You know figs aren’t a vegetable. But did you know figs aren’t a fruit either? Technically, the fig is what’s called a synconium. It starts out as a green globe with an opening at one end. Inside is a cluster of hundreds of flowers. Once these flowers are pollinated, they produce drupelets.
To get a better idea of what a drupelet is, think of a raspberry. Each tiny section of a single raspberry fruit is a drupelet.
Inside Out Easy Health Food
Figs are turned inside out from the likes of raspberries, with their drupelets on the inside, and each of these tiny bubbles of fruit inside the fig has a seed in the center.
These inside out goodies have been grown since ancient times. These days, Turkey and Greece are the leading producers of figs in the world. The United States comes in third place with figs grown in California, Texas, Utah, Oregon and Washington. Most of the figs harvested are grown in California’s San Joaquin Valley.
Health Food Information
Why should you eat figs? FIBER! Lots of fiber! Per serving, figs are higher in fiber than any other fresh or dried fruit. They’re also rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron, and a good source of polyphenols, plant-based chemicals that help fight disease.
Because of all that fiber, figs are great to promote regularity. The type of fiber in figs may also reduce the risk of developing adult-onset diabetes.
The polyphenols in dried figs may offer a protective effect against heart disease and cancer.
Figs For Easy Healthy Food
So there’s an easy way to get some health food – eat figs! They taste good, don’t need any preparation before eating them, provide fiber and other nutrients, and help protect your body against disease.
Figs are a fantastic easy health food!
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I wish it was possible to get fresh figs year round….I luv them. I live on the west coast of the U.S. and it only seems they are available for about a month a year.
Hi Mike!
Thanks for stopping by.
Fresh figs are a tasty treat. I’m surprised you don’t have them longer. The figs on my tree mature over a long span of time. Well, actually mostly in two spurts. . . one earlier in the summer, a few stragglers in-between, and then a bigger crop in late summer. No doubt commercial production gives a shorter season when the biggest number of figs are ripe and worth marketing.