Fruit for Thought

WHOLE fruit? Or juices? For the person on-the-move, the debate often ends with one word: Convenience. Compare buying fruits, washing and eat...

WHOLE fruit? Or juices? For the person on-the-move, the debate often ends with one word: Convenience. Compare buying fruits, washing and eating them to flipping the top of a tetrapack, pouring and drinking, or even downing a glass at your favourite juicewallah8217;s. Even if you use a juicer, remember convenience comes with a catch: Dieticians, and beauticians agree that there8217;s simply no bettering nature.

Which is better for the body: fruits or juices?
SINKING your teeth into a fruit allows you to consume all the goodness of nature. 8216;8216;We have such a rich variety of seasonal fruits. For us, that should be the natural preference,8217;8217; says Reeta Shankar, a dietician who runs a weight management centre in the Holy Angels Hospital, New Delhi. 8216;8216;Juices are a western concept.8217;8217; The entire act of chewing a fruit is great exercise for the entire body, including the teeth. It satisfies the senses, exercises the digestive process and the excretory system. 8216;8216;Juices, on the other hand, are a lazy person8217;s idea of heaven,8217;8217; says Nimisha Kumar, a psychologist at AIIMS.

What if you are on a diet?
IF you are looking at the calorific content, there is no contest: One glass of juice will have many more calories than one fruit. For instance, says Pallavi Vaish of the Healing Touch Clinic, New Delhi, one orange is worth 50 calories, but a glass of orange juice, made up of 4 oranges, will have 250 calories even if there8217;s no extra sugar. Fruits are more filling than juices 8212; they take longer to digest 8212; and are therefore recommended on diets, says Nivedita Mahendroo, skin therapist. 8216;8216;The more the moisture content, the fewer the calories of the fruit. Concentrated fruits like bananas, mangoes, and grapes have the greatest calories, while watermelon, musk melon, lychees, papayas are rich in vitamins,8217;8217; says Anuja Aggarwal, an AIIMS dietician.

Fresh Fruit Factoids:

8226; Going by the nutrition content and the cost factor, bananas are the best bargain, offering the most for the least.
8226; Concentrated fruits like mangoes, chikoos, grapes are heavy in calories. One hundred gm of apples equals 300 gm of watermelon, 60 gm of mangoes and 40-100 gm of peaches.
8226; Fruits should never be had with a meal; they are best had as between-meal snacks.

Why are fruits better?
IT is common knowledge that the bulk of a fruit 8216;s nutrient content rests just under the skin. Ordinarily, a fruit is peeled before it is consumed. In addition, when it is juiced, the pulp of the fruit stays behind in the sieve. 8216;8216;So we take in the garbage and throw away the beneficial part,8217;8217; points out Shikha Sharma, dietician. Fibre helps prevent constipation and is essential for a balanced diet.

When is fruit suspect?
WHEN cut fruit is kept in the open for long. Oxidation diminishes the nutritional value of fruit, explains Madhu Mittal, chief dietician at the Rajendra Babu TB Hospital. 8220;If you must keep cut fruit in the house, dab a little lemon juice on it,8221; advises Sharma. 8216;8216;This way, the lemon juice comes in contact with the air first, and is oxidised, protecting the fruit.8217;8217;

So are juices completely banned?
NOT at all. Juice is a great source of instant energy, because it is easily digested. So it is recommended for athletes, ailing people, babies, school-going children, pregnant women and aged people who have lost their teeth, says Anita Jatana, chief dietician of Batra Hospital.