As far as fruits go, the horned melon or kiwano is about the strangest looking one having spikes on its skin. It has no connection to kiwi fruit and is more akin to the cucumber. When ripe the horned melon is a bright orange. An antioxidant fruit juice can be made with the pulp and seeds in a blender. For a special treat the pulp can be used as a topping for ice cream, sorbets or yogurt. Kiwano can be stored for up to 10 days at room temperature, however in the refrigerator it can be kept for some weeks. When chilled it is much more flavorful.
Research shows that because this melon can be grown and thrive in dry regions it can help with the diets for people in Africa and other places in the underdeveloped world. The kiwano is a source of vitamin C, potassium and iron. Other things found in the kewano are magnesium, phosphorous, zinc calcium and sodium. It also contains linoleic acid an omega 6 fatty acid necessary for health.
While vitamin C in fruits benefits the immune system, two of the antioxidants found in the melon are a-tocopherol and y-tocopherol, forms of vitamin E antioxidant. Vitamin E helps the body in many ways including skin, heart, muscles, nerves and red blood cells. All good reasons to know which fruits are good antioxidants.
Vitamin E fights against free radicals which can cause heart disease and some cancers. The seeds and pulp contain vitamin A. It has been shown that vitamin A may help mend DNA perhaps slowing the aging process. The horned melon or kiwano is packed with many things essential to our health.
Buy Melissa’s Fresh Horned Melons, Set of 4
Seabuckthorn berries are also known and the ‘wonder berry.’ No wonder. With more than 190 active compounds more than 60 antioxidants with a high antioxidant ORAC score of foods value the berry is of great quality. It also contains 4-100 times the vitamin C of any vegetable or antioxidant rich fruit.
A native of Russia, Mongolia and China where it was used as medicine for stomach, circulation and respiratory problems. Today it is used in juice as well as athletic antioxidant fruit juice drinks, jellies, ice cream, cosmetics and medicines. A clinical study was done on 30 subjects that had peptic ulcer disease. A regime of seabuckthorn in supplemental form for a month showed to be effectual for 96.7 percent of those tested and 76.6 percent were cured. It also shows promise in revitalizing those with mucosa issues.
Considered one of the newly called ‘superfruits’ seabuckthorn berries are certainly highly beneficial. A condensed list of the 190 nutrients found in buckthornberries include; vitamins A, B1, C, D, P, Omega 3, and 9 among others, 42 Lipids, Folic Acids, Flavonoids, Terpenes, Tannins and 20 mineral elements as well as several other nutrients.
The antioxidants found in seabuckthorn help fight cell damage caused by free radicals, are anti aging, help in cell reproduction, help maintain a healthy immune system and promote healthy skin and hair. Seabuckthorn is certainly a ‘wonder berry.’
Buy seabuckthorn berry products online:
Thank you to Larabar for sending us their new line of pea protein based bars – the ALT bars. They have fruit and nuts, but also pea protein, making them have 10g of protein per bar.
1 bar is the equivalent
of 1/4 cup of fruit.
They are:
- Gluten Free
- Dairy Free
- Non-GMO
- Kosher
- Vegan
I liked this flavor – but I also like the taste of Pumpkin Pie and I wouldn’t say that it tastes like Pumpkin Pie, per say – but it’s got a good flavor to it with a heavy peanut taste, which I like.
Ingredients include: dates, peas, peanuts, brown rice syrup, brown rice flour, dried pumpkin, sunflower oil and spice.
Here’s our review video that will give you more of an idea of what the bar looks like:
You can buy Larabar products on Amazon.
We received the Larabar ALT Pumpkin Pie Fruit and Nut Bar from the manufacturer. Receiving the free product did not influence this review.
In a perfect world, everyone would have a dragon fruit plant growing on their own property. Unfortunately, this exotic and beautiful plant can’t be grown everywhere. It is primarily native to Central and South America and requires a temperate climate to flourish. This makes sense since the plant is a member of the cactus family and cannot handle exposure to frost very well.
The dragon fruit is interesting because it resembles a tree but is actually many different large vines growing from one stem. This, coupled with its luxurious white and red sweet flesh, gives the plant a unique look. If you wish to learn how to grow dragon fruit at your own home, you must first decide whether you want to grow it from a seed, seedling, or younger plant. The stage at which you take up growing it will decide how you handle the plant.
If you want to grow the fruit from seeds, you should have some previous experience doing this with other plants. You’ll want to either buy packaged seeds or harvest some from a fully grown dragon fruit. Once you have the seeds, plant them in shallow, well-drained soil. Use a plastic covering to keep the area moist and you should see a sprout in two weeks.
If you’re starting with seedlings, make sure you transplant them to pots that are large enough to give the fruit room to grow. These pots should have holes at the bottom for proper drainage, and you need to use rich soil for this. Keep the temperature at moderate levels and make sure to stake the plant as soon as you can to provide better support for when the vines grow. If done properly, the plant will grow healthy.
If you want to use a cutting to grow the fruit, simply cut off a vine from a mature plant and plant it in a pot of soil. Growing dragon fruit in this manner is rather easy. Voila, you’ll have a flowering plant within a year’s time!
Dragon Fruit Uses
Rose hip, rose haw and rose hip are one in the same and is a fruit produced by the rose plant. Rose hips form after the flowers have been pollinated in spring and early summer. They ripen in summer and autumn. There are many ways to enjoy this fruit which is high in antioxidants having an antioxidants ORAC score of foods rating of 96,150 humongous.
This antioxidant rich fruit is used in jams, jellies, syrup, soups, beverages, pies, breads, wine and marmalade. Eating them raw is also enjoyable as they can be eaten like berries. Watch out though as they have little hairs inside of them which can be avoided with care.
Interestingly this fruit is used to make Cockta, a soft drink made in Slovenia. The famous food expert Euell Gibbons would slice a rose hip in half and then stuff it with wild raspberries for a great treat. A soup known as ‘nyponsoppa’ is enjoyed in Sweden which is also made with rose hips.
Medicinally rose hips are loaded with vitamin C in fruits which benefits a strong immune system. During World War II, Britons were encouraged to gather wild rose hips to make a syrup rich with vitamin C for children as citrus was scarce. Also there is plenty of lycopene in rose hips which is also found in abundance in tomatoes and pink grapefruit.
Rose hip is available in supplement for and may help with depression and insomnia.
Rose Hips – Whole 16oz
The Aronia berry is a well-kept secret with few people realizing just how wonderful this fruit is. The berries of the plant are typically red, black, or purple in color and are found throughout woods with heavier rainfall and swamps in North America. One of the reasons you won’t usually find them in the fresh produce section of your local grocery store is that they are not eaten raw; however, they can be used to make wine, jam, juice, and tea. They are even used to change the color of various beverages or add a bit of extra flavor to yogurt. When eaten plain, these berries tend to make your lips pucker up and your mouth feel a bit dry. Because of this effect, they are also referred to as chokeberries, not to be confused with chokecherries. While it is not advised to eat most of the types of the berry raw, the red ones are a bit sweeter and are easier to eat without any extra preparation.
One of the wonderful aspects of the plant that produces the berry itself is that it is able to reproduce on its own. This means that all you need is one plant to produce the fruit! The reason this is so remarkable is because Aronia berry benefits go above and beyond the benefits that most fruits provide. This berry has strong antioxidant properties, which means that eating it regularly can reduce your risk of diseases caused by oxidative stress, such as cancer of the colon, heart disease, and liver failure. In addition, the fruit is a great source of vitamin C.
You might be wondering how this fruit can be so powerfully healthy. The main reason for the berry’s antioxidant properties is the dense amount of anthocyanins contained in it, which is the reason for the black chokeberry‘s color. These anthocyanins, which are phytochemicals, contain three separate chemicals responsible for antioxidant properties. They also cause the berry to have an astringent taste to ward off pests, so while some may find the taste unpleasant, it serves a legitimate purpose. Without the taste, this fruit would not be as rewarding to the health of humans as it is.
The Dragon Fruit is different in appearance from what we would call normal fruit as it is oblong. Today it is cultivated in Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia and Vietnam although it was grown Central America originally. The properties of the flowers of the dragon fruit are fascinating in that they bloom and night as opposed to the daytime, thus they are known as Moonflowers. The dragon fruit is an antioxidant rich fruit that contains many various antioxidants. The red dragon fruit has an antioxidant ORAC score of foods value of 7.59 while the white dragon fruit has a 2.96 value.
Dragon fruit is also very high in fiber which is essential to healthy bowel movements. It also has very high protein levels which help with metabolism and helps production of hormones and enzymes. High in vitamin C in fruits for benefits, the dragon fruit helps to heal wounds and fortify the immune system. Other vitamins included are B1 for energy, B3 for diabetic patients and vitamin B12 which affects the appetite favorably. Phosphorus and calcium are also prevalent. These help in bone and teeth health along with helping cell development and the formation of tissue.
In studies dragon fruit has been known to reduce the insulin requirement for Type 1 diabetes and to reduce blood sugar levels in Type 2 diabetes patients. Daily intake of dragon fruit is purported to help with coughs and asthma in both adults and children.
Have you heard about the antioxidant power of the best superfruits? Chances are unless you have been living in a cave or under a rock I the middle of nowhere, you at least of heard of these increasingly popular powerhouses of energy. Antioxidants help regulate and improve many of the body’s systems from skin care to heart health to the preventions of diseases such as cancer.
So where can we find these amazing natural minerals and enzymes? Simple, many fruits are chalk full of these. What are good antioxidant fruits and what fruits have the highest antioxidants content? There is a wealth of delicious and versatile fruits that can provide you with the antioxidants you need.
Which fruit has antioxidants? A short list of the more popular sources include: blueberry, pomegranate, cherry, passion fruit, lychee, aronia, acai berry, and more! How can you even begin to wade through the ocean of information that is available about these and other super fruits?
A good place to start is by finding a handful of guides that can help walk you through and helps introduce you to the world of antioxidants. One such guide book is “The Antioxidant Miracle: Put Lipoic Acid, Pycnogenol, and Vitamins E and C to Work for You.”
Blackberries are one of the more popular fruits in the United States at least. Most of us have tried them and know how tasty they are… but what do we really know about their health benefits? It is likely we have indulged in them so much merely because they are delicious, completely unaware of the good that they serve us!
You may be wondering what makes the blackberry so healthy anyway. The blackberry plant is a great source of antioxidants. Their Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity or ORAC is incredibly high at 2036 units of antioxidants per 100 grams of blackberries, which is simply amazing. The antioxidants present in ripe blackberries are polyphenols and anthocyanins, which neutralize free radicals within the brain. These free radicals could otherwise cause damage to your health in a multitude of different ways. Research institutes across the world advise reducing your risk for many diseases by regularly taking in antioxidants.
The fact that blackberries are one of many antioxidant fruits is not the only reason to continue to consume the fruit. They also have a high amount of vitamin E in them, which can help fix skin problems like wrinkles and dark spots. Blackberries contain quite a bit of vitamin C too, which will give your immune system a much-needed boost. Even the stem, roots, and leaves of the blackberry plant have many uses. They contain tannic acid, which is able to serve as a natural analgesic against pain. You can dry these parts and make tea from them.
A single cup of blackberries contains far more nutrients than most foods out there. Eating them raw is the most recommend method for consuming them so that the cooking process doesn’t break down any of the nutrients. Better throw some blackberries on that salad for good measure!
For more information on the blackberry, check out these links:
