ORGANIC FRUIT BASKETS

"Ouch! Arghh! Finally you heave a sign of relief! However, you felt a sharp pain while you were trying to release your stool. The next thing you noticed, there were tiny traces of reddish substance believed to be blood, that could be seen in the feces you had excreted. Recalling the food you ate for the day, you couldn't seem to remember any that provides clues to the existence of the substance. However, you could feel the burning sensation and acute pain when cleaning yourself. You suspected tears around your anus. Those were the details you gave to your doctor during your visit to the clinic. One of the most common questions normally asked by the doctor would be, "do you consume fruits?" The model answer given by most people would be "yes" since everyone of us know that fruits are healthy and known for their rich anti-oxidants in fighting against deadly diseases such as cancer, preventing cell damage and anti-aging properties. But again some people may think that drinking fruit juice everyday is the same as consuming fruits. This assumption has caused misinformation and many people are confused between facts and myths. Are you one of them?

Let's briefly describe the above scenario first. This scenario is one of the more common conditions that happen when one does not consume enough fiber. Constipation will definitely happen and your body will complain about the lack of fiber in your digestive system by using pain as a warning signal when you are doing your business in the toilet.

*3 Myths and Facts

Myth #1

I drink fruit juice daily. I think I am getting enough nutrients and anti-oxidants from the juices I drink everyday. I think there is no difference between consuming fruits and drinking fruit juices.

Fact

Drinking fruit juice is definitely not the same as consuming fruits. Why? This is because most of the fruit juices on the shelves of supermarkets, if not all, are pasteurised. This will mean that they possess lesser nutrients. Any fresh product, no matter how healthy it is that gets canned or packed, will lose vitamin b and potassium. When the product is exposed to air, it will start to lose its anti-oxidant qualities after about 20 minutes. You be better off eating the physical fruit instead.

Myth #2

I heard that fruit juices are high in carbohydrates and bad for health.

Fact

This is definitely misleading. Drinking fruit juice have beneficial qualities for your health. It will depend on when you drink the juices and whether the juices contains any added sugar. For example, drinking fruit juice after your workout will aid in replenishing body fluids and blood sugar, and also providing nutrients for your body. However, be careful of when you consume them as fruits contain high levels of sugar known as fructose, fruit juices contain even higher sugar due to the addition of sugar by manufacturers. This will quickly add up the calories and also causes insulin spikes detrimental to your health and weight management due to the high sugar content present. It is a sure fire way to put on weight if you consume fruit juice before bed time.

Myth #3

Since fruits are healthy, I can take medication with fruit juices instead of water.

Fact

Taking medication with any other fluids other than water is disastrous! Fruits are healthy, so are fruit juices depending on the sugar level. However, consuming medication with fruit juices is a totally different story. Certain fruit juices such as grapefruit juice can cause normal doses of medication to become toxic overdose as it causes the rate of absorption of specific medication to be absorbed quickly, while fruit juices such as orange juice may result in decreasing the effects of certain medication wiping out the beneficial effects from them.

*What you need to know when choosing fruit juices.

After clarifying some of the myths and facts about the difference between eating fruits and drinking"juices that appeared to be healthy", the following are what you need to know when choosing fruit juices. Look out for any added sugar. Choose 100% pasturised juices without any added sugar only as they are healthier. Juice concentrates contain a lot of sugar and it will definitely contribute to a higher probability of diabetes and obesity. A easy way to know how much sugar is present in the product is to look at the amount of sugar per serving. Compare the serving with this measurement, one teaspoon of sugar or one sugar cube is roughly 4 grams. You should now have a rough idea of how much sugar you will be consuming per serving.

You have the GOOD and BAD in everything. Many people are having one major doubt whether there are bad and good fruits for diabetics. Many of the diabetic patients are not convinced by any answer to this question because they have a mythical belief that the diabetics should never eat fruits at all. This belief is based on the fact that most of the fruits have sugar content. But it is baseless and not admitted by the dietitians because the fruits have nutritional value in themselves. Besides, some fruits are indeed good and needed for the diabetics.

Recent researches on diabetes declare that the diabetics should eat fruits as well as root vegetables with other foods. If the diabetics eat fruits with nuts, the fat in the nuts helps to keep the other foods consumed to stay long in the digestive system. Since the foods that contain fat or protein are slowly digested, eating fruits with nuts and unpeeled skin can control blood glucose levels. So, it is emphasized that the diabetics are benefited when they eat fruits with other foods, not alone as snacks. Fortunately, you have many fruits good for diabetics.

Good fruits for diabetics:

Foods rich in fiber are in general safe for diabetics to eat. Since they have a lower glycemic index, they don't allow the blood sugar levels to spike as those foods with high glycemic index do. This is because of the characteristics of the fiber to slash down the absorption of sugar into the blood stream. So, the fruits rich in fiber with edible skins and seeds are good fruits for the diabetes.

Fortunately, you have some healthy fruits rich in fiber content that can help controlling blood sugar. The fruits with high fiber content are apple, blueberry, and pomegranate whereas the fruits like apricot, kiwifruit and pear are comparatively low in fiber content.

Fruits with high fructose are also helping to the diabetics in the sense that fructose does not require insulin and can act independently in the human metabolism of the insulin resistant diabetics. The fruits that are high in fructose include apple, guava, pear and mango.

Raw fruits like apples are rich in pectin which is needed to improve controlling glycemic condition of the diabetics. It is also potent enough to metabolize effectively even when there is poor secretion of insulin.

Red grape is another fruit that can give all benefits to the diabetics. Grapes are good fruits for weight loss which is needed to reduce insulin resistance. You have increased benefits of fruits fiber if grapefruits are consumed just after the meal.

Bad fruits for diabetics:

Fruits with high sugar should be consumed in small servings to help controlling blood glucose. They can still be relished as part of a healthy diet meal plan. Fruits with high glucose include banana, watermelon and orange.

Fruit Jam, dried fruits and canned fruits also tend to increase blood sugar whereas consuming fresh fruits can help control blood sugar. The syrup in the canned fruits contains saturated sugar. It is safe that you eat such fruits after draining the syrup with sugar.

There are many wines considered to be 'fruit wines'. These wines are received the name as they have ingredients of different types of fruits contained in them, rather than by the use of grapes. They usually will have a name referring to the type of fruit used to make the wine. Apple wine and plum wine are good examples.

However, fruit wines will not be called 'wine' as the term wine is designated specifically as a drink made with grapes. The name of the fruit must be in front of the word wine. This is to eliminate confusion. This also includes country wine which is the Great Britain version of fruit wine and a good indication that the wine is not made from grapes.

Many people make their own fruit wine. It can be made from any type of food that is sufficiently sweet. You might have to add a little table sugar or honey for the proper amount of sucrose.

Fruit wine is not always made from fruits. It can be produced from different plant sources that are not considered to be fruits. These types of fruit wines are often made from things like rice, dandelion, flowers, and more.

Apple wine is a German fruit wine which is made from apples. This wine is called Apfelwein in Germany. This is a form of cider that has an alcoholic content of 5.5% to 7%. Some say the taste of this wine is tart and sour. Some North Americans consume a drink in the winter months called apple cider. This most often is the very same thing but does not contain the alcoholic content. Apfelwein is often sold by the jug rather than in bottles like other wines around the world.

Wine can be produced with most fruits and berries around the world in cooler climates. It depends on the types and the amount of fermentable sugars contained inside of the fruits. Some fruits that have excessive levels of citric and malic acid can be fermented also.

Fruit wines usually need to be consumed at least a year after they are produced. These are not wines that get better as they age because of the fermentation issues. Because fruits most often need added sugars to make fruit wines these are not the natural sugars grapes have. They do not ferment the same and often need things like phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium added, which only allow the flavor to last for approximately one year.

There are many different fruits used to make fruit wines. The fruits that make the best fruit wines are elderberries, plums, peaches, blackberries, huckleberries, blackcurrants, and pomegranates. These fruit wines resemble grape wines and taste very similar.

Fruit wines are made from other fruits such as apricot, bananas, cherries, pineapple guava, and blueberries. Wines can also be made from flowers such as hibiscus, elderberry, and dandelions. Vegetables such as potatoes, rhubarb, and parsnip are also used to make fruit wines.