Stone fruit season is my favorite time of year for delicious ways to stay healthy.

The choices are many and botanists argue about what constitutes a stone fruit and what does not. Let them argue and let us eat.

When I think of stone fruit, the following 5 come to mind: apricot, peach, plum, nectarine, and cherry.

They are typically summertime delights.

Why are the stone fruits so healthy?

First off, stone fruits contain fiber, vitamins and minerals to support body health. Plums and cherries contain good servings of potassium, magnesium, vitamin C and vitamin K, in addition to various B vitamins.

But where the stone selection really shines is in the phytonutrient category of polyphenols. Whoa, that was a mouthful.

Polyphenols from all plants keep us healthy and the stone fruits contain hefty doses of chlorogenic acid, catechins, epicatechins and other compounds such as gallic acid, ellagic acid, rutin, and isoquercetin.

These polyphenols and others have 1000’s of studies supporting their disease fighting abilities as they reduce inflammation, oxidative stress, and support healthy immune system function.

If you keep inflammation low and have a slick-functioning immune system, you are going to live a long, healthy life.

Get the stone fruits into your diet for the following reasons.

• Reduce coronary plaque and atherosclerosis. Is it the vitamin C, K, B vitamins, fiber, or polyphenols in stone fruit that prevents heart disease? All of the above?
• Lower cholesterol. Cholesterol is our friend, that is why chapter 1 of my book is called The Truth About Cholesterol. But we want the perfect cholesterol number for our body. We can achieve that with by eating the right foods and living the right lifestyle.
• Weight loss. Who isn’t concerned about weight gain and obesity? If you are not, you should be.
• Better brain health. Number one concern of people is dementia and brain function.
• Reduce bone loss and the treatment of osteoporosis. Beats taking nasty drugs with dangerous side effects.
• Lower inflammation. A body on fire with inflammation is linked to every disease. Best to put the fire out and keep inflammation very low.
• Lower oxidized lipids and oxidation. Damaged lipids (cholesterol, LDL, and HDL) is very bad and heart attack, stroke, and death are the end results.
• Blood sugar control. Diabetes is linked to an increased risk of every disease. Keep your blood sugar low.
• Improve constipation. If waste collects in your colon, you’re done.
• Better sex because plums boost nitric oxide.
• Immune system modulation. A faulty immune system is a significant cause of heart attacks, high blood pressure, and autoimmune disease.
• Flu prevention. Are plums better than flu shots? I will take my chances with things that BOOST the immune system up, as opposed to tearing it down.
• Anti-cancer. Humans are not deficient in chemotherapy, radiation, or cancer surgeries. However, our diets are deficient in phytonutrients that prevent cancer. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
• Skin health. Stone fruits contain nutrients that protect your skin, keeping it tight, young and even prevent sunburn.
• Lower risk of gout and the treatment of gout (cherries are notorious for this)
• Cataract and macular degeneration protection. Concerned about your eyes? You should be.

Granted, some of the studies come from animal studies or activity in a test-tube. But let’s not wait for a science geek to tell us what we already know.

Stone fruit is the perfect choice for your health and that of your family.

How much stone should you eat?

I try to get a serving of stone fruit into my diet all summer long. Truth be told, I often eat 2-3 servings. This may include a couple peaches for breakfast and a plum for an afternoon snack. A handful of red cherries is also a tasty option. Great for travelling too.

Don’t forget that organic is always your best bet. Skip the pesticides that kill our gut bacteria, cause leaky gut, and are destroying our planet.

Fresh is best, frozen is okay, and canned would be my last choice. Dried fruit is another option but beware of additives and preservatives. Drying your own in a dehydrator as slices or fruit leather is a fun and easy family activity. Don’t waste your money on a cheap one. Get this dehydrator. Make your liquid/fruit mixture by adding water to fruit until it pours easily from your Vitamix blender. Spread evenly on the dehydrator sheet. Our suggested dehydrator comes with an excellent recipe guide.

For a fantastic recipe and perfect way to get nutrition into you and your family, check our Superfood Fruit Salad Recipe.

Sources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22818725

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16295695

https://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/29213/PDF

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18310920

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18761779

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18262269

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf900259m?prevSearch=%2528cisneros%2529%2BAND%2B%255Bauthor%253A%2BCisneros-Zevallos%252C%2BLuis%255D%2BAND%2B%255Bauthor%253A%2BByrne%252C%2BDavid%255D&searchHistoryKey=