Summer Fruits and Their Benefits

 Summer has arrived. It is the season of shorts, sunscreen, hit the beach, filling the coolers and many other things. But summer also brings with itself excessive heat and chances of dehydration. In this season you need to eat food that helps prevents above mentioned conditions from occurring. Here are a few summer fruits and their benefits.

Watermelon - Ripped only in summer, this big red ball of health is filled with water and taste. The amount of water present in this fruit helps you in being hydrated and keeps your body cool. Watermelon also acts as in defense and protects your skin from sunburn. You won't get food cravings after its consumption, it keeps your tummy feels filled. It is also good for people with high blood pressure, but in a limit. This one ought to be consumed almost every day in summer.

Oranges - Oranges are sweetest, juiciest summer fruit full of nutrients. Orange is low in calories and keeps your blood pressure in check. Orange is also a source of Vitamin C which is the most required vitamin in your body after an age. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant that is also useful in skin damage caused by sun rays. Not only oranges, but their peel also performs wonders on your skin. It lightens your skin tone and erases all the scars and shades.

Mango - Mango is called the king of fruits. There are many reasons for calling it so and one of them is the long list of its benefits. It is proven by research that mango prevents cancer. Mango, when mixed with milk, becomes a source of strength. Mango shake increases immunity and gives you the strength to perform better. Vitamin A present in mango helps with good eyesight and stops night blindness. Mangoes have enzymes that break down protein and improves digestion. Like oranges, mango is also beneficial for skin. Those skin pores you can't get rid of, mango removes them.

Litchi - Litchi though arrives a little late in summer but is worth the wait. The taste and sweetness of litchi are exquisite, plus it is also a source of nutrients. Apart from the taste, litchi also excels in health factor. It is filled with Vitamin B & Vitamin C and minerals like magnesium and potassium. It is also proven to be helpful in asthma. The antioxidants present in Litchi have cancer-fighting abilities. The minerals help in proper blood circulation throughout the entire body. It prevents signs of aging and promotes hair growth as well.

Peaches - Peaches are also high in Vitamin C. The fiber present in peaches fills you up without increasing weight. Peaches also cure metabolic syndrome. It also lowers the risk of cancer. It is a mixture of all the nutrients - protein, carbohydrate, calcium, fiber, iron, magnesium, sugar and rich in various vitamins - A, C, E, and K. Though you should try to consume peaches that are canned in water and not the one canned in syrup. Peaches with syrup are not so healthy and can increase your sugar level.

Food and Food Health

 We all have passed through a phase, or are still in one where the mind still walks the streets of dilemma as to whether the salad in the afternoon can make up for the double cheese hamburger of last night. Whether the calories gained through the chocolate pudding can be balanced through the oatmeal in breakfast.

A few years back, there was a stigma about having the perfect thin or muscular (as one prefers), flat-stomached body. There was this misconception that slim and trim is the way to look beautiful. But fortunately, this stigma and misapprehension is slowly and somehow being eliminated from the society. Today, every type of body is beautiful, whether it is a flat-stomach or a fat belly. But that does not give any of us the right to overlook the fact about eating healthy.

Eating healthy does not mean gulping down only chunks of vegetables and salads. Eating healthy does not mean being on a "diet". Eating healthy means providing the body every kind of nutrients to function properly. And it includes the Broccoli Soup one cringes to as well as the delicious classic double crust cheese-filled pepperoni pizza, everyone craves for.

REQUIREMENTS OF THE BODY

We all love eating, mainly the junk type, but sometimes realization hits us and we tend to understand that salads and vegetables and fruits are really important part of a diet. Every type of nutrient is needed to keep the body functions in its right place. Vitamins, proteins, minerals, carbohydrate, fats, roughage and water, these are the nutrients we need almost on a daily basis. I won't waste time by telling what these are and how each of them are important because this is something we all have learnt in six-grade science subject. But I do would like to mention some of the dishes that are delicious, healthy and contain all of the above nutrients in the right amount.

THE FINGER-LICKING CLASSIC CHICKEN SALTIMBOCCA

It is a delicious chicken preparation, which is rolled up with prosciutto and mozzarella cheese and drenched in a tasty white wine pan sauce. It is a mouth-watering dish with the goodness of protein (found in chicken), fats (cheese) and the palatable white wine sauce. It can easily be garnished with vegetables, providing the wholesome richness of vitamins and minerals.

THE DELICIOUS UN-CHEESY POTATO BROCOLLI SOUP

The name may seem to have no part of it seem delicious- 'un-cheesy', the dreaded 'broccoli' and 'potato', but the taste seems to be contradicting it's not-so appealing name. It is a preparation which will fill the tastebuds with an explosion of flavor and its richness makes it almost hard to resist. The dish is a mixture of health and taste.

THE OH-SO YUMMY APPLE CINNAMON BREAKFAST BARS

This the perfect preparation for all those fuzzy kids who refuse to eat any fruits. This flavorful dish is full of protein and fiber and a favorite among the children and adults alike.

THE IMPORTANCE OF FOOD HEALTH IN OUR LIFE

There is absolutely no need to state what importance food holds in the existence of an individual. As stated above, it does not matter if one is slim or fat, what matters is whether the individual is eating healthy. Excess of nothing is good, especially not food. But we need to understand the right amount and the right kind of nutrients our body needs, to stay healthy and to keep our loved ones healthy as well.

Nutty for Peanuts

 Whether you are a chunky or creamy fan, peanut butter and its many forms comprise one of America's favorite foods. Are you a brand loyalist, be it Skippy, Jif, Peter Pan, Smucker's, or an organic-only consumer? On average, Americans eat more than six pounds of peanut products each year, worth more than $2 billion at the retail level. Peanut butter accounts for about half of the U.S. edible use of peanuts-accounting for $850 million in retail sales each year.

The peanut plant can be traced back to Peru and Brazil in South America around 3,500 years ago. European explorers first discovered peanuts in Brazil and saw its value, taking them back to their respective countries, where it was a bit slow to catch on but became popular in Western Africa. (And the French just never quite got it.)

History tells us that it wasn't until the early 1800s that peanuts were grown commercially in the United States, and undoubtedly showed up at the dinner table of foodie president Thomas Jefferson, probably in the form of peanut soup, a delicacy in Southern regions. After all, Jefferson was an enthusiastic gardener who lived in Virginia. Civil War Confederate soldiers welcomed boiled peanuts as a change from hardtack and beef jerky. First cultivated primarily for its oil, they were originally regarded as fodder for livestock and the poor, like so many other now-popular foods. Technically not nuts, peanuts are part of the legume family and grown underground in pods, along with peas and beans.

Peanuts started to catch on in the late 1800s when Barnum and Bailey circus wagons traveled cross country hawking "hot roasted peanuts" to the crowds. Street vendors soon followed, selling roasted peanuts from carts, and they became a staple in taverns and at baseball games. (Throwing the bags to anxious consumers became an art form.)

As with many other popular foods, peanut butter was first introduced at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904 but basically still had to be made by hand. Catching on as a favorite source of protein, commercial peanut butter made its appearance on grocers' shelves in the late 1920s and early 30s, beginning with Peter Pan and Skippy.

Dr. George Washington Carver is unquestionably the father of the peanut industry, starting in 1903 with his landmark research. He recommended that farmers rotate their cotton crops with peanuts which replenished the nitrogen content in the soil that cotton depleted. In his tireless research, he discovered hundreds of uses for the humble peanut.

While it is believed that the Inca Indians in South America ground peanuts centuries ago (we know for certain they weren't spreading it on white bread with grape jelly), credit is usually given to Dr. John Harvey Kellogg (of corn flakes fame) for creating the first peanut butter in 1895 for his elderly patients who had difficulty chewing other proteins.

Avocados: A Magical Healthy Fruit

 Have you heard about a magical fruit which contains a large number of healthy fats that can in fact benefit your body in numerous ways? Recently, the avocados have gained recognition in the healthy lifestyle community. This article talks about this unique fruit and the ways by which it can keep all your health issues aside.

• What is this unique fruit?

Avocado is a pear-shaped fruit which grows on a tropical tree. They are green in color, rough in texture and contain a big seed inside them. They are also known as alligator pear or butter fruit and contain healthy fats with less to no cholesterol.

• Given below are some of the reasons why this fruit should be made a part of your diet:

Super Fruit: -

They are very rich in vitamins, minerals, nutrients and healthy fats. It is a known fact that healthy fats help to reduce weight and promote metabolism. Making avocados a part of your balanced and healthy diet will not only reduce weight but also keep you full for a longer time and it can be used as a substitute for products like butter.

Dental Care:-

Bad breath is usually caused by an upset stomach and due to the build-up of bacteria in your mouth. Avocados can help to kill the bacteria, remove bad breath and even help to prevent oral cancer.

Skin Care: -

Avocados can be applied in the form of skin and hair masks. Being rich in nutrients, they help to soothe uneven, chapped or damaged skin and hair. They are especially helpful for people suffering from chronic skin diseases.

Anti-oxidant properties: -

Being rich in vitamins, avocados have anti-oxidant properties. They have anti-cancer properties too and reduce premature aging. They improve vision and protect our eyes from diseases like cataract and age-related eye conditions.

Other benefits: -

They reduce morning sickness in pregnant mothers, keep the kidney and liver healthy, reduce the chances of diseases like arthritis, make your bones stronger, maintain the blood-glucose level and promote a healthy heart.

• Some ways to incorporate avocado as a part of your diet: -

1. They can be consumed directly.
2. Avocados can be made a part of your salad. They can be consumed along with onions, tomatoes, and lettuce. Adding salt, pepper, lime juice and boiled meat along is also a good option.
3. Chopped avocado can be used as a dressing over soups.

• Eating too many avocados can, in fact, be dangerous for your body, read the points below to understand that they should be consumed within a given limit:-

1. Avocados are rich in potassium. Consuming one too many avocados can increase the potassium levels in your body which can be dangerous for the heart.
2. Some people feel nauseous and vomit after consuming too many avocados.
3. They are even known to cause a migraine in some people.

Don't be afraid of the side-effects. This fruit has many benefits and consuming it in a given limit will definitely make you healthier in every aspect.