ComputerHunter.org |
|
|
|||
|
 |
Pineapples: The Healing Fruit Of The Tropics (Includes A Recipe For Pina-Banana Orange Smoothie)
For a natural and tasty way to improve your health and boost your healing capacity, add fresh pineapple and pineapple juice to your diet. Pineapples are nutritionally packed members of the bromeliad family. This delightful tropical fruit is high in the enzyme bromelain and the antioxidant vitamin C, both of which plays a major role in the body's healing process. Bromelain, a natural anti-inflammatory with analgesic properties, encourages healing, promotes well-being and has many other health benefits. Bromelain is very effective in treating bruises, sprains and strains by reducing swelling, tenderness and pain. This powerful anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect can also help relieve osteo- and rheumatoid arthritis symptoms and reduce postoperative swelling. Additionally, bromelain can relieve indigestion. The enzyme contained in fresh pineapple helps break down the amino acid bonds in proteins, which promotes good digestion. Pineapples also provide an ample supply of vitamin C, a commonly known antioxidant that protects the body from free radical damage and boosts the immune system. Vitamin C helps build and repair bodily tissue and promotes wound healing. The body uses vitamin C to help metabolize fats and cholesterol, absorb iron, and synthesize amino acids and collagen. Collagen is one of the primary building blocks of skin, cartilage and bones. Vitamin C also decreases the severity of colds and infections. Furthermore, due to its high vitamin C content, pineapples are good for your oral health as well. Recent studies have found that vitamin C can reduce your risk of gingivitis and periodontal disease. Besides increasing the ability of connective tissue to repair itself, vitamin C also increases the body's ability to fight invading bacteria and other toxins that contribute to gum disease. Periodontal disease, which destroys gum tissue and underlying jaw bones, has been linked to heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. So if you are searching for a natural way to enhance your body's healing mechanisms, promote overall good health and tantalize your taste buds, pineapples are the way to go. Choose the fresh fruit because it has the most healing properties. Unfortunately, most of the bromelain in canned pineapple is destroyed due to the heat used in the canning process. When choosing a fresh pineapple, do not judge ripeness solely based upon color. There are several varieties on the market that range from green to golden yellow. The most important factor in determining ripeness is smell, let your nose help you decide. Ripe pineapples give off a sweet, fresh tropical smell. Avoid pineapples that give off an unpleasant odor or have any soft spots or areas of dark discoloration. Once home, let the pineapple sit on your counter at room temperature until ready to use. This will preserve its sweet and tangy flavor. To prepare pineapple, you need to peel it, remove the eyes (the thorny protrusions within the puffy squares of the skin) and the fibrous center. One way to do this is to remove the top of the pineapple with a sharp knife. Then cut the pineapple lengthwise into 4 wedges (quarter it) and place each pineapple wedge horizontally on a cutting board. Carefully cut the fruit from the outer skin, and cut out the eyes and fibrous center core. Another way is to cut off the top and bottom of the pineapple, place the pineapple vertically (upright) on a cutting board and carefully slice off the outer skin. With a sharp paring knife or the end if a vegetable peeler, remove the eyes. Don't cut too deep, just enough to lift out the section that contains the eye. Then, slice the pineapple crosswise and remove the fibrous core individually with a cookie cutter. Once the fruit is prepared, it can be diced and eaten fresh, added to salads and entrees for an exotic flavor, or made into tasty tropical drinks and smoothies. To get you started, try Monique N. Gilbert's delicious, nutritious, cholesterol-free smoothie recipe. It's high in bromelain, vitamin C, beta carotene, potassium, thiamin (vitamin B-1), riboflavin (vitamin B-2), iron, fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and soy isoflavones. Pina-Banana Orange Smoothie __________________________________________ 1 frozen banana 1 cup fresh pineapple 1/2 cup soymilk 1/3 cup orange juice 1 tablespoon canned pumpkin 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds 1 tablespoon honey (optional) __________________________________________ Place all of the above ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend for 1-2 minutes, or until smooth and creamy. Makes about 2-3/4 cups (2 servings) Copyright © Monique N. Gilbert - All Rights Reserved Monique N. Gilbert, B.Sc. is a Health, Nutrition, Weight-Loss & Lifestyle Coach; Certified Personal Trainer/Fitness Counselor; Recipe Developer; Freelance Writer and Author of Virtues of Soy: A Practical Health Guide and Cookbook. http://www.MoniqueNGilbert.com She has offered guidance in natural health, nutrition, fitness, weight-loss and stress management since 1989. She has received international recognition for helping people get healthy, manage stress, lose weight and keep it off. Through her coaching program and writings, Monique motivates and teaches how to improve your well-being, vitality and longevity with balanced nutrition, physical activity and healthy living. For more information, visit her website.
Google News - Top Stories
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
The Dangers of High Fructose Corn Syrup High Fructose Corn Syrup 3 Things You Want to Know About Cholesterol You wouldn't judge a book by its cover, would you? The Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Diet, Your Health & Your Life! Because I believe diet and exercise are so important, I'm often frustrated with the recommendations I receive. Nutrition and natural health ideas are often so negative (don't eat this, watch out for that) or so rigorous (be sure to eat some raw, natural, organically grown vegetable I've never heard of) or so complicated, I end up ignoring them. And yet, I know diet is critical to my health and well-being, so I made up my own rules. My objective was simplicity, so all of you with greater will-power and more discipline, cut me some slack, OK? For the rest of us, I hope you find them useful. Do You Eat Breakfast? It is not a myth. Eating breakfast is an important part of attaining and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The morning meal enables your body to refuel itself after enduring a nightlong fast or 10 hours or more. It assists in re-energising your body's metabolism and providing sufficient amounts of energy and nutrients for you to survive the earliest part of the day. Remember breakfast is the first opportunity for you to replenish your body's exhausted energy reserves. Whatever you do don't waste this opportunity. While breaking the nocturnal fast is important, eating appropriately is just as essential. Eating a good breakfast, low in fat, and rich in dietary fibre and micronutrients will mentally and physically set you up for anything the day may throw at you. Crave Sweets? On the Weight & Mood Roller Coaster? Perhaps Its More Than You Think! The sugar industry and the food manufacturers are capitalizing BIG TIME on the addictive nature of carbohydrates (sweets, breads, deserts) in the human body. Blood sugar-handling problems promote arteriosclerosis (plaque in the arteries), adult-onset diabetes, mood swings, weight problems, chronic fatigue, PMS and much more. Additionally, there is evidence that sugar addiction has a component of alcoholism! The Ugly Truth About Food At any grocery store in North America right now, there are shoppers cruising the isles, making thoughtful choices about their family's nutrition. Armed with the latest information about health, choosing foods high in nutrition is a primary goal. Unfortunately, no matter how carefully one shops, there is often little nutrition in the foods we consume. In fact, it is nearly impossible to consume adequate nutrients through diet alone in our modern world. Fructose Short-Circuits Glycolysis First some terminology. Is Eating a Raw Food Diet Actually Healthy for You? Whatever diet you choose to live by, the food you eat has to provide your body with the nourishment to properly balance your body's chemistry. If you have health challenges, are overweight or obese, chances are you are not in balance at all. The typical North American diet is woefully out of balance. Even what are commonly considered as healthy diets, such as low fat, vegetarien and vegan diets can be improperly balanced. The Joys of Being Healthy It is amazing to be able to say I am a whole, happy, healthy, loving woman. I was sick for the first 40 years of my life. Like millions of other human beings I grew up immersed in the family disease of alcoholism. For generations it has plagued my family. The unbalanced life I led is so common in our society; I didnt know anything was wrong. I was a participant in the chaos, confusion, neuroses, pain and suffering which is present in dysfunctional families. I call it The Dance of Death. Take Control of Your Health In large part, you're in control of your health, not your doctor. And taking control of your health doesn't really depend on whether or not you have medical conditions. Tips for Effective Muscle Building Diets One of the biggest mistakes many new bodybuilders make is that they don't pay attention to their muscle building diets with the same detail, desire and determination with which they pay attention to their weight training program. Compulsive Eating Alternative: Learning to Eat With Pleasure Do you allow pleasure from food? Are your senses throughly engaged as you eat? Do you fuel your aliveness with each meal or eat to deaden and numb out? Do you eat foods that taste good in your mouth and feel good in your physical body - both now and later? You Dont Have to be Wealthy to Eat Well: The Truth about Your Grocery Budget Many people complain that organic foods are more costly than conventional. In many cases, organic foods are priced higher. However, people aren't weighing the costs of eating healthy against the costs of eating poorly. Americans spend millions of dollars each week on "coffee house foods"-fatty lattés and sugary frappucinos, not to mention the white-floured, trans fatty pastries that go along with them. If you were to keep a strict accounting of all the money you spent on soda, pizza, potato chips, pastries, etc., then the question is not so much how much things cost, but where the money is being spent. Ginger 4 Spleen - A Love Story! For all I prefer to buy my fresh produce at a farm shop or farmers' market, I do appreciate the role that supermarkets have played in improving the variety in our diets, not to mention the convenience. Ginger, the root, is one of those foods that not too long ago, you would have to have hunted high and low for. Now it's available in every supermarket and if you are lucky enough to live in a culturally diverse area, in local convenience stores too. Healthy Aging - The Clean-Meat Connection It is shocking how many people are not taking advantage of the lessons from 21st Century research on cellular health. The syntax of disease is known by many researchers; and many of them are telling you what you can do to protect yourself. They wonder why so many still choose to age and ultimately die prematurely. Children Get Constipated, Too Do you notice your child putting off going to the bathroom because he/she is busy doing more important things? Do you notice avoidance of the bathroom for fear of a painful bowel movement? Is your child not experiencing daily bowel movements? These actions may be signals of constipation. Why Many Fat Free Diets Do Not Work Most people understand that it is wise to limit the amount of fat grams in their daily diet. The dietary reference intake amount for an adult ranges from 20% to 35%[i] of daily calories; or about 44 to 55 grams per day[1]. Since a single slice of pecan pie carries with it 27 grams of fat, and a mere tablespoon of thousand island salad dressing contains 8 grams of fat[ii], it is not surprising to see more and more people checking food labels and "passing over" an order of onion rings[2] as they try to lose, or maintain, inches and pounds. Food We Take Determines Our Character When you take your food next time, take care of the food what you are taking. Because the food you take determines your character. Not able to believe this. But it is true. Summer Sun Cures With summer comes more sun and with more sun comes an extra desire to be outdoors and with spending additional time outdoors comes ? you guessed it, sunburn. Omega 3 Fatty Acids: What are They, Really? "The physician who knows only medicine, knows not even medicine." Omega-3s are "fatty acids" that help build other fats in the body. They derive their name from their chemical structure -- the "omega" end of the molecule has its first double bond in the "3" position. Know what that means? Do you really care what that means? Isnt fat just fat?
|
|
|
|
|
