What is Christmas without fruits?
Imagine eating only lechon, bibingka, biko, lumpia, macaroni, loaf bread with peanut butter, pansit, adobo, humba, and cake. I know, it is unimaginable, indeed.
This Christmas season, I am sure you will be buying some fruits. They don’t only add beauty and color to the display in our tables, but they also provide the much-needed vitamins and minerals which we need.
Fortunately, some of the fruits which are available the month of December are among the healthiest known to man, according to Dr. Willie T. Ong, an internist-cardiologist who was given the Outstanding Filipino Physician Award by the Department of Health in 2007.
Among those he mentioned were the following: apple, banana, grapes, pineapple, and watermelon. Let’s take a closer look at each of these fruits:
Apple: Wise men say an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Nutrition experts claim one large apple has around 130 calories, and none come from fat. Apples also have no sodium or cholesterol – nutrients many want to expressly avoid. One apple has 34 grams of carbohydrates, 25 grams of which come from the fruit’s natural sugars.
Lisa Sefcik, in an article, wrote: “One apple gives you 20 percent of your daily value (DV) of fiber. You also get 2 percent of your DV of vitamin A, iron and calcium, and 8 percent of your DV of vitamin C. Almost half of the fruit’s vitamin C content is within the skin, so it’s best to eat apples unpeeled. Apple skins are a valuable source of the fruit’s fiber and also contain pectin.”
Looking for something to help you lose some weights? Try eating apple, which may help to increase weight loss, according to a study involving about 400 women in Brazil. Women ate either apples or oat cookies for a period of 12 weeks. After the 12 weeks, the researchers found that the women who consumed the apples had a significant weight loss of 1.21 kilograms, while the group of women who ate the oat cookies showed no significant weight loss.
Banana: “In one form or another, raw or cooked, more bananas are consumed daily than perhaps any other fruit in the world.” That’s what the book, Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture, states.
Unknowingly, banana is one of the most healthful fruits the world has known. Alexander the Great was so fascinated by the virtues of this fruit that he described it as “the heavenly fruit that tasted like nectar sweetened in honey.”
Health experts claim that banana is low in protein, free of fats but high in energy. A fully ripe banana has 20-25 percent sugar. It has a significant amount of B-vitamins, especially B1 and B6. B1 is a brain tonic whereas B6 relieves, in particular, uncomfortable symptoms of the pre-menstrual tension syndrome like irritability, headaches, tender breasts, and water retention.
“One medium-sized banana boasts of 100-125 kilo calories, 4-5 grams fiber, about 400 milligrams potassium, 17 milligrams calcium, 36 milligrams phosphorus and traces of other minerals like iron,” said Professor Kanwar, an eminent biophysicist who writes for the “Health Tribune.”
Grapes: In the Bible, grapes were made into wine. Winifred Walker wrote in All the Plants of the Bible: “These bunches of grapes were thrown into a wine press, which was sometimes as large as a room and constructed underground, then trodden under foot by laborers. The juice of the squeezed grapes was made into wine and vinegar: this vinegar was poor wine, chiefly the drink of the Roman soldiers.”
According to Dr. Ong, grapes contain important ingredients such as tannins, flavonoids, and anthocyanins. “These chemicals are believed to give grapes its anti-cancer properties,” he wrote. “Grapes are beneficial for those recuperating from an illness, and those who have anemia and fatigue. In fact, during Mahatma Gandhi’s long fasts, he would drink grape juice to keep his strength up.”
Pineapple: Pineapples are loaded with vitamins and minerals including vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium. It is also rich in fiber and calories. On top of it all, this fruit is low in fat and cholesterol.
Since pineapples are rich in vitamin C, it can fight off viruses that cause cough and colds. Even when you are already infected with such ailment, pineapples can help you, health experts claim. As the fruit is loaded with bromelain, it is effective in suppressing coughs and loosening mucus.
If you have a cold with a productive cough, add pineapple to your diet. It is commonly used in Europe as a post-operative measure to cut mucous after certain sinus and throat operations. Those individuals who eat fresh pineapple daily report fewer sinus problems related to allergies.
Watermelon: Packed with some of the most important antioxidants found in nature. It is an excellent source of vitamin C and a very good source of vitamin A, particularly through its concentration of beta-carotene. Food experts recommend watermelon as a very good source of vitamin B6 and a good source of vitamin B1 and magnesium. Because of its higher water content and calorie value it is ranked more valuable than other fruits.
Dr. Ong says every two cups of watermelon (280 grams) contain 80 calories, zero fat, 27 grams of carbohydrates, 10 milligrams of sodium, 80 micrograms of vitamin A, lots of vitamin B2, 80 milligrams of vitamin C, 18 milligrams of lycopene, and ample amounts of potassium, iron, and calcium.
The water in the fruit is said to be made of 92 percent pure alkaline water. “Compared to acidic juices of oranges and pineapple (which may irritate people with ulcer and gastritis), watermelon is safe for your stomach,” Dr. Ong says.
