Apricots

Wonderfully aromatic and “perfumy” in taste, apricots are found in fresh and/or dried forms in many markets, depending on the season. Apricot scores a 96 out of 100 in Dr. T.C. Fry’s “A General Guide to Food Selection,” making this food among the highest rated.

Apricots, which Greeks called “golden eggs of the sun,” are in season in July. A single apricot weighs 35 grams and contains 17 calories.

Apricots, whose seeds are edible, belong to the Rosaceae family in the genus Prunus. They are closely related to peaches and nectarines.

Apricots are loaded with Vitamin A. A 100-gram serving contains almost 40 percent of one’s Recommended Daily Intake. The fruits contains 86 percent water by weight.

Turkey is the leading producer of apricots, which are of Asian origin, growing 796,000 tonnes in 2012, followed by Iran with 460,000 tonnes. Uzbekistan (365,000 tonnes), Algeria (269,000 tonnes) and Italy (247,000 tonnes) round out the list of leading five producers.

Stats for 100 Grams of Apricots (Raw)

• 48 calories

Notable Nutrients

Percentages based on the Reference Daily Intake for a 2,000-calorie diet

• Fiber: 8%
• Vitamin A: 38.5%
• Vitamin C: 16.7%
• Potassium: 7.4%

Carbs/Protein/Fat

• Carbohydrates: 83.4%
• Protein: 9.8%
• Fat: 6.8%

Food Type

• Subacid fruit

Sources

• Self Healing Colitis & Crohn’s by Dr. David Klein
• http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2189
• http://www.cronometer.com
• http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/apricot.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apricot