Fruit Nutrition Facts & Chart : Nutritional Value of Fruits

The nutrition facts and data including vitamins in common fruits show that all fruits have significant amount of fibers and vitamins to make them healthy. All fruits are free from fat except avocado which has 10 mg of fat per 100 g of the fruit. But this fat is not bad for health.

The nutrion values of common fruits are given in the following table. You will notice that all fruits have significant amount of fibers and vitamins. The calories from fruit is mainly from sugars (carbohydrates) and not from fats and proteins unlike in animal products which give energy mainly form fat and protein. The animal products have negligible fibers. The dietary fibre is an essential nutrient for our body. Another feature of fruits is that they contain very high percentage of water, similar to human body.

Certain questions on tomato, berry, cherries, avocados, watermelon, pumpkins are often asked whether these are fruits or vegetables. Following is the explanation.

1. Is watermelon a fruit or vegetable? Is tomato a fruit or vegetable? Are pumpkins considered a fruit vegetable? Is avocado a fruit or vegetable?
   Such questions keep on coming. To answer, one should know about what is fruit and a vegetable.
   The definition of fruit: The seed-bearing part of a plant, often edible, colorful and fragrant, produced from a floral ovary after fertilization.
   Three types of fruit categories can be considered.
   1. Simple fruits: Simple fruits are produced from flowers containing just one pistils (contains an overy). Exampleof simple fruits are apples, avocadoes, bananas, beans, cherries, olives, peas, tomatoes, walnuts, wheat, etc. The date is a one-seeded berry whose stone is hard nutritive tissue.
   2. Aggregate fruits: Aggregate fruits are produced from flowers with multiple pistils. Examples include strawberries and blackberries.
   3. Multiple fruits: Multiple fruits are produced from a number of flowers and include pineapples and figs.
   
   Broadly speaking, if the produce has seeds, then technically it is a fruit. So cucumbers, squash, beans and walnuts are all fruits.
   Watermelon, a member of the cucurbitaceae plant family of gourds is the ripened ovary of a seed plant, so botanically speaking, it is a fruit. Watermelon is related to the pumpkin, cucumber and squash.
   Tomato, pumpkins and avocado are all fruits.
2. Mushrooms are considered to be a vegetable even though botanically they are a fungus.
3. What kind of fruit is a cherry? Is a cherry a berry or a fruit?No, a cherry is not a berry. Cherry is a Drupe. Drupes are fruits produced from a single-seeded ovary. Drupes have an outer fleshy layer and an inner woody layer called the stone that surrounds the seed. Cherry belongs to the family of almonds, apricots, peaches and plums.
   Raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries are not true berries, but are aggregate fruits.
4. Is pineapple a citrus fruit?No. Pineapple belongs to the family Bromeliaceae, whereas the citrus fruits belong to the family Rutaceae. The citrus trees bear fruit on the branches, while pineapple fruit is the stem of the plant.
5. What is the difference between berry and fruit?Berries usually grow on bush plants, whereas fruits normally grow on trees or vines.

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