The Asian pear, once a rarely found delicacy in U.S. markets, is a common sight in grocery stores, specialty shops and farmers markets. This fruit, also known as the Chinese pear, apple pear, Nashi or Japanese pear, resembles a round, beige apple with brown freckles and has a sweet-tart taste with each crunchy bite. This fruit offers a range of nutritional value, from vitamins and minerals to fiber.
Basic Nutrition
A 100 g serving of Asian pear -- approximately 3.5 oz. -- contains 42 calories, making this fruit a good choice for a portable, healthy snack. Each serving contains 0.2 g of fat, an amount that contributes very little to the recommended fat limit in your diet, which is 20 percent to 35 percent of the calories you eat daily. Asian pears contain 10.7 g of carbohydrates per serving and 0 g of protein.
Fiber
Eat an Asian pear, and you consume 3.6 g of fiber. The fiber in Asian pears is considered soluble fiber -- it dissolves into a gel and serves to decrease blood sugar levels in your body, helping protect you from diabetes, as well as cholesterol levels. Include 25 g to 38 g of fiber in your diet each day by eating Asian pears and other high-fiber fruits, but take care to also drink adequate amounts of water to help your body process fiber correctly.
Sugar
Asian pears contain 7.1 g of sugar per serving. Generally, the naturally-occurring sugar in an Asian pear will not cause health problems; however, consult your physician or nutritionist if you suffer from diabetes -- you may need to incorporate fruit into your diet strategically.
Vitamins
Including a serving of Asian pears in your meal plan gives you access to a tasty supply of vitamin C; each serving provides 6 percent of the daily recommended intake. You also get smaller amounts of thiamin, pantothenic acid, riboflavin, vitamin B-6 and niacin. These B-vitamins present in Asian pears make the fruit useful for synthesizing energy from the foods you eat.
Minerals
Asian pears contain 3 percent of the potassium and copper you should consume daily from one serving. In addition, a serving of Asian pears provides 2 percent of the daily recommended intake of magnesium and 1 percent of the phosphorus you should eat every day.
Benefits
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends eating two to four servings of fruit per day, and eating a serving of Asian pears helps you meet that goal. This agency reports that including fruit in your diet may decrease your chances of having a stroke and developing Type-2 diabetes and some forms of cancer. It may also help prevent heart disease.
References
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Fruit of the Month: Asian Pear
- Fitbit: Asian Pear
- MayoClinic.com: Healthy Diet: End the Guesswork With These Health Guidelines
- MayoClinic.com: Dietary Fiber: Essential For a Healthy Diet
- Cleveland Clinic: Eating Too Much Sugar? It's Time to Tame Your Sweet Tooth
- American Diabetes Association: Diabetes Myth
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