Nothing Like Nectarine (Except Perhaps Peach)
Nothing Like Nectarine (Except Perhaps Peach)
Full disclosure: I’ve been eating a lot of peaches this month, so I planned to write about peach, but I had a look through the archives to find that I have ALREADY written about peaches way back in June of 2018. Nectarines are about as close to peaches as you can get, though, so here are a few reasons why you should be adding these to your shopping list J But first, what are nectarines? They are smooth-skinned stone fruits – actually a member of the peach family – and are native to China, but are grown all over the world in temperate regions.
- Forget sports drinks – nectarines are the real thirst quenchers! They contain 85 grams of water per 100 grams of fruit (what hydration!)
- Nectarines are sources of vitamin A and vitamin C.
- They contain calcium, phosphorus and vitamin K, all of which are essential minerals for bone health. More importantly, nectarines are natural sources of folate, which is vital to red blood cell formation.
- Antioxidants! Nectarines are full of antioxidants, specifically gallic acid – a chemical compound that has been shown to induce apoptosis in cancerous cells.
- A single nectarine can count as one serving of the recommended five a day – five recommended servings of fruit daily.
Like so many other fruits, nectarines are easy to incorporate to a weekday menu – sliced in salads, preserved in jams, or just eaten fresh. 🍊
