Fruits and vegetables are always considered nutritious for your body. There is no doubt that you can get plenty of anti-oxidants from it. But have you ever thought of eating an unripe fruit? If you have then you must have got some benefits or reasons to do so. Most of the fruits have their own benefits of eating it in different stages. Now the question is that which is healthier for your health? Hence to answer some general queries and perception about ripe and unripe fruits, we will discuss about the impact of both type of food on your health.
Ripe fruits or Unripe fruits
When you buy fruits, you must have noticed that there are some unripe fruits which are bought so by people. But why do they buy unripe fruits? We spoke to Ms. Shilpa Singh, Clinical Nutritionist from Fatima Hospital, Lucknow to know the reason behind it. She explained that some unripe fruits provide with better amounts of proteins and nutrients than ripe fruits. Also they have lower amount of sugar present in them, therefore it makes it healthy choice for diabetic people and with other health problems. Some fruits are also better for your health when eaten little unripe. Let us know these reasons in detail and decide.
Health Benefits of Ripe Vs Unripe Fruits
1. Presence of Sugar and Starch Content
As the fruits begins to ripen and forms into its full size, then the process of starch getting converted into sugar takes place. This process is called phenolic compounds. This is also the reason for fruits to become softer and juicier. When the fruits have increased solubility and water in them, then they also become sugary and have more natural sugar. If you eat ripe fruits, then you intake more calories and sugar content in the body than unripe fruit does.
But on the other hand starch cannot be digested and broken down by the enzymes present in your mouth. Hence as a result it gets down to your large intestine where it gets fermented with food microbes. Therefore it does not provide you with amount of energy ripe fruits can. Another point to consider is that easily broken down sugar boosts blood sugar levels in the body, hence it can be dangerous for diabetic patients.
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2. Antioxidants Present in fruits
Coming to the levels of antioxidants present in the ripen fruits verses unripe fruits. So the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants in the fruits increase as the fruit ripens. This is because the anthocyanin that is the main cause of antioxidants in the body develops gradually. The benefits of ripening process constantly unfold as the fruit gains colour and transitions from unripe to ripe. Therefore it can be said that ripe fruits have more antioxidants, vitamins and minerals as compared to under ripe fruits that are there.
3. Availability of Vitamin-C in fruits
Vitamin C is the main nutrients that are present in the fruits that have many benefits on your health. It is observed that different fruits tend to show different increase of decrease in amount of vitamins as they ripe. Some of the fruits in which vitamin C increases as they ripe are bell peppers, tomatoes and pineapple. However fruits such as oranges, grapes and lemons have more vitamin C in them when they are half-ripe. Therefore now you know which fruit can provide you with better vitamin C if you are looking for nutrients.
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This vitamin is beneficial to your health as it can strengthen your immune system which is crucial these days. It also provides your body with natural healing process that can assist you with many health diseases and injuries. Fruits containing vitamin C can also increase your ability to absorb iron in the body.
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