Fruit & veg

[swift]

What sort of fruit do people tend to substitute when they can't get fresh fruit easily? (in terms of what's healthiest). I know canned fruit in juice isn't too bad - but it's peeled (less fibre) and heavy to get back from the supermarket.

[Curious]

frozen.

most are fresh flash frozen and don't have added sugars.

i keep bags and bags in the frezzer. the monkeys live to grab ans eat them frozen!

when in season buy and freeze your own. it's very easy. i put fresh strawberrys on a cookie sheet and freeze. ( wash real well first and dry off ) then i just put them in freezer zip lock bags.

i also like dried fruits. check the lables on those. you don't want a bunch of added stuff. i have a food dehydrator, but i buy the dried blueberries and cranberries.

i hope this helps swift.

[swift]

Thanks - unfortunately my local supermarkets don't seem to do frozen fruit except in the form of sorbet ;)

However, you have made me recall laying blackcurrants out on a baking tray to go in the freezer so they weren't touching as a child...so I could try that :) (depending on what sort of new students I get where I'm living).

[janster]

Why didn't I ever think of that? Such a simple idea....Geeze Louise!

I just aways bought the canned, "light" fruit---pears, peaches, apricots, etc. and paid dearly for out of season fresh fruit.

Go figure..... Thanks for the idea, and thanks for asking the question!
Hugs,
LS :)

[mrsD]

I use pomegranate juice daily for some of my fruit.
Why?.... the newest data shows the antioxidant values for this fruit are
just enormous... prevent oxidation of LDLs (bad cholesterol) and also
prevents damage to arteries and veins with age.

Some companies have pomegranate with other fruits now.
My favorite is Pomegranate/100% cherry (good for arthritis).

Sometimes when my favorite is not in season, I buy the "dried" type and
mix with nuts for a snack. I have found 100% dried blueberries at WalMart
(with no sulfites) and also cherries (no sulfites). Some dried fruit however has sugar added, and sulfites (which can make allergies worse for some).
These new dried varieties lend well to taking with you to work, or whatever when you are busy...frozen is not so convenient for me.

[Curious]

swift,

you can freeze most berries that way. grapes work well too. froven grapes are a fave treat around here. banana slices...

pomagranite seeds are awesome tossed on salads if you like that bit of sweetness. same with other dried fruits. cranberries and almond slivers on a bed of fresh spinich leaves ( NO bagged stuff) or romaine lettuce.

[janster]

Thanks again mrsd~

I will be looking for pomegranate juice. My family has an extremely strong history of aneurysm, and I'm thinking my arteries and veins need all the help they can get. I also have high cholesterol, so it can't hurt there either.

You're awesome!

Hugs,
Jan :)

[mrsD]

Want to know something even better?

A friend sent me a tea for Xmas last year.. It is called Yerba Mate.
This is an herb (actually a form of Holly) that only grows in certain places
in South America. Knowing that I drink tea mostly (not coffee) she thought
I would be interested. It is heavily used in Argentina, Uraguay, and Paraguay.

Well, after 3mos of one teabag/day (I sometimes recharge the bag with more hot water)... guess what happened?

My hideous varicose veins in my right leg...80% faded away. That was unexpected. Also yerba mate is on PubMed as a choleretic..that means it
stimulates bile flow--- so my mysterious hard to diagnose GI problem stopped too. People with sluggish gallbladders can benefit from this too.

I am only using the green organic variety, by EcoTeas...and so far I can only find them online. This form is better than the "smoked" variety commonly sold in health food stores.
With some further research---you know how I am----:p --- I found that the antioxidant levels of yerba mate are almost double that of green tea. And it is not unpleasant to drink, but it is GREEN...if colors put you off.
I put in some honey, or sometimes candied ginger, but it is okay straight as well.

My night vision improved markedly also -- I work nights so drive home very late...and now that is much easier for me. I really think that this alone has enormous benefits for blood vessels...so you might want to look into it.
www.yerbamate.com

I was told by the distributor that it will be easier to find in markets soon,
so you may be able to special order it locally now. I bought alot online ahead... I won't be without it now. I drink it about 5 days/week. (I don't always have tea). It also has minerals and some vits/amino acids in it.. so careful prep not to use too hot of water is important.

If you visit PubMed...and type in yerba mate into the search engine you will see the papers.
To get to PubMed --just type PubMed Entrez into Google.

I have seen some papers on copper levels/aneurysm... if you like, I'll search that again...but I seem to remember low copper leads to loss of integrity of the layers in the arteries... So PM me and I will look again for you.

[Sherloc56]

The things we learn on here! Sometimes it just amazes me! Really girls! It does!

I had surgery in March because of my messed up veins. I have Venous statis disease. I wonder if this tea will help my legs. My valve in the top of my legs doesn't work right and causes blood to collect in my ankles. Discolors them of course. I might just hafta try this Yerba mate!

Pomegranite! That is also very interesting. Thanks for all the info ladies!

Sheryl

[slogo]

Thanks MrsD, I just ordered some of the tea. :)

[janster]

Shoot GC!
I was gonna ask if anyone wanted to go together and get a price break! Dangit. I'm gonna order some. If anyone wants to go together, let me know. I won't order till next week. You're just too speedy for me GC!
Hugs,
LS

[slogo]

Jan, I just got so excited over the tea I ordered right away. I hope it taste good. I am kinda funny about strange tasting teas, so heres hoping it is very good. GC ;)

[Vowel Lady]

I read on www.hungrygirl.com
That while attempting to reach goal weight, that it's best to mix the pomegranite juice with diet-7 up. The juice is a little high in calories and the diet 7 up makes it sweeter anyway. Once you reach goal weight, you might want to drink it straight or use less 7-up)
(I just bought the diet 7-up and P Juice today. Will give it a try)
The Hungry Girl website is AWESOME for those interested in losing weight. GREAT product reviews! :)

[janster]

That website IS awesome VL! I bookmarked another good one that someone (sorry--no memory) else pointed out.

I just PMed curious to ask to have a sticky for "Useful Sites & Resources" like there is on the CP (Chronic Pain) forum. I think there are a ton of websites out there that we might stumble across (OK, so I might do the majority of the stumbling cuz my feet are numb, :o ) and it would be great to have them all in one place to reference.

They could be recipes, tips, suggestions, anything do do with healthy eating and nutrition, doncha think?
Hugs,
LS :)

[mrsD]

The taste of the green version (organic) Yerba Mate, is not unpleasant.
If steeped a long time it gets tannin type taste (astringent) just like black tea.

It is not unlike the teas served in Asian restaurants. I find a bit of honey
cuts the tannin effect nicely. Besides honey is good for you in moderation.

Yerba Mate tests positive for caffeine...but you do not feel the caffeine the
same way as with black tea or green tea. I am very sensitive to caffeine, and get the jitters easily. The yerba mate claims that the caffeine molecule is complexed into the other polyphenols and released in a more gentle way. So while the gas chromatography tests show caffeine is there, it does not react in the body the same way as with coffee or other caffeinated teas.

I can even drink it at night...which normally after noon, I stay away from all
caffeine. ( I sometimes use it at night when I work night shifts).

There is also a "mood elevation" effect that kicks in, in about 2 weeks.
I started with this tea during the major time of my PAIN issues when I had my leg injury last year. I was getting pretty "down" and depressed with time, and the yerba mate just knocked me out of that slump. It is probably not
as strong as a true antidepressant, but this tea is very popular in S.America specifically for this effect... it is called "mateine".

Yerba mate is also included in diet fat burners, because some people believe it helps with weight loss. I did not find that to be a factor for me. But then I only have one bag/day... which is really not alot. Some of the countries in S.America consume more yerba mate than coffee (which is also grown there).
South Americans consume ALOT of this, mostly the SMOKED variety...and
there have been reports that heavy use, drinking it too hot..and using smoked varieties combined with alcohol and smoking habits lead to head/neck and
esophogeal cancers. (alcohol and cigarettes alone contribute to head and neck cancers).

However, other studies show yerba mate and other polyphenolic compounds actually prevent cancer:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=15450404&query_hl=1&itool=pubmed_docsum
Mutat Res. 2004 Oct 4;554(1-2):53-65.Click here to read Links
In vitro chemopreventive activity of Camellia sinensis, Ilex paraguariensis and Ardisia compressa tea extracts and selected polyphenols.

* Ramirez-Mares MV,
* Chandra S,
* de Mejia EG.

Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 228 ERML, MC-051, 1201 W. Gregory Drive, 61801, USA.

Several herbal teas contain bioactive compounds that have been associated with a lower risk of chronic diseases including cancer. The aim of this study was to evaluate the chemopreventive activity of tea aqueous extracts and selected constituent pure polyphenols using a battery of in vitro marker systems relevant for the prevention of cancer. The effects of (-) epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), quercetin (Q), gallic acid (GA), green tea (GT, Camellia sinensis), ardisia tea (AT, Ardisia compressa) and mate tea (MT, Ilex paraguariensis) extracts were tested. Cytotoxicity, TPA-induced ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) and quinone reductase (QR) activities were evaluated in vitro using HepG2 cells. The topoisomerase inhibitory activity was also tested, using the Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast system. Results suggest that MT, AT and GT are cytotoxic to the HepG2 cells, with MT demonstrating dominant cytotoxicity. EGCG showed greater cytotoxicity than Q and GA against HepG2 cells. The greatest inhibition (82%) of TPA-induced ODC activity was shown by Q, with 25 microM (IC50 = 11.90 microM). Topoisomerase II, but not topoisomerase I, was the cellular target of MT, AT, EGCG, Q and GA, which acted mainly as true catalytic inhibitors. The cytotoxic activity and the inhibition of topoisomerase II may contribute to the overall chemopreventive activity of AT and MT extracts. Ardisia and mate teas may thus share a public health potential as chemopreventive agents.

PMID: 15450404 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]


The method of preparing the organic green variety is thought to prevent the free radicals that occur during smoking(fast drying) the herb, before sale. So the unsmoked variety is really the one to use.
I personally do not think that cancer is a risk at this time. But I am bringing to your attention, considering heavy potential use, or improper preparation using extremely hot water, etc.(or presence of heavy alcohol consumption or cigarette use).

This tea has been a tremendous boon for me. Pain wise, vein wise, mood wise.
I have just been AMAZED.

[slogo]

Thanks, mrsD, I will print this out so I can remember it(brain fog).
I'm glad to know it taste like the asian teas...now I know I will like it.
I was worried about the cafiene and am glad you explained that too. I am very sensitive to C myself. GC :)

[janster]

i have a food dehydrator, but i buy the dried blueberries and cranberries.
OK, here I come with another stupid question--seems like I have tons of them lately.

I have a food dehydrator too, and I suppose I could experiment. But rather than spend all that money on fruit, and risk having it spoil, I thought I'd take the easy way out and just ask.

Can I dry ANY fruit? I have done bananas and apples for the kids, maybe 15 years ago when I did beef jerky. But could I do pomegranite, peach, pineapple, pear, ANY fruit?

How about anything else. Has anyone dried anything else different that would make a fun, low calorie snack? Thanks.
Hugs,
LS

[Beti]

About 3 months ago I started drinking a fruit juice that combines 19 fruits one of the fruit is the acai berry I suffer from shoulder, and left arm pain. Hope this information is useful.

The Acai Berry has 10 times the antioxidants of grapes and twice the antioxidants of blueberries, is considered to have the best nutritional value of any fruit on earth.

Acai Berries are high in essential fatty acids & omegas -- 60% Oleic (omega 9) - a monounsaturated essential fatty acid which helps to lower LDL, while maintaining HD . 12% Linoleic (omega 6) - a polyunsaturated essential fatty acid which has also been found to lower LDL, while maintaining HDL. Acai also contains many valuable Phytosterols. Sterols are compounds of plant cell membranes providing numerous benefits to the Human body, namely the reduction of blood plasma cholesterol.

The Acai Berry is a dense source of a particular class of flavonoids called anthocyanins. Acai Berry's ORAC value (a measure of its antioxidant properties), is higher than any other edible berry on the planet. The Acai Berry is also an excellent source of dietary fiber!

The Acai Berry contains the following:
1. A protein profile similar to an egg.
2. A fatty acid profile similar to olive oil.
3. The leading source of anthocyanins.
4. High fiber with a low glycemic index.
5. More than 16 phyto-nutrients and antioxidants.
6. Copious amounts of trace minerals and macrominerals.
7. Plant sterols, particularly one that helps lower cholesterol.

This is extract from a study being done at the Uniiversity of Florida with acai berry and leukemia cells in the lab.
"Published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the study showed extracts from acai (ah-SAH’-ee) berries triggered a self-destruct response in up to 86 percent of leukemia cells tested, said Stephen Talcott, an assistant professor with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences." “This was only a cell-culture model and we don’t want to give anyone false hope,” Talcott said. “We are encouraged by the findings, however. Compounds that show good activity against cancer cells in a model system are most likely to have beneficial effects in our bodies.”
Kind Regards
Beti

[slogo]

mrsd, the Yerba Mate can be found at a Health Food store, so you might want to check them out for yourself...that is if you haven't already. Gaye

[bizi]

not really .... Mashed Potatoes

Phase 1

Serves 2

Ingredients
2 cups cauliflower florets
1/2 ounce butter-flavored spray
1/2 ounce fat-free half-and-half
Pinch salt
Pinch freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
Steam or microwave the cauliflower until soft. Puree in a food processor, adding the butter spray and the half-and-half to taste. Season with salt and pepper.

Nutritional Information:
81 calories
6 g total fat (2 g sat)
4 mg cholesterol
5 g carbohydrate
2 g protein
3 g fiber
82 mg sodium

[Curious]

i have been drinking tea made by alexander's gourmet teas. they make many different flavors. one is called energizing tea. i looked today...guess what? yerba mate is in it. green tea, yerba mate, ginseng root and natural berry flavoring.

i'm sure it isn't as benificial as straight yerba mate, but i hope to see the benifits.