Peach

If You Read Nothing Else

Skin left on carries most of the polyphenols (protective plant compounds) and chlorogenic acid.

Peach pit and kernel contain amygdalin — flesh is safe, crushed pit isn't.

Conventional peaches carry a heavy pesticide load — organic preferred where possible.

What Else to Know

Prunus persica is the Latin name carries the story of the peach's long journey from China, through Persia, and into the Mediterranean. On an Iranian summer afternoon, holu comes cold from the icebox, peeled by hand, or spooned into a bowl of mast with a little honey and mint. Traditional Persian medicine reads it as cool and moist and kind to a summer-heated stomach. Modern nutrition sees a water-rich stone fruit with moderate fibre and plenty of chlorogenic acid.