The flavor of a peach is exceptionally unique and their fruit can be used in so many dishes or drinks when you are ready for a special treat. They are a great addition to any fruit cocktail and make excellent jams, jellies, pies and smoothies. Of course, there are many other ways to use this tasty fruit, and a little browsing on the internet will net you a ton of super recipes.

Everyone knows how delicious and juicy a good ripe peach taste, but not everyone knows about the peach nutrition benefits that are hidden in the flesh of this very available and very beautiful fruit.

Peach nutrition has been know about for centuries. They are thought to have originated in China as long as three thousand years ago. Peaches come from the stone family of fruits and have a large and pitted hard seed. They can be found in the super markets almost year round because they can be grown in so many climates. If they are out of season in one location, they are in season in another location.

The fruit of a peach has a large amount of fiber. As we all know fiber aids the digestive system tremendously, helping to prevent constipation as well as colon cancer. Some of the many other nutrients to be included in peach nutrition are niacin, riboflavin, calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorus and Vitamins A,B and C.

Some of the health benefits eating peaches are best known for are healthy skin, dietary fiber for constipation, anemia, bladder and kidney stones, asthma and bronchitis. Since it has so much fiber the peach is great for weight loss diets for two reasons. First the fiber adheres to some of the fat in your food while passing through the digestive system, preventing the body from absorbing it, and second because a peach is a negative calorie food with zero fat.

If you are not familiar with the term "negative calorie" food, it is a food that takes more calories to digest than the food itself actually contains. For instance, if you eat a fruit that contains only 65 calories, but your body uses 80 calories to digest it, you have actually lost calories by eating it. Many fruits have this property and if people would only replace their high calorie, high fat snack foods with fruits snacks, they would have no problem with weight gain.

The peach has so many health benefits it is too bad it is not as popular as many other fruits. I personally think the reason they are not as popular is not the taste, but the juice. One reason a peach is so low in calories is because it has an 80% water content. When you bite into a sweet fresh peach, you are going to get a rush of juice. The juice is delicious, but there is such a large amount it is almost impossible to catch it all in your mouth, so it may get a little messy. People trying to eat a fruit snack in the car or on the run usually go for the apple or banana.

My favorite way to eat fresh peaches is in my breakfast cereal. That way I can enjoy its juicy fresh taste along with its peach nutrition without having to worry getting it on my clothes. Oh, I forgot, peach smoothies are oh so heavenly delicious, too.