One reason is enough to persuade you to eat more figs!

Now is the season for figs. Looking at the plump figs with green skin and a hint of purple, one can't help but want to break open the flesh and take a bite. The sweet and soft taste is hard to resist, even the elderly and children with bad teeth can enjoy it.

However, due to limited transportation conditions, except for friends in Yantai, Weihai, Shandong, and Xinjiang and other fig producing areas, many people may be unfamiliar with it. But in fact, figs are not only delicious, but also very nutritious. If you see it, I strongly recommend trying it~

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Nutritional Value of Figs

Figs also have a very interesting name called "sugar buns". On the one hand, it has this name because it looks like a cute bun, and on the other hand, it has a high sugar content and tastes sweet and sticky.

1. High in sugar but low in calories

The sugar content of fresh figs can be as high as 16% to 20% , which is higher than that of mango, grapes, melon and other very sweet fruits, and only slightly lower than that of bananas. Therefore, if you want to satisfy your hunger or are worried about hypoglycemia after exercise, but do not want to eat sweets or candies directly, you can choose this kind of fruit with a high sugar content .

The good news is that, although the sugar content is not low, the calories in figs are not too high. The calories of 65 kcal/100 g are comparable to those of kiwi (61 kcal/100 g), only slightly higher than apples (53 kcal/100 g) and pears (51 kcal/100 g), and much lower than tropical fruits such as bananas (92 kcal/100 g) and durian (150 kcal/100 g). Even friends who need to control their weight can eat some with peace of mind.

2. High in dietary fiber, improves constipation

Figs also have another outstanding advantage, which is that they are high in dietary fiber.

The dietary fiber content of figs reaches an astonishing 3 grams per 100 grams, which is not only much higher than the "well-known" laxative banana (1.2 grams per 100 grams), but also higher than the dietary fiber content of real high-fiber fruits - pitaya (1.6 grams per 100 grams) and kiwi (2.6 grams per 100 grams). Unexpectedly, figs are really a hidden master in promoting intestinal peristalsis and improving constipation !

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3. Selenium-rich foods

In addition, figs are high in calcium, potassium and selenium .

The calcium content of fresh figs is 67 mg/100 g, which is relatively high among fruits.

At the same time, the potassium content is 212 mg/100 g, which is comparable to bananas (256 mg/100 g), an excellent potassium supplement.

The selenium content in figs reaches 0.67 micrograms/100 grams. Although it is not as high as mulberries (5.65 micrograms/100 grams), which are a major source of selenium, there are not many selenium-rich foods in our daily diet. They are usually relatively abundant in aquatic products and nuts, and there are even fewer fruits with high selenium content. Selenium is a nutrient with a strong antioxidant system that can improve the body's antioxidant and anti-aging abilities, help maintain myocardial function, and protect visual cells .

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Studies have also found that figs contain a large amount of fig polysaccharides and flavonoid phytochemicals. Fig polysaccharides have certain anti-tumor and immunity-enhancing effects, while flavonoids can help with anti-oxidation and anti-inflammatory effects, improve the body's cells' ability to resist oxidation and aging, and reduce the risk of inflammatory reactions in the body [1].

Figs, is it better to eat them fresh or dried?

Although figs are rich in nutrients, they are seasonal and difficult to store for a long time, so we can only eat them for a short time in a year. In order to extend the time of enjoying figs, dried figs came into being.

When it comes to "dried figs", many people's first reaction may be the small snacks sold in the canteen outside the school when they were young. However, they are completely different. If you pay attention to the ingredient list of this bag of "dried figs", you will find that it is actually made of shredded radish and green papaya, plus some seasonings, flavors and other food additives. It can be said that it is not just a fake, but also "selling dog meat under the guise of sheep meat".

Snack "dried figs". Image from the Internet

Real dried figs not only have the complete appearance of a fig (there are also ones cut in half), but after tearing them open you can also see the fig stamen structure inside .

And because the sugar content is not low, it tastes even sweeter after being made into dried figs. The fleshy chewiness is also very strong, and the crunchiness of the small sesame-like figs in the dried figs makes it very interesting to chew. Both the taste and the texture are quite pleasing. Some people worry that after being made into dried figs, will the nutrition of the figs be lost? In fact, there is no need to worry at all .

On the one hand, the content of some water-soluble nutrients in fresh figs, such as vitamin C (5.2 mg/100 g) and B vitamins, is not outstanding. On the other hand, the nutrients with advantages in figs, such as sugar, dietary fiber, calcium, potassium and selenium, will not be lost too much due to drying.

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Are there worms in figs?

This has to start with the unique structure of the fig.

People often say "flowers bear fruit", but figs seem to have fruit without flowers. What's going on? Can figs bear fruit without pollination by wind or bees, ants, mosquitoes, and flies? In fact, figs have flowers, but we can't see them from the outside . Moreover, not only figs, but other plants in the same family as figs also have this characteristic of "fruit without flowers".

The fig's flower is in its "belly". When we bite open a fig, we see dense, small and numerous filaments, which are actually the inflorescence of the fig. In other words, figs not only have flowers, but also a lot of them !

Some people will definitely wonder: if the part we eat is the fig flower, then where is the fig "fruit"? If you look closely, there are also small particles dotted among the crowded inflorescences. Those are the real fruits of the fig.

These flowers wrapped inside the fig need to rely on a small insect that is closely related to the genus Ficus in the Moraceae family, to which the fig belongs, to complete the pollination process, that is, the fig wasp .

The picture comes from the Internet

The relationship between fig wasps and figs can be described as "mutual benefit and mutual harm".

Figs are dioecious plants, and because the flowers are enclosed inside, they rely on fig wasps for pollination. The fig wasps are small and can drill into the top of the fig through the gap and lay eggs in male figs that contain gall flowers (female flowers that cannot produce fruit). After the fig wasp babies are born, they feed on the sap of the gall flowers.

At the same time, although the fig wasp cannot lay eggs and reproduce in the female flower after entering it, it brings the pollen contaminated in the male flower into the female flower, completing the pollination and making the fig produce sweet "fruits". It can be said that the fig wasp is a well-deserved matchmaker between the male and female flowers of the fig.

Fortunately, these fig wasps that live in figs will not cause any harm to the human body even if they are eaten with the figs . In other words, you can enjoy the delicious food boldly when eating figs, just as a combination of meat and vegetables.

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What's more, many of the figs we eat today are artificially cultivated and can bear fruit without pollination by fig wasps, so there is no need to worry .

Can people who are losing weight or people with diabetes eat figs?

Some friends have also raised the question that since dried figs contain so much sugar, will it make you fat? Do diabetics have no right to eat them? Actually, that is not the case.

As mentioned above, although figs have a high sugar content, most of it is fructose. In addition, they are rich in dietary fiber, most of which is soluble, which can bring a strong sense of fullness . The rich flavonoid chemicals can also reduce the activity of digestive enzymes and help improve insulin sensitivity.

Therefore, not only is the impact on blood sugar far less than eating carbohydrate staples such as rice and steamed buns, but if you pay attention to controlling the intake, or use it to replace part of the staple food, it can also help with weight loss and help control blood lipids .

If you are really worried about the impact of eating figs or dried figs on your blood sugar, you can also try these tips:

1. Eat figs with fruits that have sufficient water content and low sugar content, such as apples, pears, peaches, and strawberries . This not only enriches the source of nutrients, but also properly controls the intake of figs.

2. Eat with original nuts . Nuts are high in protein and unsaturated fatty acids, low in sugar, and have a strong sense of fullness. Eating them with fresh figs or dried figs not only has a rich taste, but also helps regulate blood sugar fluctuations after eating.

3. Eat in limited quantities . For foods with high sugar content such as dried figs, it is advisable to eat about 20 grams a day. If blood sugar is not well controlled, you should reduce the amount appropriately or eat it in small amounts several times.

4. Choose original, minimally processed dried figs . Be sure to avoid those that are too highly processed, such as those with added sugar, salt, and other condiments. Try to choose original, additive-free, minimally processed dried figs that are simply dried and dehydrated to ensure maximum health.

Watching the figs turn from green to purple, imagining the sweet fillings inside are so much that they are about to overflow from the "dumpling skin", it is really tempting. Why not try them while they are in season!

[1] Jiang Hongwei, Li Chunying. Chemical composition, pharmacological effects and clinical applications of figs, Heilongjiang Science, 2019, No. 6, 12-15.

Author: Wang Lu, Chinese registered nutritionist, Master of Public Health, Peking University

Review | Xue Qingxin, the first nutrition instructor of the National Health Commission, China registered nutritionist