Comparing apples and oranges isn't totally bananas

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By Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz
CHICAGO TRIBUNE

When faced with the triumvirate of fresh fruit most commonly found in bowls at cafeterias and elsewhere - apples, oranges and bananas - which should you choose?

which fruit is nutritionally superior when you must choose just one?

It turns out comparing apples and oranges isn't totally bananas.

And the orange, by at least one measure, has an edge.

"If you consider the concentration of a wide array of nutrients relative to calories, the orange is the most nutritious, followed by the apple, followed by bananas," said Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale University Preventtion Research Center and author or Disease Proof: The Remarkable Truth About What Makes Us Well.

Andrea Giancoli, a Los Angeles-based registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Katz described some of the virtues of the Big Three fruits to help guide your pick. Basic nutrition facts are from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Orange
Calories: 60
Fat: 0
Carbohydrates: 15 grams
Dietary fibre: 3g
Sugar: 12g
Sodium: 0mg
Protein: 1g

One orange contains 120 120 per cent of the recommended daily intake of Vitamin C.

It is a good source of calcium, folates, thiamine, flavanones (antioxidants that help neutralize free radicals) and naringin (an anti-inflammatory that may help protect the immune system), Giancoli said.

Apple
Calories: 100
Fat: 0
Carbohydrates: 25g
Dietary fibre: 4g
Sugar: 19g
Sodium: 0mg
Protein: 0g

Apples are a good source of soluble fibre, which is helpful in controlling blood pressure, lipids, cholesterol and blood sugar, Katz said.

Because it involves a lot of chewing the fruit can make you feel more satiated.

Apples are good for an upset stomach and are loaded with phytochemicals, including antioxidant flavonoids like quercetin, which is good for heart health and could have anti-cancer properties, and proanthocyanidins, which may protect urinary tract and heart health, Giancoli said.

Banana
Calories: 105
Fat: 0.4g
Carbohydrates: 27g
Dietary fibre: 3g
Sugar: 14g
Sodium: 1mg
Protein: 1g

Bananas contain 422mg of potassium, (the recommended daily intake of potassium is 4,700 mg). Potassium helps blunt the effect of salt on bllod pressure and may help reduce the risk of kidney stones and muscle loss, Giancoli said. It's a good source of vitamin B6, magnesium, iron, vitamin C and dietary fibre.