{"id":290765,"date":"2025-10-10T02:04:18","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T02:04:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/290765\/"},"modified":"2025-10-10T02:04:18","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T02:04:18","slug":"are-pears-good-for-you-what-dietitians-say","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/290765\/","title":{"rendered":"Are pears good for you? What dietitians say"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"play\"<\/p>\n

Why buying fruits and vegetables in season matters<\/p>\n

If you buy perfect-looking strawberries but they taste like cardboard, it\u2019s not you, it\u2019s the season. Buying in season ensures better flavor, nutrition, and value.<\/p>\n

unbranded – Lifestyle<\/p>\n

Sweet, juicy and refreshingly crisp, pears have delighted taste buds for generations. Whether sliced into a salad<\/a>, poached in a dessert or plucked and eaten straight from the tree, \u201cpeople like pears for their natural sweetness, versatility and gentle flavor that pairs well with both sweet and savory dishes,\u201d says Caroline Susie, a registered dietitian and national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Beyond their culinary appeal, pears also pack an impressive nutritional punch and are often praised for supporting heart<\/a>, digestive<\/a> and metabolic health. But that doesn\u2019t mean you should enjoy them without limits.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what pears are, why they\u2019re good for you and who needs to be especially mindful of overconsumption.<\/p>\n

What are pears?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pears are fleshy pome fruits from the rose (Rosaceae) plant family, which also includes apples<\/a>, peaches, plums and cherries. \u201cPears come in many varieties that range from crisp and refreshing to soft and buttery,\u201d explains Lisa\u00a0Young<\/a>, a registered dietitian nutritionist, author of “Finally Full, Finally Slim” and adjunct professor of nutrition at New York University. Some of the most popular varieties include Bartlett, Anjou, Bosc, Concorde, Comice and Asian.<\/p>\n

The fruit originated in temperate regions of the world like Europe and Asia, where wild species were cultivated thousands of years ago. Over time, pears spread globally and grew in popularity. Today, top producers of the fruit include Austria, New Zealand, Switzerland, South Africa and the United States, per World Population Review<\/a>. Within the U.S., Washington, Oregon and California lead production.<\/p>\n

Pears are typically in season from late summer through fall, with peak flavor between August and November. Outside this window, they are also commonly available frozen, canned or dried.<\/p>\n

In case you missed: <\/strong>How to test your blood sugar levels and why it’s critical for some people<\/a><\/p>\n

Are pears good for you? Can dogs eat pears?\u00a0<\/p>\n

No matter when you choose to eat them, pears offer a wealth of health benefits. A standout one is that “pears are one of the highest-fiber fruits you can eat,” says Young. Indeed, just one medium pear provides about 6 grams of fiber, nearly 1\/4 of your daily needs. \u201cFiber<\/a> supports digestion and helps with feelings of fullness,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n

This, combined with the fact that a medium pear has only about 100 calories and virtually no fat, make pears desirable to many for healthy weight management.<\/p>\n

Their high-fiber content also helps regulate blood sugar<\/a>, improve cholesterol levels and support heart health. The potassium content in pears similarly improves heart health by contributing to healthy blood pressure.<\/p>\n

Pears also supply vitamin C<\/a> and vitamin K, which aid immune function, collagen production and wound healing. \u201cAnd pears (especially their skins) contain phenolics and flavonoids,\u201d adds Susie, \u201cwhich can reduce inflammation<\/a>,\u00a0potentially protecting against oxidative stress and vascular damage.\u201d These benefits align with observational studies<\/a>\u00a0linking higher pear intake with reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.<\/p>\n

Dogs can enjoy pears, too, when served safely. \u201cFresh pear slices (with the seeds and core removed) can be a healthy treat,\u201d says Young. But she recommends avoiding canned pears or varieties packed in syrup, and to always remove the seeds, “which contain trace amounts of cyanide harmful to pets.”<\/p>\n

Good question: <\/strong>Erythritol is a popular sugar substitute. But is it safe?<\/a><\/p>\n

Can you eat pears every day?\u00a0<\/p>\n

For most healthy people, eating a pear a day is both safe and beneficial. Some considerations still apply.<\/p>\n

Pears are naturally high in fructose and sorbitol (a sugar alcohol<\/a>). This, combined with their high-fiber content, means pears \u201cmay cause bloating, gas or loose stools in some people,\u201d says Young. Those with sensitive digestion or irritable bowel syndrome<\/a> (IBS) may want to limit portion sizes.<\/p>\n

Certain health conditions also warrant caution. People with acid reflux<\/a> may find ripe pears irritating, though they are less acidic than many fruits. Those on potassium-sparing medications or ACE inhibitors should also monitor overall intake. And while pears contain \u201conly small amounts of vitamin K and are unlikely to significantly interfere with warfarin and similar medications,\u201d Susie notes, \u201cconsistency with all vitamin K sources is recommended.\u201d<\/p>\n

So long as such considerations are kept in mind, says Young, \u201cmost healthy individuals can regularly enjoy pears as a safe and nutritious fruit and snack.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Why buying fruits and vegetables in season matters If you buy perfect-looking strawberries but they taste like cardboard,…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":290766,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[647,931,25748,6919,9447,990,16578,16581,210,57470,6330,11090,85397,11652,6918,6927,1084,425,993,6930,40848,1083,1091,635,76198,50,1182,450,1457,449,1451,1085,6917,6926,448,447,456,646,67,132,4280,68,1930,2801,70571,3149,636],"class_list":{"0":"post-290765","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nutrition","8":"tag-affiliate","9":"tag-and","10":"tag-c","11":"tag-curious","12":"tag-eating","13":"tag-food","14":"tag-fruits","15":"tag-fruits-u0026-vegetables","16":"tag-health","17":"tag-healthy","18":"tag-healthy-eating","19":"tag-holiday","20":"tag-holiday-marketplace-hub","21":"tag-hub","22":"tag-just","23":"tag-just-curious","24":"tag-literature","25":"tag-local","26":"tag-local-affiliate-food","27":"tag-local-affiliate-health-and-wellness","28":"tag-marketplace","29":"tag-medical","30":"tag-medical-literature-u0026-resources","31":"tag-new","32":"tag-new-york-university","33":"tag-news","34":"tag-nutrition","35":"tag-overall","36":"tag-overall-positive","37":"tag-point","38":"tag-positive","39":"tag-resources","40":"tag-seo","41":"tag-seo-wellness","42":"tag-the","43":"tag-to","44":"tag-to-the-point","45":"tag-u0026","46":"tag-united-states","47":"tag-unitedstates","48":"tag-university","49":"tag-us","50":"tag-vegetables","51":"tag-vitamin","52":"tag-vitamin-c","53":"tag-wellness","54":"tag-york"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=290765"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290765\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/290766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=290765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=290765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=290765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}