04-30-2007, 04:27 AM
Fruits That Heal
Foreword
Health is merely the absence of disease, but embraces mental, emotional and spiritual well being as well . Illness and infirmity is something that we all, at some time or other, experience in our lives. And how we respond to this indisposition varies. For some of us, rest might suffice. For others, a visit to the doctor or taking whatever medicine we have at hand in pursuit of a cure of comfort is what we do to console our ailing body or mind.
It is true that many people in our society are not sick, but they are not healthy either. They might not be suffering from any specific disease per se, but most of the time they feel listless, lethargic or just miserable. They lack vim and vigor. They are depressed. What is the cause? And what is the cure? Perhaps they eat the wrong foods and their diet lacks the nourishment needed for a healthful and vibrant existence. Yet they can feel wonderful again if they abandon bad eating habits, avoid harmful foods and eat healthful foods. Fresh fruit are amongst the most wonderful and healthful foods. They are food and medicine. They are products of Nature's own factory - pure, clean, unprocessed and their flesh untouched by man. They contain all the minerals and vitamins necessary and vital for healthy survival. In addition to fresh fruit, I strongly recommend avoidance of junk foods and the use of proper nutrition, exercise, positive thinking, and other natural methods.
As a practitioner of integrated medicine, I am not the one who lends towards the prescription of over -the-counter drugs or surgery at the first instant the patient consults me. I have a different approach. Eat Healthy! Discard bad eating habits and junk foods. Think positive! Always take into account natural therapies! This obviously does not negate the value and merit of allopathic medicine, which undoubtedly has a role to play.
Good nutrition is the path to a sound body and mind. For, obviously, it is without food that our children the world over suffer from life threatening diseases such as Marasmus and Kwashiorkor. Food heals. Food regenerates. Good food enhances the vibrancy of our cells, tissues, organs, nerves and blood vessels. Fresh fruit is healthy food and medicine. They are products of nature's own factory: pure, clean unprocessed and their unique constitution unattainable by man's scientific machinary. Fresh fruit boasts all the minerals and vitamins required for a vital and healthy survival.
Since I believe in promoting health by natural means, I have been accorded the opportunity to review this text on the nutritional and therapeutic benefits of fruit. What we eat, really affects the way we feel and function. This text aims to provide an easy-to-understand guide to selecting good quality fruit and using them to the advantage of one's health, wellness and well-being. Easy to read and follow, each listing in this text provides a brief description of the fruit, buyer's guide, and nutritional and therapeutic information, and you will find suggestions on how to even treat certain ailments using fruit! Be advised that these are only recommendations, not prescriptions to be followed rigidly. If in doubt, I urge you to first consult a health professional.
All the information in this text is based on research. However, because each person's constitution is unique, I urge the reader to check with a qualified health professional before using any fruit as a remedy for any ailment. Whilst I do not insist on the use of any particular diet for any particular ailment, the object of this text is to make available to the public information on the nutritional and therapeutic benefits of fruits.
It is my hope that this text guides you are your family towards healthy, disease-free living... through the decorous use of one of nature's greatest splendor... fruit!
Bon appetite
***
All about Vitamins
Vitamins and minerals are vital for our bodies to function correctly. Degenerative diseases, such as hardening of arteries, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and many other diseases, have much to do with the problems of nutrition. We must therefore be certain our diet contains all of the elements so necessary for good health. These include minerals and vitamins.
What is a Vitamin?
A vitamin on its own is not food. If a person takes in only vitamins and no food, he would soon starve because they do not provide energy or build up worn-out tissues. Yet, without vitamins you cannot live. They play a vital role in all the important chemical reactions, carried on through enzymes. These enzymes form only when all the vitamins and minerals join in a highly complex way. If only one vitamin is absent, that enzyme will not form, and some important function of the body or the other, will not be carried out. This is why vitamins are so essential to health.
Where do Vitamins come from?
Vitamins come from plants and all fresh foods. Prolonged cooking, drying and exposure to sun and wind can destroy some of them, like vitamin C. Most vitamins come in pairs or group. If one is absent, other may also be missing. Here is a brief list of the major vitamins and what functions they do within the body:
Vitamin A (Retinol): It helps to keep the skin smooth and soft, the eyes bright and full of lustre so that we can see even in dim light. It aids in keeping the mucous membranes of the whole body healthy. It enhances normal growth of bones and teeth, particularly in children and young people. This vitamin helps build resistance against infections, and the formation of stones in the kidney and bladder. In its absence, a person suffers from night blindness, roughness and scaling of the skin and roughness of the mucous membranes. It can stunt bone growth, cause tooth decay and dryness of the eyes.
Vitamin A comes from a chemical substance, carotene, found in all leafy vegetables, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash and pumpkins, apricots, peaches, avocados, and all types of melons. The body readily absorbs carotene and stores it in the liver where it changes into vitamin A for future use.
Vitamin B Complex: B complex vitamins are actually a family of more than a dozen of these vitamins. Working together, all of them are different and perform a wide variety of functions. Good sources of vitamin B complex are wheat, barley and rice, particularly the outer coverings. Polished rice and white flour are robbed of much of this vitamin because of the miller removing the husks of the rice and wheat.
Here are some vitamins belonging to the vitamin B complex family:
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine): One of the most important vitamins, thiamine is vital in almost every chemical reaction within the body. Lack or absence of this vitamin leads to beriberi: symptoms are mental confusion, muscular weakness, swelling of the heart and leg cramps. Other disorders are improper function of the nervous system, digestive disturbances, anemia, and lack of appetite.
Best sources of vitamin B1 are whole-grain cereals, wheat germ, brewer's yeast, fresh fruits, eggs, vegetables, dried beans, peas and lentils. Thiamine is absent from most refined foods.
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): Riboflavin is vital for enzymes and to enable the body to use carbohydrates from foods. When there is no riboflavin in the diet, it leads to skin disorders such as sores around the nose and lips, the eyes become sensitive to light.
Best sources of vitamin B2 are milk, meat, peas, beans, lentils, whole-grain products, mushrooms and green leafy vegetables. This vitamin is easily lost when vegetable are overcooked or cooked with too much water.
Niacin: Also called nicotinic acid, this vitamin is important for healthy skin and for the central nervous system. In the absence of niacin, pellagra develops. A common symptom is the skin becoming rough and scaly. Its absence also leads to diarrhea, bouts of mental depression, insomnia, irritability, soreness in the tongue and a burning sensation in the mouth and throat.
Prevention is not difficult. A well balanced diet of milk, eggs, fruits, fresh green vegetables, and whole grains will usually provide sufficient niacin to maintain good health and prevent pellagra.
Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6): The main role of pyridoxine is metabolism of proteins, use of fats, and formation of red blood cells. When it is absent from the diet, young babies may develop convulsions. Adults suffer from cracks at mouth corners, smooth tongue, dizziness, anemia, and kidney stones. Pyridoxine is found in whole-grain cereals, bread, liver, avocados, spinach, green beans, bananas, yeast, legumes, and most fresh foods.
Cobalamin (Vitamin B12): This vitamin aids in formation of red blood cells and the smooth functioning of the nervous system. When it is absent the patient suffers from certain forms of anemia and degeneration of peripheral nerves. Symptoms are pain, tingling, numbness in the extremities, and partial paralysis. A well-balanced diet, inclusive of liver, kidney, meat, fish, eggs, milk, and oysters, usually provides ample vitamin B12.
Folacin (Folic Acid): It assists in the formation of body proteins and genetic material, and in the formation of red blood cells. When this vitamin is absent, it results in diarrhea. Good sources are liver, kidney, dark-green leafy vegetables, wheat-germ, and brewer's yeast.
Biotin: It is responsible for the formation of fatty acids and release of energy from carbohydrates. Its absence results in fatigue, depression, nausea, pain, and loss of appetite. It is found in egg yolk; liver; kidney; dark-green vegetables, and green beans.
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid): Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, aids the body in the healing process, particularly if a person is suffering from some severe infection or prolonged illness. It also helps in the maintenance of healthy bones, teeth, and blood vessels. It also aids in the formation of collagen which supports body structure. It is anti-oxidant. Absence of vitamin C results in scurvy. Symptoms are bleeding around the gums, pain and looseness and falling out of the teeth. Wounds do not heal and the skin becomes rough, brown and dry. Sometimes pregnant women, nursing mothers, and people who live on restricted diets also suffer from scurvy.
Heat and bicarbonate of soda easily destroy vitamin C. The body cannot store vitamin C. Therefore it must be taken every day.
Artificial formulas like powdered milk lack in vitamin C. Therefore, babies should be given fresh orange juice each day to supplement this vitamin.
Best sources of vitamin C are all citrus fruits, tomatoes, avocados, strawberries, cantaloupe, and other fresh fruits in season. Most dark green vegetables, green pepper, potato, also contain vitamin C, provided it is not destroyed through overcooking.
Vitamin D (Calciferol): Vitamin D is needed in the building of strong, healthy bones. It maintains the right concentration of calcium and phosphorus in the body. This is particularly important in babies and young children whose bones are developing rapidly.
When vitamin D is absent from the diet, rickets develop in children. This is a serious bone deformity. The bones become soft and brittle and they bend easily. The joints lose their shape and they no longer function as they should. In adults, osteomalacia occurs. In this disease, the bones soften, deform and fracture easily. Vitamin D deficiency can also cause muscular twitching and spasms. Premature infants are very prone to having rickets. They must therefore be given adequate amounts of vitamin D.
Nowadays, irradiated milk, fortified with vitamin D, has greatly lowered the incidence of this disease. However, commercial products can never take the place of natural products. Besides, it can make a person ill because of over dosage.
Best sources of vitamin D are egg yolk, liver, tuna, salmon and cod-liver oil. Exposure to sunlight is also an excellent way of obtaining vitamin D. However, avoid too much sunlight, otherwise the skin may burn badly.
Vitamin E (Tocopherol): Vitamin E prevents oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Its absence causes mild damage to blood cells. It is found chiefly in whole-grain cereals, bread, wheat germ liver, dried beans, green vegetables, olive oil, coconut oil, and other vegetable oils.
Vitamin K: It is essential in the clotting of blood. When it is absent, prolonged bleeding and anemia may occur. Its absence may also cause hemorrhaging in newborns. This vitamin is abundant in milk and all green vegetables.
What about Vitamin Pills?
Should anyone take extra vitamin pills? Suffice to say that when people are healthy and strong, this is not necessary. Yes, they might be taken when a person is recovering from a severe illness or injury. It is best for the family doctor to decide whether extra vitamins are needed or not. Most people can get all the vitamins they need by taking a well-balanced diet, along with sufficient rest and exercise.
Foreword
Health is merely the absence of disease, but embraces mental, emotional and spiritual well being as well . Illness and infirmity is something that we all, at some time or other, experience in our lives. And how we respond to this indisposition varies. For some of us, rest might suffice. For others, a visit to the doctor or taking whatever medicine we have at hand in pursuit of a cure of comfort is what we do to console our ailing body or mind.
It is true that many people in our society are not sick, but they are not healthy either. They might not be suffering from any specific disease per se, but most of the time they feel listless, lethargic or just miserable. They lack vim and vigor. They are depressed. What is the cause? And what is the cure? Perhaps they eat the wrong foods and their diet lacks the nourishment needed for a healthful and vibrant existence. Yet they can feel wonderful again if they abandon bad eating habits, avoid harmful foods and eat healthful foods. Fresh fruit are amongst the most wonderful and healthful foods. They are food and medicine. They are products of Nature's own factory - pure, clean, unprocessed and their flesh untouched by man. They contain all the minerals and vitamins necessary and vital for healthy survival. In addition to fresh fruit, I strongly recommend avoidance of junk foods and the use of proper nutrition, exercise, positive thinking, and other natural methods.
As a practitioner of integrated medicine, I am not the one who lends towards the prescription of over -the-counter drugs or surgery at the first instant the patient consults me. I have a different approach. Eat Healthy! Discard bad eating habits and junk foods. Think positive! Always take into account natural therapies! This obviously does not negate the value and merit of allopathic medicine, which undoubtedly has a role to play.
Good nutrition is the path to a sound body and mind. For, obviously, it is without food that our children the world over suffer from life threatening diseases such as Marasmus and Kwashiorkor. Food heals. Food regenerates. Good food enhances the vibrancy of our cells, tissues, organs, nerves and blood vessels. Fresh fruit is healthy food and medicine. They are products of nature's own factory: pure, clean unprocessed and their unique constitution unattainable by man's scientific machinary. Fresh fruit boasts all the minerals and vitamins required for a vital and healthy survival.
Since I believe in promoting health by natural means, I have been accorded the opportunity to review this text on the nutritional and therapeutic benefits of fruit. What we eat, really affects the way we feel and function. This text aims to provide an easy-to-understand guide to selecting good quality fruit and using them to the advantage of one's health, wellness and well-being. Easy to read and follow, each listing in this text provides a brief description of the fruit, buyer's guide, and nutritional and therapeutic information, and you will find suggestions on how to even treat certain ailments using fruit! Be advised that these are only recommendations, not prescriptions to be followed rigidly. If in doubt, I urge you to first consult a health professional.
All the information in this text is based on research. However, because each person's constitution is unique, I urge the reader to check with a qualified health professional before using any fruit as a remedy for any ailment. Whilst I do not insist on the use of any particular diet for any particular ailment, the object of this text is to make available to the public information on the nutritional and therapeutic benefits of fruits.
It is my hope that this text guides you are your family towards healthy, disease-free living... through the decorous use of one of nature's greatest splendor... fruit!
Bon appetite
***
All about Vitamins
Vitamins and minerals are vital for our bodies to function correctly. Degenerative diseases, such as hardening of arteries, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and many other diseases, have much to do with the problems of nutrition. We must therefore be certain our diet contains all of the elements so necessary for good health. These include minerals and vitamins.
What is a Vitamin?
A vitamin on its own is not food. If a person takes in only vitamins and no food, he would soon starve because they do not provide energy or build up worn-out tissues. Yet, without vitamins you cannot live. They play a vital role in all the important chemical reactions, carried on through enzymes. These enzymes form only when all the vitamins and minerals join in a highly complex way. If only one vitamin is absent, that enzyme will not form, and some important function of the body or the other, will not be carried out. This is why vitamins are so essential to health.
Where do Vitamins come from?
Vitamins come from plants and all fresh foods. Prolonged cooking, drying and exposure to sun and wind can destroy some of them, like vitamin C. Most vitamins come in pairs or group. If one is absent, other may also be missing. Here is a brief list of the major vitamins and what functions they do within the body:
Vitamin A (Retinol): It helps to keep the skin smooth and soft, the eyes bright and full of lustre so that we can see even in dim light. It aids in keeping the mucous membranes of the whole body healthy. It enhances normal growth of bones and teeth, particularly in children and young people. This vitamin helps build resistance against infections, and the formation of stones in the kidney and bladder. In its absence, a person suffers from night blindness, roughness and scaling of the skin and roughness of the mucous membranes. It can stunt bone growth, cause tooth decay and dryness of the eyes.
Vitamin A comes from a chemical substance, carotene, found in all leafy vegetables, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash and pumpkins, apricots, peaches, avocados, and all types of melons. The body readily absorbs carotene and stores it in the liver where it changes into vitamin A for future use.
Vitamin B Complex: B complex vitamins are actually a family of more than a dozen of these vitamins. Working together, all of them are different and perform a wide variety of functions. Good sources of vitamin B complex are wheat, barley and rice, particularly the outer coverings. Polished rice and white flour are robbed of much of this vitamin because of the miller removing the husks of the rice and wheat.
Here are some vitamins belonging to the vitamin B complex family:
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine): One of the most important vitamins, thiamine is vital in almost every chemical reaction within the body. Lack or absence of this vitamin leads to beriberi: symptoms are mental confusion, muscular weakness, swelling of the heart and leg cramps. Other disorders are improper function of the nervous system, digestive disturbances, anemia, and lack of appetite.
Best sources of vitamin B1 are whole-grain cereals, wheat germ, brewer's yeast, fresh fruits, eggs, vegetables, dried beans, peas and lentils. Thiamine is absent from most refined foods.
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): Riboflavin is vital for enzymes and to enable the body to use carbohydrates from foods. When there is no riboflavin in the diet, it leads to skin disorders such as sores around the nose and lips, the eyes become sensitive to light.
Best sources of vitamin B2 are milk, meat, peas, beans, lentils, whole-grain products, mushrooms and green leafy vegetables. This vitamin is easily lost when vegetable are overcooked or cooked with too much water.
Niacin: Also called nicotinic acid, this vitamin is important for healthy skin and for the central nervous system. In the absence of niacin, pellagra develops. A common symptom is the skin becoming rough and scaly. Its absence also leads to diarrhea, bouts of mental depression, insomnia, irritability, soreness in the tongue and a burning sensation in the mouth and throat.
Prevention is not difficult. A well balanced diet of milk, eggs, fruits, fresh green vegetables, and whole grains will usually provide sufficient niacin to maintain good health and prevent pellagra.
Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6): The main role of pyridoxine is metabolism of proteins, use of fats, and formation of red blood cells. When it is absent from the diet, young babies may develop convulsions. Adults suffer from cracks at mouth corners, smooth tongue, dizziness, anemia, and kidney stones. Pyridoxine is found in whole-grain cereals, bread, liver, avocados, spinach, green beans, bananas, yeast, legumes, and most fresh foods.
Cobalamin (Vitamin B12): This vitamin aids in formation of red blood cells and the smooth functioning of the nervous system. When it is absent the patient suffers from certain forms of anemia and degeneration of peripheral nerves. Symptoms are pain, tingling, numbness in the extremities, and partial paralysis. A well-balanced diet, inclusive of liver, kidney, meat, fish, eggs, milk, and oysters, usually provides ample vitamin B12.
Folacin (Folic Acid): It assists in the formation of body proteins and genetic material, and in the formation of red blood cells. When this vitamin is absent, it results in diarrhea. Good sources are liver, kidney, dark-green leafy vegetables, wheat-germ, and brewer's yeast.
Biotin: It is responsible for the formation of fatty acids and release of energy from carbohydrates. Its absence results in fatigue, depression, nausea, pain, and loss of appetite. It is found in egg yolk; liver; kidney; dark-green vegetables, and green beans.
Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid): Vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, aids the body in the healing process, particularly if a person is suffering from some severe infection or prolonged illness. It also helps in the maintenance of healthy bones, teeth, and blood vessels. It also aids in the formation of collagen which supports body structure. It is anti-oxidant. Absence of vitamin C results in scurvy. Symptoms are bleeding around the gums, pain and looseness and falling out of the teeth. Wounds do not heal and the skin becomes rough, brown and dry. Sometimes pregnant women, nursing mothers, and people who live on restricted diets also suffer from scurvy.
Heat and bicarbonate of soda easily destroy vitamin C. The body cannot store vitamin C. Therefore it must be taken every day.
Artificial formulas like powdered milk lack in vitamin C. Therefore, babies should be given fresh orange juice each day to supplement this vitamin.
Best sources of vitamin C are all citrus fruits, tomatoes, avocados, strawberries, cantaloupe, and other fresh fruits in season. Most dark green vegetables, green pepper, potato, also contain vitamin C, provided it is not destroyed through overcooking.
Vitamin D (Calciferol): Vitamin D is needed in the building of strong, healthy bones. It maintains the right concentration of calcium and phosphorus in the body. This is particularly important in babies and young children whose bones are developing rapidly.
When vitamin D is absent from the diet, rickets develop in children. This is a serious bone deformity. The bones become soft and brittle and they bend easily. The joints lose their shape and they no longer function as they should. In adults, osteomalacia occurs. In this disease, the bones soften, deform and fracture easily. Vitamin D deficiency can also cause muscular twitching and spasms. Premature infants are very prone to having rickets. They must therefore be given adequate amounts of vitamin D.
Nowadays, irradiated milk, fortified with vitamin D, has greatly lowered the incidence of this disease. However, commercial products can never take the place of natural products. Besides, it can make a person ill because of over dosage.
Best sources of vitamin D are egg yolk, liver, tuna, salmon and cod-liver oil. Exposure to sunlight is also an excellent way of obtaining vitamin D. However, avoid too much sunlight, otherwise the skin may burn badly.
Vitamin E (Tocopherol): Vitamin E prevents oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Its absence causes mild damage to blood cells. It is found chiefly in whole-grain cereals, bread, wheat germ liver, dried beans, green vegetables, olive oil, coconut oil, and other vegetable oils.
Vitamin K: It is essential in the clotting of blood. When it is absent, prolonged bleeding and anemia may occur. Its absence may also cause hemorrhaging in newborns. This vitamin is abundant in milk and all green vegetables.
What about Vitamin Pills?
Should anyone take extra vitamin pills? Suffice to say that when people are healthy and strong, this is not necessary. Yes, they might be taken when a person is recovering from a severe illness or injury. It is best for the family doctor to decide whether extra vitamins are needed or not. Most people can get all the vitamins they need by taking a well-balanced diet, along with sufficient rest and exercise.