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 nutrients, vitamin C, folic acid, 44% and
11% respectively.
Phytochemicals
like triterpene, lupeol and
numerous polyphenols n mango peel and
pulp.
Mango peel - pigments called carotenoids, provitamin A, beta-carotene, lutein, alpha-carotene and polyphenols like asquercetin, kaempferol, gallic acid, caffeic acid, catechins and tannins.
Unique xanthonoid called mangiferin.
25 different carotenoids in mango pulp, maximum Beta-carotene - yellow-orange pigmentation.
Mango
leaves - polyphenols, xanthonoids,
mangiferin and gallic acid.
§ 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-fried, stewed 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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