Summer fruit with velvet skin, sweet with a sour touch, refreshing and healthy, the peach has its origin in China where they call it the fruit of immortality. In fact, in China peaches are very present in the paintings and crafts given for birthdays.
Being known as the fruit of immortality comes from an ancient Chinese legend, but what is known is that peaches are full of beneficial properties for our body. They contain vitamins A, C, B1, B2 and B6, minerals (potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, sulfur, chlorine, manganese, copper and iron), and beta-carotenes, as confirmed by the Catalan Institute of Endocrinology.
The main peach producing countries are China, Italy, USA, Spain, Greece and France. In Spain, the peaches from Calanda (Teruel) and those from Murcia stand out. The different peach varieties are divided between those with soft flesh and those with hard flesh, and the Queen Crest, Tirrenia, Catherine (Amarillo de Murcia), Merryl, Elegant Lady, Bay-Gold, Royal Glory, and Calanda (Teruel) stand out. .
Peaches can be eaten in fruit salads, in syrup, and in all kinds of desserts. You can make sorbets, jams, you can dry them to make dried apricots… When choosing them, they should not be too ripe or too green and they should not contain brown spots. To keep them at home, if they are a little green it is better to leave them outside the refrigerator, and inside it if they have already matured. In any case, you should never pile them up because they will spoil sooner.
100 grams of peaches provide us with only 39 calories. Peaches are rich in minerals, and provide us with calcium, potassium, phosphorus, iron and manganese. They are rich in fiber and flavonoids. Additionally, peaches contain vitamins A, B1, B2 and C (optimal for iron absorption).
– For constipation: the fiber they contain is very important to maintain regular intestinal transit and prevent or combat cases of constipation.
– For high blood pressure: due to its high potassium content and low sodium content, peaches are a very interesting food to include in the regular diet of people with hypertension or a certain propensity to have high blood pressure.
– In diabetes: both for people who have diabetes and for those who have to restrict carbohydrate consumption due to the type of diet they follow, peaches are an ideal fruit because it is very low in carbohydrates. In addition, its fiber content is high and this causes carbohydrates to be absorbed progressively, avoiding blood sugar spikes (glycemia).
– For eyesight: the antioxidants contained in peaches are very important and beneficial to take care of our eyesight and help prevent eye diseases such as cataracts or loss of night vision.
– To improve defenses: the nutritional composition of the peach highlights its content of carotenes, antioxidants that contribute to improving the immune system and strengthening it, combating the damage caused by free radicals and preventing or delaying the appearance of diseases.
– For the skin, nails and hair: the antioxidants contained in peaches (especially carotenes) are good allies so that we can maintain and care for our skin, nails and hair, keep them healthy and help prevent ailments that affect them. Thanks to their vitamin C content, they promote the formation of collagen, which helps to have more flexible skin and prevent the formation of wrinkles.
– For iron deficiency anemia and fatigue: peaches not only provide us with iron but also have Vitamin C, essential so that iron can be better absorbed. But also, dried apricots (dried peaches) have a higher concentration of this mineral.
