The wonders of Pineapple! 7 Benefits of Pineapple

The next time you cut up a pineapple, rub the leftover juice onto your clean skin with a cotton wool ball, leave for 5 minutes up to a maximum of 15 minutes, then gently wash it off and apply extra virgin coconut oil.( This only works with fresh pineapple. The enzyme papain that dissolves dead protein is not present in canned pineapple as heating destroys it.)

7 Benefits of Pineapple

1. It lessens risk of hypertension. Hypertension occurs when too much force is exerted on the artery walls while the blood circulates. One of the best ways to combat this is to infuse a high amount of potassium plus a small amount of sodium in your diet to lower blood pressure. Pineapples are the perfect for hypertension because a cup of pineapple contains about 1 mg of sodium and 195 mg of potassium.

2. It helps you lose weight! Eating pineapple can highly cut down your sweet cravings because of its natural sweetness, saving you from a lot of sugar-induced calories. Incorporating a lot of pineapple in your meals will also help a lot in weight loss because pineapples can make you feel full without giving you an ounce of fat.

3. It maintains good eye health. Time and again, studies have found that pineapples protect against age-related eye problems because it is rich in antioxidants.

4. It fights a lot of diseases, being rich in Vitamin C. Pineapples are known to be a very good source of vitamin C, which protects our bodies from free radicals that attack our healthy cells. Lots of free radicals in the body can lead to major diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and various cancers. Vitamin C is considered the most important water-soluble anti-oxidant that fights against disease-inducing substances within the body. It is also an excellent fighter against flu and a great enhancer of the immune system.

5. It prevents plaque and keeps teeth healthy. Another benefit of the high amount of vitamin C in pineapples is that it prevents formation of plaque and gum diseases.

6. It cures constipation and irregular bowel movement. Pineapple is rich in fiber, making it effective in curing constipation and irregular bowel movement.

7. It keeps your skin beautiful! Pineapple contains enzymes that make skin elastic, improve skin hydration, and remove damaged and dead cells. Thus, it helps us achieve a clear and glowing complexion. The enzymes in pineapples also fight free-radical damage and can reduce age spots and fine lines.

Health Benefits of Papaya

Exotic papaya fruit or pawpaw is jam-packed with numerous health benefiting nutrients. The fruit is one of the favorite of fruit lovers for its nutritional, digestive and medicinal properties. Papaya tree is grown extensively all over the tropical regions and cultivated for its fruits and latex papain, an enzyme that is used in food industry.

Health Benefits of Papaya

• The fruit is very low in calories (just 39 cal/100 g) and contains no cholesterol; but is a rich source of phyto-nutrients, minerals and vitamins.
• Papayas contain soft, easily digestible pulp/flesh with good amount of soluble dietary fiber that helps to have normal bowel movements; thereby reducing constipation.
• Fresh, ripe fruit is one of the fruit with highest vitamin-C content (provides about 103% of DRA, more than in oranges, or lemons). Research studies have shown that vitamin C has many important functions like free radicals scavenging, immune booster and anti-inflammatory actions.
• It is also an excellent source of Vitamin-A (provides 1094 IU/100 g ) and flavonoids like beta carotenes, lutein, zeaxanthin and cryptoxanthins. Vitamin A is also required for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin and is essential for vision. These compounds are known to have antioxidant properties; help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play role in aging and various disease processes. Consumption of natural fruits rich in carotenes known to protect body from lung and oral cavity cancers.
• Papaya fruit is also rich in many essential B-complex vitamins such as Folic acid, pyridoxine (vitamin B-6), riboflavin, and thiamin (vitamin B-1). These vitamins are essential in the sense that body requires them from external sources to replenish and play vital role in metabolism.
• Fresh papaya also contains good amount of potassium (257 mg per 100 g) and calcium. Potassium in an important component of cell and body fluids and helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure countering effects of sodium.
• Papaya has been proven to be a natural remedy for many ailments. In traditional medicine, papaya seeds are anti-inflammatory, anti-parasitic, and analgesic, and they are used to treat stomach-ache and ringworm infections.

Health Benefits of Apple

Delicious and crunchy apple fruit is one of the most popular fruit favored by health conscious, fitness freaks who believe in “health is wealth.” This wonderful fruit packed with rich phyto-nutrients that in the true sense are indispensable for optimal health. The antioxidants in apple have many health promoting and disease prevention properties; thus justifying the adage, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

Health Benefits of Apple

• Delicious and crunchy apple is one of the popular fruit that contain an impressive list of essential nutrients, which are required for normal growth and development and overall nutritional well-being.

• Apples are low in calories; 100 g of fresh fruit slices provide only 50 calories. The fruits are however, contain no saturated fats or cholesterol; but rich in dietary fiber, which helps, prevent absorption of dietary LDL cholesterol in the gut. The dietary fibers also help protect the mucous membrane of the colon from exposure to toxic substances by binding to cancer causing chemicals in the colon.

• Apple fruit contains good quantities of vitamin-C and beta-carotene. Vitamin C is a powerful natural antioxidant. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals from the body.

• Apples are rich in antioxidant phyto-nutrients flavonoids and polyphenols. The total measured anti-oxidant strength (ORAC value) of 100 g apple fruit is 5900 TE. The important flavonoids in apples are quercetin, epicatechin, and procyanidin B2. Apples are also good in tartaric acid that gives tart flavor to them. These compounds help body protect from deleterious effects of free radicals.

• In addition, apple fruit is a good source of B-complex vitamins such as riboflavin, thiamin, and pyridoxine (vitamin B-6). Together these vitamins help as co-factors for enzymes in metabolism as well as in various synthetic functions inside the body.

• Apple also contains small amount of minerals like potassium, phosphorus, and calcium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure; thus counters the bad influences of sodium.

Nutrition and Health Benefits of Mushrooms

Mushrooms Nutrition Facts

One of the best things about mushroom nutrition facts is that they are very low in calories. One cup of button mushrooms has just 15 calories, while 1 cup of Portobello mushrooms has 22 calories. Their low calorie count is just one reason mushrooms are important fat burning foods.

Mushrooms are also a fat free food, which is helpful when you need to lose weight. What’s more is that mushrooms have no cholesterol and less than 1% of your daily value of sodium. Although not a lot, mushroom nutrition facts also reveal small amounts of protein, carbohydrates and fiber which aid in fat loss.

Mushrooms may be small but nutrition facts prove that they have plenty of vitamins and minerals. One cup of mushrooms includes vitamins C, D, B6 and B12, plus large doses of riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid. These vitamins along with minerals like calcium, iron, potassium and selenium keep you fit and in good health.

Health Benefits of Mushrooms

The most sought after health benefit of mushrooms is weight loss. As a lean protein, your body already burns plenty of fat just breaking down the protein (and fiber), but when you consume foods low in fat and carbs that fat burned increases for additional fat burning.

The vitamins C, B6 and B12 found in mushrooms are responsible for boosting your immune system. This helps flush toxins out of your body that could compromise your immune system. A healthy body means you can focus more on fat burning rather than healing.

Many dieters looking to control or reduce their cholesterol add mushrooms to their diet. The fiber content in mushrooms helps lower bad cholesterol, while the low carb content helps regulate diabetes.

Nutrition and Health Benefits of Cucumbers

Cucumbers Nutrition Facts

Cucumbers are incredibly low in calories, just 16 calories per 1 cup, and have no fat, cholesterol or sodium. In addition, one serving of cucumbers has just 3 grams of carbs—enough to give you energy without pesky side effects! Cucumber nutrition facts also reveal a relatively high fiber content, which when combined with the 1 gram of protein per cup, gives cucumbers its fat burningproperties.

It’s important to note that while cucumbers do not have large quantities of vitamins and minerals in them, one small cup does provide you with small doses of nearly all essential vitamins and nutrients.

Eating one serving of cucumbers will give you vitamins A, C, K, B6 and B12 as well as folate and thiamin. Aside from salt, all minerals are present and accounted for in one cup of cucumbers, including; calcium, iron, manganese, selenium, zinc and potassium.

What this means is that although there are no nutritional rock stars, cucumber nutrition facts provide a great way to boost your daily vitamin and mineral intake.

Health Benefits of Cucumbers

Because of its high water content many health benefits of cucumber are physical, such as clear skin, reduction in under eye swelling and sunburn relief. But the water content in cucumbers is also responsible for helping rid your body of toxins that can make you sick.

Although not a fat burning superstar on its own, adding cucumber to a salad can help boost your daily fiber intake for increased fat burning for weight loss. And thanks to the water content, you’ll get the fluid you need to help process fiber. The peel of the cucumber is an excellent source of dietary fiber than can relieve constipation and protect against some types of colon cancer.

One cup of cucumbers has 16 micrograms of magnesium and 181 mg of potassium, which can help control and reduce high blood pressure. When combined with a well-balanced diet, cucumbers can help you regulate blood pressure.

Another major health benefit of cucumbers that often goes unnoticed is due to the 12% of vitamin K found in just 1 cup. This vitamin helps build bone strength, which can reduce risk of osteoporosis and arthritis.