Stone fruits — think peaches, apricots, nectarines, plums, and cherries — are the true harbingers of summer. Typically fragrant and thin-skinned, they don’t travel well, making their peak season even more special.
Stone fruits are rich in phenolic compounds and terpenoids, with each fruit’s nutrient profile suggested by its color. With their golden flesh, peaches and apricots are high in carotenoids, including lutein and beta-carotene. Purple plums are rich in anthocyanins, and sweet cherries brim with flavonoids, including quercetin.
The peel of stone fruits contains higher concentrations of certain phytonutrients — potentially twice as much — compared with the pulp, an extra incentive to buy organic when you can.
Nutritional Highlights and Protein Pairings
- Good source of: Phenolic compounds
- Ideal protein pairing for peaches: Pecans
- Ideal protein pairing for plums: Almonds
In Defense of Fruit
In the race to embrace low-carb eating, many health-conscious people have been eschewing fruit, pointing to the carbohydrates and their implication in the onset of many chronic diseases. But a lot of experts consider the backlash against fruit misguided. Learn more at “Why Eating Fruit Is Still Good for You,” from which this article was excerpted.
