Apricot Benefits: The apricot, also known as apricot or albérchigo, is the fruit of the apricot tree, a tree of the Rosaceae family. This family includes more than 2,000 species of herbaceous plants, shrubs and trees distributed throughout temperate regions around the world. The main European fruits, in addition to the rosebush, belong to this great family. The fruit has juicy, firm flesh with a delicious sweet taste.
Nutritional value
Fresh and full of water, the apricot does not have a large presence of carbohydrates (9.5g per 100g) or energy intake (40kcal per 100g), so it is a good fruit for those who are following diets or They want to hold the line.
Apricot Benefits:
energy contribution
One of the benefits of Apricots is that they have a high nutritional value, so they will calm your mid-morning hunger and give you the energy you need to last until lunchtime. And if you decide to have them for dessert, they will help you feel much better, since they are great allies in cases of slow or heavy digestion.
prevents cancer
There is no magic, we have already explained it, simply, the apricot has a large amount of antioxidants and that is very beneficial for the body. Specifically, the most important antioxidant for this anticancer action is chlorogenic acid, which is capable of protecting us against cancer and other serious chronic diseases,
Potassium
It is diuretic, because it has a high potassium content (290mg per 100g), so it will be useful for people with high blood pressure or who retain fluids.
for anemia
Its high iron content, especially in dried apricots, make it an excellent remedy for iron deficiency anemia.
Astringent, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant
On the other hand, fresh ripe apricots are rich in tannins, substances with astringent, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Some of the actions of tannins are to dry and reduce inflammation of the intestinal mucosa; the layer that covers the interior of the digestive tract, so its consumption is suitable in case of a delicate stomach and heavy digestions.
Vitamin B9 or folic acid: helps our body create new cells. It is very beneficial and necessary especially during pregnancy to prevent defects.
Osteoporosis
This fruit is essential for those who suffer from stress, since it manages to act on the nervous system, facilitating its work without being affected by the stress situation. Likewise, it is also healthy for our bones as it is so rich in calcium, thus preventing diseases such as osteoporosis.
They have malic and citric acid: they enhance the activity of vitamin C, favor the absorption of calcium and detoxify the body, even reducing uric acid.
Vision
It prevents many eye diseases, such as retinal degeneration, night blindness or vision loss. This is due to its vitamin A content. There is evidence that this nutrient is essential in preventing macular degeneration.
heart healthy
Apricots are good for cardiovascular health, as they reduce the risk of heart diseases such as hypertension and this is thanks to the antioxidant action of vitamin C and lycopene. Both are responsible for reducing bad cholesterol, which drastically reduces the risk of heart attack. This is one of the most important Apricot benefits.
Purchase and conservation
When buying apricots, they must be ripe, with smooth skin and firm pulp, and those pieces that are hard or those that do not have a nice orange color must be discarded.
Once at home, they can be kept for a couple or three days at room temperature and up to a week in the refrigerator. To preserve them better, they will be stored in the lower part of the refrigerator without stacking them, or in perforated paper bags. Dried apricots or dried apricots should be kept in tightly closed glass jars and protected from moisture.
Apricot in the kitchen
Fresh apricot is washed well and then dried. It can be eaten as it is, as a dessert or a snack, but it also admits many other preparations.
Peeled and boneless, we can serve it with cream, yogurt, cottage cheese or ice cream. It can also be part of a fruit salad.
We can cut it in half and remove the bone to fill it, it admits multiple sweet and salty fillings.
We can serve it poached or cooked in the microwave oven, we can also cook it in syrup, grill it or make it in papillote. The apricots prepared in this way can be served alone or accompanied by cream, ice cream and chopped nuts.
Curiosities
The so-called «orejones» which are nothing more than dried apricots from which the skin and bone are previously removed.
It should be noted that as it is a dry fruit, during the drying process, in addition to removing the water, part of the water-soluble vitamins (group B vitamins) have been removed.