The 3 Best Healthy Fruits For Winter Health
By Shanna Ohmes 
For seasonal eating, winter foods are generally more focused on vegetables and meat-based soups and stews. There are 3 fruits that are in season and are good for you all winter. These fruits will keep your immune system boosted to fight off the colds and flu and various other ailments.
• Apples-full of antioxidants, fiber, flavonoids, and vitamin C, an apple a day really can keep the doctor away. Apples protect against lung cancer and asthma. They are in season from the end of summer through early winter. Whole apples are better for you than apple juice. They are richer in the fiber your body needs to process the natural sugars in the fruit. Modern juice processing reduces polyphenolic phytonutrients that are found in the whole fruit. Enjoy apples raw, sauté with cabbage, onions and raisins or baked with butter and cinnamon for an easy healthy dessert.
• Oranges-vitamin C, B1, fiber and folate rich. Oranges lower high blood pressure and cholesterol. They phytonutrients that fight inflammation are found in the inner white pulp and in the peel, not the orange flesh. High vitamin C content in the orange flesh reduces inflammation associated conditions like osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma and colon cancer. Oranges boost your immune system to prevent colds and earaches. They also protect the heart. Enjoy oranges as a snack or simmer orange segments with sweet potatoes and winter squash in orange juice. Serve sprinkled with walnuts.
• Grapefruit-rich in vitamin C, A, B5, fiber, potassium and folate. Grapefruit shares many of the same cold and cancer fighting properties as oranges. Grapefruit is also rich in lycopene which helps protect against prostate cancer and fights tumors. Limonoids in grapefruit fight mouth, skin, breast, lung, colon and stomach cancers. Grapefruits help detoxify your body of carcinogens and repair your DNA. Enjoy grapefruits in a fruit salsa or plain with raw honey or natural cane sugar.
Don't neglect your body's need for vitamin C during the winter. And don't let the holidays derail your healthy eating plan. Just incorporate these fruits into your daily diet and celebrations and your body will thank you.
©2009 Shanna Ohmes
Want to know more about how to boost your immune system? Traditional diets and how to prepare them, healthy fats, herbal remedies and debunking health myths are some of the subjects covered in The Natural Living Site Newsletter at http://thenaturallivingsite.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shanna_Ohmes |
