When you’re fixing yourself a sandwich for lunch,
did you ever stop and think, let’s add some fruits? Most likely not, but at some point,
you might have actually added some fruits to your veggie sandwich without even knowing!
Believe it or not, there are quite a few ingredients in your
kitchen that are commonly thought to be vegetables when they are actually fruits!
In today’s video, we will expose the imposters of the fruit family
who have been passing themselves off as vegetables since the dawn of time.
(Pause)
The first imposter on our list is tomatoes.
It might be surprising that the tomatoes you have been slicing and dicing and
making a part of all your savory dishes are not actually vegetables but fruits!
Tomatoes are part of the fruit family and are considered the
second most important fruit or crop next to the people-pleaser potato.
Like other fruits, tomatoes grow from their yellow flowers on the vines of the tomato plant.
Tomatoes also contain multiple seeds so that the fruit can develop new tomato plants.
You can enjoy tomatoes in a variety of different forms, like juice!
Tomato juice has qualities quite similar to grapes except for its taste.
Like grapes, tomatoes are considered part of the berry family as they both originate from flowers
with one ovary and have a considerably fleshy interior. Tomatoes are rich in many antioxidants
like carotenoids, ascorbic acid, flavonoids, and vitamin E and are very beneficial for your health.
And who would have thought that this fruit would go so well with your fries?
(Pause)
Moving on to Cooling, Cucumbers
Fresh and pickled cucumbers are a fruit that has been making its way into many of your meals.
This slightly sweet and cooling fruit grows from
five-pleated yellow flowers and is also a part of the berry family!
Cucumbers are incredibly low-caloric as they are about 96% water.
Besides being a great light snack option for your cravings in between meals,
cucumbers contain flavonoids and tannins that effectively block harmful free radicals.
Try to include this fruit often as a part of your salads and sandwiches. Your body will thank you!
(Pause)
Eggplants are also a fruit.
Yes, you heard it right! The trusty eggplant used in your casseroles is
not really a vegetable. No matter how you feel about their taste,
eggplants come under the fruit category and are closer to the berry family.
Eggplants come in various shapes and colors ranging from cream,
red, reddish-purple, dark purple, or black, and some varieties even have striped skin.
Eggplants are rich in nutritious compounds like beta-carotene, vitamin A,
and vitamin C and can reduce the body's cholesterol levels and improve heart health.
So, whether you like them baked, grilled, fried, or mashed like in the middle-easter
dish baba ganoush, be sure to make this fruit a part of your diet.
(Pause)
Let’s look at Zucchinis.
It turns out there are fewer vegetables in your ratatouille than you thought.
Because of their flavor, zucchinis have been popular with various dishes worldwide,
including its popular use in zoodles. But even with all their fame within the vegetable world,
zucchinis are a part of the fruit family.
Often made a part of low-carb diets due to their low-calorie and high-fiber quality,
zucchinis are among the healthiest fruit options.
Like the other fruits discussed, zucchinis are also a part of the berry family.
Another interesting fact about zucchinis is that they come in
various colors ranging from yellow to dark green to a nearly black shade.
The zucchini fruit is also very rich in antioxidants and has beneficial
components like Lutein and Beta-Carotene, which are known to improve eye health.
(Pause)
Another fruit more commonly referred to as a veggie, Okra.
Hearing this might be heart-breaking for southerners as this food has a significant
role in their vegetable intake. Okra, a fan-favorite fried vegetable, is actually a fruit.
Even though its lush green exterior can trick you into thinking that you are consuming a vegetable,
from a botanical standpoint, okras are multi-seeded fruits with edible seeds.
Even if they don’t technically qualify as vegetables,
okras are flavorful and are popularly used in delicious casserole and gumbo recipes.
Orka stems from yellow flowers with a crimson center and is packed with
multitudes of nutrients like vitamins C and A, calcium, magnesium, and dietary fiber.
(Pause)
You won’t believe it, but Olives are on the list.
While most people don’t believe in fruits on pizza, like pineapple, we have unknowingly
consumed a few fruits with this popular meal. Along with the fruity tomato sauce, the
much-loved olives on your pizza also fall under the fruit category rather than the vegetable.
While the previous fruits were a part of the berry family or closely related, olives are
part of the drupes or stone fruit family, like peaches or cherries. A drupe is a simple fruit
with a thin outer layer or peel with a fleshy inside and a hard seed in the center. Mostly
consumed in their fermented form, olives are rich in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and vitamin
E and also have anti-inflammatory properties which protect the body against oxidative damage.
Isn’t that interesting?
(Pause)
Now, moving on to a Millenials’ favorite toast topping- Avocados.
Avocados are a healthy superfood that took over the world like a storm.
Though technically, they are not used for culinary purposes like other regular vegetables,
avocados' taste and rich texture set them apart from other fruits.
It would seem that avocados also might be a part of the drupe family as they have a peel,
a soft inside, and a hard seed, But surprisingly enough, avocados are a part of the berry family.
What classifies avocado as a berry and not a drupe. Rich in monounsaturated fatty
acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids, avocados can help improve cardiovascular
health by preventing cardiovascular risk factors and metabolic diseases.
Research has shown that consuming avocados may
improve hypercholesterolemia and may help treat hypertension and type 2 diabetes.
By the sounds of it, that extra cost of the added guacamole to your meals is well worth it.
(Pause)
Next on our list is Corn.
The perfect side to your barbeque parties and seafood feasts is corn, among the most popular
crops worldwide. While the other fruits on our list are often misclassified as vegetables,
corn is a fruit that sneaks by, getting mistaken for a vegetable or sometimes even a grain.
The corn cob has many kernels, each of which is a fruit. Each kernel has a soft outer covering,
a fleshy inside, and a tiny seed in the middle. This is what qualifies corn as a fruit;
in fact a single cob of corn is a collection of hundreds of tiny fruits! The hard stem
that the kernels grow is part of the plant, which technically makes the cob a vegetable.
Some may confuse corn as a grain because grains are dried and hardened
seeds produced by grain crops like rice and wheat. So, the dried corn kernels,
which can be grounded and used as flour, can technically be called grains.
Corn is hard to classify into just one specific category. Still,
on a technical basis, the corn kernels on the cob are actually a fruit.
(Pause)
Whew! We're not entirely done yet; let’s move on to Peppers.
All the peppers, from the spiciest ghost peppers to the mellow bell peppers, are considered fruits.
Yes! Even the spicy flavor of peppers like jalapeno and habanero that you use
sparingly in your cooking are all botanically still fruits.
The spiciness of pepper comes from a chemical called capsaicin, and the amount
of capsaicin in peppers determines their level of spiciness. This fruit is spicy and good for you,
peppers are rich in antioxidants like vitamin C, E, and beta-carotene,
so next time your looking for a little heat and a dose of antioxidants look no further!
String beans are another fruit miscaterogized as a veggie.
String beans or green beans are among the more popular green vegetables eaten
in most households. Technically, green beans are a part of the legumes family,
like peas and lentils. At the same time, other legumes have pods with seeds inside
them, in which the seeds are consumed separately, and the pods are discarded.
As for the string beans, the pod and the small beans inside are consumed. But how are string
beans fruits? Well, the whole pod of string beans generates from a flower, thus making green beans,
botanically speaking, considered fruits. String beans are an excellent addition to your diet as
they contain good amounts of vitamin A, vitamin K, and iron and can help support bone health.
(Pause)
Last but not least, the final imposter on our list is Pumpkin.
You might have categorized the beloved fall-time decoration pieces as vegetables
for far too long. Based on the botanical classification, pumpkins are fruits
and are a close relative of cucumbers and technically also a part of the berry family.
Even though you seldom see a person picking up and eating a pumpkin like an apple, pumpkins are
still on the sweeter side of the fruit family. Pumpkins are rich in antioxidants, especially
in vitamin A and beta carotene, which help in protecting your body against common diseases.
Pumpkins are also low in calories as they’re almost 90 percent water. Boiled,
smashed, or baked, pumpkin is an excellent addition to any diet.
(Pause)
Even if they are not technically vegetables,
these fruits are nutritious value and should be a part of your diet.
Are you interested in learning more interesting facts about fruits and veggies? Why not check out
9 Fruits You Should Be Eating And 8 You Shouldn’t If You Are Diabetic OR
8 Healthy Vegetables You Should Be Eating And 8 You Shouldn’t
Go ahead! Click one, or better yet, watch both. What did you think of our list? Are
there any fruits that surprised you? Let us know in the comments below!