Pretty Pears

Pretty Pears

Benefits

You hear it is good to eat the skin with lots of fruits and veggies. Pears are one of those you really should consume. The skin contains 3-4 times as many phytonutrients than the flesh. This is where you will find antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and lots of fiber containing nutrients. The flesh contains the nutrients as well, and is the tasty part. Eating an entire pear gives you so many benefits listed above as well as decreased risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

How to Choose and Keep

Pears can perish quickly. It is important to find the best ones at the store. Usually all pears are unripe at the store and take a few days to ripen. Check for ones that have a nice firm feeling. The smoother the skin the better. To check for ripeness you can press at the top of the pear by the stem. If it gives it is ripe. Organic is better if you can find and afford, due to the pesticides the pears contain. Once pears ripen you can keep them in the fridge for a few days. To speed up the ripening process place in a brown bag rotating position once in awhile at room temperature.

Preparation

To clean, just run the pear under cool water and pat dry. It is best to eat the whole pear. If you do cut it up to eat sprinkle a bit of lemon juice on the skin to help with browning.  If your pears have began to over ripen it is best to cook with them. The possibilities of different taste are big with all the different varieties of pears out there.

Nutrients

Fiber 22%, Vitamin C 12.4%, Vitamin K 10%

Action Steps

1. Hit the grocery store and find 2 different types of pears. Enjoy the entire pear as a snack throughout the week

2. Cook with pears to make a pear crisp, substituting pears for apples. Or you can combine together.

3. Cutting up a pear and adding to your salad will offer a wonderful sweet addition.

Information and picture thanks to www.whfoods.com