According to the Experts

Everyone knows how to exercise: Eat your fruits and vegetables! But the produce section is plentiful, and the farmers markets are plentiful, so which ones should you focus on if you want to get the most bang for your buck, nutritionally speaking?

We were surprised to find out that it is one of the best the vegetable for you is watercressto follow Centers for Disease Control and Preventionwhich provides nutritional information based on the vitamins and minerals of fruits and vegetables. Watercress, a green pepper that grows in fresh water and is a common ingredient in fried fries, has a perfect score of 100. Veggies, in general, dominate the list, with greens like spinach (86) and kale (49), too. as are other foods such as red peppers (41) and broccoli (34).

But when it comes to fruit, the healthiest is… tomatoes. Yes, botanically speaking, tomatoes are considered fruit. They score 20 on the CDC scale, below carrots and above lemons.

Tomatoes are full of antioxidants, which you might think have a superhero-like effect on your body, helping to prevent free radicals known for oxidative stress and may play a role in the development of cancer, diabetes, heart disease and other chronic conditions.

What Makes Tomatoes So Nutritious?

The CDC’s powerhouse fruit and vegetable categorization (PFV) is based on the amount of 17 eligible nutrients in a 100-calorie portion of each fruit and vegetable, explains nutritionist Sherri Berger, RDN, in a release. A Powerful Dietitian Plant.

Since vegetables are naturally lower in calories than fruits, you’ll need to eat a lot more vegetables than fruits to equal 100 calories, he says. Since a larger volume will absorb more nutrients, this can make vegetables stand out in the PFV rating system.

Tomatoes, Berger explains, are a low-calorie fruit with the same nutritional value as vegetables. According to the US Department of Agriculture nutrient databaseA 60-gram plum tomato contains only 12 calories and less than three grams of carbohydrates. It’s also rich in the important nutrient lycopene, Berger says, which is what gives tomatoes their red color.

So, bring on the tomato-heavy salsas and sauces!

“Eating tomatoes and tomato products can help protect your body from cancer and heart disease,” says Berger.

He also pointed to the 2021 umbrella study in the newspaper Food Chemistry found that the use of tomatoes and lycopene helps prevent heart disease, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and cerebrovascular disease, which affects blood flow to your brain such as stroke or brain aneurysms.

Tomatoes are also high in vitamins A and C, which fight inflammation in the body, explains nutritionist Sara Riehm, RD and Orlando Health.

“Vitamin C is also important for forming blood vessels, muscles and parts of our bones,” says Riehm. “Vitamin A is necessary for eye health and growth and development.”

How Can You Get the Most Nutritional Benefits of Tomatoes?

Here’s a general rule: “For the most delicious tomatoes, it’s best to buy them locally and keep them on your counter,” Berger says. Locally grown tomatoes are allowed to ripen naturally and are not treated with ethylene gas which promotes artificial ripening.

Also, choose tomatoes that are fully ripe, as their lycopene content increases as they ripen, says nutritionist Kate Ingram, RDN, owner The Vitality Dietitians.

“Cooking tomatoes it can also boost lycopene, so consider adding tomatoes to cooked foods like stew or making your own tomato sauce.

You can boost lycopene absorption by combining tomatoes with healthy fats, such as olive oil, Ingram recommends.

What Other Fruits Are Considered the Healthiest?

Besides tomatoes, there are five other fruits that make meat the most nutritious, according to the CDC index.

Lemons

Lemons are high in vitamin C, Riehm says.

He says: “Unlike many animals, humans cannot make their own vitamin C. “This means that we are dependent on the Vitamin C that we consume as food or drink.”

Vitamin C it can reduce the risk of certain cancers, heart disease and blood vessels, Riehm explains.

He says lemon juice can be used in cooking to add flavor, prevent apples and avocados from browning, or sweeten your water.

But don’t overdo it: Because of the acidity of lemon flesh and juice, Riehm doesn’t recommend drinking whole lemons or whole lemon juice. Acid can destroy the enamel on our teeth and cause stomach pain.

Oranges

Like oranges, oranges are high in vitamin C. They also contain a small amount of vitamin B6, which is necessary for brain health, as well as potassium, which helps the kidneys, heart and nerves, and calcium, which you need to be strong; healthy bones, Riehm explains.

To get the nutritional benefits of oranges, skip the OJ and eat the whole fruit. He explains that it digests slowly that way because of the fiber it contains.

Strawberry

In addition to vitamin C, strawberries also contain anthocyanin, a phytochemical that gives the fruit its color and acts as an antioxidant.

“The antioxidant properties of strawberries have been shown to play an important role in brain health,” Riehm says. They protect the brain’s ability to think and process information. They may also delay or prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.”

If you can, buy fresh strawberries and add them to your diet or yogurt. Otherwise, non-organic strawberries are known to retain some of the pesticides used to protect them during growth.

Limes

Like all citrus fruits, limes are good sources of vitamin C, Riehm says. The two main types of lime, Tahiti and Key, can be used in many ways—cooking, baking, garnishing, you name it.

To get the most juice out of your lime, roll it on a firm, flat surface before squeezing. As with lemons, I do not recommend eating raw limes or large amounts of unsweetened lime juice due to the high acid content of the fruit.

Grape fruit

Grapefruits are high in vitamin C, vitamin A, and folate, Riehm says, which are important for healthy cell growth.

To get all the benefits of the fruit, he recommends eating grapes raw as the fiber and flesh are removed from the juice.

“Grapes contain soluble fiber that has been shown to help regulate blood sugar, cholesterol and digestive health,” she says.

Another important thing to note: Although grapefruits are very nutritious, be sure to consult your doctor before adding them to your diet. Grapefruit and its juice can interact with many types of medications, Riehm says.

Should You Put Other Fruits First?

When it comes to fruits and vegetables, nutritionists often recommend that you eat a wide variety to get the vitamins and minerals you need. Yes, some may have more nutrients, but that shouldn’t limit you.

“Each color group of produce contains different nutrients, so eating the rainbow is very important,” Riehm says.

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