Fruits make our lives better. They are sweet, refreshing and delicious. But what is a fruit? Tomatoes are fruits. Cucumbers and avocados too. But we usually don't put them in this category. As it turns out, scientifically speaking, a fruit is the part of a tree or shrub that contains seeds. That is, if it has seeds, then it is a fruit. Then what is a vegetable?

And “vegetable” is not a scientific term at all. This is a culinary term. This means that a real scientist would divide the parts of a plant into fruits, roots, stems, leaves, etc., while your grandmother would most likely divide plants into fruits and vegetables (with fruits being all sweets, and vegetables - everything else).

So, now you know everything about fruits and vegetables and you can impress your friends with your knowledge. But get ready to learn a lot more! Because there are probably hundreds, if not thousands of delicious fruits out there in nature that you've never heard of.

Today we'll dive into the world of deliciousness with 25 sweet facts about fruits that you didn't know.

25. Apples, peaches and raspberries belong to the Rosaceae family.

24. Oranges actually contain less vitamin C than many other fruits, such as guava, lychee, kiwi, strawberries and pineapple.

23. Coffee beans are not actually beans. These are fruit seeds.

22. If you heat grapes in the microwave, they will explode.

21. Tomato is the most popular fruit in the world.

20. Grapefruits, when interacting with certain medications, can be fatal.

19. Cucumbers are actually fruits.

18. The color orange was named after the orange ("orange"), and not vice versa. Previously, this color was called "geolread" in Old English, which means "yellow-red."

17. The largest fruits grow on the Seychelles Coco De Mer palm trees: their weight can reach almost 42 kilograms.

16. Pomology is the science of fruit growing.

15. So, you already know that tomatoes and cucumbers are fruits, but did you know that scientifically, so are beans, avocados, sunflower seeds, lettuce and broccoli buds? This is because a fruit is a part of a plant formed from the ovary of a flower and containing seeds. The remaining parts of the plant are considered vegetables.

14. Then why do we call many fruits vegetables? Because from a culinary point of view, everything sweet (in general) is considered fruit, and everything else is considered vegetables.

13. Of course, this rule doesn't always work, which is why sometimes unsweetened fruits, such as tomatoes, are labeled as vegetables because this way of dividing the ingredients is more practical (though less accurate).

12. Enough terminology. Did you know that tomatoes have more genes than humans?

11. There are trees called "fruit salad trees" that can grow from 3 to 7 different fruits... on the SAME tree. This was achieved by grafting two or more plants that grow and function as one.

10. Some Japanese farmers grow square watermelons.

9. In total, more than 7,000 different varieties of apples are grown in the world.

8. Human DNA is 50% identical to banana DNA.

7. Pineapples and bananas are actually berries.

6. Let's talk about terminology again. In everyday jargon, berries are typically small, round and juicy. However, from a scientific point of view, berries are fruits grown from the ovary of the pistil, in which the outer layer of the ovary wall develops into the edible, fleshy part.

5. When harvested, the fruit does not die. They continue to respond to their environment after this.

4. After you eat wonderful berries (or sweetish Puteria), sour foods will seem sweet to you (at least for several hours). And all because, according to research, these berries contain the protein miraculin, which “turns off” the receptors responsible for the perception of sour taste.

3. Not all oranges are orange. If the weather is not cool enough, the chlorophyll in the skin of the fruit is not destroyed and the fruit remains green.

2. You probably don't really care about the scientific definition of a berry, do you? But so that you can surprise your friends, let’s say that, in addition to bananas and pineapples, grapes, eggplants and cucumbers are also berries.

1. Bananas are slightly radioactive.

Instructions

Many may be surprised by the statement that a tomato is a vegetable, and, say, tea is a vegetable. However, from the point of view everything is so. In botany, fruits are the juicy fruits of trees or shrubs and the ripened ovaries of flowers. Essentially, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini and eggplants, peas and beans fall under this category.

In botany, vegetables are any edible part of plants, with the exception of fruits, berries, nuts and seeds. There are still debates about root crops - whether they are vegetables, potatoes and the like, or whether they are modified root systems. Most often they are classified as vegetables, because they are the edible part of the plant. However, raw potatoes, for example, are not considered a vegetable. But greens are also vegetables, which means that tea is also a vegetable, because it is greens that are eaten.

In botany, a berry is a multi-seeded fruit with a dense shell and juicy pulp. That is why watermelon is considered to be a berry, as, by the way, grapes are not a fruit at all, as everyone is accustomed to believe. According to some classifications, the above-mentioned tomatoes, zucchini, eggplants, etc. are also classified as berries. It is very difficult to determine what these fruits actually refer to.

But in order not to get completely confused, know that there is also a culinary classification of fruits, familiar to everyone who eats these fruits. In the culinary sense, fruits are sweet juicy fruits, vegetables are fruits that undergo some kind of culinary processing, and tea is tea. But even here you can get confused - after all, a tomato can be eaten raw, but it will still remain a vegetable, and an apple can be baked, and it will remain a fruit. However, there will be nothing terrible if you eat a watermelon and consider it a fruit, just like grapes. Any classifications of vegetables and fruits are confusing and not fully worked out, so the main thing is to eat more vegetables and fruits, because they are healthy, and botanists will think about the rest.

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In everyday life, every person eats fruits, vegetables and berries, without really thinking about whether there are fundamental differences between them or not. But the position of biologists on this matter is clearly formed: they know exactly what can be considered a vegetable and what can be considered a fruit or berry.

What are vegetables

Ozhegov's dictionary defines vegetables as root crops, bulbous, leaf and some other plants grown in ridges, as well as their fruits themselves. To put it more succinctly, it is the edible part of a plant that grows on the ground and is not a herb, fruit, grain, nut or spice.

All vegetables can be divided into several groups. The first includes root vegetables. These are the well-known carrots, beets, radishes, horseradish, etc. The second includes tubers - potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, sweet potatoes. The third group consists of onions - garlic, onions, leeks, shallots, wild garlic and others. The fourth group - cabbage - includes all varieties of cabbage (white, Savoy, Peking, Chinese - up to 50 types), rapeseed, mustard and wasabi, which is highly valued by lovers of Japanese cuisine. The fifth group is tomatoes. It includes tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants. The sixth group - legumes - includes beans, peas, chickpeas, soybeans, peanuts, and lentils. Representatives of the last seventh group of pumpkins are pumpkin, cucumbers, zucchini, and squash.

What are fruits and berries

From Latin “fruit” is translated as “fruit”. Therefore, the term “fruit” is absent in botany - the term “fruit” is used instead. By fruit, biologists understand the succulent organs of plants (not necessarily edible) that appear after the flower of the plant has faded and an ovary has formed in its place. A distinctive feature of fruits is the presence of seeds, no matter whether large or small, hard or soft. Many vegetables also have these characteristics - cucumbers, tomatoes, as well as peas and nuts. Fruits are divided into pome fruits (apples, pears), stone fruits (peaches, apricots), citrus fruits (oranges, tangerines, lemons), subtropical and tropical (mango, avocado, pineapple, banana) and melons (watermelon, melon).

A berry, as botanists understand it, is a type of fruit containing many seeds. Based on this criterion, currants, bananas, watermelons, tomatoes, gooseberries, kiwis and even potatoes can be classified as berries. But strawberries, strawberries and rose hips are considered by experts to be false berries, since not only the ovary, but also the receptacle - the lower part of the flower, on which the sepals, petals, stamens and pistil are located - take part in fruit development.

Distinctive features of vegetables, fruits and berries

Having analyzed the above, we can deduce several fundamental differences between vegetables and fruits. First, vegetables are any part of a plant, and fruits are its fruit. Secondly, fruits necessarily contain seeds, which can subsequently germinate, thereby giving life to a new plant. A vegetable is only a part of a plant, which is completely incapable of reproducing its own kind. Third, fruits grow on plants with a hard or soft stem, vegetables are part of herbaceous plants. Fourth, fruits and berries differ in size and number of seeds.

The term “fruit” appeared in 1705 and since then has meant edible or inedible fruits of trees and shrubs (previously, all plant fruits were called vegetables). The product is one of the main components of the human diet, since, depending on the variety, it contains many vitamins and microelements. According to rough estimates, there are just over 2000 fruits on the planet.

passion fruit

An ancient tropical crop of the genus Passiflora, producing oval fruits of yellow or dark purple color (when ripe) growing on vines. Passion fruit is grown for its juice, which is often added to other fruit juices for flavor. Passion fruits are yellow-orange or dark purple oval-shaped fruits measuring about 6-12 cm. Fruits with smooth, shiny skin are preferred, but are sweeter with rough, cracked skin.

Medlar

tour. muşmula
This is a whole genus of plants, including almost 30 species. However, there are two main cultivated types of loquat: German and Japanese. The German medlar has been known to mankind for more than 1000 BC. In the territories of Ancient Babylon and Mesopotamia, it was freely traded, and it was transported on ships to the west to Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. It was from here that medlar came to European lands. Today, German medlar grows in the Balkans, Asia Minor, the Crimean Mountains, Transcaucasia, Armenia, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Greece and northern Iran. The tree is quite finicky and grows well only in dry, sunny places and slightly acidic soil.

Nectarine

A fruit that is a smooth-skinned peach. Despite popular myth, nectarines are obtained through selection or simple mutation of peaches and are not a hybrid of peach and plum.
This classic example of a bud mutation occurred when peach trees self-pollinated. Peach trees sometimes produce nectarines, and nectarine trees sometimes produce peaches. Nectarines were first mentioned in 1616 in England.

Papaya

A low, slender tree with a thin, branchless trunk 5-10 meters high, topped with an umbrella of palmately dissected leaves on long petioles. Papaya leaves are large, 50-70 centimeters in diameter. The flowers develop in the axils of the petioles, turning into large fruits, 10-30 cm in diameter and 15-45 cm in length. Ripe papaya fruits are soft and range in color from amber to yellow.

Peach

Tree of the Rosaceae family, has a subgenus almond. It differs from almonds only in its fruits. The leaves are lanceolate with a serrated edge and almost sessile, appearing before the leaves develop, pink flowers. The fruit is a peach, spherical, with a groove on one side, usually velvety. The peach pit is wrinkled, furrowed and pitted.

Pomelo

English pomelo
Citrus fruits of the evergreen tree of the same name. The peel of the fruit is quite thick, and the segments are large, separated by hard white partitions that taste bitter. The color of ripe broom can vary from light green to yellow-pink. Usually only one side acquires a pink color, which was turned towards the sun during ripening. The fruit is a record holder among citrus fruits. Its diameter can be 30 cm, and its weight can reach 10 kg. The taste of pomelo is very close to grapefruit, but the pulp is not as juicy and when peeling, the internal membranes are more easily separated from the edible part.

Pomeranian

It is also called Chinotto or Bigaradia - it is a woody evergreen plant belonging to the Rutaceae family, a species of the Citrus genus. It is considered a hybrid of pomelo and tangerine. Fresh bitter orange is considered inedible, and is valued mainly for its zest. The peel is quite easy to separate from the fruit; you just need to cut it into 4 parts. Orange zest is used to make desserts. It is also often added to ice cream. For this dessert you need to take orange zest and juice, cream and sugar. All this needs to be whipped with a mixer and sent for freezing.

Rambutan

Tropical fruit tree of the Sapindaceae family. Rambutan fruits are small, the size of a hazelnut, grow in clusters of up to 30 pieces and are rounded “balls” with an elastic peel of yellow or red color, covered with fleshy hairs 4-5 cm long. Rambutan pulp covering the seed (edible, but to taste resembling an acorn), is a transparent white gelatinous mass with a pleasant sweet taste.

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08.05.2018

The reason for the existing confusion in the definition of fruits and vegetables is primarily not biologists, but culinary specialists. Historically, over time, the biological characteristics of products faded into the background, since the majority of people, when classifying fruits, began to focus exclusively on their taste characteristics according to the principle:

· Sweet fruits are fruits belonging to the group of desserts

· More piquant in taste and suitable for cooking as a main dish or side dish are vegetables

Let's look at a few examples:

Tomato. Vegetable or fruit?

It is noteworthy that in distant Spain this culture is called “ Pomi del Peru", which translates as " Peruvian apple" In Italy this plant is called " Pomo d'oro" or " golden apple" The loving French named tomatoes with the beautiful phrase “ Poma Amoris", which translates as " apple of love", and the ancient Aztecs called the tomato " Tomatl" or " Large berry", which is closest to the scientific designation of the plant.

The fact is that, according to its botanical characteristics, the tomato is a multi-star syncarpous berry. Its fruits have a thin peel and rich, juicy pulp with small seeds inside. Why not a berry?

Although if we carefully consider the method of growing tomatoes, we will see that it is very similar to the methods of growing all other representatives of the vegetable family, since the tomato is a row-crop annual plant. This factor also creates some confusion.

In Ukraine, tomatoes are usually mistakenly classified as vegetables, since tomatoes, like other vegetable crops, are used to prepare salads, sauces and first courses. They are marinated, stuffed, baked, and so on.

Cucumber. Vegetable or fruit?

Another extremely popular and widespread vegetable crop is cucumber. It is noteworthy that this plant has been purposefully cultivated by humans for more than three thousand years, and today there are a huge number of different varieties and hybrids.

In fact, a cucumber is a fruit that looks like a climbing vine, which, with the help of its spiral curls, stretches upward, diligently clinging to any obstacles and structures.

Let's put an end to the long dispute: Who is who?

First, it is necessary to define what is a fruit and what is a vegetable, because as it turns out, neither the color of the plants, nor their external shape, nor the size and configuration of the fruit matter at all to finding the truth.

Fruits

Fruits are edible fruits whose main natural function is to store seeds through which plants reproduce. Based on this definition, cucumbers, eggplants, legumes, corn and even nuts are nothing more than fruits.

The fruit is the edible part of the plant, but is separated from the plant as it ripens so that the seeds can be released into the soil and eventually germinate.

Vegetables

As for vegetables, they are also the edible part of the plant, but can consist of leaves, stems, roots, bulbs and inflorescences.

Among other things, botanists divide the group of vegetables into the following types:

Leafy (spinach, lettuce)

Root vegetables (beets, carrots, radishes)

· Stems (celery, rhubarb, ginger)

Flower buds (cauliflower and broccoli)

Thus, we determine that, purely from a botanical point of view, fruits are the fruits of plants that develop from a flower and contain seeds. And if so, then fruits must include legumes, corn, pumpkin, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and so on, since all these plants produce flowers and produce seeds. Based on this principle, fruits also include nuts and cereals.

Vegetables are the edible parts of herbaceous plants: stems, leaves, roots and even flower buds.

We sorted this out a little.

Alternative Views

However, in the countries of the European continent there is a completely different approach to the way fruits and vegetables are identified. Fruits there include all the juicy fruits of plants (and in particular, berries and drupes), so a tomato, from a European point of view, is a fruit. Again complete confusion.

There is another method for separating fruits and vegetables. It is quite simple: If the part of the plant that supplies the fruit with nutrients and moisture remains unchanged for several years, then this crop is a fruit. Dot. If not, then we have a vegetable.

If you look from this point of view, let’s say at garden fruit trees, then they all have long-lived trunks and branches, and only fruits and leaves are subject to annual renewal. And, for example, a crop such as a tomato is grown annually and at the end of the season the plant dies. Thus, a tomato is a vegetable.

But what about, for example, a banana? Nothing complicated.

The fact is that in the banana palm, which bears well-known fruits, the annual renewal of wood is hidden from view, since it occurs in the inner part of the tree, while the outer part (bark) remains unchanged. Therefore, people who call bananas fruits are making a mistake. The situation is similar with pineapple.

But if you take the date palm for example, then its fruits (dates) are actually fruits, since the physiology of these two plants is significantly different from each other.

Traditional grapes are also a fruit because they have perennial stems and a single root system.

Nuts, as mentioned above, also belong to representatives of fruit crops, but peanuts are mistakenly called nuts. He is one hundred percent vegetable.

According to this principle, strawberries should be classified as vegetables, and shrubs such as currants or gooseberries should be classified as fruits.

Fruits appeared on the planet a long time ago. This is evidenced by archaeological finds. Fruits are considered to be the sweet fruits of trees and shrubs, but this division is very conditional. Translated from Latin, this term is literally translated as “fruit.” According to biologists, all plant gifts of nature, which contain seeds inside, can be called fruits. Including vegetables, citrus fruits, berries and nuts.

All fruits differ from each other in shape, taste, aroma and color. Nature has created giant-sized fruits and tiny fruits. The sweetest fruit on all five continents is the Thai sweet apple, and bergamot is considered one of the most sour. Almost all fruits have a pleasant aroma, but among the sweet fruits there are also incredibly foul ones. Nevertheless, they are eaten. In addition to sweet and savory, there is also an oily fruit - avocado. It is added to salads and lean meat is baked with it.

Most fruits can be eaten raw, while most vegetables require cooking.

Fruit classification

Fruits can be classified according to many criteria. There are quite a lot of them, so it is impossible to list them all. In the modern world, there is even a special science dedicated to the study of fruits. They call it pomology.

The most common criteria can be combined from a scientific and consumer point of view.

Scientific

Botanists divide all sweet fruits into two large groups: pome and stone fruit. Fruits that grow in temperate climates are members of the Rosaceae family.

Pome fruits include fruits that have dense juicy pulp, thickened and very dense skin and many small seeds inside. These fruits primarily include:

• apple;
• pear;
• quince.

Due to the fact that the division of sweet fruits into fruits and berries is very arbitrary, the following berries are usually classified as pome fruits:

• rowan;
• chokeberry;
• irga;
• hawthorn;
• rose hip.

Stone fruits have juicy pulp with one drupe hidden inside. These fruits are usually very juicy and sweet. Similar fruits grow on trees, which are called fruit trees. The most famous stone fruits, growing in temperate regions, are:

• cherry plum;
• apricot;
• dogwood;
• plum;
• cherry;
• cherries;
• nectarine.

Some stone fruits, such as peach, can grow on both trees and shrubs: it all depends on the variety. A fruit like olives grows on fruit bushes.

Fruits of the Rosaceae family also include fruits that most consumers identify as berries. Among them:

• raspberry;
• strawberries;
• cloudberry;
• blackberry.

Fruits include watermelons, melons and pumpkins, as well as grapes, bananas, pomegranates, figs and dates. Sweet and not so sweet fruits of citrus plants (lemon, grapefruit, tangerine, orange, bitter orange, sweetie, lime, pomelo) are also fruits. The most popular fruit all over the world is the common and beloved tomato.

• mango,
• pineapples,
• avocado,
• kiwi,
• feijoa,
• persimmon,
• tamarillo,
• passion fruit,
• guarana,
• jaboticaba,
• noni,
• papaya,
• carambola,
• guava,

as well as Australian fruits, for example:

• blue quandong,
• Davidsonia,
• round lime,
• cockatoo plum,
• Queensland nut.

Many of the Australian fruits listed can only be tasted on the mainland. Not all of them are sweet.

Some fruits known to science have a very specific smell and taste. Among them there are even fresh and sour ones. There are also those that can make you drunk, for example, marula. This fruit, after ripening, turns into an alcoholic drink. The cut flesh of the star apple, or milkfruit, has an unusual pink-violet color (as in the photo).

Also classified as fruit are some nuts, such as cashews, coconuts or giant black Seychelles nuts. The latter can grow up to one and a half meters in girth, reaching a mass of fifty kilograms.

Consumer

The consumer characteristics of fruits differ from the scientific ones. Buyers divide the fruits into:

1. To taste: sweet, sour, fresh.
2. By size: large and small.
3. According to the color of the pulp and peel: red, yellow, white, green, orange and others.
4. By regional affiliation: local and imported (tropical).

How to select and store?

The beneficial properties of fruits will be fully manifested only if the fruits have been correctly selected and stored properly. Scientific research by nutritionists and botanists has repeatedly confirmed the theory that improper storage of fruits reduces their nutritional properties and completely eliminates the benefits of eating fruits.

The possibilities of modern retail chains are endless: you can buy fresh pears, grapes, and strawberries at any time. The fruit market is developing every day, and you can easily purchase rare and exotic fruits and all kinds of preparations from them. Home delivery of fruits also works without problems.

It should be remembered that absolutely all fruits are perishable goods. Even if the fruits visually look attractive, the process of decomposition of natural components has already begun inside them. In pursuit of safety, modern housewives do not stop during the season.

• preserve,
• dry in electric dryers,
• squeeze out juices
• cook compotes,
• cook sweets

from “native” and familiar fruits.

Many fresh fruits can be kept fresh for quite a long time in basements or cool rooms. But this applies only to those fruits whose shell is not damaged. It is advisable to eat cut or burst fruit as soon as possible. If this is not possible, then the fruit should be placed in a plastic container with a lid or in a vacuum bag. Small juicy fruits can be preserved by sprinkling with sugar. Apples will not darken or begin to rot if you sprinkle them with lemon juice.

Chopped fruits can also be frozen in freezers. Preference should be given to devices with dry freezing.

Almost all fruits familiar to us can be dried to the state of dried fruits or candied.

Use in cooking

Without exception, all fruits are used in cooking. Some varieties of fruits are eaten exclusively fresh or used in smoothies and fresh juices, while others are used to prepare various delicacies.

Most fruits can be baked, dried, dried, canned, salted, pickled, fermented and boiled. Almost all fruits can be used to prepare:

• jam;
• jam;
• jam;
• confiture;
• marshmallow;
• candied fruit;
• syrups;
• jelly;
• puree.

Fresh fruits are used as a filling for butter and other baked goods (pies and pies), porridges and casseroles.

Dried fruits are prepared from stone fruits and achenes, which are used to prepare compotes and drinks, including alcoholic drinks:

• guilt;
• tinctures;
• liqueurs;
• liqueurs;
• vodka.

The latest trend in culinary fashion is fruit chips and candy sets with dried or dried fruits inside. The latter are most often filled with caramel and chocolate. Such delicacies will make an excellent gift, and they are prepared to order by private confectionery shops.

Any fruit can be combined with protein and fermented milk products. Cuisines from around the world recognize the combination of fruits with:

• meat of animals and birds;
• fish;
• seafood;
• cottage cheese;
• milk;
• cereals (wheat, rice, buckwheat) and cereals made from them (oatmeal, barley);
• cheese.

This list can be continued for a long time, because today it is difficult to find products that are not combined with fruits and fruits that are considered to be them. The fruit is even consumed with champagne, and is also used to prepare some sauces, for example, adjika with apples.

Fruits are also used for decoration. Carving - artistic carving of berries and fruits - has become widespread. Special knives are used to cut out figures and compositions.

Even ordinary sliced ​​fruit can be used to decorate cakes. You can use your favorite fruits to create still lifes that will decorate the table during children's parties. Fruit compositions on skewers will also do the job perfectly.

Benefits and harms

Fruits can be beneficial, but they can also cause harm. Sweet fruits are a universal product that can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Tasty slices will be a great snack at any time of the day. . Absolutely all fruits of fruit plants can be consumed during fasting, since they do not contain animal fats.

Many fruits are used as medicinal products. The composition, rich in minerals and vitamins, high degree of digestibility and low calorie content of the fruit allow the fruit to be used in dietary nutrition.

Fruits are rich in fiber, which is a powerful brush for the body. This substance, when entering the human body, helps normalize the functioning and natural cleansing of the intestines, from which, as we know, the beauty of skin, hair and the strength of nails begins.

In dietary nutrition, fruits are valued for:

• rich mineral and vitamin composition;
• fast digestibility;
• low calorie content.

Decoctions and tinctures are used to boost immunity and restore strength. The benefits of fruits can also be seen in the fact that they help the absorption of related products. Regular consumption of citrus fruits helps lower blood cholesterol and support the lymphatic system.

The most popular fruits in our country, called apples, are prescribed as a medicinal product for low hemoglobin and anemia.

Bananas are indispensable in baby food. They are considered less allergenic than apples, and also have a richer vitamin and mineral composition. Baby nutrition experts point out to parents that bananas are an excellent antidote. They remove allergens from the body. The fruit is indispensable in the diet of children with gluten allergies. Bananas are useful for all those who engage in mental work.

Apricots and peaches have similar properties, but these stone fruits can only be seen on store shelves during the season. Apricot juice is indicated for anemia and memory loss. Pregnant women and people suffering from cardiovascular pathologies will benefit greatly from delicacies made from this fruit. Dried apricots and apricots are rich in pectins and help strengthen the main heart muscle – the myocardium.

The choice of fruits must be approached carefully, since many of them may contain harmful substances, and may also exceed the standard values ​​for nitrates and chemicals. This is most often the case with producers in Asian and African countries, because fruits from these regions (including bananas) are removed from the plants immature. During transportation, the fruits ripen and take on an almost natural color.

The taste of fruits ripened under normal conditions will be noticeably different from the taste of “travelers”. Only fruits picked from the tree will be the sweetest and juiciest, and will also contain the maximum amount of useful substances.

It is also important to know that some fruits are incompatible not only with each other, but also with other foods and drinks. For example, such an exotic giant Vietnamese fruit as durian should never be consumed with alcohol. Although, in truth, it should be said that not all residents of our country will want to eat them. And all because this fruit smells very bad. Its amber combines the smell of onions, garlic and dirty clothes. In our country, such a fruit is unlikely to become a favorite, but in Asian countries it is valued as an aphrodisiac.

Few people know that grapefruits and some citrus fruits should never be combined with medications for hypertension, as well as with

• oral contraceptives;
• hormonal drugs for the treatment of goiter;
• antibiotics, in particular erythromycin;
• psychotropic substances and immunosuppressants;
• antitumor and painkillers.

The fact is that the juice and the microelements it contains can increase the absorption of the listed medicinal substances by the kidneys. As a result, the body will receive a drug shock and may not be able to cope with its consequences. In total, the list of potentially dangerous drugs includes eighty-five items.

Limitations and absolute contraindications

There are restrictions and absolute contraindications in eating fruits. They relate to restrictions or prohibitions on the consumption of certain fruits by certain categories of people. For example:

1. Sweet fruits can affect the glucose levels in the body of patients with diabetes. Organic acids, found in all fruits without exception, can quickly stimulate the secretion of the pancreas, thereby causing a jump in blood sugar.
2. Hard fruits, as well as those containing large amounts of fructose, should not be consumed for pancreatitis, gastritis, gastroenterocolitis and ulcers. Absolutely all fruits and berries are prohibited for some time after removal of the gallbladder.
3. Fresh plums and pears have a laxative effect. Those who suffer from diarrhea and other digestive disorders should exclude these fruits from their diet.
4. Watermelons and pumpkin have a diuretic effect, so those who have insoluble (subject to surgical removal) deposits in the kidneys and bladder should eat them with caution.
5. Red and colored fruits, as well as all citrus fruits without exception, are known for their allergic properties. That is why people who are most susceptible to allergens, as well as young children with an immature digestive system, should avoid sweet fruits.
6. Pregnant and lactating women should also be careful when choosing fruits. That is why it is advisable to exclude strawberries and oranges, as well as all overseas fruits, from the diet. This must be done even if there were no previous problems with the digestibility of these fruits.
7. Hypertensive patients should not eat bananas, as this fruit can sharply increase blood pressure.

According to modern nutritional methods, all fruits and dishes made from them are prohibited for newborns, although ten years ago it was recommended to start the first complementary feeding with a few drops of freshly squeezed green apple juice. Schoolchildren and teenagers should eat at least one fruit every day. This simple action will saturate the body with useful substances and help activate metabolic processes.

In order not to harm your body, you should carefully choose sweet fruits. You should not try all the fruits in a row and eat several different tropical or other unusual fruits at once.