Fruits and vegetables should make up a large portion of the food you eat every day, per recommendations from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but the vast majority of us fail to meet this goal.
In fact, , only about 12% U.S. adults ate the advised 1 and a half to 2 cups of fruit daily.
Many of the 2019 survey respondents said they didn't eat that much fruit because they think it's too expensive or didn't have access to it. After all, most of us know that eating fruit can boost your health. For example, the fiber in most fruits strengthens your gut, and they have micronutrients, such as antioxidants, which can reduce your risk of future diseases, like cancer, cardiovascular disease and even depression.
But if fruit is hard for you to come by and add into your daily diet, you may be wondering about the healthiest fruit to give you the most bang for your buck. And as a registered dietitian, I'm happy to share which fruits have the most research-supported benefits. Blueberries are the healthiest fruit, based on my expertise and research.
To start, they are blue in color due to their high levels of anthocyanin, a type of antioxidant. show that eating blueberries regularly may reduce the likelihood of developing heart disease, as well as Type 2 diabetes. They're also toward the top of the list of beneficial , since they may reduce risk of dementia, .
Blueberries may also aid in weight maintenance, as eating more anthocyanin can and body fat overall by up to 9%, . Now that we've .
