Pears

Delicious and popular fruits on par with apples, pears are grown mostly in Asia and Europe. Asian varieties boast crispy textures and firm consistencies, and European varieties turn soft and juicy when ripe. The pear scores a 95 out of 100 in Dr. T.C. Fry’s “A General Guide to Food Selection,” making this food among the highest rated.

Pears are in season in August and September. A medium-size pear weighs 178 grams and contains 101 calories.

Pears belong to the Rosaceae family in the genus Pyrus. About 3,000 known varieties of pears, including the popular European variety, Bartlett, are grown worldwide. Arnold Kauffman includes pear in The Original Green Smoothie recipe at his Lansdale, Pennsylvania, raw vegan café Arnold’s Way. He also enjoys giving this facial tip to customers: “Rub pear cores on your face.”

Pears are rich in fiber and contain ample amounts of Vitamins C and K. The fruit contains 84 percent water by weight.

China is the leading producer of pears, growing almost 16 million metric tons in 2011, followed by Italy with 927,000 tons. The United States (876,000 tons), Argentina (691,000 tons) and Spain (502,000 tons) round out the list of leading five producers.

Stats for 100 Grams of Pears (Raw)

• 57 calories

Notable Nutrients

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

• Fiber: 12.4%
• Vitamin C: 7.2%
• Vitamin K: 5.5%

Carbs/Protein/Fat

• Carbohydrates: 95.8%
• Protein: 2.1%
• Fat: 2.1%

Food Type

• Subacid fruit

Sources

• Self Healing Colitis & Crohn’s by Dr. David Klein
• http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2371
• http://www.cronometer.com
• http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/apricot.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pear