Apricot is a small golden fruit that you may mistake for a peach or tangerine. While somewhat tart, it is more musky or amaretto-like than you might expect. Each apricot fruit contains more than 80 nutrients, including vitamin A and C, B vitamins, and the all-important vitamin B17 that is also known as amygdalin.
Amygdalin is a compound found in the seed of the fruit, green vegetables, beans, squash, and many more fruit and vegetables. But it’s apricot where B17 is found in the greatest concentration, making it the ideal source of the potentially beneficial medicinal benefits that this vitamin may provide.
While eating an apricot is certainly a flavorful and nutritionally beneficial experience, this article is actually about the seeds. It’s rare that people make a habit of eating the seeds of the fruit. In fact, growing up you may have heard stories that if you swallow fruit seeds they will grow inside your stomach.
But you most definitely can and should try eating apricot seeds. Each seed is about the size of an almond, they can be ground up and added to nearly any dish that could use a hint of tartness, or eaten whole.
There are many potential benefits to eating apricot seeds as you’ll see below, but a word of warning: If you have not consumed apricot seed before you should introduce them into your system gradually. Eating too many too soon may cause headaches or an upset stomach. As a general rule, one seed per hour for the first few days is adequate for the average person.
With that out of the way, let’s find out why apricot seeds are a great and easy addition to your daily diet, especially when you’re buying from Apricot Power, a brand built around all the amazing things this fruit has to offer!
Potential Apricot Benefits
The magic of apricot lies in its vitamin B17 content, which is believed to help provide the following potential benefits in a healthy body:
- Support for the development of normal cells
- Support for the immune system and a healthy internal response to seasonal challenges
- May provide temporary relief from occasional swelling or tightness in joints
- May help to maintain blood pressure levels already within the normal range
- Support for the immune system
Both the fruit and seed also provide essential nutrients like vitamin B1 (benfotiamine), and antioxidants like quercetin, catechins, and gallic acid to name a few. These essential vitamins and antioxidant support hundreds of biological processes in the body, making apricot ideal for helping to fill nutritional gaps in your diet.
Ways to Enjoy the Apricot Seed
The flavor of apricot seeds is not for everyone, as they are bitter when compared to the more woody flavors of other nuts. If you do give them a try, considering trying these popular ways to eat them:
- Dipped in honey
- Inside dried apricot fruit
- Ground and sprinkled on a sandwich or salad
- Added to soups
- Blended into a drink or added to trail mix
Be careful not to be too liberal with how much apricot you add to your food as the flavor can become dominating. Treat apricot as a garnish instead of a spice and you’ll enjoy it much more.
Why You Need Apricot from Apricot Power
Apricot Power gets their raw apricot seeds from California-grown apricot trees. The apricot seeds they use have not been processed in any way that will affect their nutritional value. This ensures that each seed retains the natural amount of B17, natural enzymes, and other nutrients.
If you’re interested in the potential benefits of apricot, but aren’t a fan of the taste, you can always enjoy Apricot Power’s Bitter Apricot Seed supplement, which is formulated with the extracts of the raw apricot seed.
You can also try apricot in your personal care products from Apricot Powder, including an anti-aging cream, facial cleanser, and facial toner.
Apricot Power also makes a chocolate bar made with a mixture of 60% organic cacao and up to 10 seeds per bar.
Apricots are one of those fruits you should add to your daily diet for more variety, along with you normal, healthy mix of other fruit and vegetables. Apricot contains an ideal blend of essential vitamin and other compounds that may provide your healthy body the support it needs to function at its best.