Pomegranate: A super fruit!

why pomegranate is a super fruit? Now some people are are not used to eating this fruit, for some they just haven't tried one. But for those who haven't you have to put this on your grocery list this weekend, your missing a lot!

pomegranate is packed with anti-oxidants, It is very high in Vitamin C, Polyphenols, Ellagic acid and Resveratrol. One thing that make this super fruit a super is the Ellagic Acid, It is a naturally occuring polyphenolic constituent found in fruits and nuts, such as apple, blueberry, walnut and of course pomegranate. It has the ability to inhibit mutations within a cell's DNA.

This means it helps prevents cancer from ever getting started, It is also know as cancer inhibitor, which has the ability to cause apoptosis or normal cell death in cancer cells.And there even studies shows that pomegranate helps lower LDL oxidation as much as 90%, some studies also shows that it also help improves blood flow,

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The Philippine Mango

Image by koalie via Flickr

Why I love this fruit? it's sweet and delicious and I just can't get enough of it. My children would go crazy whenever I make mango shake or smoothies, It's just one of the fruits that aren't very hard to fell in love with.

Way back in 1995 the Guinness book of world records listed the Philippine Carabao Mango as the sweetest fruit in the world. This fruit is eaten raw, dried, preserved, frozen, juiced, concentrated( I was once addicted to this) you can do anything with it, Baked with cake, you can make shakes and smoothies and I'm 100% sure it would be the biggest hit, especially during summer.

What do we get from mangoes?Mangoes are very rich in Vitamin A,C and potassium, We all know that Vitamins C and A are antioxidants, it helps prevent free radical injury and therefore , reduce the risk of certain cancers. My mother would always tell me. " who ate the mangoes?" I really can't help myself. Anyways, to be able to determine if the mango is sweet and right. Make sure that the peel is smooth and has some imperfections like black discolorations, but if the peel is too perfect. It's not sweet. Smell it it does smell sweet.

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How to eat and prepare your Dragon fruit.

Last time I already posted about dragon fruit, I just wanted to add some more information about this wonderful healthy fruit. But first let's have a little background check of this fruit. Dragon fruit is a native of Central America, where they call it pitaya, Which literally means the fruit of the cactus.

Dragon fruit is very popular in South East Asia, It comes from 3 different varieties, which are distinguished by the color of the flesh inside. These are white, pink and magenta. Now, there is really no way how to tell which is which from the outside. The white is the most common, its the least sweet of the three with magenta being the sweetest.

When selecting dragon fruit, look for hot pink skin, that's free of soft spot, the fruit will yield slightly to pressure, kind of like the tomato. At this ripeness it's best to use it in a fruit salad.If you like a softer, sweeter dragon fruit, Leave it on your counter for 3 or 4 days, and you can use it in your favorite smoothie, sorbet or dessert sauce. You don't have to worry about thorn and splinters because there aren't any, even though the spines may look like they might poke you, they are actually soft and flexible.

When preparing dragon fruit, cut the bloom end off first, then the stem, then slice from the bloom end to the stem. The skin peels right off, Now. it's ready to eat. For a nice presentation cut the dragon fruit in half and scoop out the flesh, Use the shell as the container to serve your fruit salad or sorbet. This fruit is a great fruit to liven up any type of salad or dish. Happy healthy eating!!

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Healthy Salad Secrets

There are many salads nowadays but how would you actually make the most of it. Here are pointers from the experts, It will change the way you make your salads.

1. For the citrus fruits, make sure they are firm and fragrant upon smelling.

2. For the meat, as long as it's vacuum packed. Or if buying pre-packed meat, it should be pink and to red in color.

3. For the prawns, go for those that are gray and firm.

4. For the salad greens, go for leaves and herbs that are fresh and crisp.

With salads it's nice to try out the different textures like crunchy and soft, This can also be something chewy, Having different textures, as well as different flavors gives dish some variety, Making it more enjoyable. Because usually if it is vinaigrette or a vinegar or a citrus-based dressing, you would want to balance the acidity to something sweet. So a balance of sweet and sour is nice, and if you can put a little bit of a bitter taste, a little bit of salty taste, even better.

Salads are a versatile type of dish, and aren't just measured by dressing and lettuce. Experimenting is a good way to spice things up. There are different ways to of doing the dressing, and not just the usual oil or vingar, fruits or vegetable purees are options. For starters try mango or raspberry puree.

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Eating healthy part 2: Durian. The hate me or love me fruit

Is this a healthy food to try or a fruit to avoid?

Durian. The first time i tried this was when i was 11 years old, The smell is really bad, and i just don't like it.. But that was then,(when i was young i tend to hate odd looking fruits) Well, I like it now more than before. My sister often tells me that people has only two views for this fruit " Hate it or Love it" All i can say is that I'm in between. It is known in South and East Asian Countries as the "King of all fruits".

Tracy asked me last time about the fruit with porcupine type skin. Well, there were 3 fruits on my mind that day. But for now I'll post Durian first. The smell may repel you but it really tastes good. So, What are the health benefits that you could get from Durian?

Durian is packed with proteins, minerals, antioxidants and other phytonutrients.

I can still remember my granny used to tell me that you can't just pick this fruit from a tree and eat. You have to wait for this fruit to fall from the tree. And wait for few more days until it ripened before you can actually eat it. This fruit is known to be high in Tryptophan,

Tryptophan increases brain levels of serotonin and melatonin, both are known as sleep-inducing hormones. So it helps to relaxes your brain and get sleepy. This fruit maybe consider as a good sleeping aid. If your travelling to South East Asian Countries, you may want to give this fruit a try. Expect that the smell would be unpleasant but it's worth the try.

image courtesy of www.nurulrahman.com

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Eating healthy? Try dragon fruit.

Another healthy food to add in your healthy diet is Dragon fruit. This dragon fruit is really new to me, but i know that it has been in the American/ Asian market for ages. I'm just curious how so many people in my country are now getting into this, This fruit was originally from Mexico,South America, Vietnam,Taiwan and South East Asian Countries. And whenever a new and healthy food is out I always make it a point to try that "something new to me" food and prove it to my self.

So here's another one on my list, Dragon fruit. So what exactly is a dragon fruit? This unusual looking fruit, brightly colored and named Dragon fruit is also known as Pitaya. I heard there's a story behind why it's called Dragon fruit, but don't know the exact story.

At first, i found the fruit a little scary, because it reminded me of the plant from that movie" little shop of horrors " the plant that feeds on human blood and flesh. hahaha! (I'm sorry but i was six then, and even though it was a comedy movie it scared the hell out of me.) But this fruit won't eat you but you will eat this fruit.

This healthy food is rich in vitamins and minerals especially vitamin C. Here are the rest of the nutrients that you can get from the dragon fruit.


Protein, Niacin

Fiber,Iron

Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Calcium, Vitamin A

It also has antioxidants, and we all know how antioxidant helps our body to prevent certain diseases or even cancer. This is one vitamin-packed fruit.The dragon fruit is best eaten by cutting the fruit in half and scooping the flesh out, like eating a sherbet. And best eaten when chilled. It has a refreshingly sweet taste. SO the next time you're looking for a new and healthy fruit to eat. Look for the dragon fruit. The name is too big to forget.



images courtesy of www.nutrexsolutions.com and
www.thirteenmonths.com

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Healthy food, dried fruits?

Image via WikipediaHealthy food:Dried fruits or frozen fruit, which one is better? I love fruits no matter how it's done dried, frozen and of course fresh.

The nutrients of dried fruits depends on how long the fruit was around before it was dried. Some commercial dried fruits may contain an additional sulfur dioxide which can lead to asthma for some people, Now, you might be asking why sulfur? The sulfur is used to "fix" the color of the fruit.

But there are also no-sulfur dried fruits available in stores that you can try. So, what nutrients do you get from dried fruits?Here are some vitamins that you can get from dried fruits

Vitamin A, B1, B2, B3, B6,

pantothenic acid

and minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium,

phosphorus, potassium, sodium, copper, manganese)(courtesy of Wikipedia).

And because of water loss, that was experienced while it was dried. Dried fruits has a stronger taste or flavor. But these process also destroys most of the Vitamin C in the food, The levels of Vitamin C has been greatly reduced compared when it was fresh.

But i just want to share my favorite dried fruit... mangoes. i love 7D dried mangoes, This is just the best dried mangoes on the planet.

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Healthy food: Frozen berries?

Talking about Healthy foods. My daughter loves cherries and i knew it's healthy, but there's more nutrients behind those sweet berries. All the "berry" fruits such as cherry, raspberry, blueberry, strawberry all have anti-inflammatory compounds that reduces cell damage. we know that cell damage may lead to cancer.

Raspberries. Raspberries are high in fiber. The production of fiber is actually higher compare to other berries. It is rich in Ellagic acid and Selenium. Both helps our body to prevent and protects it from cancer. Based on research studies, Raspberry or raspberry extract may actually reduce the risk of oral and liver cancer cells. Of course it still depends on your daily consumption.

A cup of raspberries, 2 to 3 times a week will be good enough for your body.Even cherries and cherry juice are healthy too they also contain ellagic acid like those in raspberries.

Strawberries are rich in Vitamin C, Folate, Fiber and anti-oxidants which are all good for the immune system.

Blueberries are very known for so many health benefits such as reducing the bad cholesterol in our body,thus preventing strokes and other heart problems. Very high in Anti-oxidants which is very much known to neutralize free radicals that leads to cancer and other diseases.

Now i know why my mother-in-law always tell me not display my fruits on the table. Especially, if it's not going to be eaten yet, She used to tell me to leave my fruits in the fridge, Frozen berries or other fruits has small amount of water that makes the fruit high in concentration of protective compounds compared to those fresh fruits.


image courtesy of www.trengovestudios.com

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Healthy foods: How to make toddlers eat.

Never force children to eat something that they say they "hate". Instead try to combine these nutritious food items with those that they like . For example", If your tot love hotdogs, make a sandwich with an iron-fortified hotdog, vitamin-enriched margarine, a slice of cheese, a little mayonnaise with minced carrots, and serve with glass of fresh fruit juice.

Nutrients are better absorbed when combined in a dish such as serving vegetables with meat cubes. for instance. Small frequent feedings are better for this stage since they can only eat so much with their small appetites.

Here are top must lists of healthy foods for your toddlers:

The primary food that toddlers should have in their priority list is milk. It is an excellent source of calcium and protein. It is also a good source of phosphorous, some B-complex vitamins, and Vitamins A and D. as well as some magnesium. Toddlers need fats contained in full cream milk, so low-fat or non-fat milk are not recommended. If your toddler gets tired of drinking same milk over and over, try to be innovative: add a teaspoon or two of chocolate or strawberry flavoring. better yet mix it with some fresh fruits your little ones love or make it into a nutritious milkshake.

The next in line, vegetables. vegetable provide minerals, vitamins and fiber. Green leafy vegetables such as spinach contains vitamin c and A , iron, calcium. while yellow veggies such as carrots and squash are rich in Vitamin A.

Third group and non-negotiable food are fruits. fruits are rich in vitamins and are well-liked by most kids. Bananas are rich in potassium, magnesium, and vitamin b6.

Make sure your toddler eats whole grain breads or enriched rice and cereals, as these are good source of iron, thiamin and riboflavin..

When your tots really hates the taste, try to add bitter/bland tasting veggies into their meal by making a puree or or use a juicer then hide it by mixing it to their favorite foods. It is important that we don't take healthy foods for granted. We only want whats best for our kids.

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