Important Types of Fruits: Nutritional Features and Health Benefits

There are hundreds of types of fruits in the world and they are popular foods in almost every culture.

In this article, we will take a closer look at 10 of them.

Some of them are common, and you may not recognize some of the more exclusive varieties.

Important Types of Fruits: Nutritional Features and Health Benefits

1. Boysenberries

Boysen berries are a cross between blackberries, blackberries, logan berries, and raspberries.

Perhaps the best feature of this wonderful berry is how juicy and refreshing it is; Blackberries grow to a large size and contain about 88% water by weight.

They are also delicious in taste and provide an impressive nutritional profile. Here are their basic nutritional values;

Calories: 43 kcal

Carbs: 9.6 grams

Fiber: 5.3 g

Sugar: 4.3 grams

Fat: 0.5 g

Protein: 1.4 grams

Vitamin C: 35% RDA

Manganese: 32% RDA

Vitamin K: 25% RDA

Copper: 8% RDA

Vitamin E: 7% RDA

2. Capers

You may not know it, but capers are actually a class of fruit.

Usually served alongside a spicy salmon and radish sauce, capers are a pea-sized green fruit native to parts of the Mediterranean and Asia.

Botanically speaking, capers are the flower buds of the caper shrub; It is collected and then preserved in vinegar.

As a result, capers taste sharp and salty due to the length of time in the brine.

However, the flavor is unique and interesting, and the capers are very tasty.

The contrasting flavors pair well with fish, which is probably why it's served with salmon.

In terms of nutrition, here's a rundown of each ounce (28 g) per serving (11);

Calories: 6.4 kcal

Carbs: 1.4 grams

Fiber: 0.9 grams

Sugar: 0.1g

Fat: 0.2 grams

Protein: 0.7 grams

Vitamin K: 9% RDA

Copper: 5% RDA

Iron: 3% RDA

Magnesium: 2% RDA

Folic Acid: 2% RDA

Read more

3. Cherry

Cherries are one of the more popular varieties of fruit and are technically a fruit with a hard stone inside.

Cherry is a small fruit with a sweet and juicy taste. There are two main types of cherries; Sour cherries and sweet cherries.

These two are quite similar, but sour cherries have a slightly better nutritional profile.

Sour cherries grow mostly in Russia, Eastern Europe and South Asia.

On the other hand, Turkey and the United States are the largest producers of sweet cherries.

Cherries are a seasonal fruit, but frozen cherries are available year-round.

Per 100g here is the nutritional value of sour cherries (12);

Calories: 50 kcal

Carbs: 12.2 grams

Fiber: 1.6 g

Sugar: 8.5 grams

Fat: 0.3 grams

Protein: 1.0 g

Vitamin A: 26% RDA

Vitamin C: 17% RDA

Manganese: 6% RDA

Potassium: 5% RDA

Copper: 5% RDA

4. Black Choke

Also known as aronia berries, blackberries are an acquired taste.

The reason for this is simple. It is one of the most bitter foods out there!

However, they are among the healthiest fruits and contain an impressive array of polyphenols.

To be precise, they are the seventh largest provider of polyphenols among all foods.

Due to their bitter taste, it is not uncommon to find berries in various sweetened foods such as jams and juices. Additionally, several wines and chokeberry teas are available.

In terms of their nutritional properties, cranberries provide the following per 100 grams (13);

Calories: 47 kcal

Carbs: 9.6 grams

Fiber: 5.3 g

Sugar: 4.3 grams

Fat: 0.5 g

Protein: 1.4 grams

Vitamin C: 35% RDA

Manganese: 32% RDA

Vitamin K: 17% RDA

Iron: 8% CDR

Vitamin E: 8% RDA

5. Blueberry

Blueberries are small edible berries that are bright red in color.

It is a very popular commercial fruit and is found in all kinds of processed food products, including juice, jam, jellies, and more.

Due to its pungent nature, it is generally available in its dry form and contains added sugar.

However, it is possible to find fresh berries, but they are very acidic.

Like cranberries, they contain large amounts of phytonutrients, and these compounds tend to be very bitter or acidic in nature.

Nutritionally, blueberries are a decent source of vitamin C per 100 grams (14);

Calories: 46 kcal

Carbs: 12.2 grams

Fiber: 4.6 g

Sugar: 4.0 g

Fat: 0.1 g

Protein: 0.4 grams

Vitamin C: 22% RDA

Manganese: 6% RDA

Vitamin E: 4% RDA

Vitamin K: 4% RDA

Copper: 4% RDA

6. Palm

Often referred to as "dates," the date palm is a sweet, edible fruit believed to have originated in the Middle East.

The date, from which the fruits grow, has a tropical appearance, and surprisingly, one tree produces hundreds of kilograms of fruit annually.

People usually eat the fruit in fresh and dried form.

Dates in particular are one of the sweetest types of fruit available and are exceptionally high in sugar.

On that note, the dried form of the fruit is very sweet, so it's not a good idea for those on low-carb diets.

These are the nutrients provided by four pitted dates (15);

Calories: 66.5 calories

Carbs: 72 g

Fiber: 6.4 g

Sugar: 64g

Fat: 0 g

Protein: 0.4 grams

Potassium: 5% RDA

Copper: 4% RDA

Manganese: 4% RDA

Magnesium: 3% RDA

Vitamin B6: 3% RDA

7. Durian

Known for its distinctive aroma, durian is a huge tropical fruit that is native to Southeast Asia.

If you've ever seen a jackfruit, durians share a similar appearance, but are much larger in size.

Durian is a popular culinary fruit and often appears in a variety of Thai, Malaysian and Indonesian dishes, whether sweet or savory.

By a "weird" smell, what I really mean is "bad". There are several words to describe this smell, but perhaps the most telling is "it smells like a gym sock."

On the other hand, the taste is very good: sweet, creamy with a hint of hazelnut.

Durians also have an interesting nutritional profile. In fact, it is one of the only fruits that contain the right amount of carbohydrates and fats.

per 100g, supplies durian (16);

Calories: 147 kcal

Carbs: 27.1 grams

Fiber: 3.8 grams

sugar: -

Fat: 5.3 grams

Protein: 1.5 grams

Vitamin C: 14% RDA

Vitamin B1: 6% RDA

Vitamin B6: 4% RDA

Manganese: 4% RDA

Potassium: 4% RDA

Check out this complete guide to durian fruit to learn more.

8. Lime

Like lemons in nature, limes are again a citrus fruit.

However, they both have a slight difference in taste: lemons are slightly more acidic, while lemons are bitter.

The flesh of both fruits looks very similar except for the color, and their nutritional properties and health benefits are quite similar.

There are many different types of lime, and they are all believed to have originated in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.

Like lemons, limes are commonly used to flavor various types of drinks, cocktails, and teas.

For medium-sized fruit, serve limes (30);

Calories: 31.3 calories

Carbs: 7.1 grams

Fiber: 1.9 grams

Sugar: 1.1 grams

Fat: 0.1 g

Protein: 0.5 g

Vitamin C: 32% RDA

Potassium: 2% RDA

Calcium: 2% RDA

Iron: 2% RDA

Copper: 2% RDA

9. Longan Fruit

Longan is a tropical fruit belonging to the subberry family.

This botanical family also includes the slightly popular lychee fruit and rambutan.

Due to the unique appearance of the fruit, the nickname "dragon's eye" is common throughout China, where the fruit may have originated.

Longan is pure white, with a large black seed, enclosed in a brown olive peel.

Longan fruits have a soft and smooth texture inside their peel, and are very juicy. The flavor is very sweet and the fruit plays a culinary role in many Asian dishes.

Nutritionally, a serving provides 100 grams (31);

Calories: 60 kcal

Carbs: 15.1 grams

Fiber: 11.1 g

sugar: -

Fat: 0.1 g

Protein: 0.3 grams

Vitamin C: 14% RDA

Potassium: 8% RDA

Copper: 8% RDA

Vitamin B2: 8% RDA

Manganese: 3% RDA

10. Lychee

Lychee is a tropical fruit almost identical in nature to rambutan and longan.

For example, the pulp, nutritional profile, and flavor are quite similar.

However, the outer skin is the main difference. While the longan has a light brown skin that resembles that of a potato, the lychee and rambutan have a reddish-purple outer skin.

Lychee is also slightly sweeter than the longan fruit, but not as sweet as rambutan.

The history of lychee dates back to the mid-11th century and has its origins in Guangdong, China. Like other fruits in the blackberry family, lychee provides a great source of vitamin C.

Below is the full profile of lychees per 100g (32);

Calories: 66 kcal

Carbs: 16.5 grams

Fiber: 1.3 grams

Sugar: 15.2 grams

Fat: 0.4 grams

Protein: 0.8 grams

Vitamin C: 119% RDA

Copper: 7% RDA

Vitamin B6: 5% RDA

Potassium: 5% RDA

Vitamin B2: 4% RDA

Read more