A fresh peach is a wonderful summertime treat and has also been a main ingredient of the famous southern peach cobbler.

Peaches were first cultivated in China, and for the Chinese culture, peaches are considered to be a symbol of friendship and longevity, as well as immortality.

The Latin name for a peach is “Prunus Persica”, and they are part of the family of fruits that includes cherries and plums. Peaches are native to China and Southern Asia. Large peach productions can also be found in Spain, Italy and parts of the United States. Peaches are one of the largest groups of fruit grown in the United States. In fact, the State of Georgia is known as the “Peach State”, because they are able to consistently produce a high volume of quality peaches.

A peach has no fat and very few calories, but it is packed with a ton of important nutrients, which makes a peach the perfect power food. Peaches contain Vitamin A, beta-carotene, Vitamin C, Vitamins B1, B2, B3 and B6. The minerals, included in a single peach, are potassium, magnesium, calcium, zinc, copper, and iron.

Add a peach-a-day to your daily diet, and you will be one step closer, to meeting your daily recommended fruit requirement.

The health benefits of peaches include, but are not limited to:
Skin Care

Thanks to the abundance of Vitamin C in a peach, it can protect your skin from infections, skin damage, and free radicals.

Peaches are extensively used in the cosmetic industry for the production of body scrubs and skin lotions, that are specifically made to minimize the appearance of face wrinkles.

Eye Health
Peaches contain a healthy amount of beta-carotene, which will convert into Vitamin A when it enters the body. Beta-carotene is known to prevent certain types of eye disease, such as blindness, cataracts, and xerophthalmia.

Pregnancy
Pregnant women benefit greatly from enjoying a delicious peach, because it is packed with essential minerals and vitamins. For example, Vitamin C will promote healthy bone growth. The folate in a peach will help prevent disease, such as spina bifida. The potassium content will keep muscles cramps and general fatigue to a minimum. The fiber content found in a peach will reduce digestive issues, such as constipation. In addition, iron will be absorbed more effectively, and this is very important for pregnant women.

Digestion
The fiber will absorb excess water, and aids in preventing stomach issues, such as stomach ulcers, hemorrhoids, constipation and irregular bowel movements. Toxins are cleaned out of the intestines in an effective manner, and bladder and kidney stones can be avoided. The alkaline content of a peach will also aid in total digestive health.

Nervous System
The magnesium in a peach will reduce anxiety and stress, which will keep the nervous system in a perpetual state of calmness.

Immune System
Peaches are rich in zinc and ascorbic acid, and these minerals will aid in helping the body maintain a healthy immune system. When the body is lacking in these components, the risk of an impaired cellular system increases.

Anti-Aging
Zinc, also has anti-aging properties, and it is said that consuming zinc-rich foods, like fresh peaches, increases the production of antibodies that will protect against damaging free radicals.

Healthy Bones and Teeth
In addition to all the other great healthy ingredients of a peach, they also contain phosphorous, which along with calcium, is known to strengthen bones and reduce the risk of bone deterioration (which is great news for premenopausal women). Also, Phosphorous aids in repairing damaged body tissues.

Peaches are available in a variety of sizes, and their colors could also vary from red to yellow (depending on their country of origin). Peaches have a velvet skin type (fuzzy to the touch), unlike a nectarine, which has an outer skin that is smooth.

Peaches are a stone fruit (also known as a drupe), which basically means that a juicy edible pulp surrounds a pit or shell. The pit contains an edible seed.

Peaches are considered to be a super powerful food, and many experts put it in the same category as pears and apples. As we mentioned above, peaches have no fat, and a medium-sized peach has less than 50 calories, and it is for this reason, that they are a perfect snack for individuals who desire to lose some weight.

When you choose a peach over cookies or chips, you are making a good decision for your waistline and overall health. Peaches have a naturally sweet taste, so you will not be craving dangerously damaging sweets, like cake. Eaten alone or added to other foods, such a yogurts, cereals, or cottage cheese, peaches will replace the need to add sugar to foods.

Peaches are also considered to be an aphrodisiac, which should be enough evidence to convince you to add this delicious delicacy to your diet.