Pears are a member of the rose family of plants (Rosaceae). A fun piece of information… a long list of fruits including apples, apricots, cherries, chokeberry, crabapples, loquats, peaches, plums, quinces, raspberries, serviceberries, and strawberries as well as almonds are all in the same plant family of the common rose.
In the 1500’s, European colonists began to bring pears to North America, mainly from France. The U.S. imports over 75,000 metric tons of pears each year, the vast majority now come from Argentina, Chile, China, South Korea and New Zealand.
The many different varieties of pears commonly found in U.S. grocery stores typically have a rounded body that tapers into a neck of various lengths and colors including, green, red, yellow/gold, and brown.
The Pear Is Full Of Antioxidants, Anti-inflammatory Falavonoids and Anti-cancer Phytonutrients
Pears are a concentrated source of phenolic phytonutrients, including hydroxybenzoic acids, hydroxycinnamic acids, hydroxyquinones, flavanols, anthocyanins (in red-skinned varieties) and carotenoids. Recent studies have shown that the skin of pears contains at least 3-4 times as many phenolic phytonutrients as the flesh of the pear. These phytonutrients include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory flavonoids, and potentially anti-cancer phytonutrients like cinnamic acids. Pears are a very good source of dietary fiber, copper, vitamin C, and vitamin K. The skin of the pear has also been show to contain about half of the pear’s total dietary fiber.
Pears are incredibly good for your health
Immune system boost
Pears help to boost the immune system because they contain vitamin C, vitamin K and copper all of which act as antioxidants to protect our cells from damage from free radicals. One pear contains up to 11% of our daily recommended intake of vitamin C and 9.5 % of our daily recommended intake of copper.
Many doctors are now recommending that people maintain a balanced ph and high calcium intake from fruits and vegetables. Pears are a good source of boron, which researchers believe may help the body to retain calcium.
Pears contain a lot of fiber, which helps to keep food moving efficiently through the colon. One medium sized pear contains about 20-25% of the daily recommended intake of fiber.
Pears should be included in a healthy prenatal diet. It is important for a pregnant women to consume enough folic acid for the health of their developing baby. Pears contain 5% of the RDV of folate.
Pears are an excellent source of dietary fiber which is good for the heart. Studies have shown that fiber can lower levels of bad cholesterol. Eating pears can also reduce risk of stroke by up to 50 %.
Because they are high in fiber and have a low glycemic index, which helps expedite metabolism system. The pear has roughly 5.5g of fiber.
Studies of Harvard University says that eating a pear in large amounts can lead us away from type 2 diabetes. Red pear contains anthocyanin (an antioxidant), that may help reduce the risk of developing diabetes by lowering insulin resistance.
Fiber from pear can bind together with bile acids. Excessive amounts of bile acids in the intestine can increase our risk of colorectal cancer. Pear fibers can help decrease the bile acid concentration in the intestine and lower our risk of cancer development. A good percentage of the fiber in pears is insoluble, which may help to reduce the occurrence of colon polyps. Dietary intake of pears have been shown to lower the risk of gastric cancer. In a recent study of cinnamic acids from Mexico City; 2 fruit and 4 daily vegetable servings resulted in a notable decrease in gastric cancer risk.
Pear intake can help lower the risk of esophageal cancer. In a very large-scale study conducted by the National Institutes of Health and the American Association of Retired Persons (involving 490,802 participants), pears were found to reduce the risk of esophageal cancer. Furthermore, numerous foods belonging the Rosaceae family, including apples, plums, and strawberries were also found to lower risk of esophageal cancer.
