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Which one is Cantaloupe?
Cantaloupe of United States are actually the reticulated muskmelon. They have netted skin and strong sent.
European counterpart is considered as true cantaloupe! They have smooth gray green skin.
Cantaloupe originated in India and Africa and entered Europe eventually.
The name is given after papal gardens of Armenia, as some historians belief that it is first grown in Papal Garden.
Columbus introduced Cantaloupe to North America in 1494 and since the it is one of the popular melon in the United States.
An average sized cantaloupe has 100 calories and still is sweet!
Cantaloupe contains beta carotene, lutein, zea-xanthin and cryptoxanthin. It gives protection from cancer for the organs- colon, prostate, breast, lung, endometrium and pancreas.
Image credit: Image by PublicDomainImages from Pixabay (Free for commercial use)
Imagine six different types of fruits all on one tree! Yes, it is possible and existing. These trees are multi grafted trees of different fruit types from the same botanical family on one tree.
All the fruits retain their own characters like flavor, taste, appearance and ripening time. These trees can be grown in pot or in the ground.
They can be grown in balcony or backyard too and suited for all climates.
James and Kerry West grow in Australia, sell three different types of fruit salad trees. Each of these trees bears several different types of fruits.
Fruits in Stone fruit: Peaches, Plums Apricots, Nectarines and Peachcots. These trees are available for all climates.
Fruits in dwarf Citrus range include: Lemons, Limes, Mandarins, Oranges, Tangelos, Pomelos, Grapefruits, Lemonades.
Fruits in apple range include: Red, green, yellow apples. These trees are available for both warm and cold climates.
How these fruit salad trees are made? Grafting is a plant propagation technique that unites the tissues of two or more plants. These tissues grow and act as one single plant. Root stock & scion are these parts. Scion bears fruits, flowers and leaves. In Florida, most oranges trees have lemon root stock and in California lemon trees have orange roots. One citrus salad tree can have lemons, limes, grapefruit, tangerines, kumquats and oranges all ripening on its branches at the same time. For more information on our Stone fruit trees, click on the tree below.
Miracle fruits are botanically known as Synsepalum dulcificum.
It is a small red berry fruit.
It is called miracle fruit because it is known to help cancer patients treated with chemotherapy to taste and enjoy the flavor of foods again.
It is native to Ghana, Africa. It has less or low sugar content and mildly sweet.
It contains unique glycoprotein called miraculin that binds to the taste receptor and alters the natural flavor of foods in a good way. It masks the overwhelming metallic taste of the food that a cancer patient experience after chemotherapy. Chemotherapy causes extreme nausea and patient can develop aversion toward eating and result in weight loss. Eating miracle fruit helps them to get taste bud back and they can enjoy food. It reverses weight loss and boost immune system and helps to recover.
Miracle fruit can improve insulin sensitivity and might use as an adjuvant for treating diabetic patients with insulin resistance. It naturally reduces sugar intake.
In 1970s miracle fruit was classified as food additive by FDA!
It binds the tastes receptor and enhances the experience of eating sour fruits or items. The duration of this taste bud effect will vary by individual and the quantity of the fruit they consumed. It lasts about an hour.
Berries, freeze dried granules and tablets are the different forms of miracle fruits available in market. One berry or 1 gram of granules or one tablet – all these have similar effect. After consuming the miracle fruit in any of these form sour foods and bitter foods tastes sweet!
More than 100 billion bananas are eaten throughout the world in a year!
In botanical terms bananas are berries. This popular edible variety cannot be grown by seeds.
A cluster of banana is called hand and single on is finger.
Bananas get artificially ripened after shipping to distributions to get one of seven banana shades. Bananas are too delicate to ship ripened. For this reason, distribution facilities use extremely precise storage technology to ripen the bananas before sending to market. The most popular shades depend on retailer’s size and target market. In Western markets people does not like fully ripened bananas and they like it be greener and half ripened. Whereas Latin Americans and Asians like full yellow color bananas. Depending on consumers presence and demand in the store bananas would be ripened and sold.
Grapefruit cannot be taken with certain medications
Did you know? Grapefruit can cause dangerous reactions with some prescription medications.
Grapefruits are sub-tropical fruits and are semi sweet.
Grapefruit is one of the best food to eat at breakfast. It is portable and makes a great snack with less calories and high in water content.
People who take prescription medications should take extra caution if consuming this fruit in diet. Grapefruit can inhibit an enzyme in our intestine. The enzyme CYP3A4 that plays a key role in breaking down certain medications in our body. Consumption of grapefruit can be life threatening as it inactivates the enzymes that is necessary for drugs to release and absorb in the body if taken along with these drugs. Reason for this is grapefruit contains chemicals called furanocoumarins/ naringenin that inhibit this enzyme without which human gut cannot control medicine absorption and drug level in blood can increase.
Grapefruit also contains lycopene that is present in tomato. Lycopene is responsible for its pink color.
Tropical pictures always will have pineapple representing the weather condition to make a place more attractive.
Back in 1700s pineapples used be very expensive and American colonists would rent a pineapple and carry it around a party to show their wealth!
Did you know these facts about pineapple?
Pineapple is one of the beautiful fruit plant in the world. It has spikes and thorns and outer structure of the fruit resembles pine cone, hence Europeans called them “pineapples”.
Pineapple is a bunch of fruitlets and is a berry. Young, baby fruit has amazing texture and pretty.
Flowers of pineapple is very pretty and plants can be grown as ornamental plant. Purple and pink combination makes it very attractive.
Eating pineapple with salt makes it to taste much sweeter. It reduces the sourness and bitterness of the fruit.
Once harvested growth of pineapple stops or it stops ripening. Only the color of fruit outside might change.
The sweetest part of pineapple is its outermost flesh that is close to the skin.
Color of pineapple varies depending on the location of its growth. A green pineapple can be as sweet and as delicious as yellow pineapple.
Bromelain is the compound that is present in pineapple and it is also rich in Vitamin C.
Good news for animal lovers and vegans! As per the report released by The Economists in its annual “The world in 2019” magazine Year 2019 is going to “the year of the vegan”!
2019 Year of the vegan for various good reasons!
In its report The Economists cited that 25% of United State population in the 25 to 34 old demographics name themselves as vegan. The number of vegan population is growing worldwide. Thousands of popular individual restaurants and restaurant chains are including vegan dishes in their menu. Popular chains like McDonald’s and TGI Fridays have introduced vegan and plant-based food options in their menu and has become popular. Whole foods and Kroger of US both are promoting plant-based foods and Kroger predicts vegan foods will be one of the tip five food trends.
Number of schools and hospitalsare required to offer vegan food as the demand for plant-based food is increasing with awareness health benefits of vegan diet. American Medical Association urged hospital to have and serve more plant-based foods. In fact, many well-known meat companies (e.g. Tyson company) are holding equity in vegan brands as the popularity and demand for vegan food is overwhelmingly increasing! In US alone sales of vegan foods rose ten times within 6 months period (January to June 2018). Over the past decade vegan diet has seen consistent growth due to millennials and vegetarians who decided to eat only plant-based food. Earlier this year NBC reported that Google searches for vegan is increased by 33% in 2015-2016. Veganism in US has increased by 600 percent since 2014! The growth is global because, many countries including Canada and Australia also find a big jump population that adopted veganism. In Australia vegan products sale increased 92 percent since 2014.
According to author John Parker “Interest in a way of life in which people eschew not just meat and leather, but all animal products including eggs, wool and silk is soaring, especially among millennials” Generation Z, those born between 1995 and 2005 are more into plant-based foods than earlier generation! Both generation Z and millennials are responsible for an increase in percent of vegan diet growth in past decade. As this generation grow and start families, it is expected growth in veganism. Similarly, plant-based proteins production also to make up third of the global protein market in upcoming years. Vegan milk product sales had risen 9 percent compared to earlier year and reached $1.6 billion. In addition, vegan cream, vegan cheese sale increased 43%. Bakeries are moving away from egg cakes to vegan cakes as the taste is as good as egg-based cakes.
This is a great news not just for plant lovers but also for all animals who suffer from unbelievable cruelty of humans – chained, filthy cages, mutilations, slaughtering!
New year around the corner and if you want to feel best with your health it is time to switch to plant based food. Plant based foods offer lot of health benefits and it is proven. There are thousands of healthy recipes available and changing to healthy plant-based foods will help us to be guilty and cruelty free life.
When the red blood cells (RBC) count decreases below normal for your child’s age, in medical terms it is known as anemia. Anemia makes child appear pale, tired, weak. Child becomes cranky and inactive. Parents need to be aware of these symptoms and take preventive action to get back RBC to normal count in child.
Hemoglobin, a protein that makes RBC to carry and deliver oxygen to body parts. During anemic condition, this main work by RBC suffers due to insufficient number of RBC and associated hemoglobin. This supplies less oxygen to brain and child’s activity and learning ability reduces.
What causes anemia in children? Generally, children get anemic during their rapid growth and developmental stage. Infants in first and second year and when children reach adolescence anemic condition can happen.
Body does not produce enough RBC due to lack of iron and other nutrients in diet. Iron deficiency is the most common reason for anemia in children
When child suffers from illness- this results in less number of RBC
Autoimmune hemolytic anemia – when body’s immune system mistakenly attacks own RBC and destroys
Bleeding – obvious blood loss during menstrual cycle or long term low grade blood loss in stool (as an example)
Body producing red blood cells slowly
Iron deficit food intake
Symptoms of anemia:
Irritability
Weakness – mild or severe
Ashy, gray or pale skin appearance
Easily getting tired
Eyelids lining and nail beds look less pink
May be jaundice
Shortness of breath
Increased heart rate or rapid heart rate
Feet and hands swelling
Low energy, dizziness
Less focus and less performance (ability to learn)
Headache
Pica behavior: Children with anemia may eat strange things such as clay, dirt, corn starch, raw rice, ice. It is called pica. It is temporary behavior. If your child tries to make this as part of daily meal then it is a problem. Usually pica behavior stops with anemia treatment.
Chronic iron deficiency in long term can lead to permanent impairment of child’s development.
Detection of anemia:
Iron test: Total serum iron and ferritin tests helps to determine whether anemia is due to iron deficiency
Hemoglobin electrophoresis: Identifies any abnormal hemoglobin types and inherited forms of anemia (sickle cell, thalassemia etc)
Bone marrow aspiration : To determine the production of blood cells bone marrow test helps. It is also used to see leukemia type of condition that might be reason for anemia.
Reticulocyte count: Counting young RBC that helps to see whether RBC production is at normal levels.
How to prevent anemia in children?
Eating well balanced diet is very important. Talk to your pediatrician on specific foods and dietary restrictions based on the type of diet your family has. Sometimes nutrition supplements is needed for child to get back to normal RBC count.
If you have a baby, give your baby formula with added iron. Ask your doctor about proper baby formula.
For young children grains and cereals have added iron – for this study the label.
Lentils, Instant oatmeal, spinach, whole wheat bread, peanut butter, brown rice, potatoes, beans (kidney, lima and navy), raisin, spinach, kale, beets, fig – yellow and green vegetables supply good amount of iron
Encourage your child to drink citrus and orange juice. Vitamin C that is present in these juices increases iron absorption.
Foods like beets, garlic, apricots, almonds, broccoli, molasses, banana helps in prevention of anemia
For those children, who have inherited RBC condition – parents should talk to pediatric hematologist to get proper education about your child’s condition.
When you observe the symptoms or signs of anemia in your child, talk to pediatrician. Find out the reason for anemia. With proper treatment child will recover quickly.
