Fruits that heal ...
Corn : Lower cholesterol, Boost energy levels
Corn contains a type of dietary fiber called soluble fiber. Whenyou eat corn, this fiber binds with bile, a cholesterol-laden digestive fluid produced by the liver. Since soluble fiber isn’t readily absorbedby the body, it passes out of the body, taking cholesterol with it.
We all heard a lot about how oat and wheat bran can lowercholesterol. Corn bran is in the same league. In a study at Illinois StateUniversity in Normal, researchers put 290 men with high cholesterol onlow-fat diets. After two weeks on the diet, some of the men were eachgiven 20 grams ( almost ½ tablespoon) of corn bran a day, while othersreceived similar amount of wheat bran. During the six-week study, those onthe corn bran plan had a drop in cholesterol of more than 5 % and about a13% drop in triglycerides, blood fats that in large amounts can contributeto heart disease. Those who were given wheat bran showed no change beyondthe initial drop caused by being on a low-fat diet.
The beauty ofcorn is that it provides a lot of energy while delivering a small amountof calories. Corn is an excellent source of thiamin, a B vitamin that’sessential for converting food to energy. An ear of corn provides 0.2milligram of thiamin, 13 % of Daily Value.
And since fresh sweetcorn consists primarily of simple and complex carbohydrates, it’s asuperb energy source. It fulfills our energy needs without providing uswith substantial amount of fat. What little fats there are in corn are thepolyunsaturated and monounsaturated kinds, which are far healthier thanthe saturated fats.
Not all corn is created equal. Whereas yellowcorn has more than 2 grams of fiber per serving, white corn more thandoubles that, with a bit more than 4 grams per ear. When you buy corn,look for ears that have full, plump kernels and purchase it at the optimumstage of maturity. Under those conditions, the level of nutrients ishigher.
Lemons and Limes
Lemons and Limes
Heal cuts and bruises, Prevent cancer and heart disease
You may not like tartness of lemons and limes, but back in thenineteen century people literally craved them, not for the tart taste butfor remarkable health benefits these colorful fruits contain.
British sailors, for example, who typically spent months at seawithout fresh fruits or vegetables, would drink lime juice to preventscurvy, a terrible disease caused by vitamin C deficiency. And inCalifornia during the Gold Rush, when fruits were equally scarce, minerspaid top dollar for lemons.
Of all nutrients we’re mostfamiliar with, vitamin C is perhaps the most impressive. During coldseason it’s always in demand, since it lowers levels if histamine, anaturally occurring chemical that can cause red eyes and runny noses.Vitamin C is also a powerful antioxidant, meaning that it helps disarmpowerful oxygen molecules in the body that contribute to cancer and heartdisease. The body also uses vitamin C to manufacture collagen, the staffthat glues cells together and is needed to help heal cuts and wounds.
The pulp and juice from lemons and limes are rich sources ofvitamin C. A large lemon, for example contains about 45 milligrams ofvitamin C, limes are also good, with s small lime containing about 20milligrams of vitamin C.
There is more to lemons and limesthan just vitamin C. These citrus fruits also contain additional compoundssuch as limonin and limonene, which help to block some of the cellularchanges that can lead to cancer.
Limonene, which is foundmainly in the colorful skin, or zest, of the fruit, has been shown toincrease the activity of proteins that help eliminate estradiol, anaturally occurring hormone that has been linked with breast cancer.Limonene has also been shown to increase the level of enzymes in the liverthat can remove cancer-causing chemicals.
Some innovative organicfood companies add citrus zest to baking flower to provide added healthbenefits.
Whether you’re making a lemon meringue pie or simplyadding flavor to store-bought lemon yogurt, be sure to add plenty of zest.The healing compound limonene makes up about 65% of oils in the peel.While fresh citrus peel contains the most healing compounds, dried lemonpeel isn’t bad and you can find dried lemon peel in the spice rack atthe supermarket.
Avocado
Avocado
Control cholesterol, Lower blood pressure, Prevent birth defects
Avocado has more calories than almost any fruit on the planet – 731!Its also has the dubious distinction of being one of the few fruits with ameasurable fat content, with up to 30 grams each. That’s the dailyrecommended amount for an average adult.
You wouldn’t think that afood that’s so fattening could be good for you. But the word fromdietitians, who say that adding a little avocado to your diet every daycould actually improve your health.
Avocados are great source offolate and potassium. They also contain high amount of fiber andmonounsaturated fat, both of which are good news for people who areconcerned with diabetes or heart health.
People with diabetes havetraditionally been told to eat more carbohydrates and cut back on fat.Overall that’s good advice, but it’s not necessarily the best advicefor everyone.
Doctors have discovered that when some people who havediabetes eat a lot of carbohydrates, they tend to develop high levels oftriglycerides, a type of blood fat that may contribute to heart disease.Surprisingly, when people replace some of those carbohydrates with fat,particularly the kind of fat found in avocados, the dangerous fats in thebloodstream tend to decline.
Avocados are rich source ofmonounsaturated fats, particularly a kind called oleic acid, and thesemonounsaturated fats improve fat levels in the body and help controldiabetes.
In one study, scientists put 160 women with diabetes on arelatively high-fat diet, with about 40% of calories coming from fat. Mostof the fat came from avocados. The result was a 20% drop in triglycerides.Women on a higher-carbohydrate plan, by contrast, had only 7% drop intriglycerides.
What’s nice about avocados is that they provide a lotof these monounsaturated fats. Someone on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet, forexample, might be advised to eat 33 grams of monounsaturated fat. You canget about 20 grams from just one avocado.
People with diabetesaren’t the only ones who benefit from eating a little more avocados. Theoleic acid in avocados can also help people lower their cholesterol.
In a small study from Mexico, where guacamole is considered almost afood group, researchers compared the effects of two low-fat diets. Thediets were the same except that one included avocados. While both loweredlevels of dangerous, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, the avocado dietraised levels of healthful high-density lipoprotein cholesterol whilelowering triglycerides.
Avocados have large levels of potassium, halfof avocado provides 548 milligrams of potassium, 16% of the Daily Value.That’s 15% more than you’d get in a medium banana. You can never gettoo much potassium – even small additions can make bid difference toyour hearth’s health.
Avocados one of the perfect foods whenyou’re eating for two, particularly when it comes to getting enoughfolate, a nutrient that helps prevent life-threatening birth defects ofthe brain and spine. Many women don’t get enough folate in their diets,but avocados can go a long way towards fixing that. Half an avocadocontains 57 milligrams of folate, 14% of the Daily Value.
Moms-to-bearen’t the only ones who should be dipping their chips in guacamole,though. Everyone needs folate. Its’ an essential nutrient for keepingnerves functioning properly. It also help fight hearth disease.
Parsnips
Parsnips
Prevent coloncancer, Lower the risk of heart disease, Stabilize blood sugar levels,Decrease the risk of stoke
Parsnips are strong-testing, oddlysweet vegetables that don’t usually win any awards for Best-LookingVegetable in Show. They look like carrots that have seen a ghost.
Butdespite parsnips’ strong flavor and pale appearance, their nutritionalprofile is quite attractive. A member of the parsley family, parsnips aregood sources of folate, fiber, and phenolic acids, which have been shownin studies to help block cancer.
Dietary fiber is on the top of allhealing substances and parsnips are an excellent source. A little morethan half of the fiber in parsnips is the soluble kind, which means thatit becomes gel-like in the digestive system. This helps block theintestine from absorbing fats and cholesterol from foods. At the sametime, it dilutes bile acids in the intestine, which can prevent them fromcausing cancer.
Soluble fiber has shown impressive ability to relieveor prevent many other conditions as well. Researchers have found thatgetting enough of soluble fiber in the diet can prevent many intestinalconditions and also can curb the blood sugar swings that occur withdiabetes.
Some nutrition experts say that too little folate is ournumber one nutritional deficiency, particularly among younger folks, whooften eat large amounts of fast food that largely devoid of vitamins.Parsnips are a good source of folate, with 1 cup containing 91 milligrams,23% of DV.
Getting enough folate has been shown to prevent certainbirth defects. It’s also strongly suspected of reducing the risk ofstroke. Folate decreases blood levels of homocysteine, a chemical that mayjam the arteries and stop blood flow.
Obviously, unless you truly havea passion for parsnips, it’s unlikely that you’ll ever eat three ormore servings a day. But eating jus a half-cup will provide not only fiberand folate but also 280 milligrams of potassium, this will go a long waytoward keeping your arteries clear.
Along with carrots and celery,parsnips are members of the umbelliferae family. Foods in this familycontain a number of natural compounds called phytonutrients, which havebeen shown in many studies to block the spread of cancer cells. Chiefamong these compounds called phenolic acids. What phenolic acids do isattach themselves to potential cancer-causing agents in the body, creatingbigger molecule – so big that the body can’t absorb it.
Researchhas shown that members of umbelliferae family can also fight cancer byinhibiting tumor growth.
Before storing parsnips in the refrigerator,snip the greens from the top, otherwise, the greens will draw moisture andnutrients from the root itself.
Some of the nutrients in parsnips arewater-soluble and are quickly lost during cooking. Its better to cook themunpeeled. Once they tender, let them cook, then scrap or peel the skinaway.
Tangerines
Prevent heart disease, Reduce the risk of cancer
At sometime in the past, you’ve probably used canned mandarin oranges – tinysections of orange fruit that look precious and perfect. Mandarin orangesare really small tangerines, or to be more precise, tangerines are reallymandarin oranges, since tangerine isn’t a formal botanical term. Somandarin oranges – I’ll still call them tangerines – are actuallynot that exotic.
But their benefits are anything but commonplace.Tangerines contain quite a large amount of healing compounds. Likeoranges, they are rich in vitamin C. One tangerine has 26 milligrams, 43%of Daily Value (DV). Tangerines also contain compound calledbeta-cryptoxanthin, which turns into vitamin A in the body. Eight ouncesof tangerine juice can provide up to 1,037 international units of vitaminA, more than 20% of the DV.
This combination is important, since bothvitamins are antioxidants – they can help stop harmful oxygen moleculescalled free radicals from causing cell damage in the body that can lead toeverything from wrinkles and heart disease to cancer.
What makestangerines really exciting to researchers are two compounds, tangeretinand nobiletin, which appear to be extremely potent against certain typesof breast cancer. Researchers at the University of Western OntarioinLondon, Canada, found that each of these compounds was 250 times morepotent against one type of human breast cancer cell than genistein, apowerful anti-cancer compound found in soy. When these compounds werecombined, they were even more powerful, the researchers found.
Recently, in Japan, researchers at the Tokyo College of Pharmacy foundthat tangeretin could inhibit the growth of leukemia cells, essentially bycausing them to program their own deaths. They also found the compoundwasn’t toxic to healthy cells, which is an important goal for any cancertreatment. We need more research into healing power and benefits ofTangerines and no doubt, we will see more research done in the nearfuture.
While the flesh of tangerines contains great share of healingcompounds, most of the tangeretin and nobiletin are concentrated in therind. To add more of these to your diet, use zester to remove strips ofthe outer rind, then stir them into glass of juice, mix them into rice andpasta dishes, or sprinkle them on salads. You will get extra-zingy flavoralong with extra benefits.
Raisins
Raisins
Improve digestion, Lower blood pressure, Keep blood healthy
Raisins may not be much to look at, but they do have quite a history.Prehistoric cave dwellers attributed religious powers to them. They maderaisin necklaces and decorations and drew pictures of raisins on cavewalls. As early as 1000 B.C., the Israelites used them to pay taxes!
These days raisins occupy a much humbler place in society, but theyjust as useful as ever. Backpackers and hikers appreciate raisins forbeing high-energy, low-fat, very convenient snack. They fit easily in alunch box, they almost never go bad, even if they’re in a pantry for along time.
Raisins offer more than just convenience. Recent studiessuggest that they can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol and evenplay a role in keeping digestion and blood healthy.
If you have highblood pressure – or even if you don’t, but you want to make sure yourpressure stays in a healthy range- raisins are one of the best snacks youcan buy. They are good source of potassium, a mineral that has been shownto lower high blood pressure.
In one study, researchers at JohnHopkins Medical Institution in Baltimore gave men either potassiumsupplements or blank pills. Those who were given potassium saw theirsystolic pressure (the higher number) drop 7 points, while their diastolicpressure went down 3 points. Just ¼ cup of raisins contains 272milligrams of potassium, 10% of the Daily Value. The researchers concludedthat people, especially over the age of 40, ought to be consuming a fairamount of foods, such as raisins that contain high levels of potassium.
When we think of iron-rich foods, things such as red meat and liverusually come to mind. But raisins may be a better source of iron,particularly for people who eat little or no meat. Iron is essential forthe creation of hemoglobin in red blood cells, which the body uses totransport oxygen. A quarter-cup of raisins has 0.8 milligram of iron,which is more than 8% of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for menand 5% of the RDA for women.
Like other dried fruits, raisins also agood source of dietary fiber, with nearly 2 grams of fiber in ¼ cup. Notonly does fiber play role in helping to prevent everyday problems such asconstipation but its also lowers cholesterol and risk of heart disease.
Few years ago, researchers at the Health Research and Studies Centrein Los Altos, California, asked people with high cholesterol levels to eat3 ounces of raisins (a little more than a half-cup) a day as part of ahigh-fiber, low-fat diet. After a month, the participant’s totalcholesterol dropped an average of more than 8 percent, while their harmfullow-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels dropped 15%.
There is verylittle nutritional difference between black and golden raisins. The blackvariety has more thiamin, while the golden seedless type has a bit morevitamin B6. The main difference between them is the way they are dried.
Black, or sun-dried raisins are actually dried in the sun. This iswhat gives them their dark, shriveled look.
Golden seedless raisinsare dried by exposing them to the fumes of burning sulfur in a closedchamber, which gives them their golden hue. In mid-1980’s researchersdiscovered that some people are sensitive to sulfites compounds and canget an allergic-type reactions when exposed to them If you aresulfite-sensitive, you should stay clear of golden seedless raisins andfavor sun-dried varieties.
Raisins contain a type of iron callednonheme iron, which is harder for the body to absorb than the heme ironfound in meats. Eating raisins along with foods high in vitamin C,however, will help improve absorption of nonheme iron.
To get the mostraisins in your diet, it is often recommended buying snack-size packs. Dueto their small size and the fact that raisins almost never go bad,they’re perfect for keeping them in your purse, glove compartment, ordesk drawer and eating whenever you are in the mood for a quicksnack.
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