The pear is a fruit with profound roots in European civilization. There is archeological evidence of pear health benefits three thousand years before the birth of Christ. Ancient Greco Roman medical and botanical writers already knew about the health benefits of pears.
When a pear is eaten at their ripeness peak, they are amongst the sweetest and most juicy of fruits. However, they’re not easy to find in supermarkets like this. When it comes to pears vs apples, pears do not last long: If the pear is green and hard today, tomorrow it will be overripe and unfit to eat. Storing pears in the refrigerator allows you to keep them a few days more than at room temperature, but you cannot keep them long even then. However, the pear health benefits are numerous.
Medicinal Properties
Pears are famous for their content of sugars (12.7%), while they lack in proteins (o.39%) and fats (0.4%). The most plentiful sugars are fructose and levulose; therefore, people with diabetes tolerate them well.
Pears contain minute sums of vitamins E, B, and C. Iron, magnesium, and potassium are among the essential minerals that this fruit contains. Pears are also a great source of trace elements such as manganese and copper, and, in a lesser amount, zinc. The pear’s vitamin and mineral content are slightly more significant than apples.
Pears are also a great source of fiber (2.4%), which is a little less than the apple (2.7%). In comparison to the apple, the pear contains a more significant amount of insoluble fiber-rich in lignin, which is a material that’s responsible for making wheat bran and wood hard.
The soluble fiber in this fruit is more effective in lowering cholesterol; hence, the insoluble is more effective as a laxative. When it comes to non-nutritive components, the pear possesses a lower quantity of organic acids compared to the apple and a more significant tannins balance. These are responsible for the absorbent and anti-inflammatory effects of pears.
Pear Health Benefits
The pear is also diuretic, remineralizing, a mild astringent, and refreshing. Other pear health benefits include:
High Blood Pressure
The pear’s capacity to lower blood pressure has been known for ages. This is attributed to its diuretic effect. Today it is known, as well, that the pear contains no sodium. This mineral retains water within the body, thus increasing blood pressure.
Additionally, the pear is rich in potassium, a mineral with the opposite effect of sodium. Studies demonstrate that the higher the potassium intake, the lower the risk of hypertension. However, continuous studies relating diet to hypertension of apparently unknown causes are constantly occurring.
Renal Failure
The pear encourages renal activity. As a result, this fruit is strongly advised in situations of renal failure brought on by nephritis or nephrosis. As mentioned above, the pear is a rich source of potassium and has no salt and very little protein. It has little diuretic impact, which is advantageous for renal diseases. In cardiac and renal edema situations, consuming plenty of pears is advised.
Excess Uric Acid
Consuming pears enhances the urine’s ability to remove uric acid and other nitrogenated compounds. They have a blood-alkalizing action advantageous in detoxifying diets because it balances out extra acid residues left over from a high-meat diet.
Obesity
The pear should be included in weight loss diets because of its mild diuretic action and depurative effect.
Digestive disorders
When the pear is ripe and delicate, it digests quickly and effectively. It has been digested and is in the large intestine, according to evidence, 90 minutes after eating. In cases of colitis (inflammation of the large intestine) and intestinal dyspepsia, it has moderate astringent activity. It combats intestinal putrefaction and flatulence (indigestion at the intestinal level).
Pear Nutrition Facts and Composition
Scientific Facts
FRENCH: Poire
SPANISH: Pera
GERMAN: Birne
DESCRIPTION: The pear is the fruit of the pear tree (‘Pyrus communis’ L.), a tree similar to the apple of the botanical family Rosaceae.
ENVIRONMENT: Pears are cultivated in all temperate regions of the world.
How to Prepare
- RAW: You must chew pears thoroughly, mainly the ones that are tough with a gritty texture. Make sure to peel your pear before eating it (because of potential external contamination). However, in the pear’s case, there is a dietary value to the peel, which include diuretic benefits. Therefore, it is best to buy organic or wash them thoroughly.
- COOKED: Cooked pears are more comfortable on the digestive process; unfortunately, cooking them destroys the vitamins while leaving the minerals and sugars intact.
- COMPOTES and JAMS.
Although a diuretic and preventer of high blood pressure, the pear is a very luscious fruit that is more thirst-quenching than ice cream.
REFERENCES
- George D. Pamplona-Roger, M.D. “Encyclopedia of Foods and Their Healing Power.” George D. Pamplona-Roger, M.D. Encyclopedia of Foods and Their Healing Power. Trans. Annette Melgosa. Vol. 2. Chai Wan: Editorial Safeliz, 2005. 112,113. Print. [pear health benefits]
