August: Peaches

by Alanna Downey

Nothing helps beat the unbearable summer heat like a refreshing peach!  These fresh fuzzy delights are in season from now till the end of September.  But don’t worry- peaches are available all year round in various fruit cups and cans. Be careful when eating a fresh peach because they have a large seed in the middle, which makes them part of the stone fruit family.1

peaches
Health Benefits of Peaches
One medium sized peach contains 58 kcalories, 2 grams of fiber, and 285 mg of potassium.2  Peaches are also a good source of vitamin C, providing almost 10 milligrams (an orange contains 82.7mg).  Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant, which fights off harmful free radicals.

In a recent research study, peach juice, which contains polyphenols (compounds with antioxidant characteristics), was shown to lower glucose and insulin levels in the blood.Another part of the trial demonstrated that peach juice lowered leptin – a hormone that deals with fat tissue levels.  While this sounds like promising news for people living with diabetes, the research has not yet been conducted with human trials.

Adding Peaches to Your Diet
To obtain the most health benefits from peaches, the best option is to eat them fresh and raw.  Eating the whole fruit provides more vitamins, minerals, and fiber than other options.  Peach season is short and they are highly perishable, but are available in fruit cups and cans the rest of the year.  When consuming these avoid ones that are packed in syrup and look for ones that are in natural peach juice instead.

Fun Facts

  • The peach is originally from China.1
  • Peaches have a fuzz on the skin, while a nectarine is a peach without the fuzz.4
  • There are two types of peaches: freestone (flesh does not stick to stone) and clingstone (flesh sticks to the stone).4

Peaches and “Cream”

grilled peachesingredients

  • One medium sized peach
  • Yogurt
  • Cinnamon
  • granola

preparation

  1. Cut the peach and then grill it on the BBQ or in a grill pan, until the peach is soft
  2. Spoon the yogurt onto the peaches and sprinkle with cinnamon!
  3. Enjoy!

References

  1. Ware M, “Peaches: Health Benefit, Facts, Research.” Medical News Today. 2016.
  2. “Peaches, yellow, raw.” National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. USDA.
  3. Noratto G, et al. Consumption of polyphenol-rich peach and plum juice prevents risk factors for obesity- related metabolic disordered and cardiovascular disease in Zucker rats. Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry 2015; 26 (6): 635-639.
  4. Peach Tree and Fruit.” Encyclopedia Britannica. 2015
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