Fruits seem to be a good food that has been enjoyed by mankind from the very earliest of times. Perhaps the first food that prehistoric man ate was a fruit of some kind. Even the story of man begins with the garden of fruit in the Bible.

In Indian mythology there is a story associated with almost every fruit. Most Indian children can recall the story of  how Lord Ganesha and his brother Kartikeya fought over the celestial mango. When we say fruit, we usually mean the fleshy, pulpy, moisture laden product, full of aroma and flavour unlike the nuts, legumes and cereals which are dry.

Fruits contain abundant quantities of sugar. Fruit starch is usually changed in to sugar upon ripening. Fruits are very good sources of several vitamins, mineral salts and dietary fibre. Fruits are generally very good sources of Vitamin 'C'. The fruits which are good sources of Vitamin 'C' are Guava, Custard Apple, Amla, Citrus fruits etc.

The yellow and deep orange coloured fruits are excellent sources of beta carotene and a precursor of Vitamin 'A'. This essential nutrient protects the person from blindness. The mango and papaya are good sources of this vitamin. The tomato, orange, musk melon and rose apple are also fairly good sources of carotene.

The following are the fair resources of vitamins of the B- Complex family - Banana, Custard Apple, Pineapple and Raisins. Most of the essential minerals such as calcium are found in fruits like Custard Apple, Citrus fruits, Amla, Hill Guava. Some fruits provide iron and other trace elements also - Lemon, Guava, Water Melon and Sapota.

Fruits have good amount of fibre. Fibre in your diet in proper proportion helps excretion and prevents constipation. This is why inclusion of fruits in the diet is recommended.