"We Are All Different, But In The End We Are All Fruit"

That's one of my favorite lines from one of my favorite movies.  And it's not just because I'm Greek.  "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" is simply a funny movie that contains a lot of hidden wisdom - like the above quote.  Think about it.  If we are what we eat and we actually eat the 3-4 servings a day we should be eating, we can honestly say that we are at least "part" fruit.  When Lent starts in a few weeks and all meat is cut from my diet, I may even become closer to 50% fruit!

  

Fruit is the ripened ovary of a seed-bearing plant, together with its accessory parts, and occurring in a wide variety of forms.   Yes, you read that right.  Fruit are ovaries.  And, if you are like my husband, you may be asking yourself, "If fruit is the ovaries, then what would the leaves be?  Testicles?".  I'm sorry but I honestly do not know the answer to that question.  Besides being ovaries, many fruit are technically flowers.  Blueberries are related to azaleas, and strawberries and apples are both members of the rose family!  And to top it all off, they are oh-so good for you!   Fruit is mainly water (a good thing) and is 100% cholesterol free.  So they will not clog up your arteries - ever!  Most importantly, they contain fiber.  Some, like blueberries and blackberries, containing almost 9 grams per serving.  They also are loaded with vitamins, including vitamins A, C, B1, B2, and E (depending on the specific fruit).  And they are chock full of antioxidants.  (I know - I talk a lot about antioxidants.  Soon I will do a Blog on them and you will appreciate why they should play an important part in your diet). 

Fruit can be eaten in several forms.  You can eat the actual fruit, drink its juice, have it mashed and cooked like applesauce, blend it in Smoothies with yogurt, eat it dried, or have it in fun-to-eat forms like Fruit Leathers.  Getting 3-4 servings a day is generally pretty easy.  And remember, although "an apple a day keeps the doctor away", you should vary the fruit you eat for maximum health benefits.

By the way, speaking of apples (yeah, you knew I was going to go somewhere bizarre with this), did you know that there are almost 7,500 varieties worldwide?  I love apples and was stunned to find that out.  I don't know how many varieties you can think of, but on a good day, I can maybe come up with 100.  As I thought about this amazing quantity of such a delicious and healthy food source, I thought it would be fun to see if you can help me come up with some of them (no peeking at apple websites! I am curious to see how many you actually know of).  I will provide a list of 26 - from A to Z - and see how many others you can come up with.  Note:  I will try not to pick all the easy ones.  Here goes:

A - Anna                         K - Kent                             V - Viking
B - Buckingham               L - Lady                             W - Waltana
C - Crispin                      M - Macoun                         X - Xavier De Bavay
D - Duchess                    N - Nittany                           Y - York
E - Empress                    O - Ozark Gold                     Z - Zabergau Reinette
F - Fuji                           P - Pinata
G - Graventstein              Q - Quint    R - Rome
H - Honeygold                S - Spencer
I - Idared                        T - Telstar
J - Jubilee                        U - Ultrared Gala

Unfortunately, when it comes to apples, you should try to stick to the organic varieties.  It is virtually impossible to wash off the pesticides and other chemicals present in and on the non-organic ones.  
I do hope this Blog has inspired you to grab a piece of fruit and enjoy its luscious juiciness.  So, until next time, happy and healthy eating!