Apricot, the Prunus Armeniaca is a stone fruit, which belongs to the Rosaceae family. Apricots are tart and sweet-tasting fruits with a seed in the middle. These are well-known for their sweet and pleasant taste.
Their distinct and wonderful flavour make them easily enjoyable and are often included in many recipes. Not only apricots are delicious, but they are incredibly nutritious, that helps to promote our overall health in many different ways. Also, they can provide an energy boost during our day. Apricots can be eaten raw or cooked. As a whole, it can last for 1-3 days, whereas cut apricot lasts for 2-4 hours.
They are similar to peaches, plums, almonds, cherries. This fruit is full of vitamins, minerals and other organic components, which makes a great addition to a healthy diet.
Apricot, Has Innumerable Health Benefits, Let Us Take A Closer Look At Some Of Them, Below:
Boosts Skin Health
In our everyday life, it’s hard to escape environmental aggressors such as pollution, which generates free radicals on our skin. Other factors like sun and smoking, are also the main cause of wrinkles and skin damage.
By including Apricots in your diet plan, one can fight some of this skin damage, as it provides full of anti-oxidants. This fruit contains vitamin C and E, especially, vitamin C which protects our skin from harmful UV rays.
Apricot seed oil is used during the massage, as it has the best feature of absorbing into the skin, like any other massage oils. This apricot oil is also used for dry and irritated skin because it contains vitamin A and greasy acids, which gives us soft and glowing skin.
Promotes Eye Health
It’s a hard thing to stop spending too many hours staring at screens, in our busy world. But this screen time and lack of sleep can be very bad for our eye health.
Apricots have different compounds such as vitamin A & E, which are essential for our eye health. Mainly, vitamin A, that plays an important role in preventing night blindness, which is a disorder that’s caused due to lack of light pigments in our eyes.
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble anti-oxidant, that enters your eyes directly to protect them from free radical damage. Apricots have beta carotene, which serves as a precursor to vitamin A. Apricot carotenoids are mostly founded in the lenses and retinal of our eyes, which acts as a safeguard against oxidative stress.
Good For Heart
Apricot is high in fibre content, which helps in reducing the bad cholesterol content in the body. This further protects our heart and it increases the good cholesterol at the same time. In addition to this, it also has high potassium content, which helps to balance the electrolyte levels in our system, by keeping our heart muscles in order.
Apricots are high in a group of antioxidants called flavonoids, which have shown to protect against diabetes and heart diseases. The main flavonoids in apricots are chlorogenic acids, catechins and quercetin.
These compounds work to neutralize free radicals, which are harmful compounds, which can damage our cells and causes oxidant stress, also can further lead to obesity and other chronic diseases such as heart disease.
Very Hydrating
Apricots are naturally high in water. They can help in regulating blood pressure, body temperature, joint health, heart rate and so on. Fresh apricots, provides 2/3 cup of water. As many people don’t drink enough water, eating apricot can be very helpful.
If we get dehydrated, our blood volume drops, which forces our heart to work harder to pump blood. Staying hydrated, allows our blood to circulate the waste products and nutrients throughout our body. So, eating apricots is the best way to replenish both water and electrolyte loss after exercise. It’s a great thing to consume apricots regularly.
Protects Your Liver
As apricots are high antioxidant content, they may help to prevent liver damage. Vitamins A, C, E are antioxidants. Antioxidants help to prevent cell damage caused by substances known as free radicals. The radicals are produced by normal activities in our cells.
If free radicals aren’t removed, they can damage the DNA (the genetic material) in cells. When its DNA is damaged, a cell is unable to function normally. They may also play a role in the development of some diseases.
Antioxidants are important components of cells because they neutralize free radicals. Intake of apricot can reduce the risk of liver steatosis and damage caused by free radicals. Mainly research study says that it helps in preventing liver damage. Yet, human studies are needed to know whether this fruit provides the same benefit in humans or not.
High In Potassium
This fruit contains useful amounts of certain minerals, including potassium, copper, manganese, magnesium, and iron. They are also a good source of soluble fibre. So, apricot is high in potassium, which is a mineral that serves as an electrolyte. In our body, potassium is responsible for sending nerve signals and for regulating the muscle contractions.
It works closely with sodium to maintain fluid balance. Also, it helps in preventing bloating and maintaining healthy blood pressure. Research says that a diet rich in potassium helps in reducing blood pressure and results in a 24% lower risk of stroke.
Promotes Gut Health
Apricots contains soluble and insoluble fibre. Soluble fibre dissolves in water such as pectin, gums and polysaccharides. Insoluble fibre doesn’t dissolve in water such as cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Both the soluble and insoluble fibre are included in the apricot fruit.
However, apricots are particularly high in soluble fibre, which is helpful in maintaining healthy blood sugar and cholesterol levels. Fibre delays the movement of food through our digestive system and feeds our beneficial gut bacteria. Healthier gut results in a lower risk of obesity. Consuming apricots regularly can help with digestion and improve regularity.
Good Source Of Vitamin A & C
Apricots are packed with vitamin A and vitamin C. Vitamin A helps in the enhancement of vision and keeps the immune system in check. It also protects our skin and reduces the chances of developing a serious eye-related disorder.
Apricots are a good source of vitamin C, which is needed for the growth and repair of body tissues. When apricots are ripe, they are bright orange and soft. As in other fruits and vegetables, the orange colour indicates that beta-carotene and/or carotenoids are present.
Beta-carotene is yellow to the orange pigment that is a form of vitamin A. Inside our bodies, beta-carotene is changed into the type of vitamin A that our cells need. The vitamin plays an important role in eye health and in the health of the immune system as well.
Good For Blood
It has been scientifically proven that apricots help in purifying the blood. Apricots are rich in vitamins and minerals that can help purify our blood from toxins. It prevents several diseases like cold, cough and fever. Apricot contains iron, non-heme iron. This type of iron takes its time to be absorbed by the body. These have iron which is very important in the formation of haemoglobin and copper which aids in iron absorption.
It has better chances of preventing Anemia. It’s recommended to take some vitamin C with it, to ensure better absorption of the non-heme iron. Consuming apricots on a regular basis, twice a day as morning and evening snack will boost our immune system.
Apricots Have These Amazing Health Benefits Which Are Good For Your Health.
Study shows, sweet apricot kernels contain some amygdalin, but the seeds from the bitter fruits contain a much higher level of the chemical. It’s recommended that children shouldn’t eat bitter apricot at all, however, and adults must limit their intake to not more than three seeds a day. And, one should never buy an apricot which is hard or green in colour. Only, pick the apricots that are soft to touch. Remember to rinse your mouth after eating the dried version, so that it doesn’t affect your dental health. Do not store apricots, have them as soon as possible.
As we’ve seen plenty of benefits above, and knowing that the apricots are rich in many components such as vitamins, minerals, iron, fibre etc, I would recommend taking apricots as a snack or adding them into our diet, because it is going to be very beneficial, as it doesn’t add unnecessary calories. In our present situation (covid time), the apricots are extremely helpful to boost up immunity, in your body and making you fit and strong. We could also use apricots to add extra flavours. Thus, Apricots must be a part of our daily diet, as they can help us in numerous ways.
APRICOTS ARE DIET FRIENDLY AND ARE GREAT WAY TO CHANGE OUR HEALTHY ROUTINE!!!
