Nectarine is known as variety of peach fruit or Prunus persica var. Nectarina from the family of Rosaceae. Both peach and nectarine can grow in the same tree. Nectarine is different with peach based on the fuzz on its skin. Unlike peach, nectarine skin is fuzzless and the ene of fuzziness on nectarine is caused by gene mutation.
Just like the peach fruit, nectarine is considered native to China. It has been known in China since 2000 BC and it is also cultivated in Persia, Greek, and Roma. The name peach came from Theophrastus, a Greek philosopher. He thought that the peach came from Persia so he give it name peach. Peach was recognized in Europe on 0 AD and brought to England on 16 century.
Later the Spanish sailor brought peach to America. The name nectarine just show up on 1720 when they grew and found in Peach fruit that located in Virginia, United States. The name nectarine derived from the word nectar which means sweet as nectar and even Chinese emperor called it as Nectar of God. When nectarine get ripe they will have beautiful yellow golden color with red blushes. People use to consume it directly raw or include it in some dishes like salad and also made it as fruit jam.
Nutrition Value
Nectarine is loaded with many nutrients including fiber and antioxidant. Nectarine is excellent source of beta carotene, potassium, Vitamin C and other nutrients that give benefits to the body. Below are the nutrition table of nectarine.
| Amount Per 1 medium fruit (142g) | Amount/%Daily Value |
| Calories | 63kcal |
| Potassium | 285 mg/8% |
| Total Carbohydrate | 15 g/5% |
| Dietary fiber | 2.4 g/9% |
| Sugar | 11 g |
| Protein | 1.5 g/3% |
| Vitamin A | 9% |
| Vitamin C | 12% |
| Iron | 2% |
| Magnesium | 3% |
Health Benefits of Nectarine
Since nectarine contains a lots of nutrients, it provides the body with great health benefits. Below are the list health benefits which you can get from consuming nectarine
1. Prevent cancer
Nectarine contains amount of vitamin C, A and other poly phenols which act as antioxidant. Antioxidant in nectarine can protect the body from free radicals effect which lead to DNA damage. As we know that DNA damage is one cause of cancer. Study reported that antioxidant in nectarine is effective in fighting oral and cavity cancer.
2. Promote healthy digestion
Dietary fiber is absolutely required in keeping healthy digestion. Consuming fiber can promote the digestion system process. Nectarines provides you with some dietary fiber which can help you to improve healthy digestion system.
Not only keeping your skin firm and young, the vitamin C in nectarine can fasten the wound healing and promote new cells regeneration especially on skin.
7. Reduce cholesterol level
Cholesterol can be a culprit inside the human body. Cholesterol or LDL (Low density lipoprotein) known as bad fat can trigger the formation of plaque inside arteries and causing cardiovascular problem. Consuming nectarine can help you to reduce the cholesterol since the fiber content in nectarine can bind the cholesterol and get rid of it from the body.
8. Increase metabolism
Nectarine contains Vitamin B complex that are the key of metabolism process. Metabolism is a process in the body to produce energy that required to keep cells and organs function in steady condition.
9. Help in weight loss
Nectarine is a good option to be consumed in the diet program if you wanna lose weight and make a slimmer body. Nectarine only contains 63 kcal in each fruit and it contains high level of fiber that can help to reduce fat in the body.
10. Lowering blood pressure
Potassium is mineral that keep the pH balance and blood pressure in normal level. Lack of potassium can cause the rise of blood pressure and it can be dangerous for people who suffer from hypertension. Nectarine is excellent source of potassium that can help to lower blood pressure within the body.
11. Prevent hair loss
The nutrients contents in nectarine can nourish the hair scalp and promote the growth of hair root. Consuming nectarine regularly can help to prevent hair lost and make your hair stronger.
12. Relieve stress and anxiety
Nectarines juice can be a delicate choice to consume in hot day but do you know that consuming nectarine can help you to relieve stress? Yes, nectarine contains amount of magnesium that can calming the nerve and get rid of your stress.
13. Clean kidney
Kidney is important organ that eliminate waste product from the body. Kidney can be functioned properly with the support of some nectarine. Nectarine contains nutrient and fiber that can help to clean the kidney and improve the kidney function.
14. Relieve upset stomach
If you experience stomach upset like cramp, nausea, stomach discomfort, flatulence and etc it means your body lack of fiber or you eat something wrong. Nectarine contains dietary fiber that can relieve stomach upset and make you feel more comfortable.
15. Promote sexual desire
It is believed that nectarine can promote sexual function and act as aphrodisiac. Same as peach, nectarine is effective to increase the number of sperm and it promote the production of healthy sperm cell in male reproduction organ.
16. Treat metabolism disorder
It is hard to believe that nectarine can treat and prevent the body from metabolic syndrome that can lead to obesity and other health problem. Nectarine contains many bioactive compounds such as quercetin, cathechin and flavonoid that can prevent the body from metabolism disorder.
17. Reduce symptoms of arthritis
The antioxidant content in nectarine can fight inflammation that reduce the symptoms of arthritis. Arthritis is a disease that effected the joint and cause severe pain in the joint that occur due to autoimmune disease.
18. Improve good sleep
Sleep deprivation can cause serious problem and it can bother the productivity of someone. Nectarine contains magnesium that vital in enhance the quality of sleep and can be a solution for you who suffer from insomnia. Eating raw nectarine or the juice before sleep can help you to fall asleep soon.
19. Treat bronchitis and cough
Nectarine can be used to treat bronchitis and cough since it contains amount of magnesium that can calm the nerve while the vitamin C relieve the infection that occur within the respiratory tract.
20. Inhibit tumor growth
Tumor is nonmalignant cancer which occur due to mutation of cell and developing tissue outside the normal organ. Tumor is not as dangerous as cancer but it can several problem to human health. Nectarine contains antioxidants that can fight free radicals and inhibit the growth of tumor cells.
21. Boost immune system
Vitamin C and other bioactive compounds in nectarine can boost the function of immune system and support the immune cells in fighting disease. Its not only by consuming an apple a day you can stay away from doctor but nectarine also do. Nectarine also contains some amount of zinc that can promote antibody production that useful to treat infection which occur in the body.
22. Promotes healthy pregnancy
Pregnant women need high amount of nutrition to keep their health and normal development of fetus inside their wombs. Nectarine contains lots of nutrients and fiber that can improve the function of digestion system of pregnant women and increase the absorption of nutrients.
23. Improve healthy vision
We can found that nectarine contains vitamin A and beta carotene just by seeing the reddish yellow color of nectarine. Nectarine contains high amount of vitamin A that can maintain healthy vision and protect the eye from damage. Nectarine also contains lutein that effective to prevent the eyes from developing macular degeneration.
24. Prevent anemia
Nectarine benefits very amazing in preventing anemia. Nectarine also contains some amount of iron that can prevent the body from anemia. Anemia is a condition where the body lack of red blood cells and having poor oxygen transport. As we know that iron is the vital factor in producing red blood cells in the body.
Health Risk of Nectarine
There is a study that conducted by researchers in Poland reported that nectarine can cause severe reaction of allergy that called as Anaphylaxis but the case of allergic to nectarine is rare. Nectarine allergy also can cause itchy skin and decreased vision. So people who are allergic to peach should be careful and it is better to avoid nectarine. Nectarine also contains some amounts of potassium which can cause problem to elderly if it is consumed excessively.
How to Purchase, Store and Consume Nectarine
Before you start to consume nectarine, it is better to know these following tips in order to get all the healthy benefits of nectarine :
The benefits of nectarine can be gained if you consume it regularly and combine it with other healthy meal. If you get bored with apple, you can simply try the taste of nectarine and you may be like it.