On reason that the much-talked about "Mediterranean diet" is considered to be so good for the heart is because it includes plenty of fresh fruit. The World Health Organization recommends that everyone should try to eat at least five portions of different fruit or vegetables each day.

　　A portion of fruit counts as a single fruit, such as an apple or orange, a cup of small fruit such as grapes or raspberries, or a glass of pure fruit juice. You can include dried, tinned and frozen fruit as part of your quota, but tinned fruit is often sweetened in syrup, and contains less vitamin C.swherespossible buy fruit that has been canned in its own juice without added sugar. Fresh fruit and juice provide most of our daily intake of vitamin C with citrus fruit (oranges, lemons, grape fruit and tangerines) being the most important source. Other top vitamin C providers include Kiwi Fruit, strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants mangoes and papayas. Fruits with orange or deep yellow flesh, such as apricots, mangoes and cantaloupe melons, get their color from a yellow orange pigment called beta carotene, the plant from of vitamin A. Other carotene pigments such as lycopene are found in red fruits, and these along with beta carotene are thought to protect against free radicals and possibly cancer. Fruit is rich in potassium, especially bananas and dried fruits. Potassium helps to regulate blood pressure. It works in tandem with sodium to regulate the body's fluid balance.

　　Another reason why fruit is so important to the diet is because it contains both soluble and insoluble fiber. The insoluble fiber help reduce the risk of colon Cancer while soluble fiber can help to lower blood cholesterol levels. Citrus fruit and dried fruits (such as figs, dates, apricots and raisins) are particularly good sources of fiber. Pesticides are applied to crops to ensure that the produce is of a high quality and free from pests and diseases, and in most fruit the levels are so low that they pose no hazard to health even for children, however it is sensible to thoroughly wash fruit in clean running water before consumption. The benefits of eating fruit are many. Fruit tastes good, it contains antioxidants that may help to protect against cancer. It is a rich source of potassium that helps to regulate blood pressure and it provides most of our daily intake of vitamin C.