Pear naturally regulates sugar levels in the blood, which makes it an ideal dietary nutrient. Pears also have a preventive effect on heart diseases and blood vessels, because they lower the levels of bad cholesterol and encourage the absorption of stomach acids.
Latin name for a pear is Pyrus communis, and together with an apple and an orange, it is classified as a rose. Several thousands of pear types exist, and each one is different in shape, color, size, and taste.
Pears are succulent and sweet, with a somewhat grainy, but buttery soft texture. They are especially famous because of the fact that a high quality brandy is made out of them, and we use them for making jams, although certain extremely delicious canned fruit products can also be made from them.
Pear nutrition facts
If it has a prominently sweet taste, one medium-sized pear contains less than 100 kcal, which makes it a perfect dietary nutrient.
Pear is a natural and fast source of energy, because it contains significant amounts of monosaccharides: fructose and glucose, as well as laevulose – the sweetest natural sugars, while simultaneously being an economic packaging of vitamin B complex.
Vitamin B complex helps the body to deal with stress, because it “feeds” the nervous system and participates in the process of producing energy from carbohydrates.
Pears protect the heart
Pears are also a good source of copper, potassium, and an exceptional source of dietary fibers. A fresh pear that weighs 166 g provides about 6 g of dietary fibers, of which 40 % is pectin, a dietary fiber that is soluble in water.
Scientific studies show that soluble fibers that originate from the pear have a preventive effect on heart diseases and blood vessels, by lowering the cholesterol levels and influencing the absorption of stomach acids.
Soluble fibers also have an effect on the function of insulin, giving them the ability to naturally regulate the sugar levels in the blood during the day, which makes us feel satiated.
Digestion regulation
Lignin is a type of the insoluble dietary fibers that are present in pears, which acts as a natural regulator of cholesterol in the blood. Besides having a positive effect on cholesterol, lignin also participates in the regulation of digestion.
Furthermore, lignin prevents constipation, because it facilitates the passage of the intestinal contents and the peristalsis of the intestines, which is how it protects us from colon cancer. Precisely because of their high fiber content, pears are a desirable part of a menu.
Apart from this, it is interesting that a type of pear called Williams pear contains very high amounts of potassium and iron when compared to other fruit, and is, therefore, recommended as a mandatory fruit in the diets of women over 40!
It’s good to know!
Considering that pears ripen very quickly after being picked, when you are buying them, choose the ones that are still green, undamaged, and do not have mold on them.
Also avoid pears that have brown, soft circles. Pears can continue the process of ripening in your fridge, or if you wish to hasten it, keep them in the paper bags at regular room temperature.
Avoid leaving pears in plastic bags, where they will touch each other, because this limits the amount of oxygen available to each pear and increases the production of ethylene, a gas that pears naturally produce and that accelerates the ripening or the rotting process.
Being that they easily absorb odors, pears should be kept away from foods that have strong or specific smell.