The Best Fruits and Vegetables of This Summer
Summer is not only a time of new weather, new clothes, spending time in the sun at the beach but also about all the great tasting fruits and vegetables that are fresh in the season. Eating produce that is seasonal gives our taste buds a fresh new kick, while consuming the most-nutrient dense foods that are available. Summer seasonal fruits are mouthwatering and juicy while the vegetables are crisp and flavorful. Take a look at the number of choices available to you this summer and make sure you include them in your shopping cart the next time you go grocery shopping.
Fruits
Apricots
Khubani can be baked, grilled and even included in a fruit salad. They are soft, sweet and full of fiber, potassium, copper and vitamins A and C. You can add apricots as toppings to your cereal, pancakes, grill them with chicken or even bake them for a delicious and nutritious snack. Not only are apricots great tasting, but they contain many antioxidants to protect yourself from free radicals, contain lutein to protect your eyes and have an important phytonutrient to protect from inflammation.
Cantaloupe
Cantaloupes have a high water content – approximately 90% is water. They are loaded with vitamins A and C to fill up your recommended daily value and also contain good amounts of potassium, as much as a banana. Due to the high amounts of vitamin A and C, cantaloupes are great antioxidants and anti-inflammatory fruits. Have cantaloupes in a fruit salad, add it to make a delicious summer smoothie.
Cherries
Cherries are a superfood and I have mentioned them in a few of my articles. They are high in fiber, vitamins A and C and thus provide good antioxidant properties as well as anti-inflammatory benefits and can protect against diseases such as diabetes and diseases of the heart. Eat them raw, make a smoothie out of them, grilled them with chicken and enjoy them as dessert with fat free ice cream. Make sure you pick the darkest red cherries as these are the ones with the most nutrients.
Figs
Injeer are plenty full of fiber which can help you fill up quicker and thus making sure you don’t overeat, potassium to maintain healthy blood pressure and calcium to keep bones and teeth strong. Enjoy figs as dried fruits, eat them when they are raw and fresh, add them to a fruit salad or use them in a delicious soup.
Grapefruits
Chakothra are so great, that I’ve written an article just for this fruit. Grapefruits are chock full of vitamin A and C as well as fiber. They reduce cravings for food and help boost metabolism. They have a tangy sour taste to them, so add honey and use grapefruits in a great fruit salad.
Grapes
Angoor are small, round, sweet yet tart berries are high in antioxidants such as vitamin C, K and beta-carotene to fight the free radicals in your body. It also contains a good amount of resveratrol which is a phytonutrient found in the skin of the grapes and has been linked to the prevention of cancer and heart disease. Wash them, refrigerate them then eat them raw or drizzle them with honey and add it to a fruit salad!
Lychee
This sweet little fruit resembles a strawberry, but you have to peel the outer layer to eat the whitish/pinkish part inside. It is full of vitamin C and flavonoids to fight the free radicals and it also contains folate, potassium, iron, magnesium and phosphorus. Refrigerate them, peel them and eat them raw or freeze them and put it in frozen yoghurt or fat free ice cream.
Mangoes
I don’t need to tell you how delicious and refreshing this fruit is on a hot summer day. Mangoes (aam) contain vitamin A, C, B6, copper, potassium and magnesium. They have many added benefits for the body as a whole, so make sure you refrigerate them, and cut up slices to eat, make a smoothie or a milkshake and you can even make chutnies out of them.
Peaches
Aroo are a fuzzy fruit that is packed with nutrients like vitamin A and C and potassium. You can eat them raw, make a smoothie out of them, include peach cuts as a topping for fat free ice cream and pancakes, bake them into desserts or even grill them and include in a summertime lunch with grilled chicken.
Plums
This reddish/purplish sweet tasting fruit is amazing. Plums have vitamin K and are great antioxidants due to the phenols present in them as well as good amounts of vitamin C. You can eat them raw after refrigerating them or you can buy them as dried prunes.
Raspberries
This small round fruit has a slightly tart taste and has many phytonutrients that help play a role in raspberries antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. They also contain vitamin C, fiber and manganese. You can eat them as they are, add them to yoghurt as toppings or even bake them into desserts.
Strawberries
These red fruits are high in manages, vitamin C, and fiber. Due to this nutritional content, they have been linked to many health benefits such as giving a boost to your immune system and regulating cholesterol. Enjoy a fruit salad with these guys, add them to your cereal or make a dessert out of them.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes contain vitamin C, potassium, lycopene and tons of compounds that work to prevent free radical formation. Tomatoes can improve gum, skin and blood health. Cut up tomatoes and add them to your omelet, with your grilled chicken or even in sandwiches. You may not enjoy eating them raw, but that is another way to get your intake of good tomato nutrients.
Watermelon
Tarboose are so juicy and tasty with a high water content that there’s no reason not to have them on a hot summer day. Not only are they juicy, but they have excellent nutrients vitamin A, C, potassium and lycopene. Eat an entire slice… or two, or three, of these fruits or add them to a smoothie.
Vegetables
Arugula
This is a dark leafy-green vegetable that’s great in nutrients including vitamins A, C and K, folate and iron. Use arugula as the base of a fresh salad in pastas or as a pizza topping.
Basil
Tulsi smells really fresh, and ground basil can be used in pizzas, pasta sauces and even in salads. Basil has vitamins A, C, and K as well as manganese, calcium, iron and magnesium. Due to its oil component called eugenol it may have some anti-inflammatory properties.
Chard
This leafy green vegetable contains beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin which help protect eyes. It also contains vitamins C and E which can boost immunity. Not only that, but it has other phytonutrients to help regulate blood sugar and may have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. You can sauté this vegetable and include it with grilled steak or chicken.
Corn
Yes, corn (Makai) is a vegetable. It’s the only one that is not low-carb on this list, however, they taste great with laal mirch and some lemon as well as in a fruit salad. They contain fiber (good for the digestion system) as well as many carotenoids which protect the eye and other antioxidant phytonutrients.
Cucumbers
Keera are high in water content and have many phytonutrients and vitamin C to give cucumbers a role of a very healthy vegetable. Enjoy them with your daal, add them to a salad, or just eat them as a whole.
Edamame
These soybeans have all the essential amino acids you need for your body to function properly, making edamame a good source of protein. They also contain vitamins C and K as well as fiber, iron and magnesium. Boil them and eat them with a vegetable salad with a pinch of salt or add them to stir fry.
Eggplant
This is a low calorie high fiber vegetable and has many phythonutrients to boost heart health. Enjoy eggplant grilled, baked in lasagna, included in a stir fry or make bhengan stew.
Green Beans
Green beans or sapz palia have over 20 health boosting nutrients including vitamin C, beta-carotene and even some omega-3 fatty acids. It has antioxidant benefits as well as cardiovascular benefits. Steam green beans and enjoy them as a side dish, or you can add them to salads and stir fry but you can also just wash them and eat them fresh.
Summer Squash
Summer squash, which include zucchini and yellow squash is a good source of fiber, vitamin C, and vitamin B6. You can grill squash, sauté it, bake it, or steam them and even make a dip out of it.
The Takeaway
Fruits and vegetables are good for you due to their high nutrient contents, there is no doubt about that. Moreover, summer is a season that brings in a variety of fruits that are extremely juicy and tasty due to their high water content as well their natural sugar content. Vegetables are flavorful with their great healthy benefits.
