Sweet fruits contain many nutrients necessary to support the functioning of all organs and systems. They are recommended to be eaten by both adults and children. But, despite the useful properties of apricots, and they have contraindications. They must be known in order to avoid harm to the body.
The benefits of apricots
The positive effect of fruits on health due to their rich composition. They contain:
- vitamins (B, A, C, H, E, PP);
- minerals (potassium, iron, magnesium, iodine, phosphorus, sodium);
- acids (tartaric, malic, citric).
Only 2-3 fruits per day will provide the body with vital nutrients and improve health.
The list of useful properties of apricots is impressive:
- Support the work of the cardiovascular system. A large amount of magnesium in the composition of the fruit normalizes its activity: it helps with arrhythmias and angina pectoris, reduces high blood pressure, and improves the condition after myocardial infarction.
- They have a diuretic effect. For people with kidney problems, eating fruit is indicated as often as possible.
- They activate brain activity and normalize the functioning of the nervous system. Apricots improve concentration, memory, increase the speed of thought processes.
- Helps eliminate constipation. Beneficial effect on the gastrointestinal tract as a whole: improve the condition with inflammation of the gastric mucosa, help with various diseases. Regarding the effect on the digestive system, it is important to consider the beneficial properties of apricots and contraindications. Not for all pathologies, their use for the good.
- Improve the condition of the skin and strengthen the visual system due to the high content of vitamin A.
- Facilitate the condition of people suffering from varicose veins, increasing the tone of the walls of blood vessels.
- They help cleanse the body of harmful substances, reduce the indicator of "bad" cholesterol in the blood, thereby preventing the development of atherosclerosis.
- They serve as an excellent prevention of colds, help to cope with an existing ailment. The healing effect of apricots is due to their antimicrobial, antibacterial and restorative properties. In addition, they contribute to the effective discharge of sputum from the respiratory tract.
- Normalize the endocrine system, preventing the development of thyroid diseases.
- Regular consumption of fruit reduces the likelihood of malignancy.
Both fresh and dried apricots are equally useful. In addition, the bark, leaves, kernels, seeds have a healing effect.
Who are contraindicated in?
The fruit contains a lot of sugars, including glucose, which means that people who are at risk or those who are diagnosed with diabetes are not recommended to eat sweet fruits. For the same reason, they must be excluded from the diet for people with metabolic disorders. In dried form, apricots retain the same amount of sugars, their use is also undesirable with the above ailments.
Apricot has both beneficial properties and contraindications in relation to the digestive system. With caution and in minimal quantities, fruits should be eaten by people suffering from gastritis and high acidity.
It should also be borne in mind that apricots have a pronounced laxative effect. Excessive use of them threatens to cause diarrhea.
Apricot seeds: useful properties and contraindications
For a person, this fruit is unique. Healing actions are possessed not only by the pulp of the fetus, but also by the leaves, bark, and core.
Bones are widely used in the food and cosmetic industries. They are part of many culinary masterpieces. The raw material for the production of the famous oil is also the apricot kernel. The beneficial properties and contraindications of a unique cosmetic product are known to many: it eliminates various ailments, and does not cause harm with moderate use.
By consuming up to 15 peeled apricot kernels per day, you can significantly improve your health. They:
- normalize the work of the cardiovascular system;
- detrimental effect on helminths and other parasites;
- assist in the treatment of diseases of the respiratory system.
These properties are due to the composition of the nuclei. It is represented not only by vitamins and minerals, but also by acids that nourish the brain.
At the same time, the beneficial property and contraindication of bitter apricot kernels is the presence in them of a substance called amygdalin. On the one hand, it is believed (but not proven) that it is able to fight cancer cells, but on the other hand, when it is ingested, hydrocyanic acid is formed, which is toxic to humans. Based on this, a safe norm for the use of apricot kernels follows - up to 15 pieces per day. With a reasonable approach, they benefit both children and adults.
Positive effects of apricot tree bark
This part is often used in alternative medicine. Its therapeutic effect is not inferior even to that which has the kernel of an apricot kernel. Useful properties (it does not have contraindications) of the bark of the fruiting tree determined its use for the treatment of the following ailments:
- Various diseases of the cardiovascular system. It is especially indicated for people who have had a stroke or have other pathologies associated with a violation of cerebral circulation.
- Digestive system diseases. The resin of the apricot tree bark gently envelops the gastric mucosa, improving the condition with existing inflammations. It has only a protective function - it does not undergo splitting in the organ itself.
In addition, the decoction of the bark is extremely useful for women who have had difficult births. It helps to strengthen the body and speedy recovery. Also, an infusion or broth helps energize and gain strength in the elderly.
The healing effect of apricot leaves
Useful properties and contraindications for this part of the fruit tree are due to its correct use. In order to cleanse the body of toxic compounds, you need to drink a decoction of leaves. This drink is useful for people whose professional activities are associated with the effects of adverse factors. For example, work in radioactive zones, chemical and textile industry, printing.
In addition, a decoction of apricot tree leaves has a pronounced diuretic effect. It is indicated for people with various kidney diseases.
Infusion is able to relieve helminths, is effective for diarrhea. In this case, the leaves do not need to boil. They must be crushed, pour hot water and let it brew for half an hour.
Compress from freshly picked leaves is useful for hematomas, skin diseases (including acne), sunburn. They can also be chewed for several minutes and thereby get rid of plaque and halitosis.
Thus, the proper use of leaves will not cause the slightest harm to health.
Dried apricots and apricots: useful properties and contraindications
For humans, dried apricots are just as valuable as fresh fruits. After the natural drying process, they retain all the positive qualities.
Dried apricots (pitted) and apricots (with it) are powerful preventive agents against many ailments:
- iron deficiency;
- pathologies of the visual system;
- diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
- disorders in the cardiovascular system;
- hormonal imbalance;
- elevated levels of "bad" cholesterol in the blood;
- strokes and heart attacks;
- pathologies of the endocrine system;
- kidney disease.
In addition, dried apricots are able to inhibit the growth of cancer cells. Compotes, cooked on the basis of apricots or dried apricots, cleanse the body of harmful compounds and salts of heavy metals.
Help in losing weight
Apricots have the unique property of doubling the speed of metabolic processes, and therefore they must be present in the diet of every person seeking to lose excess kilograms.
100 g of fruits contain 44 kcal, there are practically no proteins and fats in them, the optimal amount of carbohydrates is 9 g.
Nevertheless, you should not focus exclusively on the energy value and useful properties of apricots - and contraindications for losing weight are also available. Due to the large amount of sugars in their composition, it is not recommended to use for people suffering from diabetes. In addition, with excessive eating of juicy fruits, the diet is ineffective. But there is one caveat: not too sweet and ripe apricots contain a minimum amount of sugars and only 11 kcal. Thus, during the period of weight loss, it is desirable to eat slightly unripe fruits.
Can lactating women?
Childbirth is a natural but difficult process. After them, it is important to eat foods that give strength and restore the body. When breastfeeding, both the beneficial properties and contraindications of apricots need to be carefully weighed.
On the one hand, with constipation in a child, they will help, but on the other hand, in almost all cases, intestinal colic in a baby is more pronounced. In addition, a high probability of a response of the newborn to allergies.
Thus, it is useful for nursing women to eat apricots, but in minimal quantities, constantly monitoring the condition of the baby. If it has not changed, you can safely increase the daily rate of fruits.
How to choose apricots?
July is the time of year when this fruit appears in markets and retail outlets.
When choosing apricots, you need to pay attention to the following points:
- Fruits should not be green. As a rule, they appear on the shelves unripe. This is necessary for sellers in order to increase the implementation period and not incur losses. But such fruits do not have good taste.
- Ripe apricots have a bright orange color, which is evenly distributed.
- The smell should be pronounced: fruity and fragrant.
- If you press the surface of a ripe apricot with your finger, it can easily be pressed. But if you remove it, a dent will not remain.
- The skin should not be thick, with cracks or dark spots.
Storage
One of the main points is transportation. In her process, the fruits should not be badly damaged.
Shelf life is also affected by their improper storage. They should not lie in packages or boxes in several rows on top of each other, as the integrity of the apricots will be violated.
If you store the fruit at room temperature, it will not last longer than two days. To increase the shelf life, apricots should be in the refrigerator. With the correct location, it is 2-3 weeks, a maximum of 1 month (at zero temperature).
Finally
Apricots are sweet and juicy fruits that can provide invaluable assistance to the human body. Due to its rich composition, they positively affect the state of health in many pathologies of the cardiovascular, endocrine, digestive, visual and other systems. Nevertheless, the beneficial properties and contraindications of apricots should always be correlated. For example, they are not recommended for food to people suffering from diabetes and certain diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. But in general, in minimal quantities, the fruits benefit everyone.