5 super nutritious fruits to enjoy before summer ends

Few things are as wonderful as that first juicy bite of summer fruits. They don’t last long, so now’s the time to start enjoying them.

We’d like to offer you a guide to what we think are five of the tastiest, most versatile and nutritious fruits of the season.

In no particular order, here are our picks for the top five most delectable summer fruits, and how to enjoy their extreme health benefits.

Raspberries

Raspberries have been around since prehistoric times. The first mention of them in historical record was found in an English book about herbal medicine from the year 1548.

Health benefits.
This tiny melt-in-your mouth berry contains more antioxidants than any of the other summer fruits. The list is impressive: quercetin, gallic acid, cyanidins, pelargonidins, catechins, kaempferol, salicylic acid and ellagic acid.

Ellagic acid has amazing healing properties. Black raspberry extract has been shown to inhibit the growth of breast cancer by encouraging apoptosis, or cell death.

Researchers at Ohio State University gave black raspberries to oral cancer patients and found they significantly reduced the expression genes that promote inflammation and cell growth in tumor cells.

The Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) conducted by the National Eye Institute showed that vitamin C is one of several vitamins and minerals that helped slow the progress of macular degeneration by 25 percent.

A half cup of raspberries has about 44 percent of the daily recommended intake of vitamin C.

How to enjoy raspberries.
Eat them by the handful. Add them to yogurt, cereal or pancakes. Puree them and pour over ice cream. Use them in smoothies. Make a raspberry vinaigrette and pour over delicious summer salads (like this Fig, Orange and Goat Cheese Salad.)

Peaches

The season for peaches is short here in Maine, so I eat as many of these golden summer fruits as I can, as soon as I can. Even the hard ones ripen to perfection after a day in a paper bag.

Health benefits.
One peach has 19 percent of your daily suggested intake of vitamin C, as well as 10 percent of the daily requirement of potassium.

Bananas are often the top-of-mind fruit when it comes to potassium. If you’re concerned with blood sugar, though, a peach is a great option. It has a glycemic index of 5, vs. a banana at 18.

How to enjoy peaches.
Peach melba is a French dessert of peaches with raspberry sauce over vanilla ice cream. Peach cobbler, grilled peaches and peach salsa are a few other possibilities. Or, just take a big, juicy bite!

Blueberries

I’m proud to say that this antioxidant-rich berry grows wild and sweet in my home state every summer.

Health benefits.
In case you hadn’t heard, blueberries top the list of superfoods.

They possess nutrients that are beneficial to help control blood pressure, lower heart attack and dementia risk and sharpen vision. Studies have also demonstrated the cancer-fighting and bone-strengthening attributes of this tiny blue fruit.

Blueberries are rich in vitamin K and manganese, two crucial yet often overlooked nutrients that can be hard to come by.

How to enjoy blueberries.
Besides gobbling them by the handful, there are endless ways to enjoy blueberries. In yogurt (for 10 times the benefits) or salads, on cereal or ice cream, in smoothies or in blueberry pie, pancakes or muffins.

Cherries

These dark, succulent summer fruits have been enjoyed as far back as ancient Greece, Rome and China. Today, they’re grown primarily in California, Oregon, Washington and Michigan.

Health benefits.
The cherry is another health powerhouse in a tiny package. Cherries contain anthocyanins, the powerful antioxidant that protects against stroke, induces cell death in cancer cells, and slashes dementia risk.

Cherries also have been found to reduce the uric acid content of the blood, preventing painful episodes of gout. And, cherries are a natural source of melatonin.

How to enjoy cherries.
Personally, I think the best way to eat cherries is straight from the stem.

However, if you can get them pitted, or have the patience to do it yourself, they’re a sweet addition to salads, salsas and cereal. Frozen cherries can take the place of ice cubes in a frosty blender drink.

And check out the amazing health benefits of cherry juice!

Watermelon

Would it actually be summer without watermelon?

Many people think of watermelon as a nutritional “lightweight,” since it’s so full of liquid. The truth is that, besides being the ultimate summer cooler, a cup of watermelon gives you 21 percent of the RDA for vitamin C and 18 percent for vitamin A.

In addition, despite its sweet flavor, its glycemic index of 3 makes it a great choice if blood sugar is a concern.

How to enjoy watermelon.
Cold! Chilled and sliced, there’s nothing like it on a sizzling summer day. Except maybe a slushy. Then again, it makes a great partner for feta cheese, prosciutto or blended into lemonade.

At only 40 calories a cup, it might just be the ultimate summer snack.