Pears: properties, nutritional values, calories

Pears derive from plants of the genus Pyrus, of which the most widespread species is the Pyrus communis. Calcium and boron acids help hinder osteoporosis and lower cholesterol. Let's find out better.

Properties and benefits of pears

Rich in calcium, pears reduce the risk of osteoporosis and hinder the process of rarefaction of bone tissue due to gradual demineralization. They also contain boron, a brain ally in large quantities, improving reflexes and the ability to store notions or keep memories.

Consuming 5 pears covers the needs of this essential mineral. Pears also contain a lot of fiber: 2 pears are enough to cover 32% of the daily requirement. Most are in the skin and this is why eating the fruit without peeling allows you to reap all the benefits, including the anti-cholesterol effect.

This particular virtue is due to the type of fiber known as pectin, the same one that is added to jams and jellies to make them thicken. Being soluble, pectin forms a viscous layer in the intestine that binds to cholesterol, favoring its evacuation along with the faeces.

Calories and nutritional values of pears

100 g of pears contain 35 kcal / 147 kj.

Furthermore, for 100 g of product we have:

Water 87.40g
Carbohydrates 8, 80g
Sugars 8, 80g
Proteins 0, 30g
Fats 0.10g
Fiber 3.80g
Sodium 2mg
Potassium 127mg
Iron 0.30mg
Calcium 11mg
Phosphorus 15mg
Magnesium 7mg
Zinc 0.05mg
Copper 0.05mg
Vitamin B1 0.01mg
Vitamin B2 0.03mg
Vitamin B3 0.10mg
Vitamin C 4mg

Allies of

Intestine, bones, brain, blood circulation

Curiosity about pears

Would you swap someone who described the properties of pears from the virtues of beans ? You'd be wrong, because pears and beans have something in common: they both contain a very effective type of dietary fiber to lower cholesterol: lignin .
Dr. Donald V. Schlimme, professor of nutrition and food science at the University of Maryland in College Park, warns: canned pears have properties that are nowhere near comparable to fresh pears . First, they are peeled and therefore fiber-free; secondly, many of the nutrients are lost during processing. The gain is only in calories: a portion of pears in syrup develops 25% more calories than the same amount of fresh fruit.

As the name suggests, this fiber does not dissolve in the intestine, but absorbs a large amount of water, causing the faeces to pass more quickly into the digestive tract. This procedure prevents constipation and hemorrhoids and reduces the risk of colon cancer.
Gao Xianzhang, a farmer from the village of Hexia in northern China, made plastic cages to grow the pears of his trees. Now his ripe pears are Buddha-shaped.

Find out more about dietary fiber

A recipe with pears

How to prepare an excellent pear and chocolate cake ?

First of all, the chocolate pastry must have the right consistency and its flavor be irresistible. You need 120 g of flour and 50 g of almond flour, 120 g of butter, 60 g of sugar, 1 egg yolk, 40 g of bitter cocoa powder, vanilla essence. The filling should be "sinful": 120 g of pure dark chocolate, 220 g of cream, 2 large and firm pears, 2 eggs, 50 g of sugar

Let's move on to the procedure: put the butter to soften at room temperature in the mixer with the sugar, the yolk and the vanilla essence. Mix the mixture and then add the sifted flour and cocoa together. When the dough is compact, make it a ball and leave it to rest in the fridge wrapped in a clean cotton fabric for about an hour.

Then roll it out with a rolling pin between two sheets of parchment paper; greased and floured and lined with the shortcrust pastry, using the baking paper. Then remove the paper and adhere the edges of the paste to the walls of the mold. Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork and put it all to rest in the refrigerator for another half hour. After this time, cook at 180 ° for 10 minutes and let it cool.

Prepare the filling by chopping the chocolate into a saucepan, adding the cream and half the sugar in it; put directly on low heat stirring constantly until creamy. Remove from heat and let it cool, then add a lightly beaten egg and yolk.

Let the mixture pour over the chocolate base.

Peel the pears and cut them into eighths, arrange them radially (or concentric circles, as you prefer) on the cream. Sprinkle the pear slices with the remaining sugar and put the mold back in the oven for another 20 minutes.

When removed from the oven, when the pears are caramelized, you can decorate with some meringue, some cream balls or, if you prefer, a sprinkling of icing sugar.