Most Useful Ranking List of Nutritional value of fruits and vegetables. Our top lists help you make informed choices quickly
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5 reasons for eating 5 a day. Fruit and vegetables are a good source of vitamins and minerals, including folate, vitamin C and potassium. They're an excellent source of dietary fibre, which can help to maintain a healthy gut and prevent constipation and other digestion problems.
- 5 a Day Portion Sizes
Dried fruit. A portion of dried fruit is around 30g. This is...
- 5 a Day Portion Sizes
- Overview
- 1. Apples
- 2. Blueberries
- 3. Bananas
- 4. Oranges
- 5. Dragon fruit
- 6. Mango
- 7. Avocado
- 8. Lychee
- 9. Pineapple
Fruit is good for you, but what is the healthiest fruit? All fruit offer health benefits, so include as much variety as possible.
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” or so the saying goes.
Healthcare professionals know that fruit is a highly nutritious, delicious, and convenient addition to any diet. With more than 2,000 varieties of fruit available, you may wonder which ones you should pick.
Each type of fruit brings its own unique set of nutrients and benefits to the table. The key is to eat fruits of various colors, as each color provides adifferent set of healthy nutrients (1).
One of the most popular fruits, apples are chock-full of nutrition.
They’re rich in both soluble and insoluble fiber, such as pectin, hemicellulose, and cellulose. These help you manage your blood sugar levels, promote good digestion, and support gut and heart health (2, 3, 4).
In addition, they’re a good source of vitamin C and plant polyphenols, which are disease-fighting compounds found in plants. In fact, consuming apples regularly may lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, overweight, obesity, and neurological disorders (3, 5, 6, 7).
Note that most of the polyphenols in apples are located just below the skin, so be sure to eat it to reap the greatest benefits.
Blueberries are well known for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
In particular, they’re high in anthocyanin, a plant pigment and flavonoid that gives blueberries their characteristic blue-purple color. This compound helps fight cell-damaging free radicals that can lead to disease (8).
Numerous studies have pointed to the health benefits of a diet high in anthocyanins, such as a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, overweight, obesity, high blood pressure, certain types of cancer, and cognitive decline (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13).
For example, a study including over 200,000 participants observed a 5% decrease in the risk of type 2 diabetes for every 17 grams of anthocyanin-rich berries they consumed per day (14).
The benefits of bananas go beyond their potassium content. Along with providing 7% of the Daily Value (DV) for potassium, bananas contain (15):
•Vitamin B6: 27% of the DV
•Vitamin C: 12% of the DV
•Magnesium: 8% of the DV
In addition, they offer a wide variety of plant compounds called polyphenols and phytosterols, both of which support your overall health. Furthermore, they’re high in prebiotics, a type of fiber that promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut (16, 17, 18, 19).
Note that green, unripe bananas are higher in resistant starch than ripe ones, and they’re a good source of the dietary fiber pectin. Both of these have been linked to a number of health benefits, including improved blood sugar control and better digestive health (20, 21).
Oranges are known for their high vitamin C content, providing 91% of the DV in a single fruit. They’re also high in potassium, folate, thiamine (vitamin B1), fiber, and plant polyphenols (24).
Studies have found that consuming whole oranges may lower levels of inflammation, blood pressure, cholesterol, and post-meal blood sugar (24, 25).
Though 100% orange juice provides a high volume of nutrients and antioxidants, it usually lacks dietary fiber. Varieties that include the pulp do include some fiber, so opt for these over juices without pulp.
That said, try to eat whole oranges more often, and keep juice portions to 1 cup (235 mL) or less per serving.
Also known as pitaya or pitahaya, dragon fruit is rich in many nutrients, including fiber, iron, magnesium, and vitamins C and E. It’s also an excellent source of carotenoids, such as lycopene and beta carotene (26).
People in Southeast Asian cultures have regarded dragon fruit highly for hundreds of years as a health-promoting fruit. Over recent decades, it has gained popularity in Western countries (26).
Known as the “king of fruits,” mangoes are an excellent source of potassium, folate, fiber, and vitamins A, C, B6, E, and K. They’re also rich in numerous plant polyphenols that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties (27).
In particular, mangoes are high in mangiferin, a potent antioxidant. Studies have shown it may protect the body from chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and certain forms of cancer (28, 29, 30).
Unlike most other fruits, avocados are high in healthy fats and low in natural sugars.
They’re mostly made of oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat linked to better heart health. They also contain high amounts of potassium, fiber, vitamin B6, folate, vitamins E and K, and two carotenoids known as lutein and zeaxanthin, which support eye health (32, 33, 34).
In fact, a high quality 2020 study found a significant decrease in cholesterol levels and an increase in blood lutein levels among participants who consumed an avocado per day for 5 weeks (35).
When compared by weight, avocados are higher in calories than most other fruits. However, studies have linked them to better weight management. Researchers have proposed that this is because their high fat and fiber contents promote fullness (33, 36, 37).
Lychee, which is also known as litchi and Chinese cherry, is packed with nutrition.
In particular, it’s a rich source of vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and many polyphenols with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. These include (38, 39):
•gallic acid
•chlorogenic acid
•catechins
•caffeic acid
Pineapple is one of the most popular tropical fruits.
One cup (165 grams) of pineapple provides 88% of the DV for vitamin C and 73% of the DV for manganese (40).
Manganese supports metabolism and blood sugar regulation and acts as an antioxidant (41, 42).
Pineapple also contains a number of polyphenolic compounds that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties (41, 43).
- Raspberries. With a quick scan of this list, it's safe to say berries are the equivalent of leafy greens in the vegetable world. They're packed with fiber (8 grams per cup—that's about a third of your daily needs!)
- Cranberries. These little red berries pack a similar phytochemical punch as their berry brethren but with an added bonus. They have been well-studied for their ability to protect against the strains of bacteria that cause urinary tract infections (UTIs).
- Blueberries. Smaller, tarter wild blueberries are phytonutrient powerhouses. Wild blueberries are one of the top fruit antioxidants, according to the Nutrient Data Laboratory from the US Dept of Agriculture.
- Tart cherries. All cherries are loaded with the usual polyphenolic phytonutrient suspects as well as a good dose of heart-healthy potassium. But tart cherries, especially in the form of tart cherry juice, have been the best studied for their anti-inflammatory effects, including their ability to reduce joint pain and muscle soreness after exercise.
- Beth Sissons
- Lemons. Share on Pinterest. Tanja Ivanova/Getty Images. Lemons are a citrus fruit that people often use in traditional remedies because of their health benefits.
- Strawberries. Strawberries are a juicy red fruit with a high water content. The seeds provide plenty of dietary fiber per serving. Strawberries contain many healthful vitamins and minerals.
- Oranges. Oranges are a sweet, round citrus fruit packed with vitamins and minerals. Oranges are among the richest sources of vitamin C, with one medium fruit providing 78% of a person’s daily value of vitamin C.
- Limes. Limes are a sour citrus fruit that provides a range of health benefits. Like other citrus fruits, limes provide a healthful dose of vitamin C. They also have similar health benefits, including antibacterial and antioxidant properties.
Jul 24, 2023 · Fruits and vegetables are an essential part of a healthy diet. They are rich in nutrients and can lower our risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers. Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables will help ensure that you are getting a range of nutrients.
May 31, 2024 · Getting four to five servings of fruit per day can reduce your risk of heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. Eat these fruits daily for health benefits.
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Jun 24, 2022 · If you can tolerate fruit and you’re not on a low carb or ketogenic diet, by all means, eat fruit. Try eating more whole fruits as part of a healthy, whole-foods diet to enjoy their...
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