Figs are the latest in-style, hip fruit gracing celebrity hot-spot restaurants from Los Angeles to Paris. But the fig won’t just make you hip — it can also make you healthy. With over 50 varieties to choose from — and countless ways to prepare and enjoy this ancient delicacy — it’s truly one of the most delicious, versatile, nutritious and fashionable foods available.
Figs are loaded with nutrients and provide a rich source of dietary fiber. They’re also pleasantly plentiful year-round, particularly in their dried state or as preserves.
The skins of the tiny but nutritionally powerful fig range from greenish-brown and greenish-yellow to strawberry-brown and the brown-purple of the “Hardy Chicago” variety. Inside, the fruit is equally multi-hued.
Dried figs share top honours with dried plums for having one of the highest nutrient scores among dried fruits. What’s more they are loaded with powerful, disease-fighting antioxidant chemicals.
Researchers from the University of Scranton found that “figs produced a significant increase in plasma (blood) antioxidant capacity for four hours after consumption, and overcome the oxidative stress of consuming high fructose corn syrup in a carbonated soft drink.” (J Am Coll Nutr 2005;24-44-50.)
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