What You Should Know About The Fruit You Eat

We all know that it’s important to eat fruit. We pride ourselves in having a healthy lifestyle if we eat at least one piece of this food group every day. Apparently, researchers (and I don’t always believe their views) have determined that there are right and wrong ways of eating fruit. I’ve also included a list of some of the popular ones and a brief description of a few nutrients and minerals we get from them.

Fruit is to be eaten on an empty stomach
The reason some people have heart burns and upset stomach after eating fruit is because the acids and juices, when mixed with other foods like bread, ferment and produce gas.

Never cook fruit
Fruit vitamins cannot withstand high temperatures. Nutrients evaporate when fruit is cooked, leaving most of the taste but none of the substance.

Fruit better than fruit juice
In order for your body to absorb the vitamins and minerals fruit offer, they need to be mixed with your saliva. This is why gulping down fruit juice is a waste of time. Drink slowly when drinking fruit juices to allow them to stay in your mouth for longer.

Fruit gives you:

WATERMELONS
Lycopene: cancer fighting oxidant.
Glutathione: immune-system booster.
It’s 92% water so is the best thirst quencher you can find.

STRAWBERRIES
Antioxidants: protect the body from free radicals that cause cancer and clog blood vessels.

KIWI FRUIT
Potassium: important for cell, tissue and organ function. It’s also vital for skeletal and smooth muscle contraction. Potassium also plays an important role in the digestive process.
Magnesuim: vital in the production of protein in the body.
Vitamin E: essential in keeping the cells in your body healthy. Vitamin E is very active in the prevention of diseases and ill health. Unfortunately, it’s destroyed by heat.
Fibre: keeps the digestive system healthy. It helps us to process the food we eat and absorb nutrients. It also lowers blood cholesterol and controls your blood sugar levels (which controls appetite).
Vitamin C: one kiwi fruit contains twice the vitamin C of an orange. Vitamin C is an all rounder, enhancing good health and possessing anti-inflammatory properties.

APPLES
Antioxidants: this is very important in keeping cancer forming cells away. It also helps in blood flow, which maintains good health throughout the body.
Flavonoids: have anti-allergic, anti-cancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties. They actively enhance the Vitamin C present in the other fruit we eat, keeping the heart healthy.

ORANGES
Vitamin C: helps to keep the colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent kidney stones and reduce the risk of colon cancer.

GUAVA AND PAPAYA
Vitamin C: These contain extremely high Vitamin C content. Guava is rich in fibre and Papaya contains a large amount of carotene.

What are your favourites out of this list? Do you have a super fruit you like eating every day?

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Ginger: Why You Will Never Again Leave Your Home Without It!

Ginger is one of the most potent spices on earth. It's also one of the few edible roots with multiple uses we can all easily access. It was first farmed in Asia but quickly spread to parts of Africa and the Caribbean.  The following points will convince you that you should  always have a piece of fresh ginger (or frozen) at hand. These were all recorded after studies and researches made by respected scientists and scholars.

• Treat an itchy throat and niggling cough with a drink of ginger or a small piece of fresh ginger. (Put a few thin slices in hot water).
• Use as soon as you feel a cold coming on. It's better than vitamin C (it contains Vitamin C) because if its strong anti-viral properties.
• It slows cancerous cells. Make sure you use ginger in your cooking regularly.
• Treat nausea, sea sickness and travel sickness.
• Use ginger regularly if you have problems with constipation.
• It aids in the absorption of protein, so is great for digestion.

Don't forget you can make yourself some ginger ale at home

• Ginger has antihistamine qualities so is helpful in the treatment of allergies.
• It's great for anti-inflammatory illnesses, so use regularly for pains due to arthritic and other muscular conditions. 
• Ginger prevents blood clots from forming.
• It's been used for thousands of years in Asian countries to preserve a youthful body and appearance.
• Ginger prevents cramps due to IBS.
• If you've eaten too much, eat a small piece of ginger to aid the digestion process and to prevent heart burns later on.

Ginger makes delicious cakes and breads too.

• It lowers cholesterol.
• If you're a smoker, chewing a small slice of ginger will clear your breath better than chewing gum.
• Ginger has antibacterial and anti-fungal properties, so is good for preventing gum disease and tooth decay.
• It's a natural source of Vitamin C, zinc and magnesium, and is 100% better than taking vitamin pills to top up on these minerals. 
• Ginger maintains blood flow to all parts of the body including the sexual organs. 
• Of course, use ginger in your cooking to spice up your food. I use it in my curries every Friday on curry day and it's brilliant!

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