5 Nutritional Benefits of Peaches

Peach season is here and I could not be more happy. As a kid my Mama would always spend time canning peaches every year so we could enjoy them year round; oh I miss those days. Since I never got the canning skill from my Mama, I take full advantage of peach season while it is here reaping the vast amount of benefits a simple peach has to offer.

The beauty of peach season is not only the joy of eating a juicy piece of fruit, but the endless combinations of foods you can use peaches in. I try to eat peaches with everything; in salads, chia pudding, smoothies, desserts, with yogurt and granola, just to name a few.

When you include peaches into your meal plan you not only get the opportunity to enjoy amazing foods, your body also benefits tremendously.

5 Nutritional Benefits of Peaches

1. Weight Loss. Choosing to eat a medium peaches as a snack will only run you approximately 60 calories; therefore, helping you maintain your body weight and helping to encourage healthy weight loss.

Although this alone will not help you reach your goal weight, it will help by preventing you from reaching for the high caloric and fattening snacks that can sabotage your end goal.

The natural sugars in peaches, along with the fibre content will not cause your blood sugars and insulin levels to spike. This allows you to enjoy a sweet treat without the negative consequences on your body following.

2. Digestive Health. Fibre and digestive health go hand in hand, so when you include the fibre from peaches into your diet your digestive health reaps a lot all the benefits. Consuming the whole peach; skin and all, will give you approximately 2.5 grams of fibre.

This added fibre will assist with gut mobility ridding your body of toxins and excess waste matter that are left in your digestive tract. Clearing these excess toxins will not only benefit your digestive health but every cell in your body.

3. Skin Health. Mamas can pay a lot of money a year on expensive skin care products and never get the results they are looking for. The fact is that skin health begins from the inside and from the foods we choose to put into our body. Along with the vast assortment of vitamins and minerals peaches offer, the 2 main components are vitamin A and vitamin C when it comes to skin health.

Vitamin A is a key component in cell production and growth and this alone will help keep your skin firm, healthy and glowing.

Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that helps improve not only your immune system, but is a key component in collagen production. Collagen is the most abundant protein in our body and is what keeps the skin elasticity, preventing wrinkles and sagging skin.

4. Cardiovascular Health. Consuming peaches will benefit your heart in so many ways. Not only can they lower your cholesterol, increase blood flow, decrease inflammation in the body, control blood sugars on an individual level; it helps prevent the Metabolic Syndrome that is plaguing the world today.

5. High-Antioxidant Food. Peaches have a high antioxidant index which means they help to eliminate the harmful free radicals that are floating around in your body by neutralizing them.

These free radicals can lead to numerous health concerns; like cancer, cardiovascular disease, inflammatory disease, and can actually effect every system in your body.

A diet rich in antioxidant foods; like peaches, will benefit every cell, tissue and organ in your body allowing them to function to their full potential.

Healthy, holistic nutrition does not need to be complicated. It is actually more simple than many Mamas think it is. Grab a peach and it is alone or enjoy them in this guilt free Peach Crisp that the whole family will enjoy.

Guilt Free Peach Crisp

Ingredients

For the peaches:

5-6 peaches, depending on size
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash nutmeg
2 Tbsp gluten free flour blend
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp pure vanilla

For the topping:

1 cup gluten free rolled oats
1/2 cup gluten free flour blend
2 Tbsp coconut sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup coconut oil, melted

Putting it all together:

Pre-heat oven to 375F.
Wash peaches, peel and slice into thick slices and place in medium size bowl.
Sprinkle peaches with sugar and mix together. Place in fridge x20mins.
In medium size bowl combine dry ingredients for the topping. Add in melted coconut oil and mix together well.
After 20 mins, remove peaches from fridge and add remainder of peach ingredients. Mix well and layer in shallow 8x8 baking dish.
Sprinkle topping over peaches and bake in oven for 45mins or until golden brown.
Allow to cool slightly and serve with french vanilla ice cream.