Apricots are a summery golden colored fruit with amazing aroma and sweet taste. They origin from Asia and were appropriately named as the “golden eggs of the sun” because of their natural yellowish color. Ripened apricots often have a flavor somewhat similar to plums. Very often, it is more recommended to eat dried apricots rather than fresh ones if you want to benefit from all their amazing health advantages. Dried apricots contain more concentrated amounts of these nutrients. The apricot seed is edible and its taste is similar to almonds. Apricot seed oil is also produced from the seed and is very healthy and packed with nutrients.
As almost every other fresh fruit, apricots are low in calories, but high in nutritive components. 100 grams of fresh apricot contains as low as 50 calories. Regardless, they’re rich in antioxidants, dietary fiber, minerals and vitamins. They also contain essential phyto-chemicals needed to prevent heart diseases, lower the bad cholesterol and protect the human body from cancer.
Apricots contain carotenes and lots of vitamin A. 100 grams of fresh apricot can contain as much as 64% of the recommended daily dose of vitamin A – a vitamin important for the health of the skin and mucus membranes. Carotenes help the body protect from oral cavity and lung cancers. Vitamin C is another important vitamin helping with destroying free radicals and infections. There are plenty of minerals such as manganese, zinc, calcium, iron, potassium etc. Potassium helps the heart by regulating the blood pressure and the heart rate. The ORAC value for 100 grams of apricots is 1115 umol TE. This comes from the range of powerful antioxidants such as beta cryptoxantin, lutein, zea xantin etc. that fight the free radicals in the body. Zea xantin is a carotenoid absorbed in the eyes where it helps with light-filtering functions which is why it helps protect from AMRD (age-related macular disease), especially in elderly people.
Apricots are best eaten fresh with a golden orange color or dried because of the nutrients concentration. Ones with pale yellow color should be avoided as they were picked too early and are not ripe yet. Apricots are best stored in the fridge, but they don’t last long and they should be eaten as soon as possible. Fresh, ripe apricots are very soft and delicate and should be handled with care.
The nutritive value for 100 grams of apricots is as follows:
- 50 kcal
- Dietary fiber: 2 grams
- Protein: 1.4 grams
- Carbohydrates: 11 grams
- Total fat: 0.4 grams
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Serving suggestions:
- Fresh or dried
- In fruit salads and smoothies
- As marmalade, jam and jelly (but be aware that with the process of heating they might lose some important nutrients).
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