Natural
Weight-Loss Foods: Pears
Pears are one of the
most versatile fruits out there. They're great raw in cereals or yogurt.
They're delicious cooked, poached with wine, or baked with a touch of brown
sugar. The more uses you can get out of a healthy, naturally sweet food, the
more apt you are to use it daily and
avoid the ice cream and bon-bons.
Lucky for us, pears are in season all winter long, making it possible to enjoy
their luscious sweetness for months.
Health Benefits
The amount of fiber in other fruit
pales in comparison to that in a pear. Its gritty fiber may help prevent
cancerous growths in the colon. Enough of the fiber is soluble that it provides
the same stomach-filling, cholesterol-lowering, sugar-blunting effect as other
fruits. It's rich in heart-healthy potassium, too.
Pears provide a decent
amount of copper and vitamin C. They also have
boron, which is needed for proper functioning of calcium and magnesium. So
pears may indirectly contribute to your bone health. Pears also contain the
flavonoid quercetin as well as other flavonoids and carotenoids. Quercetin is a
potent antioxidant that helps prevent cancer and artery damage that can lead to
heart disease.
Selection and Storage
Nutritional Values
Pear, Fresh
Serving Size: 1 medium Calories: 98
Fat: 0 g
Saturated Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Carbohydrate: 25 g
Protein: 1 g
Dietary Fiber: 6 g
Sodium: 2 mg
Vitamin C: 7 mg
Copper: <1 mg
Potassium: 198 mg
Carotenoids: 97 mcg
The juicy Bartletts are the most
common variety, fresh or canned. The d'Anjos are firmer and not quite as sweet
as Bartletts .
There are all-purpose pears, like Boscs, which have elongated necks and unusual
dull-russet coloring. Bosc pears are crunchier than others, and they hold their
shape when cooked.
The small, bite-sized Seckels are also a russet color, but
they are sweeter than the others. Comices are the premier dessert pears: sweet
and juicy. They are cultivated to have less fiber than other varieties. Asian
pears look and crunch like apples but taste like pears.
Pears are picked before
they're ripe. Left on the tree, they get mealy. Off the tree, the starch
converts to sugar. In some varieties, you can't tell a ripe pear by its color;
fragrance and touch are better indicators. Because a pear ripens from the
inside out, once the outside seems perfect, the inside is on its way to
rotting. So don't buy pears ripe unless you'll be eating them right away. Buy
them firm but not rock hard. Ripen them at home in a ventilated paper bag,
taking care not to pile them up or they'll bruise. Eat them when they just
barely
yield to pressure.
