Sunday, April 7, 2019


GREEN FOODS


Come summer and we all eagerly wait for mangoes and water melons! Have you ever wondered how caring and loving Mother Nature is! Both these fruits are store houses of good nutrients.


EAT LOTS OF MANGOES AND WATER MELONS, WHICH ARE NATURE'S GIFTS TO US IN DRY AND DRAB SUMMER, MAKING IT COLORFUL AND DELIGHTFUL!


Mango, “The king of the fruits," is one of the most popular, nutritionally rich fruits with unique flavour, fragrance, taste and heath promoting qualities, making it numero-uno among new functional foods, a “super fruit". It is said that mangoes eaten in the peak season provide us with all these nutrients which suffice for the whole year!
High energy value 250 kJ (60 kcal),  765 IU or 25% of recommended daily levels of vitamin A, 156 mg of potassium and 2 mg of sodium per 100 gm. 
Fresh mango - variety of nutrientsvitamin Cfolic acid,  44% and 11% respectively. 
Phytochemicals  like triterpenelupeol and numerous polyphenols n mango peel and pulp. 
Unique xanthonoid called mangiferin
25 different carotenoids in mango pulp, maximum Beta-carotene - yellow-orange pigmentation. Mango leaves - polyphenols, xanthonoids, mangiferin and gallic acid. 
 Health benefits
§  Rich in pre-biotic dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals.
§  Stuffed with antioxidant compounds like poly-phenolic flavonoids.
§  Protects against colon, breast, leukemia, prostate, breast, colon lung and oral cavity cancers.
§ Excellent source of Vitamin-A and flavonoids like beta-carotene, alpha-carotene, and beta-cryptoxanthin; with antioxidant properties and are essential for vision. 
Vitamin A is also required for maintaining healthy mucous and skin.
§  Natural fruits rich in carotenes are known to protect from cancers.
§  Good source of potassium, which is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure.
§  Good source of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), vitamin C and vitamin E, developing resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen-free radicals. Vitamin B-6 or pyridoxine is required for GABA hormone production within the brain and also controls homocystiene levels within the blood, which may otherwise be harmful to blood vessels resulting in coronary artery disease and stroke.
§  Moderate amounts of copper, co-factor for many vital enzymes, including cytochrome c-oxidase and superoxide dismutase with co-factors manganese and zinc, required for the production of red blood cells.
§  Mango peel is rich in phytonutrients like pigment antioxidants like carotenoids and polyphenols.

Water melon is another much awaited fruit in summer. 
Watermelon Citrullus lanatus is one of the most powerful, body-healing fruits! A watermelon contains about 6% sugar and 91% water
As with many other fruits, it is a good source of vitamin C and is low in fat and sodium. 
The amino-acid citrulline is produced in watermelon rind
Watermelon pulp contains carotenoids, including lycopene
Watermelons are 92 % water, but this refreshing fruit is soaked with nutrients. 
Each juicy bite has significant levels of vitamins A, B6 and C, high levels of lycopene, antioxidants and amino acids with a modest amount of potassium. 
It is fat-free, very low in sodium and has only 40 calories per cup. 
Watermelon's high lycopene levels, about 15 to 20 milligrams per 2-cup serving, make it the most desirable inclusion in diet! 
The amazing health benefits of watermelon cover everything from your brain all the way to the cells in your feet. Watermelon rinds are also edible, but most people avoid eating them due to their unappealing flavour. 
They are used for making pickles and sometimes used as a vegetable. The seeds have a nutty flavour and can be dried and roasted, or ground into flour.  The rind is stir-friedstewed or more often pickled, and pickled watermelon rind is also sometimes eaten. Watermelon juice can be made into wine, on its own or blended with other fruits. An alcoholic treat called a "hard watermelon" is made by pouring liquor into a hole in the rind of a whole fruit, and then eating the alcohol-permeated flesh. 
Lycopene has been linked with heart and bone health and prostate cancer prevention. It's also a powerful antioxidant thought to have anti-inflammatory properties. The redder the  watermelon gets, the higher the concentration of lycopene, Beta-carotene and phenolic antioxidant content. 
All parts of the watermelon are good, with a lot of nutrients throughout, including the white flesh nearest the rind. 
Another phytonutrient found in the watermelon is the amino acid citrulline, which converts to the amino acid arginine, promoting blood flow, leading to cardiovascular health, improved circulation, erectile dysfunction improvement.  
Watermelon is an incredibly wondrous fruit, naturally low-fat. If included in your daily diet it will reap amazing benefits that range from improving cardiovascular health to nourishing your eyes and revving up your immune system!


Health benefits

The lycopene in watermelon is especially important for our cardiovascular health and in promoting bone health. It improves blood flow via vasodilation. Dietary lycopene reduces oxidative stress which normally reduces the activity of osteoblasts and osteoclasts (the two major bone cells involved in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis), thus stronger bones for those consuming lycopene-rich foods.
Watermelon is also rich in potassium which helps to retain calcium in your body, resulting in stronger bones and joints.
The fruit's concentrations of citrulline and arginine are good for your heart. The citrulline in watermelon has been shown to reduce the accumulation of fat in our fat cells. Citrulline is an amino acid which converts into arginine with help from the kidneys. When our bodies absorb citrulline it can take the step of converting into arginine if so required. Citrulline, when consumed, has the ability to block the activity of TNAP (tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase) which makes our fat cells create less fat, and thus helps prevent over-accumulation of body fat. Arginine can help improve blood flow and may help reduce the accumulation of excess fat. Watermelon extracts helped reduce hypertension and lower blood pressure in obese adults.
Watermelon is rich in phenolic compounds like flavonoids, carotenoids, and triterpenoids. The carotenoid lycopene in watermelon is particularly beneficial in reducing inflammation and neutralizing free radicals. The tripterpenoid cucurbitacin E is also present in watermelon, which provides anti-inflammatory support by blocking activity of cyclo-oxygenase enzymes which normally lead to increased inflammatory support. Ripe watermelons contain higher amounts of these beneficial phenolic compounds.  Lycopene is an inhibitor for various inflammatory processes and also works as an antioxidant to neutralize free radicals. Additionally, the watermelon contains choline, which helps keep chronic inflammation down.
 Anti-inflammatory foods can help with overall immunity and general health. 
Watermelon is a natural diuretic which helps increase the flow of urine, but does not strain the kidneys (unlike alcohol and caffeine).
Watermelons help the liver process ammonia (waste from protein digestion) which eases strain on the kidneys while getting rid of excess fluids.
Watermelons’ high water content can help keep you hydrated and their juice is full of good electrolytes. This can even help prevent heat stroke.
Rich in potassium, watermelon is a great natural electrolyte and thus helps regulate the action of nerves and muscles in our body. Potassium determines the degree and frequency with which our muscles contract and controls the excitation of nerves in our body.
Watermelons have an alkaline-forming effect in the body when fully ripe. Eating lots of alkaline-forming foods (fresh, ripe, fruit and vegetables) can help reduce your risk of developing disease and illness caused by a high-acid diet (namely, meat, eggs and dairy).
Watermelon is a wonderful source of beta-carotene which is converted in the body to vitamin A. It helps produce the pigments in the retina of the eye and protects against age-related macular degeneration as well as prevents night blindness. Vitamin A also maintains healthy skin, teeth, skeletal and soft tissue, and mucus membranes.
The vitamin C content in watermelon is astoundingly high. Vitamin C is great at improving our immune system by maintaining the redox integrity of cells and thereby protecting them from reactive oxygen species, which damage our cells and DNA. Vitamin C is essential to the formation of new connective tissue. The enzymes involved in forming collagen (the main component of wound healing) cannot function without vitamin C.
The watermelon contains fibre, which encourages a healthy digestive tract and helps keep you regular. 
Vitamin A in water melons helps keep skin and hair moisturized, it also encourages healthy growth of new collagen and elastin cells and promotes healthy collagen growth.
Drinking watermelon juice before an intense workout helps reduce next-day muscle soreness and heart rate, attributed to watermelon's amino acids citrulline and arginine, which help improve circulation.
Water melons may be helpful in reducing the risk of cancer through their antioxidant properties.
Lycopene in particular has been linked to reducing prostate cancer cell proliferation.

Thus, eating seasonal fruits, in the right time, in right amounts proves beneficial for our health. Keeping in tune with Mother Nature, keeps us in the Best of Healths!!!



DR JAYA VIKAS KURHEKAR
Green Blogger


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