types of fruits that come under the fleshy group. There are fruits that are dry fruits and can be differentiated as dry dehiscent and dry indehiscent. Fruit types that contain seeds in a seedpod that opens up and releases the seeds are known as dehiscent fruits. The indehiscent are those fruits that do not have a seed pot that opens. Let us have a look at different fruits that come under this group.
Dry Dehiscent Fruits
Follicle: The fruit is developed from a single carpel ovary. It splits open from one side only. This type of fruit contains one or many seeds. The list of fruits under follicle are:
Columbine
Milkweed
Legume: These fruits are dry dehiscent fruits that have pods that split on two sides. The list of fruits under legumes are:
Sweet pea
Beans
Peanut
Runner Bean
Silique: This is a fruit that develops from two-carpel ovary, with the halves that fall away leaving the seeds attached to persistent, central wall. The fruits under the Crucifiable family come under this type of fruits.
Capsule: The fruit develops from compound ovary with two or more carpel and the capsules. The fruits under this type of fruits are cotton, poppy and primrose.
Dry Indehiscent Fruits
Achene: This is a small one-seeded fruit. The pericarp is easily separable from the seed coat. The fruits of buckwheat and sunflower family come under this type of fruit.
Samara: These are one or two seeded achene’s-like fruits. They form wings from the outgrowth of ovary walls. The types of fruits under this group are elms, ash and maple.
Caryopsis: These are one-seeded small fruits that have pericarp completely fused to the seed coat. The type of fruits under caryopsis include:
Wheat
Oats
Rice
Corn
Barley
Rye
Nuts: These are one-seeded dried fruits with a hard pericarp. The list of fruits under this type are:
Walnut
Hazelnut
Chestnut
Acorn
These were some types of fruits found in nature. Most of the fleshy fruits are edible and are eaten all over the world. Not all dry fruits are edible, nonetheless they are types of fruits. Fruits are nature's way of treating us with sweet and sour foods that have many health benefits and help keep our mind, body and skin healthy. One should make it a point of including these abundantly found and healthy foods in their daily diet. I hope this 'fruity' list was useful in introducing you to Mother Nature’s sweet bounty.
How to use fruits?
Barring few fruits like berries, try to wash them soon after shopping. Rinse them in salt water for few minutes and then wash in cool running water until you are satisfied with complete cleanliness. This way, you make sure that the fruit you eat is rid-off dust, sand and any residual chemical spray. Eat them while they are fresh because, certain fruits have very short shelf life and the health benefiting properties of fruit declines with time. If you need to store them, place them in plastic wrappings or in zip pouches to keep them fresh for short periods until you use them. Eat fruits as a whole without any additions to get their original flavor, taste, and to get maximum fruit nutrition benefits.If you need to store them, place them in plastic wrappings or in zip pouches to keep them fresh for short periods until you use them. Eat fruits as a whole without any additions to get their original flavor, taste, and to get maximum fruit nutrition benefits.
No comments:
Post a Comment