Whether you're eating them raw or cooked, pears make for a sweet treat. And what's more: it's good for your health. Packed with fibre and antioxidants, adding more pears to your diet goes a long way in diabetes prevention and lowering your cholesterol.

Here are three reasons to eat more pears:

1. Pears help prevent diabetes
Red pears contain anthocyanin, an antioxidant that can help reduce insulin resistance, a risk factor for developing diabetes.

Studies from Harvard University found that people who consume greater amounts of anthocyanin-rich foods 
have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

2. Pears are full of fibre
Pears are noteworthy because they contain both soluble fibre, which helps lower cholesterol levels, and insoluble fibre, which promotes regularity. One pear has six grams of fibre, or about 20 percent of your daily recommended intake.

3. Pears are a great ready-to-go snack
Pears continue to ripen after being harvested, but they keep well in the crisper because refrigeration delays the ripening process. A few days before you're ready to eat one, leave it at room temperature. It's ripe when the neck gives 
to gentle thumb pressure.

Be sure to try out some of our delicious pear recipes:
Upside-Down Buttermilk Pear Cake
Honey-Roasted Pears
Pear and Celery Soup

This story was originally titled "Why We Love Pears" in the January 2013 issue. Subscribe to Canadian Living today and never miss an issue!