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Are Persimmons Better Than Apples?
Posted by: Dr. Mercola
October 04 2005 | 891 views

PersimmonsThe persimmon, the tasty fruit with its roots in China and Japan, may be better for you than an apple.

In a recent head-to-head comparison, persimmons had twice as much fiber and much higher levels of manganese, iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium than apples. Other recent studies demonstrating the value of persimmons noted that:

  • Persimmons are full of beneficial antioxidants
  • They may fight heart disease by preventing LDL cholesterol from accumulating in the arteries
  • Consuming persimmons and other fruits lowered the occurrence of precancerous colon polyps in women by more than half


Sources:

Dr. Mercola's Comments:
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Despite the obvious benefits, it's wise to consume fruits with caution. Eating too many of them will cause a spike in your insulin levels, and can lead to chronic disease.

In fact, you'll enjoy much of the same nutritional benefits from eating vegetables that are typically much lower in sugar but are still excellent sources of antioxidants and other nutrients.

If you are healthy and do not suffer with being overweight, high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol then you can be a bit more liberal with fruit.

But it is important to understand that one of the quickesst ways to acclerate the aging process is to have high insulin levels and fruit will tend to raise your insulin levels. One of the safer ways to consume fruit (or sugar for that matter) is during 30 minutes or more of cardiovascular exercise as your body will tend to burn it immediately and before the sugar has a chance to raise your insulin levels.



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