Kathmandu: Eating seasonal fruits has its nutritional benefits. They are not only good in taste but also good for health. Here are some seasonal fruits and their benefits.

Pineapple

Pineapple is an ingredient in most sweet and sour dishes and is used in many savoury dishes.

Benefits

• A cup of fresh pineapple chunks provides 73 percent of the manganese that your body needs for the day to build bone and connective tissues.

• It has vitamin C and bromelain, which helps suppress coughs and loosens the mucus. Bromelain is effective in treating upper respiratory conditions and acute sinusitis. Combine 8 ounces of warm pineapple juice and 2 teaspoons of honey, and sip for soothing relief.

• If you want to heal your warts, soak a cotton ball with fresh pineapple juice and apply it to the wart. The pineapple fruit, peel, or juice is used in folk remedies for corns, tumours, and warts.

Picking the good ones

The colour of the shell does not tell you how ripe it is. You can try sniffing the pineapple at the stem end or choosing one with fresh looking green leaves. Once you bring your pineapple home, refrigerate it to keep it fresh.

Watermelon

There’s nothing quite like a refreshing slice of icy-cold watermelon on a hot summer day.

Benefits

• Watermelon contains lycopene, which fights prostate cancer and cholesterol. It also has potassium, that battles high blood pressure and stroke.

• It is low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. It also exceeds the requirements of daily nutrients like protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium and iron. All that adds up to first-rate heart protection.

• Experts know foods with high water content help you lose weight, and watermelon is staggering 92 percent water.

• It also helps quench the inflammation that contributes to conditions like asthma, atherosclerosis, diabetes, colon cancer, and arthritis.

• It is and is high in energy, making it a great energy booster.

Picking the good ones

Choose one that is symmetrical and firm, without cuts or dents. Look for one that is heavy for its size. If you see a yellow area, the watermelon rested on the ground while it ripened

in the sun, its sweeter and juicier. Once you take it home, keep it in the refrigerator for up to a week. After you cut it, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and enjoy within a day or two.

Mangoes

More fresh mangoes are eaten worldwide than any other fruit and are considered exotic in some neighbourhoods.

Benefits

• Mangoes are high in antioxidants, that help fight off disease. Just half a mango counts as one serving for the day.

• Your thyroid produces hormones that affect most of your body parts. Mangoes contain beta-carotene, vitamin B6, vitamin C and vitamin E, all-important vitamins in making thyroid hormones.

• Keep your brain fit and avoid cancer by eating mangoes regularly.

• If you’re a woman, you will get 100 percent of your daily requirement for vitamin A 95 percent of your vitamin C, and almost a third of your vitamin E from eating one mango.

• Mangoes contain very few proteins, fats and calories. They are perfect to replenish salts, vitamins and energy after physical exercise.

• Taking Mango regularly also makes the complexion fair and the skin soft and shining.

Picking the good ones

One that is totally green is probably not ripe. But too much black speckles probably means it is overripe. Mangoes will ripen at room temperature, but if you want to speed up the process, toss them in a paper bag with another mango (or a banana). — CompiledFruity