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 

Food plan for a hot summer day

Foods that can contribute to your fluid intake:

·      Cucumber contains 95% of water. It also provides you with dietary fibre vitamin C, potassium and magnesium. Example: a cup of cucumber slices is nearly as thirst quenching as a glass of water.

·      Strawberries contain 91% of water, vitamin C also provide folate, a vitamin B that’s essential for the healthy growth of new cells.

·      Watermelon contains 92% of water. It is a good source of vitamin C and, also has lycopene, an antioxidant that may help protect against heart disease and some types of cancer.

·      Salad greens contain more than 90% of water and nutrients such as dietary fibre, vitamin C, vitamin B6, beta- carotene, vitamin K, thiamine, potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron.

·      Regular plain yogurt is 85% to 88% water. You’ll get calcium, vitamin B12 riboflavin and probiotics.

Food	Ingredients	Calorie content Kcal	Nutrients
Start of the day: Freshly squeezed Lemon juice with Look warm water Breakfast : Toasted nuts and seeds cereal with Plain yogurt Snack: Slice of watermelon Lunch: Gazpacho with toasted bread Snack: Aubergine dip with carrot and celery sticks Dinner: Moroccan Spiced Salmon Glass of chilled white wine	1 lemon 100ml water 80g of cereal consisting pumpkin seed sunflower seed linseed almond ¼ red onion 1 cove of garlic ½ red pepper ½ yellow pepper 200g cucumber 200g tomato 1tbsp vine vinegar 1tbsp olive oil small  amount of basil 2 slices of wholemeal baguette toasted 1 aubergine small onion 1 clove of garlic  ½ tbsp olive oil 50g soured cream salt pepper 2 carrots 2 celery sticks Moroccan spices  1 skinless salmon garlic 50g couscous 5g sultana 5g prunes 5g flaked almonds	50 kcal 480 kcal 150 kcal 450 kcal 220 kcal 480 kcal Total : 1830 kcal	Antioxidant, vitamin C, anti-inflammatory Provides fibre (keeps bowels healthy), carbohydrates provide energy and proteins provide essential amino acids. Consists of essential minerals and vitamins. Plain yogurt is 85% to 88% water. You’ll get calcium, vitamin B12 riboflavin and probiotics. 92% of water. It is a good source of vitamin C and, also has lycopene, an antioxidant that may help protect against heart disease and some types of cancer. Cucumber is packed with mineral rich fluids and keeps the body well hydrated. Tomato and pepper are packed with  health enhancing  nutrients. Rich in fibre helps remove toxins Celery has its anti-inflammatory  effect Salmon is essential to a good diet it contains omega 3 fatty acids, vitamins and minerals Couscous provides vitamin B carbohydrate and protein

During the day drink plenty of water and drink a glass of water half an hour before your meal.  During the day try to avoid consumption of alcohol because it increases the dehydration.  The food plan contains a glass of wine in the evening meal for relaxation.

Health Benefits of Cucumber

To stay hydrated and fresh during hot summer days you should eat more cucumber.  Its 95% is water and its vitamin C content has its refreshing effect. It provides water and fibre; two basic elements for your digestive system. Cucumbers contain numerous antioxidants, including the well-known vitamin C, beta-carotene. flavonoids, such as quercetin, apigenin, luteolin, and kaempferol.

For instance, quercetin is an antioxidant that many believe prevents histamine release and Kaempferol  may help fight cancer and lower your risk of chronic diseases including heart disease. Cucumber contains potassium, which is associated with lower blood pressure levels. A proper balance of potassium both inside and outside your cells is crucial for your body to function properly. It also holds phytonutrients called cucurbitacins, which also have anti-cancer properties. Cucumber also has its anti-inflammatory effect. Cucumber encloses multiple B vitamins, including vitamin B1, vitamin B5, and vitamin B7 (biotin). B vitamins are known to help ease feelings of anxiety and buffer some of the damaging effects of stress. This vegetable contains an anti-inflammatory flavonol called fisetin that appears to play an important role in brain health. In addition fisetin benefits in improving memory and protecting nerve cells from age-related decline.¹ This healthy vegetable can play an important role in your daily raw food diet as juice, smoothy, soup or salad.

Health Benefits of Asparagus

Ms H

In this sunny warm May one of the seasonal vegetables is asparagus. You can get fresh asparagus from the local market or it can be picked from the local farm. In either ways you can provide fresh healthy organic vegetables on your plate. Asparagus officially a flowering perennial plant is a spring vegetable.

Nutritional values of asparagus:

It is a very good source of dietary fibre, protein, minerals: potassium, zinc, iron, vitamins: vitamin K, vitamin B3, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin E and pantothenic acid.

Health benefits:

It is a rich source of glutathione, a detoxifying compound that helps to break down carcinogens and free radicals, so it may help protect against and fight certain forms of cancer, such as breast, larynx, bone and lung cancers.

Its antioxidants help to slow the ageing process and to neutralise cell damaging free- radicals. Asparagus may help our brains to fight cognitive decline. It holds amino-acid asparagine, which serves as a natural diuretic.