Apricot benefits and harms for men's health. Apricots: benefits and harms, beneficial properties for health

One of the sweetest and juiciest summer fruits is Apricot. His beneficial features so powerfully expressed that it is rightly called a unique fruit.

Origin

The name itself came to our language from the Dutch language. However, this fruit was first called “apricot” by the ancient Romans. This word translated means “precocious.”

Apricot is a relative of plum, which is why it is sometimes called “yellow plum.”

Initially, the fruit grew in Asian countries, from there it came to Armenia, after which it spread throughout Europe, and a little later it began to grow in America. It now grows on every continent except Antarctica. It also grows in Russia, where it produces abundant harvests not only in the south, but also in middle lane.

Dried apricots with pits are called apricots, and those without pits are called dried apricots.

Beneficial features

It has a fairly sweet and pleasant taste.

The calorie content is very low, about 42 calories per 100 grams.

Among other fruits growing in central Russia, there are no fruits that can compare with apricot in composition. In particular, as much beta-carotene antioxidant as the apricot contains, no other fruit has it.

Beta-carotene is known to us for its active form in the form of vitamin A. This healthy vitamin protects our bodies from germs and viruses. It also prevents the development of tumors, which protects against cancer.

Also contains a lot of magnesium and iron. These microelements support the cardiovascular system and increase hemoglobin. Thanks to this, apricot will benefit children, young girls and pregnant women.

The composition includes large quantities- cellulose. It is dietary fiber that retains cholesterol before being absorbed into the intestinal walls.

If you eat apricot every day, it will slow down the development of atherosclerosis.

Who should eat the fruit?

Apricots, due to their beneficial properties, should be included in the diet of those who have diseases gastrointestinal tract, as well as in the treatment of metabolic disorders. This fruit gently normalizes the functioning of the stomach glands, which leads to normal acidity. Apricot will also benefit the pancreas.

These fruits are also used in the treatment of kidney inflammation and cleansing the body of toxins.

Dried apricots and apricots will benefit those who need to get a lot of energy from large quantity food. They will be especially useful for pregnant women, children, the elderly and the sick. At one time, they usually eat no more than 100 grams of dried fruit.

The fruit has gained great popularity in cosmetology. Creams, lotions and shampoos are made from apricot, which help girls improve the condition of their facial skin and hair. Seed powder is also used and added to the skin scrub. Apricot oil is used for hair restoration.

Apricot has aphrodisiac properties. It has been recommended for men since ancient times.

For men, a mixture ground in a meat grinder will help increase potency walnuts, dried apricots and dark raisins, which is filled with honey.

Who should avoid fruit?

Although the fruit contains few calories, sugar, which is found in large quantities in apricots, can cause harm. Therefore, in order to reduce possible harm, diabetics should be careful about themselves and their health, and be more careful when consuming this fruit.

Contraindications for eating fruit also include severe constipation.

The most harmful properties show apricot kernels, which contain hydrocyanic acid. Of course, their content is not so high as to lead to serious consequences and diseases, but it is best to control the amount of seeds eaten. It must be remembered that as many seeds as are contained in two tablespoons can cause harm to a person.

Useful video No. 1:

How to select and store?

If an apricot is chosen incorrectly and stored in the wrong place, it will very quickly lose its appearance, begin to dry out and lose all its beneficial properties. Ripe fruits are easily damaged and then quickly become moldy.

In order for apricots to be stored longer and continue to be beneficial, you need to follow simple rules:

1. If fruits need to be stored for a long time, you need to choose slightly unripe fruits with a hard surface.
2. The fruits should not have any damage, dents, or rotten areas.
3. Apricots are best stored if each fruit is wrapped in parchment or has its own place in special boxes with individual cells. If possible, avoid storing fruit in plastic bags.
4. Do not store fruits in piles - this way they become more wrinkled and more difficult to inspect.
5. Only ripe fruits are stored in the refrigerator. Unripe fruits will not ripen in the cold, and ripe fruits in room conditions quickly deteriorate, losing their properties and taste.

Ripe fruits should be stored at a temperature of no more than 10 degrees. From the moment the fruit is placed in the refrigerator, it must be eaten within 20 days. After three weeks, the apricots will begin to become loose and fibrous. Eating such fruits does not cause harm, but there is little benefit from them.

Rules of etiquette

According to the rules of table manners, large fruits are first divided in half and the seeds are removed. They eat apricots only with their hands. If the fruit is difficult to cut, it is eaten in a couple of bites, and the stone is spat into the hand, which is brought to the face, covering the mouth.

Apricot diet

This diet is especially suitable for those who have a sweet tooth. Due to its properties and low calorie content, fruits will not only help you lose weight, but will also be beneficial for your health. digestive system.

To beneficial effect was visible, you need to go on a diet for at least 3, but no more than 5 days. You can eat the apricot whole, or you can cut it into pieces or make a puree. If you have a blender, you can grind the fruit in it with ice. This recipe is especially suitable for hot days.

Apart from apricots, dried apricots and apricots, nothing else needs to be introduced into the diet. You need to eat two handfuls of fresh fruit at a time. In total, for one day you will need to purchase 1.5 - 2 kg of fruit. If you eat more, the benefits for the intestines will remain, but the weight loss will not be as noticeable.

The only drinks allowed are water and herbal tea.

Store apricot juice It is better not to use it in the diet, as it is not as rich in vitamins as fresh fruits. Additional sugar is added to it. This can be harmful to the body and does not help you lose weight.

This diet is carried out no more than once per season.

The apricot diet has contraindications:

1. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
2. Diabetes.

For a healthy person, this diet will not cause harm, but only benefit. But if you have any doubts, it is better to consult with a specialist than to act at your own peril and risk.

Useful video No. 2:

Useful video No. 3:

Apricot is a tree with bright sugar fruits that satisfy hunger and contain a lot of useful elements. Its spread began from China, although apricot came to the Slavs from Armenia.

Chemical composition of apricot

All parts of the apricot have a very generous chemical composition. The bark is rich tannins, wood – flavonoids, leaves contain phenolcarbonic and ascorbic acid, and flowers contain carotene. But the most beneficial thing is the pulp (both fresh and dried), as well as the kernels of the fruit.

The apricot fruit contains a large amount of vitamins in its pulp: almost the entire group B, vitamins A, PP, C, H and E. The pulp contains trace elements such as iron, iodine, zinc, manganese, molybdenum, chromium, fluorine, boron, aluminum, silicon, vanadium, nickel and cobalt. Macroelements are represented by calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, phosphorus, chlorine and sulfur. The color of the fruit depends on the amount of carotene in it: the more there is, the brighter and more saturated the color.

The apricot kernel contains protein and oil with organic acids. These are linoleic, stearic and myristic acids. The seeds contain up to 50% non-drying fatty oil In addition, they contain poison - hydrocyanic acid.

Beneficial properties of apricot

Ascorbic acid in apricot forms antibodies in the body that can resist infections. This vitamin makes your walls strong blood vessels and resists cancer cells. Vitamin B5 ( pantothenic acid) strengthens nerve endings, stimulates work internal glands and regulates lipid, protein and carbohydrate metabolism in organism.

Biologically active substances composed of juice from apricot pulp stimulate appetite, improve performance of cardio-vascular system, stimulate blood circulation and improve vision thanks to carotene. Regular consumption of juice reduces cholesterol levels, normalizes arterial pressure and helps with liver disease.

The benefits of apricots for children are especially great. Prepared from the pulp baby food, which contains easily digestible simple sugars. Purees and canned food stimulate the growth of children and have a general strengthening effect on a fragile body. Apricots regulate acidity gastric juice, which normalizes the functioning of the pancreas, gallbladder and liver.

Did you know? In the Middle Ages, the topic of aphrodisiacs was very popular in Europe. These included the apricot, which was mentioned by William Shakespeare in the play A Midsummer Night's Dream.

The use of apricots in folk medicine

The list of diseases for which apricot helps is impressive: it is used for constipation, intestinal diseases, colitis, and problems with cardiac activity. Apricot is an excellent antipyretic. The juice of the fruit inhibits putrefactive bacteria in the body. For senile constipation, it is recommended to drink apricot compote. Apricot juice makes it easier discomfort with flatulence and dysbacteriosis.

Dried fruits are useful for pregnant women and for patients with anemia - they replenish potassium deficiency. Dried apricots also eliminate bacteria in oral cavity, carrying bad smell. People's and official medicine recognizes the benefits of dried apricots for cancer patients who need potassium and sodium to restore the body.

Apricot normalizes digestion. It is used for coughs as a thinner, used for bronchitis, whooping cough, inflammation of the trachea and pharynx. Eating “sunny” fruits activates the brain. The benefits of apricots for stomach ulcers are also invaluable; they work as a diuretic, removing hidden swelling that appears with this disease.

The use of apricots in cosmetology

Apricot is a valuable crop for cosmetology. It is used to create tonic, nourishing, cleansing, restorative and strengthening products. Silicon present in apricot promotes the regeneration of damaged tissues, strengthening hair and nail plates. At the same time, sulfur improves metabolism.

Body scrub with apricot kernels Gently cleanses the skin of dead and dead cells. The skin becomes healthy looking and color, becomes elastic and soft.

A face mask is good for problem skin: it removes acne and irritation, deeply cleanses and smoothes out fine wrinkles, evens out the skin. Regular use of hair masks will give your hair a healthy shine, stimulate its growth and give strength to weakened hair.

Apricot oil used in hand, nail and eyelash care products. In frosty and windy weather, the oil will replace lip balm and cure already chapped lips.

Use of apricots in cooking

Apricot is loved by many chefs. It is used as a filling for pies, muffins, cupcakes, buns and other baked goods. Fruit halves are used to decorate cakes and cream desserts. Prepare mousses and soufflés, cottage cheese casseroles. Apricots are used to make jelly, marshmallows, and marmalade. For the winter, they make jam, preserves, jams from it, freeze and dry it, preserve it whole and in halves, make syrups, and dry it.

The characteristic sourness in taste allows apricots to be stewed with meat and poultry, baked in rolls, added to salads, seasonings and sauces. Pilaf, porridge and other main courses and side dishes are prepared with apricot. Compotes are made from apricots, juice is squeezed, jelly and fruit drinks are made. An extract for essences is produced from the juice of the fruit. The kernels are used as an almond substitute.

Important! You should not get carried away with apricot kernels - they contain hydrocyanic acid, which can cause poisoning in high concentrations.

Many oriental sweets are prepared from apricots: sherbet, halva, Turkish delight and others. Alcohol producers also resort to apricot: they make liqueurs, wine and liqueurs from it, which can then also be used in the preparation of desserts, for example, soaking cake layers with apricot alcohol.

Interesting! The famous Italian liqueur “Amaretto” is flavored with apricot kernel extract.

Contraindications and side effects of apricot

Contraindications to eating apricot are: acute form pancreatitis, disease thyroid gland And serious violation liver functions. With such disorders, the body does not absorb retinol and carotene contained in apricot. Eating more than 20 g of apricot kernels per day will lead to consequences such as nausea, vomiting, weakness, upset stomach and even loss of consciousness. This is due to the content of glycoside and amygdalin in the nuclei - toxic substances.

Speaking about the benefits of apricots for women, many remember their rich composition and properties. And also - oh important role in the prevention of hypertension and CVD – rich in potassium and magnesium, strengthen the heart muscle; diseases endocrine system and gastrointestinal tract - a lot of pectin, removes toxins, normalizes cholesterol; about protection nervous system from stress and reducing the likelihood of cancer.

In the latter cases, the benefits of apricots for women are indeed more clearly visible.

B vitamins are important for female body, and resistance to stress is now relevant for everyone: women are more nervous.

In some cases, breast cancer can be avoided by watching your diet, and even oncologists advise introducing apricots into your diet.

In general, these recommendations are general; this does not mean that they are ineffective. People of “both sexes” often create the same diagnoses for themselves, but the structure of the body in women is still different: it’s not for nothing that we are called “secrets” and “mysteries”.

Very useful properties

The benefits of apricots for women are explained by their composition and properties: Avicenna said this, and not only “in a cosmetic sense.” The great physician believed: apricots relieve painful conditions and restore strength, including during pregnancy. Modern doctors confirm this: let’s clarify the general recommendations once again.

For anemia, apricots help increase hemoglobin levels: for heavy menstrual bleeding they need to be eaten regularly.

Normalization hormonal levels For women, apricot fruits help not only during pregnancy, but also during PMS and menopause.

By stimulating the production of certain mediators, fragrant fruits promote calmness and good mood.

The sweet pulp of apricots helps you forget about high-calorie and unhealthy “snacks” from the store: not only is it preserved a slim body women, but also normal metabolism.

Apricot kernels are rich in amygdalin, the substance on which it is created. homeopathic medicine"Laetrile" (vitamin B17). Followers alternative methods treatments are confident that it fights cancer well, but official medicine has a different attitude. Studies do not confirm the effectiveness of this substance, but they do prove its toxicity. True, apricot kernels in small quantities will not cause harm, but infatuation with them can lead to severe hydrocyanic acid poisoning. Therefore, pregnant women are prohibited from chewing bones, but in history oriental medicine There is interesting fact: Ancient Arab healers advised women to wear a belt on their body made from apricot kernels covered with a special pattern to get rid of infertility.

Apricots for pregnant women

Do pregnant women need apricots? Of course they are needed; Some reasons have already been indicated above why women “in interesting position“It is worth including apricots in the menu.

Their entire rich vitamin and mineral composition is just what you need for expectant mother and baby. And apricots are also a joy in the literal sense: as soon as you see the ripe yellow-orange fruits and feel their aroma, your mood rises, and fears and depression recede - the benefits of apricots for a woman and child are enormous!

Pregnant women often suffer from constipation and swelling: many foods help, but not all are as tasty and attractive as golden apricots in the middle of summer.

The benefits of apricots different periods pregnant woman

How exactly do apricots help a woman during different periods of pregnancy?

Toxicosis appears in many people from the first days: morning sickness will subside if you eat 70-100 g of ripe fruits on an empty stomach.

Constipation and flatulence in many women also occur in the 1st trimester: hormonal changes change the condition of the intestinal muscles. Apricots contain many times more fiber of both types (soluble and insoluble) than apples or citrus fruits: 100-150 g of fruit in the morning (during the day or at night) will help solve this problem. According to reviews, apricots simply save you from constipation, allow you to give up pharmaceutical laxatives and avoid the development of hemorrhoids; many women note that it is better to eat them before bed, 8-10 pieces.

The same conditions can haunt a woman both in the 2nd trimester and in the 3rd; Heartburn and cramps are often added - there is not enough calcium, arrhythmia and increased blood pressure. Very ripe and sweet apricots help with heartburn; they contain tens of times more calcium than, for example, bananas; There is also a lot of potassium - support for the heart and kidneys, which endure increased stress during pregnancy. Potassium helps remove swelling: the salts of this macroelement help remove sodium from tissues.

Regarding anemia in women: some studies have shown that 100 g of fresh apricots contain the same amount of iron as 250 g of fresh beef liver. Not everyone wants to eat meat products; besides, apricots will absorb iron faster and easier.

About the condition of skin and hair in women. In the 2nd half of pregnancy, the skin often dries out, hair weakens and falls out: developing fetus consumes a lot of vitamin A it needs. In such cases, it is better to eat apricots with cream, sour cream, yogurt: they contain a lot of beta-carotene, but it needs fats for absorption.

Also important: by eating apricots regularly, many women prevented significant weight gain - overweight healthy birth do not contribute.

The benefits of apricots for nursing women

Nutrition for a nursing mother is a matter of particular importance. The child has already been born, and now his health depends on the environment, and on good nutrition- Firstly. Breast milk – best food; The baby's body receives everything that the mother eats. Apricots are just as useful as before, but now you need to be careful: the child’s intestines form their own flora and reactions may be different. It is recommended to introduce apricots 3-4 months after the birth of the baby, 2-3 pieces each. in a day; if all is well, increase the portions to 100-150 g, but don’t get carried away.

What are the benefits for the female figure?

Now the question that is most interesting to all women: do apricots help you lose weight or not? Of course, the topic of losing weight cannot be ignored: excess weight It’s not just pregnant women who make life difficult.

The calorie content of apricots is about 45 kcal. There are plenty of options to improve and maintain your figure.

Options for losing weight with apricots

• The first and simplest option for using apricots for weight loss that women should try is fasting days once a week. Apricots (1 kg) are eaten throughout the day, in 4-5 doses. In the morning – raw fruits and unsweetened green tea; lunch – fresh juice with mint; lunch – raw fruits + fresh juice, tea; afternoon snack – juice mixed with water 1:1; in the evening – baked fruits. No liquid except water (1.5-2 l) and green (herbal) tea.
• Mono-diet for no more than 3 days, no more than once every 3 months. Apricots are alternated throughout the day and combined with natural “milk”: low-fat milk, kefir and cottage cheese; curdled milk, yogurt, etc.
• With a normal diet, one apricot dish a day will help maintain normal weight. “Tender” breakfast, lunch or afternoon snack: 150 g fresh fruits, 2-3 slices of lemon, several pieces of pear (apple); mix, pour over 50 g of low-fat sour cream (cream), sprinkle with cinnamon, add 1-2 tsp. honey.

There are contraindications

There are few contraindications to eating apricots, however, they exist and are worth mentioning. Apricots can cause harm in cases of hypothyroidism, diabetes, hepatitis, and a tendency to allergies.

Unripe and overripe fruits are harmful: they cause poisoning and diarrhea.

Of course, in case of abuse, it is not the apricots that are “to blame”: healthy person You can eat up to 500 g of fruits per day.

Apricot is a tree from the plum genus and the fruits of this tree of the same name. The origin of this plant is still not precisely known. Armenia and Tien Shan claim the title of his homeland. Today, trees are very common in warm temperate climates.

This is a deciduous tree of not very large size that can live in good conditions up to a hundred years. Thanks to its deep roots, it tolerates drought well. Does not freeze up to 30 degrees below zero. The fruit is an orange drupe, yellow color, sometimes with a pink side. It is eaten raw and also dried. Kernel kernels prepared in a special way are also used in some regions ( see further). Oil and milk are made from the seeds.

Composition and calorie content

Carotene gives apricot fruits their wonderful orange color - there is no less of this provitamin here than in carrots. The fruit pulp is rich in pectin, sugars ( more than 10%). The fruit contains inulin, apple, wine and citric acid, starch, tanning components. Because of high content sugars, people with diabetes should consume them in limited quantities. The composition includes a lot of iron, phosphorus and magnesium, calcium. Record holder for potassium content - twice as much as in dry grapes and three times more than in dry apples. Armenian varieties are rich in iodine, so they can be used to prevent thyroid diseases.

Contraindications and warnings

It is undesirable to use fresh fruits on an empty stomach, and also after a heavy meal.
Do not immediately after use raw fruits drink water - diarrhea may occur.
The consumption of raw and dry fruits should be reduced in case of obesity and diabetes.
You should use raw fruits with great caution during exacerbation of organ diseases digestive tract, dysbacteriosis.
With a slow heartbeat ( pulse below 55 beats in 60 seconds) you should not eat either raw or dry fruits.
Green fruits are difficult to process in the digestive system, causing increased acidity, sour belching and heartburn, so people suffering from gastrointestinal diseases should avoid these fruits.

How to select and store?

When purchasing, you should pay attention to ripe fruits with a fairly hard skin, without spots. Fruits that are greenish or covered with dents should not be taken. When breaking the fruit, the stone should fall out easily, the pulp should not be mushy, but at the same time, should remain juicy. The presence of dark brown dots on the fruit indicates overripeness, if there are more than 10 of them. Fruits with worms, of course, should not be taken. But from the same batch, unaffected fruits will be environmentally friendly.

Often, in places where they grow, fruits are collected semi-green so that they “reach” during transportation. Such fruits do not gain enough juiciness even when pleasant appearance remain dry and tough. Moreover, their skin is too thin.

The most delicious varieties– “pineapple” and “banana” - these fruits are uniformly yellow in color, slightly elongated and quite large. Large orange fruits with a pink side are very good for preservation. They have a sweet and sour taste. Small yellow fruits are most often not too sweet, and may even have a bitter taste.

If the fruits have been correctly collected and transported, they can be stored at room temperature for up to three days, and in the refrigerator at temperatures close to zero for up to twenty days!
For long-term storage, the fruits are preserved in the form of jam, compotes, dried and frozen.

Apricot salad recipes

Apricots are more often used for making desserts and baking, but adherents of a healthy lifestyle should not get carried away with sweets and high-calorie pies. Recipes for very tasty and healthy dishes have been specially selected for them.

1. Chop 3 carrots coarsely, add chopped 2 cups of dried apricots, the pulp of one lemon. Refill 100 gr. sour cream mixed with sugar and parsley. This is very healthy salad, which can be the basis for a fasting diet. In this case, there is no need to add sugar to it.
2. To increase hemoglobin levels, the following salad is suitable: mix a glass of walnut kernels with a glass of finely chopped dried apricots, season with honey. This salad cannot be eaten in large quantities, as it is high in calories. Honey can cause allergies in babies. There is another option for dressing this salad: a mixture of a spoonful of cognac and powdered sugar, but it is suitable only for adult gourmets.
3. Mix 200 gr. raw apricots, 100 gr. raw cabbage, finely shredded, 100 gr. apples cut into strips, 80 g each. thinly sliced ​​turnips and carrots. Mix everything and season with a mixture of sour cream and sugar, pour over lemon juice. Serve on lettuce leaves and sprinkle with mint.
4. Low-calorie dessert: Divide into slices and remove seeds from 0.5 kg of ripe fruits, place them in bowls and pour over lemon juice. Whip vegetable cream with 2 tbsp. l. powdered sugar, spread the cream over the fruits, cool slightly in the refrigerator.
5. Boil and cut into strips chicken breast, boil and chop three eggs, one onion, also into strips, 2 pickled cucumbers and 0.2 kg of dried apricots. Mix everything and season with low-calorie mayonnaise. This salad can be served with festive table, it is very savory and at the same time suitable for many diets.
6. Apricot-curd dessert: Place whole apricots in sugar syrup (100 gr. sugar and a glass of water, vanilla), boil over low heat for 10 minutes, remove and let cool. Carefully, so as not to damage the integrity of the fruit, remove the seeds. Fill the fruits with curd cream: beat the cottage cheese with cream, sugar and a small amount of liqueur, you can add a few pitted cherries. Place the finished dessert in the refrigerator to cool. Before serving, decorate with whipped cream.
7. Cut beautifully the same number pears and apricots, mix and season with honey or sugar. Leave for a while and stir again before serving.

How to dry?

These fruits can be dried whole, only by squeezing out the seed, then the result will be called kaisa. If you divide the fruit into halves, you get dried apricots. Both types of dried fruits are made from large varieties. Dried fruits with seeds are called apricots. Slightly dried large apricots grown in warm regions, are called whispered. They are very tasty and contain up to 80% sugars.

For drying at home, you don’t have to remove the seeds and take small fruits, as well as those that are not suitable for preparing kaisa and dried apricots.
To get high-quality dried fruits, you should pick the fruits when they are more ripe than for eating or packing.

You can dry the fruits in the oven or directly in the open air. At the beginning you should install more low temperature+ 50 - 60 degrees, later you can increase it to 70 degrees, and at the end reduce it again and slightly open the oven door. Before placing the fruits in the sun, you need to keep them in a draft in the shade for three hours.
Drying ends when the fruits do not release juice when pressed, while remaining soft. When dried in the oven, fruits may have different humidity, however, after some time the humidity levels out.
Before placing in the dryer, the fruits should be washed and pitted. They should be dried in the sun, strung on a string or placed on a wire rack. A kilogram of pitted fruit will yield two hundred grams of the finished product.

How to grow from a seed?

From the seed you can grow a good fruit-bearing tree. To do this, the bones are washed and soaked a little in water with potassium permanganate. Those that float to the top during soaking should be collected and discarded. The seeds should be stored in clean sand moistened with water in the refrigerator. It is advisable to support constant temperature and humidity.

This way the seeds will overwinter and sprouts will begin to emerge in early March. They should be kept in the window and cared for like ordinary indoor flowers, and as soon as the weather permits, planted in the garden. Seedlings should be watered frequently and planted in the fall, when they are already about a meter high.

All surviving seedlings should be left for the first winter, as many may freeze out. But those who survive one winter will certainly survive further.
It is advisable to take the bones different varieties and in the process of growing seedlings, choose those that have proven themselves best.

Apricot - delicious fruit, which grows in large quantities in our country. We have long been accustomed to the fact that it is in our gardens, dachas, and even under the windows of high-rise buildings. Has it always been so widespread in our country?

There is an opinion that apricots, whose beneficial properties are beyond doubt, spread from China. About two centuries ago they came to Asia and Armenia. From there, Alexander the Great brought these fruits to Russia. Botanists call the apricot the “Armenian apple,” as the Romans called it, where it was also brought from Armenia.

Today, apricot grows almost everywhere where there are more or less suitable conditions. It is difficult to overestimate the health benefits of apricot; some of its properties are truly unique. It is believed that average duration The life of some peoples is so great precisely because of the consumption of large quantities of raw apricots.

Apricot: vitamins and minerals

Let's start with what substances are contained in this fruit.

Like all foods consumed without measure, apricots can bring both benefit and harm: the calorie content of this fruit is very high due to its large . The sugar content in apricots is almost 30 percent, so in order for apricots to be beneficial, you need to eat them little by little regularly; they can be harmful to your health if you are sick diabetes mellitus. Those suffering from this disease need to remember that apricot also contains starch and dextrin.

If you love apricots, but strictly watch your figure, you need to know that their calorie content is 41 kilocalories per 100 grams, and they also contain almost 1 g vegetable protein and 0.1 g. The carbohydrate content is also high: 10.8 g.

About vitamins:

• Among its fellows, the apricot stands out as the most high content substance such as beta-carotene. There are as many as 16 mg of it in apricots for every hundred grams. This is a famous antioxidant, thanks to which it is known to destroy free radicals stimulating the aging process. Beta-carotene is indispensable for maintaining normal vision, because it is a connecting link in the chain of vitamin A synthesis. Vitamin A, in turn, prevents the occurrence of various diseases of the liver and thyroid gland. Another positive attribute beta-carotene – high protection against viruses and microbes, radioactive substances, obstacles.
• Vitamin C: this main defender immune system apricots also contain a lot. It is not only beneficial for our body in itself, but also enhances protective properties beta-carotene and vitamin A. All the properties of vitamin C can be listed for a long time: this includes participation in the digestive system, and the prevention of pulmonary and many infectious diseases.
• B vitamins: their presence is responsible for the considerable benefits of apricots in the prevention of diseases of the cardiovascular system. It is not without reason that even doctors advise those who are predisposed to these diseases to eat apricots.

These orange fruits are rich in mineral salts, which also play an important role for the health of our body. Each of them performs a special function:

• Iron salts: participate in the process of blood formation. Moreover, our body absorbs iron in the form found in apricots best.
• Potassium salts: Useful as a diuretic. Potassium salts neutralize sodium chloride, delaying the excretion of fluid.
• Calcium salts: help in blood clotting and bone formation.
• Magnesium and phosphorus: can improve metabolism, improving food absorption. Normalize the acid-base indicator.

Another health benefit of apricots is that they contain great content iodine, which fights thyroid diseases.

Apricots in the fight for a healthy body

The benefits of apricots for circulatory system can be explained by their high content of potassium and magnesium, as well as iron. To increase the level of hemoglobin in the blood, which is one of the most important indicators health, it is enough to eat about 300 grams of fresh apricots or 70-100 grams of dried apricots per day. Their beneficial properties are also manifested in toning blood vessels. Magnesium is very useful for nervous system disorders and insomnia. Potassium also has a beneficial effect on how the kidneys and bladder work.

Our arteries are also found in abundance in apricots. It interferes with absorption into the intestine bad cholesterol that enters the body with food. Regular consumption of these delicious juicy fruits can relieve a disease called atherosclerosis.

The benefits of apricot for women

Apricot is especially useful for women, since the iodine salts contained in it in large quantities take care of normal operation thyroid gland. And she, as you know, is responsible for the production of many. The famous physician Avicenna called the apricot a “female” fruit.

The benefits of apricots are significant not only for the health, but also for the beauty of women. In order for the skin to be smooth, elastic and radiant, you can carry out a mass cosmetic procedures using it:

• make masks from pulp;
• wipe your face with fresh apricot juice;
• make lotions based on apricots to soften and nourish the skin.

Essential oil apricot kernels- active ingredient in many cosmetic preparations: creams, masks, massage products. How to use it independent remedy, which perfectly fights irritation and dry skin, fine wrinkles. In a set of measures, along with medications, apricot kernel oil is used to treat eczema and scabies.

It is also taken orally for the treatment and prevention of certain diseases.

Contraindications to eating apricot

With all its nutritional value, apricot has not only beneficial properties, but also contraindications. As we have already mentioned, patients with diabetes should be careful with it. women need to consume all foods in moderation, this also applies to apricots: both the benefits and harm depend on the amount of fruit eaten.

The caution is mainly related to their laxative effect. Apricot also has a negative effect on the body in case of hepatitis and other liver diseases: the beta-carotene contained in it is not absorbed in this case.

But what can be harmful to everyone without exception is the consumption of apricot kernels. They can cause quite intense poisoning. The seeds contain a substance called amygdalin, which turns into dangerous hydrocyanic acid when it enters the intestines. Yes, the apricot kernel has an unusual sweet-tart taste, but it’s better not to risk your health.