Choose fruit that is vine-ripened and in season for the most nutrition.Do you eat tomatoes that have been gas ripened? No flavor, right? I think that when we eat these unripe foods-especially when they are on the avoid list for our blood type, that they can cause more harm than good.

The most nutrition, vitamins and minerals are in foods that are picked fresh. Asking the produce manager at the store how to pick individual fruits and vegetables is a really good thing. They know how to choose the best quality produce, but here are few tips that you will be able to use....

For watermelons, do the thump test. Those that thump deep are a good bet, but if you REALLY want the sweetest choice look for insect damage. Bees will smell the sugar and try to get to it. You will notice bite markings on the rind. These are the sweetest watermelons (and it works every time!)

For pineapples, gently tug on the center leaf on the topnotch of the pineapple. If it comes out easily, the pineapple will be sweet and ripe. If you can't decide with this test, then smell it. The one that has a sweet odor to it is the one you want to take home.

For cantaloupes press the indentation where the stem was attached. It should give. Then smell it. It should smell sweet.

Oranges, lemons, apples should be heavy. Fruit juice has a lot of water in it.

Use the smell test for other types of fruit as well, such as peaches, nectarines, and avocados. If you can't smell it, it may never ripen the way you want it to.

Mix all your fully ripe fruits together, add a cup of vanilla yogurt to keep the fruit from turning brown, and eat 1 ½ cups of fresh, raw fruit salad every day to enjoy great health!

© 2005 by Dr. Denice M. Moffat

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