Hard to choose my favorite of these. I chose nectarines but plums and peaches are definitely close choices too.
I have never grilled peaches but may have to try. - 12/2/2012   9:41:14 AM

Along with fighting obesity, did you know cherries can fight exercise induced muscle damage? Natural Standard gives cherries a “B,” or good scientific evidence, to repair muscles after exercise. This study found that marathoners drank tart cherry juice five days before and two days after their race increased their isometric strength faster than the marathoners who didn’t drink tart cherry juice. The benefits of cherries extend may also include anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. But more research still needs to be done. - 8/18/2012   4:30:34 PM

Recently grilled peaches, first nuked a little honey with a rosemary sprig in it. Spread that on the peach halves and grilled them. Very good! It was an adaptation of recipe in AARP magazine. - 8/16/2012   8:37:07 AM

I didn't realise I liked apricots until I went to a Farmer's market and tried them. I don't like canned though. Will these fruits work for you if you use frozen after the season ends? - 8/16/2012   8:35:13 AM

Cherries and Peaches. So hard to choose. I do love Apricot pits. Trader Joes sells them and they are fantastic, an alternative to almonds. - 8/16/2012   3:30:10 AM

Love love fruits, can't choose - 8/16/2012   2:38:27 AM

Fresh Cherries, Red Cherries, Rainier Cherries, and Tart Cherries are all very good. Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots, and Plums are runners up - they are prone to bruising so I eat one at home with breakfast. That way I can wash and section them. - 8/15/2012   12:31:11 AM

Good to know! I've been eating a lot of peaches and cherries lately. Love them! - 8/14/2012   7:30:00 PM

Given a choice, these are exactly the fruits I choose. My absolute favorites are peaches and apricots. Important to note that many other fruits are NOT friendly to diabetics. Melons and pineapple are apt to spike your blood sugars. - 8/14/2012   1:57:50 PM

Whenever possible, get them organic--which also means in season. Stone fruits, unfortunately, are among the fruits/veggies most likely to retain pesticide residue. - 8/14/2012   12:49:05 PM

I agree with GMAGEE. Last year and this year I have not been able to get ripe peaches and they usually rot when I try to let them ripen. They grow tons of them just across the mountains around Grand Junction and they have farmers markets where they bring them in every day, but they aren't ripe. They might as well be getting them from overseas then. This year they started bringing them in by the end of May and they will be out of them within a week or two because of the weather we have been having. I wish I had some trees in the back yard still, but they all got something that killed them. - 8/14/2012   12:22:25 PM

A juicy warm (not just out of the fridge) peach is my favorite though plums are a close second, especially if a little sour. I think they would be good grilled but I always eat them before I can think about grilling them. - 8/14/2012   11:24:39 AM

@ Mamachick4--thank you for the information, although there really can't be MORE sugar in a dried plum than a fresh one--unless you are measuring by weight. Other nutrients certainly can be lost by drying, cooking, or even waiting too long to eat.

When I followed the link to the study, I found that "The studies on the health benefits of stone fruit are funded by the California Tree Fruit Agreement, The California Plum Board, the California Grape and Tree Fruit League and the Texas Department of Agriculture."

For me, that rather reduces the value of the conclusions--special interest groups generally get the results they pay for. Scientists know how to ask questions so they get the answers they want. - 8/14/2012   10:02:35 AM

This a surprise blog. I did not know. - 8/14/2012   10:00:58 AM

Grilled peaches are awesome with almost any kind of meat! Who knew? - 8/14/2012   9:12:13 AM

While I was shopping last week I wasn't going to buy nectarines but then I smelled them. Delicious! I think I ended up buying 6. :) - 8/14/2012   9:03:37 AM

@ britomart, the dried fruits do not provide similar benefits, the sugars in the dried fruits are big no-noes, (according to my dr). I would like to know the recommended servings per day to help me...1 average, 2?
- 8/14/2012   8:39:08 AM

I to agree that I can't pick just one.I love fruit,just knowing that one of my favorit can cut the changes of me being obesity and haveing diabetes:) - 8/14/2012   8:21:52 AM

peaches and cherries are my favs! - 8/14/2012   7:58:52 AM

Do we have to pick just one? Nectarines, cherries, apricots--yum! Peaches & Italian Prunes if they're ripe. Can't pick just one! - 8/14/2012   4:41:08 AM

I love apricots best, but my apricot tree died over the winter :( - 8/14/2012   3:53:11 AM

I would have voted for "All of the above!"

The fresh fruits of summer make up for the heat and mosquitoes :) - 8/13/2012   11:56:06 PM

What about PRUNES ? (yeah I KNOW they are dried plums). They shpul;d have been listed - 8/13/2012   10:11:08 PM

Why couldn't the poll leave an option to select one or more? I love them all! - 8/13/2012   3:44:23 PM

I love plums most but buy peaches nectarine apricots when in season cant get enough of them - 8/13/2012   3:28:07 PM

There really is nothing better than a fresh peach from the farmer's market at the height of summer. - 8/13/2012   2:48:59 PM

Love cherries but I buy the frozen as they are must cheaper than fresh. - 8/13/2012   2:18:38 PM

I've found nectarines to be tasty more consistently than peaches, which can often be mushy and unappetizing. Love cherries but find I can switch into mindless eating with them, and they still have calories that can pile up! - 8/13/2012   2:03:28 PM

I love nectarines! It's a tie between nectarines & strawberries for my favorite fruit. I'm actually having a nectarine with my lunch today . . . . I eat as much as I can when I find good ones in season. - 8/13/2012   1:56:45 PM

I appreciate the reminder to include a wider variety of fruits in my diet. Thank you. - 8/13/2012   1:40:10 PM

I love, love, love all stone fruits, but am so sick of buying them and biting into mealy, bitter pulp or having them go rotten before they ripen. What happened to fruit growing in this country (U.S.)? - 8/13/2012   1:30:42 PM

I can't wait for cherries to come into season every year and I do some serious cherry eating when they do! I knew they were know to fight inflammation but the added benefit is they are so juicy and delicious it almost feels like your eating something forbidden. I love almost all summer fruits - wish I felt that way about winter ones. - 8/13/2012   1:05:54 PM

every plant, fruit, leaf absolutely everything has benefits for us from Mother Nature. it is us that has chosen to sully the good natural products that grow. we have nullified a lot of the goodness by picking things before they are ready, for transport thousands o miles, to sit in a warehouse for months to be sold in a season when they are not to be available.
what we do to our foods along with the frankenfoods that have been invented is a tragedy. most of our illnesses and ailments are brought on by human arrogance. we do not know better that a HIGHER POWER who put all these things into place. it is no surprise and amazes me when i see headlines like your blog - OF COURSE the natural foods fight every disease - some more powerful than the next. but we don't pay attention. - 8/13/2012   12:34:40 PM

I wonder if the effect is still present when the fruits are dried? (like plums/prunes). that would make a year-round benefit available. - 8/13/2012   12:34:39 PM

Cherries are one of my absolute favorite things to eat. I knew there was reason I liked them so much. - 8/13/2012   11:02:23 AM

I wonder - would canned fruit have the same benefits? I guess I could buy frozen when the fruits are not in season - 8/13/2012   10:43:33 AM

This is very interesting to know. I will not include some of these each week, when I can find them. - 8/13/2012   10:42:55 AM

I'm not a fan of the hazy, hot and humid weather during the summer. but, I AM a fan of fresh cherries ! I'm not surprized that more and more studies are showing that eating more fresh fruit (veggies too) can help a person decrease their weight. With my own weight loss experience, I did find that eating more and more servings of fruit and veggies did help me lose the weight and keep it off.
- 8/13/2012   10:39:18 AM

What are the odds?! Randomly, I just picked up a nice peach this a.m. Not like I do this every week, or even every month. : ) - 8/13/2012   10:36:50 AM