Top 10 Healthiest Fruits – Nutrition Facts and Benefits

Avocados

Creamy, smooth, and rich – avocados are actually a fruit, not a vegetable. Don’t be afraid of the fat content – avocados contain “good” monounsaturated fats that actually help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. 

They’re also packed with fiber, folate, vitamin C, potassium, and vitamin B6. Click to learn more about avocado superfood.

Here’s why you should eat them:

• The healthy fats help keep you feeling full and satisfied.
• They’re anti-inflammatory and help reduce arthritis symptoms.
• Their potassium content helps regulate blood pressure.

Delicious ways to eat them:

• On toast, topped with a fried egg
• Blended into homemade guacamole
• Sliced into salads
• Slice in half and eat with a spoon (1/2 avocado is ~ 80 calories)

Strawberries

Strawberries burst with vitamin C – just one cup delivers a whopping 150% of your daily needs. These ruby red berries also supply manganese, folate, potassium, and anthocyanin. 

Together, these nutrients boost immunity, stabilize blood sugar, improve heart health, and fight inflammation with their antioxidant effects.

Reasons to eat more strawberries:

• Boost immunity and fight sickness with vitamin C.
• Regulate blood sugar levels and control diabetes.
• Improve heart health through their antioxidant effects.

Tasty ways to enjoy:

• Sliced fresh with whipped cream
• Blend into smoothies
• Make homemade strawberry sauce
• Cut into halves and eat from a cup (1 cup is 60 calories)

Blueberries

Blueberries earn superfood status for good reason – they overflow with cell-protecting antioxidants called anthocyanins. Those deep blue hues indicate abundant vitamins C and K, plus manganese and fiber. 

Altogether, these nutrients improve brain function, lower blood pressure, and reduce diabetes and cancer risks.

Eat more blueberries because:

• They improve memory and brain function.
• They lower blood pressure and “bad” LDL cholesterol.
• They have anti-cancer and anti-diabetes effects.

Delicious blueberry ideas:

• Sprinkled on yogurt, cereal and salads
• Blended into a Morning Blueberry Smoothie
• Swirled into overnight oats
• Pour into a paper or plastic cup, and 1 cup is 100 calories

Bananas

Portable, easy-to-eat, and sweet – bananas are the perfect healthy convenience food. They really shine when it comes to their potassium content, which regulates fluid balance and blood pressure. 

Bananas also have prebiotic fiber that feeds healthy gut bacteria.

Bananas are healthy because:

• They help control blood pressure.
• They improve digestion and gut health.
• They provide an energy boost when needed.
• They are packed with potassium, which has many health benefits.

Fun ways to eat bananas:

• Sliced with peanut or almond butter
• Blended into a Green Banana Smoothie
• Made into banana “ice cream”
• 1 large banana has ~ 100 calories

Apples

“An apple a day really does keep the doctor away.” We all grew up knowing that timeless adage, but it turns that it’s true! 

Apples are loaded with fiber – mainly in the skin – that feeds good gut bacteria. They also provide immune-boosting vitamin C and inflammation-fighting antioxidants like quercetin. 

The natural sweetness comes from fructose, which doesn’t spike blood sugar rapidly.

Why you should eat apples:

• They support heart health.
• They stabilize blood sugar levels.
• They improve good gut bacteria.
• They boost the immune system.

Tasty ways to eat them:

• Thinly sliced with nut butter
• Baked into apple crisps
• Added to salads for crunch
• 1 apple has ~ 100 calories

Kiwi Fruit

A sweet green interior tucked inside a fuzzy brown exterior – kiwi bursts with vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, potassium and fiber. Lutein and zeaxanthin, two antioxidants in kiwis, promote healthy vision and prevent age-related macular degeneration. (1)

The skin is packed with nutritional value as well, and the healthiest part of the fruit. Some people just can’t eat the skin, but I happen to love it! Maybe it’s an acquired taste, but I find it delicious.

Eat more kiwis for:

• Improved digestion from enzymes like actinidin.
• High doses of fiber.
• Reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
• Healthier vision and prevention of blindness.

Fun ways to enjoy:

• Scooped out with a spoon for a portable snack
• Added to fruit salsa recipes
• Blended into Kiwi Lime Smoothies
• 1 Kiwi is approximately 50 calories

Grapefruit

With a tart, tangy taste, grapefruit delivers a mega dose of immune-boosting vitamin C. It also provides thiamin, folate, potassium, and antioxidants that support blood sugar control, heart health, and hydration.

Reasons to enjoy grapefruit:

• It supports immune and heart health.
• It aids in blood sugar regulation.
• It hydrates with 92% water content.

Ways to eat it:

• As a juice mixed with mint and lime
• Segmented into a Grapefruit Arugula Salad
• Broiled and topped with vanilla yogurt

Oranges

Sweet, juicy oranges are well known for their high dose of immune-boosting vitamin C. But they also provide vitamin A, thiamin, folate, potassium, and antioxidant compounds like hesperidin. Oranges support heart and immune health and help defend your cells against damage from free radicals. (2)

Eat oranges to:

• Fight colds and flu.
• Lower “bad” LDL cholesterol.
• Reduce the risk of kidney stones and anemia.

Tips for enjoying:

• Peel and eat for a quick snack
• Squeeze fresh orange juice
• Bake into low-sugar Orange Cupcakes

Papaya

With a creamy soft texture and sweet, tangy taste, papaya contains the protein-digesting enzyme papain and lycopene, an antioxidant. Together, these compounds aid digestion, protect against disease, and support eye health. (3)

Papayas are healthy because:

• They aid digestion.
• They protect against diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
• They support eye health from lutein and zeaxanthin.

Ways to eat:

• Cut up plain or topped with lime
• Blended into Papaya Coconut Smoothies
• Grilled and topped with vanilla Greek yogurt

Cherries

Both sweet and tart varieties of cherries deliver anthocyanins to combat inflammation and lower risks of arthritis and gout. They also supply abundant vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, and iron. (4)

Reasons to eat them:

• They help reduce muscle soreness after exercise.
• They may lower the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
• They improve sleep quality.

Delightful ways to eat cherries:

• Pitted and frozen into Cherry Banana Popsicles
• Blended into Cherry Almond Smoothies
• Baked into antioxidant-rich Cherry Crisp

The Bottom Line

Fruits should have a place in everyone’s diet. Make it your goal to consume 2-3 servings of fruit per day and mix up the varieties. Include fruits in your meals, snacks, and desserts to reap their unique benefits – from fighting disease to boosting immunity and everything in between. 

With so many ways to enjoy fruit, you’ll look forward to including more as part of eating clean and living well. And some are more of an acquired taste. For instance, I did not like eating avocado straight, but now I really love the taste and texture.

Also check our list of the Top 10 healthiest veggies.

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