Top Health Tricks You Wish You'd Known All Along
PICK OF THE CROP
How do I keep fruits and vegetables from losing nutrients before cooking?
When selecting fruits, choose the healthiest looking. If possible, check the box the fruit originally was shipped in to see whether it was graded US "Grade No.1, or at lest had a USAD stamp. To preserve nutritional quality of frozen fruits, leave them in their original packaging material. This will reduce the risk of exposure to air, which might result in a loss of flavor and cause discoloration.
Bruised areas on fruits mean that the sensitive inner flesh has been exposed to air, oxidation has taken place, and the vitamin C content has been lost. Brown discoloration of the flesh can be reduced if you slice bananas, apples, plums, and peaches with a stainless-steel knife and then either combine them with any citrus fruit or sprinkle them with a lemon or pineapple juice. The citric acid from the lemon or pineapple neutralizes the effects of oxidation.
GETTING RESULTS
How does baking soda affect the vegetables and fruits that I cook?
Baking soda added to the cooking water will help vegetables retain their color, but will also cause them to lose texture and vitamins. To keep the color, cook vegetables for no more than 5 to 7 minutes.
SOFT TOUCH FOR SOFT SKINS
What is the best way to preserve the vitamins in my fruits and vegetables?
Because they have soft skins, most fruits and vegetables easily lose their nutrients. It takes very little to bruise them or to damage their flesh -- even air, heat, and light have their effects. When cooking and preparing produce, it is best to leave it in the largest possible pieces until you are ready to serve it. Exposing the surface of any fruit or vegetable will cause nutrients to be lost immediately, and the longer the surfaces are exposed, the greater the nutritional loss. Surprisingly, the vitamin C in some fruits can be completely lost in less than one hour of exposure to air.
PECTIN A.K.A. SOLUBLE FIBER
The nutrition buzzword these days is pectin. Studies report that pectin, also called soluble fiber, has the ability to lower LDL (bad cholesterol) levels and is being used to treat bowel diseases. These studies may well be valid, and pectin supplement sales are on the rise. There are, however, many natural sources for pectin. Some of them are soybeans, figs, orange, chestnuts, pear, potato, sweet potato, brussels sprouts, apple, papaya, broccoli, banana, strawberries, tomato, lima beans, hazelnuts, carrot, pistachios, peach, peas, almonds, walnuts, green beans, summer squash, grapefruit, and spinach.
TO REFRIGERATE OR NOT?
The majority of fruits and vegetables handle cold fairly well. Naturally enough, exceptions are tropical fruits, whose cells are just not used to the cold. Bananas will suffer cell damage and release a skin-browning chemical, avocados don't ripen when stored below 45 degrees Fahrenheit and oranges will develop brown spotted skin. These fruits (bananas, avocados, and all citrus), as well as squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, bell peppers, and pineapples, are best stored at 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Most other vegetables, including lettuce, carrots, and cabbage, prefer 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Humidity is also an important factor. Most fruits and vegetables should be stored in the fridge crisper bins, which will prevent them from drying out.
DOUBLING UP
Any salad that has a dairy product in a dressing should be kept cold. The easiest method is to place a a larger bowl with ice or dry ice under the food dish. This will keep the salad cold enough to so bacteria growth will be slowed while it is out of the fridge.
STORING TOMATOES
Don't put tomatoes in the fridge, which stops ripening cold. Keep them stem-side down in a cool place, spaced so that they're not touching.
WAX COATS
A thin coating wax on fruits and vegetables helps seal in some moisture, which not only extends storage life but also reduces weight loss, thus assuring, a higher profit to greengrocers. A secondary benefit to markets is that wax gives produce an appealing sheen. Another drawback is that wax makes it more difficult to clean the produce, which is especially troublesome if pesticide residues lurk under the wax.
THE BROWN BAG TRICK
Fruit normally gives off ethylene gas, which hastens ripening. Some fruits give off more gas than others and so ripen faster. Other fruits are picked before they are ripe and need a bit of help. If an unripe fruit is placed in a brown paper bag, the ethylene gas it gives off does not dissipate into the air but is trapped and concentrated, causing the fruit to ripen faster.
PREVENTING BROWNING
Fruits contain phenolic compound that turns the exposed flesh brown when the fruit's skin is broken by cutting or biting into it. This happens fairly rapidly, especially to apples bananas, pears, potatoes, and avocados. The browning is caused by the enzyme polyphenoloxidase, which causes the phenolic compound in the cells to oxidize. This is similar to the action that occurs when your skin is exposed to the sun's rays. (Citrus fruits and melons lack the enzyme, but if these fruits are allowed to sit out with their flesh exposed to oxygen for any length of time, they will turn brown through normal oxidation.
The browning can be slowed down by refrigerating the fruit at 40 degrees Fahrenheit. However, boiling destroys the enzyme. Salt will also slow down the enzyme but will negatively affect the flavor. Placing the fruit in cold water will slow the process by keeping the surface from the air. Brushing lemon juice on the cut surface or dipping the fruit in acidulated water (water mixed with lemon juice or vinegar) also works well.
CAN VITAMIN C SURVIVE IN COMMERCIALLY PREPARED JUICES?
The methods of preparation and packaging will determine the level of vitamin C that remains in a a commercial juice. Frozen orange juice loses only about 2 percent of it s vitamin C over three months of home-freezer storage. If the juice is sold in glass bottles, it will retain almost 100 percent of its vitamin C; however, if it is stored in plastic or waxed cardboard containers, oxygen will pass through the container and reduce the potency of the vitamin C over time. Your best bet is to buy fresh-squeezed orange juice, if possible. Those in norther climes, though , cannot knw how long it's been since the oranges were harvested or how long they've been in transit from the groves to the store. All commercial bottled juices are pasteurized, and natural enzymes are killed by the heat.
CAN PRUNES REALLY RELIEVE CONSTIPATION?
Prunes contain the organic chemical dihydroxyphenyl statin, which is a relative of another compound, Bisacodyl, that is the active ingredient in some over-the-counter laxatives. Bisacodyl tends to increase the secretion of fluids in the bowel and will stimulate contractions of the intestines, thereby pushing waste material on its way. Prunes are also a good source of minerals and a natural laxative is almost always better for you than a laboratory-produced chemical concoction.
WHAT IS THE CHINESE LANTERN FRUIT?
The fruit is Physalis Peruviana, which is a round berry encased in a pod that resembles a Chinese lantern. It is also known as the Cape gooseberry and is used as an ornamental garden plant. The berry is cultivated in South Africa and Peru and is an extremely rich source of Vitamin A as well as an excellent source of Vitamin C.
HAIRY FRUIT?
The rambutan is ne of the most unusual-looking pieces of fruit you will ever see. It is oval, about three to four inches long, is crimson red -- and is covered with what looks like hair. The name of the fruit comes from the Malayan word for hairy. The skin, however, is harmless and peels off easily and the fruit is usually sold in cans. Look for it in the Asian markets. Its taste is slightly acidic, like grape.
PUCKER UP!
If you have ever bitten into an unripe piece of fruit or tried eating a lemon, or even taken a sip of strong tea, you have experienced a quality known as astringency. Astringency causes dryness of the mouth and puckering and constricting of the lips. This is just how your mouth feels as it comes in contact with a class of phenolic compounds called tannins. The tannins affect the protein in the saliva and mucous membranes of the mouth, causing puckering.
WHAT IS THE OLDEST KNOWN CITRUS FRUIT?
The oldest known citrus fruit, the citron, originated in Hadhramaut, which is located in a mountainous region of the Arabian peninsula. And for reasons lost to history, the citron was cultivated as a sacred fruit at Nippur, the religious capital of the Sumerians.
Too sour for eating raw, citron is grown for its thick peel, which is candied and used in baking. The fruit itself looks like a yellow-green, knobby lemon and may be sold in a variety of sizes, depending on the country where it is grown. There are a number of varieties, one of which is the Etrog, used in Jewish festival called the Feast of the Tabernacle. If you happen to live in a part of the county were citrus is grown, you may find citron at farmers market.
WHAT IS FEIJOA?
The feijoa is a small. green-skinned fruit with a taste similar to that of a guava. It has black seeds and a cream to tan pulp. This fruit is popular in the southwestern US as well as in South American and New Zealand. The New Zealand crop is available from spring to early summer; California's crop is in stores in the fall.
ACEROLA
The acerola, also called Barbados cherry or pitanga, is a fruit that resembles a cherry. Too sour to be eaten raw, acerolas grown on thick bushes that are used as hedges in some hot climates. The fruit is native to Brazil and has become very popular in Florida. Nutritionists believe it may be the richest fruit source of vitamin C. There are approximately 4,000 milligrams of vitamin C in 3.5 ounces of the fruit.
WHAT IS A MOG INSPECTOR?
Grapes that are shipped from vineyards to wineries are routinely checked for MOG (material other than grapes). The people who perform these inspections are called MOG Inspectors they look mainly for leaves rocks and snakes. and when these items are found, the vineyard is fined.
WHAT IS A JACKFRUIT?
This is the largest fruit known to exist. It can measure up to three feet long and 20 inches across. and can weigh up to 1oo pounds or 40 kg. It has a green colored skin with pointed warts and large seed that can be roasted and are similar to chestnut. The seeds are high in calcium and contain protein. Jackfruit is indigenous to India and East Africa.
BABACO AS A MEAT TENDERIZER
A recent arrival in the supermarkets is the tropical fruit babaco which is indigenous to Ecuador, A relative of papaya, it has a golden yellow skin when ripe and pale yellow flesh. Unlike papaya, the babaco has no pips and the skin is edible. Babaco is high in vitamin C has a low sugar content and contains the enzyme papain that is used as a meat tenderizer.
