While on a 6-mile run yesterday, I found several different types of fruit trees with developing fruits, one of which was an apricot tree. Since it is June, the fruits are still small and green, but later this summer this tree will be packed with beautiful, orange, ripe apricots!
People often think of fruit as being low in important minerals, but what I have found from my research tells a different story. It is important to look at individual fruits and their mineral content before jumping to conclusions. For example, 15 pitted apricots have 70 mg of calcium and 2 mg of iron. It is not unusual for raw food enthusiasts to consume this amount of fruit or more in one sitting, so when considering the daily values, apricots when eaten in quantity can potentially provide a significant amount of these two important minerals.
Apricots, like other fruits such as bananas and dates, are not surprisingly a great source of potassium and 15 pitted apricots contain 1360 mg. For 252 calories worth of food, the amounts of these important minerals can make a great contribution to our daily needs.
| Apricots – 15 pitted | Adult DRI | |
| Calories | 252 | |
| Calcium | 70 mg | 1000 – 1200 mg |
| Iron | 2 mg | 8 mg for men and postmenopausal women18 mg for premenopausal women |
| Potassium | 1360 mg | 4700 mg |
Apricots in-training
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The Calcium Content of Fruit
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Early October Figs
I love October. There are so many things to love about this beautiful month, such as the fall foliage, crispness of the air, leaf piles (dare I jump in? :)), pumpkins, the availability of certain fresh foods that are challenging to find at other times of the year, and the list goes on. One of the foods available now in northern California is fresh figs, such as those ripening on a tree in our front yard.
Before I moved to California, I thought of figs as strange looking dried fruits found in a bulk bin at my local health food store. When I first tried fresh figs, I found that the flavor and texture were quite different from the dried version. I do enjoy dried figs, and eat them from time to time, but I really enjoy fresh figs. People have asked me if I have any good fresh fig recipes – sorry, I do not. The reason why is because figs tend to disappear rather quickly in my house. 🙂
How long will these figs last in our house? Get out the stopwatch…..
The first time I saw a nutrient analysis of figs, I was amazed at the calcium and iron content, which is higher than most fruits per calorie. Potassium content is notable, too. Here are some nutrition highlights of figs:
| 6 medium figs (300 g) | Adult Daily Values | |
| Calories | 222 | |
| Calcium | 105 mg | 1000 – 1200 mg |
| Iron | 1.11 mg | 8 – 18 mg |
| Potassium | 696 mg | 4700 mg |
One of the best ways to keep in touch with us is to join our email list. You’ll receive a free copy of Our Top 12 Strategies for Long Term Success on A Raw Plant-Based Diet eBook along with regular information about raw food and plant-based diets and periodic promotions for our classes, events, and other offerings!