There’s nothing like a huge bowl of plain, sugar-free Greek Yoghurt to kick-start my day in the mornings. Well that, and figs. Instead of reaching for the sweetened yogurts, I find adding “live foods” and natural sugars, to my plain yoghurt, in the form of fiber rich fruits, so much more appealing.
Figs are a sweet fruit with soft flesh and tiny edible seeds. They are a good source of iron, calcium and phosphorus. You can eat figs raw, with or without their peel, or even bake them into a cake.
Fresh figs are rich in polyphenolic flavonoid antioxidants such as carotenes, lutein, tannins. Their antioxidant value is comparable to that of apples.
In addition, fresh figs contain adequate levels of some of the antioxidant vitamins such as vitamin A, E, and K. Altogether these phyto-chemical compounds in fig fruit help scavenge harmful oxygen derived free radicals from the body.
Fresh, as well as dried figs contain good levels of B-complex group of vitamins such as niacin, pyridoxine, folates, and pantothenic acid. These vitamins function as co-factors for metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
Dried figs are an excellent sources of minerals like calcium, copper, potassium, manganese, iron, selenium and zinc. 100 g of dried figs contain 680 mg of potassium, 162 mg of calcium, and 2.03 mg of iron. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. Copper is required in the production of red blood cells. Iron is required for red blood cell formation as well for cellular oxidation.
Figs have a slight laxative effect and so should not be consumed to excess, particularly when dried.
A 100g serving of dried figs provides approximately:
249 calories
3.3g protein
0.9g fat
69g carbohydrate
5.6g fibre
A 100g serving of fresh figs provides approximately:
80 calories
1.3g protein
0.3g fat
20.3g carbohydrate
2.2g fibre
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