This is a very good question. Fruits are very important for our health. 4 to 5 servings a day can reduce the risk of many diseases which kills hundreds of millions persons in our world. The examples are coronary heart diseases and cancer. The antioxidants present in the fruits are necessary for the detoxification of the body. Fruits play a vital role in scavenging the aggressive and dangerous oxygen and other free radicals. Many of us know this and even then not enough fruits are eaten. Others buy the costly frozen berries from a foreign country or spend huge amount of money to buy fruit powders or juices. Are they worthy for these high prices?

In our modern time we all have no time. We run the whole day and have no time even to think. The money is not the problem for many. These persons think in a different way. The advertisements in the modern media and the personal approach of persons who sell these costly products make them to think that costly products are good for their health. They buy these and regularly take them. Are they really as healthy as praised always?

Fruits are healthy not only because they have vitamin C and other antioxidants. There are more than 10000 phytochemicals are already identified from the fruits and every day new substances are identified. Fruits have good fiber. Therefore, eating the ripe fruits is the best for our health. There are tens of thousands of fruits in our world if we consider the different varieties too. Only the rainforests of South America has more than 3000 fruits. The Indians who live there eat more than 2000 fruits. But, the Western world eats only 200 fruits from there. All the fruits available in our world are not analyzed completely for their nutrients and non-nutrients as few of the fruits which are marketed for high prices.

Fruits are grown throughout the world. According to the climate we get different fruits. In the same country the tropical plains have different fruits than the high mountains with their mild or cold climate. It is possible to get everywhere fruits and it is better to eat these fruits. Some of these fruits are far better than the costly fruits and fruit products. If you eat fruit you can select according to their color. They are:

Red fruits – have nutrients such as ellagic acid, lycopene, quercetin and many others. These are good to lower blood pressure, reduce LDL-cholesterol levels, can scavenge free radicals and reduce the risk of prostate cancer. They have the power to reduce tumor growth.

Orange / yellow fruits – contain beta-carotene, flavonoids, lycopene, vitamin C, zeaxanthin and many others. These are good to lower blood pressure, reduce LDL-cholesterol levels, can scavenge free radicals, have anti aging properties and reduce the risk of prostate cancer. They help in the formation of collagen and healthy joints. It is useful to keep the body alkaline.

Green fruits – contain fiber, folic acid, vitamin C, lutein, beta-carotene, zeaxanthin and many others. These can reduce cancer risk, can lower blood pressure, reduce LDL-cholesterol and support digestion. They can boost immune system and good free radical scavengers.

Blue and purple fruits – contain resveratrol, lutein, fiber, flavonoids, ellagic acid, quercetin, zeaxanthin and many others. These help to lower blood pressure, lower LDL-cholesterol, can boost immune system, support digestion, can limit the activity of cancer cells and as such act as an anticarcinogens.

White fruits – contain betaglucans, epigallocatechin gallate, ligans that boost immune system and many others. These nutrients can also activate natural killer cells and thus reduce the risk of breast, colon and prostate cancer. These balance the hormone levels and thus reducing the risk of hormone- related cancers. Banana, brown pears, white nectarines and white peaches are few in this group.

When you go to the market you can notice the different could fruits and buy and eat them.

The healthy fruits in the Western countries include:

• Apple
• Banana
• Blackberry
• Blueberry
• Cantaloupe
• Cherry
• Cranberry
• Dried fig
• Gojiberry
• Grape
• Pink grapefruit
• Kiwi
• Mango
• Orange
• Papaya
• Peach
• Pear
• Plum
• Pineapple
• Pomegranate
• Prune
• Raspberry
• Strawberry
• Tomato
• Watermelon
It is better to eat fresh fruits. If the above fruits are not available in your place eat the local fruits and these are as good as the above.

Another important thing is the influence on our environment. If the fruits are produced in one corner of the world, processed and transported to another corner of the world the negative impact on environment is great. Use the ripe local fruits, be happy and be healthy.

Good fruits have no use if you have a bad lifestyle and take only processed, fast and junk foods. Change your lifestyle and food and the fruits can make wonder. Never forget the physical activities.