Health Benefits of Pears

Late summer garden delivers its wonderful fruits for your table. Now pears, these delicious and sweet pomaceous fruits, are ripening. Pears have been a part of many diets for thousands of years. Besides their flavour they also have huge health benefits.

An average pear provides around 100 Kcal energy which are derived from its natural sugar content. Pears hold essential vitamins; vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin A, B complex vitamins, folate and phenolic compounds. Their mineral content; potassium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, calcium and copper are equally important. They improve your bone health.

Like many other fruits, pears are a wealth of antioxidants that combat various diseases within the body. Pears provide fibre, which can improve your digestion and stimulate secretion of gastronomic and digestive juices.

Antioxidants, vitamin C, vitamin A,  beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin found in pears can help combat free radicals. They have been connected to prevent of a number of different cancers including breast, prostate, lung and colon cancer. The antioxidant and vitamin C substances in pears are also beneficial for your immune system as they stimulate white blood cell production, helping to eliminate condition like common cold and flu. Vitamin C keeps your metabolism running smoothly and ensures that all the functions work right too. Antioxidant and flavonoid component in pears can also induce anti-inflammatory effects in the body, reducing the pain associated with inflammation. Pears are a wonderful source of potassium, which means that they can have a significant impact on heart health lowering blood pressure and reducing your chance of cardiovascular diseases.

It is a high-energy and high-nutrition food with low impact on weight gain and obesity. Its antioxidants are primarily praised for their anti-carcinogenic activities.

Pear Smoothie

Ingredients:

2 cut medium ripen pears

1 cm length of grated ginger

1 freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tsp of cinnamon

250 ml water 

Recommendation for the Last Day of Winter

Tomorrow spring will start officially.  In this part of Middle- Europe the weather  has  turned wintery; it is cold and snowing all day.  Superfoods are loaded with nutrients, antioxidants, and immune-boosting powers that your body needs to power itself through cold weather.

Adding a little dark chocolate to your diet is a great health booster. The sweet contains flavonoids, a type of antioxidant that helps to fight against cancer and cardiovascular disease. The thermogenic property of ginger in your ginger tea keeps you warm. Hot soups containing pumpkin or sweet potatoes or squash seasoned with hot chilli heat you up when things get cold. These vegetables contain beta-carotene, an antioxidant, vitamin A, vitamin C and potassium. Chilli pepper in your soup holds a compound called capsaicin, which gives to it a spicy kick. It also boosts metabolism and fights the build up of fat.

Eating Brussels sprouts may just help you fight a cold. In addition to being packed with fibre, cancer-fighting phytonutrients and they are also high in vitamin C. Roasted apples with walnuts and cinnamon is good healthy snack any time of year, that provides fibre, antioxidant, vitamin C, water and omega 3 fatty acids.

Winter Comfort foods

Soups

Sweet potato soup

Health benefits of sweet potatoes: 

The strong orange colour of the sweet potatoes is from the beta-carotene content, which is a vitamin A. They are effective source of other vitamins: vitamin C, pantothenic acid, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, the following minerals: manganese, potassium, phosphorous and dietary fibre.

1	shallot	2 chopped
2	garlic cloves	3 chopped
3	sweet potatoes	3 peeled and cubed
4	chilli pepper	½ sliced
5	vegetable  stocks solution	1
6	water	500 ml
7	nutmeg	½ tsp
8	salt
9	pepper
10	Greek yogurt or coconut milk	2 tbsp
11	olive oil	1tsp
12	roasted   buckwheat	2 tbsp

tbsp: tablespoon

tsp: teaspoon 

Place 1-9 ingredients into a medium size pan and cook it until the sweet potatoes get soft.

Blend the soup until it becomes creamy.

Stir the yogurt / coconut milk and oil in.

Season it if required.

Serve the soup with roasted buckwheat sprinkled on the top.