30 Day Raw Vegan Fruit Project Day 15

www.vibrantvegan.com It’s Day 15 of Vibrant Vegan’s 30 Days, 30 Fruits for You Project. The fantastic fruit for Day 15 is the awesome and amazing APRICOT! Let me share with you some trivia tidbits and nutritional information about the Apricot: -Apricots were originally grown in China and have been around for more than 4000 years! -Apricot in Latin means “precious,” which some think it’s because it ripens earlier in the summer than other fruits. -Apricots are a fantastic low calorie, high nutrient food–just 3 apricots contain a total of 50 calories. -Fresh apricots are an excellent source of Vitamins A, C, E, potassium and iron beta-carotene riboflavin (B2) and niacin (B3) calcium phosphorous fiber lycopene -Because of the beta-carotene, apricots may help protect your eyes from macular degeneration. A new study also suggests beta-carotene may help delay brain aging and prevent effects of Alzheimer’s disease. (Getting beta-carotene from foods such as apricots is the way to go since beta-carotene supplements haven’t shown the same benefits as eating the natural fruit.) -2-3 apricots will give you nearly 50% of your daily value of Vitamin A. When apricots are ripe, the Vitamin A content doubles! -Apricots are a good source of lycopene — lycopene has powerful antioxidant properties. Studies show that people who eat a lot of lycopene have a lower risk of developing heart disease and may have a lowered risk of certain types of cancer. -Both the beta-carotene and lycopene help …