DECEMBER'S CHALLENGE...

So... it's long overdue that I got sporty... with a proper running program planned for January, I thought I would start small... with 20 minutes of exercise 5 days a week... I think it is do-able... of course someone has already claimed that I won't be able to skip for a solid minute even... yeah you know how much I love someone betting against me *punches palm* "Bring it" *cries... palm hurts*

:) wish me luck! the idea is to start tomorrow morning!!! :) will keep you posted.

End of the Challenge

So.... eating 5 portions of fruit and veg a day is not easy to maintain... most days I did OK, I am thankful for the extra awareness of adding good portions of fruit and veg into meals... thanks for the support and minimal butt-kicking.... I must beg for more nagging and butt-kicking in December... details to follow...

Z is for....

Zucchini

Have I eaten any of these before?
love zucchini :)

Hero of the day?
Zucchini :)

Benefits:

• High in Vit C
• Full of water
• Low in calories

http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/8-health-benefits-of-zucchini.html
http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/benefits-of-zucchini-1313.html
http://len7288.hubpages.com/hub/Health-Benefits-of-Zucchini

Y is for....

Yali pears
Yam


Have I eaten any of these before?
Yam! aka the yummy sweet potato :)

Hero of the day?
Obviously, the yam... USA just had Thanksgiving, so it seems fitting.

Benefits:

• rich in potassium 
• relatively low in calories and have no fat
• rich in Vit A

http://homecooking.about.com/od/foodhealthinformation/a/swpotatohealth.htm
http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=64

X is for....

Xigua (type of watermellon)
Xylocarp (type of coconut)
Ximenia (type of plum)

Have I eaten any of these before?
No! and doubt any of you have either!

Hero of the day?
Xigua... this is a small asian watermellon... benefits are obviously the same as average watermellon. Cooless factor comes in because it looks like they can be grown square.... that's crazy :)

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_a_xigua

W is for....

Watercress
Watermelon
Winter melon

Have I eaten any of these before?
Yes... well... maybe not winter melon...

Hero of the day?
Watermellon... cos it fun! Go Summer!!!

Benefits:

• Packed full of vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin B6
• Full of water (duh)
• Antioxidant action
• One site claims it works like Viagra... (no comment)

Nom... nom... nom....


Links:
http://www.medindia.net/patients/patientinfo/watermelon-health-facts.htm
http://www.howstuffworks.com/watermelon3.htm
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/surprising-health-benefits-of-watermelon.html

V is for....

Vanilla
Velvet Tamarind

Have I eaten any of these before?
Vanilla yes... velvet whatnots... no...

Hero of the day?
Obviously with the letters of the alphabet that begin the names of  more "usual" fruits, I shortened my lists to the usual suspects... once to get to V... well... you start grabbing at velvet straws... or should that be ropes?
Without further ado, i present you with... the velvet tamarind... which look like furry grapes...

"Velvet tamarind, Dialium indum, is a tall, tropical, fruit-bearing tree, native to southern Thailand and Malaysia. It belongs to theLeguminosae family, and has small, typically grape-sized edible fruits with brown hard inedible shells."

mmm.... so hard not furry? not sure what more to say about this.... odd....






Links:
http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/Velvet+tamarind

U is for....

Ugli fruit
Ugni

Have I eaten any of these before?
... gotta say no...
Ugli is a type of citrus (more below)
Ugni is a type of guava


Hero of the day?
Ugli fruit... cos it like... uuuuugleeeeeeeee... :)
It's sort of a brand of sorts of citrus...

""When buying the UGLI® brand of tangelos do not be misled by their appearance, you will love their sweet and tangy flavour."

“The Affliction is only Skin Deep so the Beauty is in the Eating “™

Links:
http://www.ugli.com/about_us.html
http://www.eatpress.com/?tag=ugli-fruit

T is for....

Tomato
Turnip
Tangerine

Have I eaten any of these before?
Yes! Especially tomatoes! Every possible type... which brings us to a very special hero..

Hero of the day?
Tomaraisons! Yes... raisons made from tomatoes... Woolies sells them and one of my darling friends is in heart with them :)


"Tomaraisins are self-dehydrated cherry tomatoes, dried as a whole, while keeping all nutritional advantages remain locked inside, preserving better quality, flavor and aroma."
Source: http://www.nutritionmatters.co.za/Nutrition-News/tomoraisins.html

Health benefits

• Low fat
• Low Sodium
• Full of fibre
• Packed with iron, calcium, beta-carotene, Vit E and zinc (so super good for your skin!)
• Rich in anti-oxidants

S is for....

Sage
Shallot
Sorrel
Spinach
Spring Onion
Sprouts
Squash
Strawberry
Swede
Sweetcorn
Spinach
Satsuma
Sugar Snap Peas

Have I eaten any of these before?
The more usual ones yes! Sorrel is apparently a leafy green vegetable like spinach, can't say I've eaten sorrel.

Hero of the day?
Spinaaaaaaaaaach! I loooove spinach :) Great to throw into a salad with or instead of lettuce for super fibre and low calories.



Health benefits:

• excellent source of beta-carotene
• antioxidant
• loaded with calcium, folic acid, vitamin K and iron

More here:http://len7288.hubpages.com/hub/Health_Benefits_of_Spinach
http://www.howstuffworks.com/spinach3.htm
http://www.howstuffworks.com/spinach3.htm

R is for.....

Raisin
Redcurrant
Rose hip
Raspberry
Radish
Red cabbage
Rhubarb
Rosemary

Have I eaten any of these before?
Yeah... thinks so :) Do love me some raisins and raspberries :)

Hero of the day?
Rhubarb... well, maybe maybe my "nemesis" of the day... apparently "Don't eat the leaves!!!" Seems the leaves are concentrated with highly toxic oxalic acid . You shouldn't over do the stalk either... interesting yes? But thought it was time we had an "anti-hero".

Potential Health Benefits of Rhubarb

• may have benefits of cutting cancer risks
• may have benefit on circulation
• has benefits of anti-oxidant, anti-infammatory and anti-allergy activities
• may benefit those with high cholesterol
• may have protective effects on lungs

http://www.mostlyeating.com/is-rhubarb-good-for-you

Links:

http://www.mostlyeating.com/is-rhubarb-good-for-you

http://homecooking.about.com/od/foodhealthinformation/a/rhubarbhealth.htm

http://www.zhion.com/herb/Rhubarb.html

Design.... Straight Out of the Garden

Just a medley of fruit (and vegetable) inspired designs:

Fruity wrapping paper!

http://www.cmybacon.com/2011/01/

Mango? I think it looks more like an avo???

http://www.omahku.net/2011/02/22/veggie-sofa-mango-fruits-sofa-design-inspired-by-christianvivanco/

Lemony fresh sink :)

http://homedecorhousedesign.com/unique-and-cool-fruit-inspired-bathroom-sinks-lemon-by-cenk-kara/unique-and-cool-fruit-inspired-bathroom-sinks-lemon

Q is for....

Quince
Have I eaten any of these before?
Yes... all one of them! Stewed I believe...some how makes me think of my grandparents on my mom's side?

Hero of the day?
Drum roll please..... QUINCE!


They are packed full of Vitamin A, fibre, and iron. This is all, and you can't eat them raw... so get stewing!



Links:
http://www.everynutrient.com/healthbenefitsofquince.html
http://www.zhion.com/herb/Quince.html

P is for....

Parsnip
Parsley
Pumpkin
Pineapple

Plum
Peach
Pear
Prune
Pawpaw
Pumpkin
Pomegranate
Persimmon
Prickly Pear
Passion fruit
Peanut
Plantain
Peas 

Have I eaten any of these before?
So many P's! :) Have eaten most of these :) Still want to try a prickly pear

Hero of the day?
Has to be the persimmon... why? Because it's other name is "Sharon Fruit" :)

Apparently a persimmon a day could be better than an apple a day!

• Low in kilojoules
• High in fibre
• High in vitamin C and B vitamins
• Full of minerals
• Anti-oxidant

Links:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/02/010202073923.htm
http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/persimmon-fruit.html

Exotic Interlude... Dragon Fruit

How
Awesome
Does
This
Fruit
Look
?



This is DRAGON FRUIT!

Apparently it is the fruit of some sort of cactus.... high in fibre, low in fat, packed with vitamin B1, 2 & 3, it seems to be a popular breakfast or dessert in Asia.

Interesting fact off Wiki: "In Taiwan, diabetics use the fruit as a food substitute for rice and as a source of dietary fibre"

Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitaya
http://dragon-fruit.biz/

O is for....

Onion
Orange
Olive
Otaheite apple
Onion

Have I eaten any of these before?
Everything except an "Otaheite Apple"... seem to remember a reference from a novel? Cue Google again...

"a Polynesian tree (Spondias cytherea) having a fruit with sweet edible flesh and turpentine-flavored rind" (Ref: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/otaheite%20apple)

They look like a delicious combination of an apple and a pear. I'm sure I read about them in the novel "The Pirate's Daughter" by Margaret Cezair-Thompson - I mention the book because i really enjoyed it! (yes, if you know me personally, you can borrow it!) - it sounds like Mills&Boon but it's not at all like that!

Hero of the day?

I suppose I should continue with the Otaheite Apple? Apparently they are not only great for baking but could be used as a remedy for diabetes and constipation.

Recipe here: http://thebakerwithin.blogspot.com/2011/03/apple-day-otaheite-way.html

Health claim here: http://www.jamaicans.com/cooking/foods/fruitglossary.shtml

Interesting Fruit Inspired Design!

http://passport2design.com/exotic-fruit-inspired-spaces/

Check out this blog post on stunning colour schemes for your home, based on the vibrant colours found in an Asian fruit market!

Preeeeeeeeeeeeeety!

N is for....

Nectarine
Nutmeg
Naartjie

Have I eaten any of these before?
Yes, although haven't eaten an actual nutmeg... is there such a thing?

"The nutmeg tree is any of several species of trees in genus Myristica" (according to Wiki) The nutmeg is actually the seed, not the fruit.

Hero of the day?
Naaaaaaaaaaartjies! So South African, they deserve to be top of the N's :) Their scientific name is "Citrus nobilis" - hahahahaaa, funny to think of the Noble Naartjie :)

"As with other citrus fruits, this soft citrus is loaded with vitamins. It is a rich source of folate, vitamin C and beta-carotene. It also contains high levels of magnesium and potassium."

Source: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-naartjie.htm

M is for...

Mandarine
Melon
Mango
Mulberry
Mushrooms

Have I eaten any of these before?
Yes! Grew up with a mulberry tree too :)

Love mangos and mushrooms too :)

Hero of the day?
I'm focussing on mushrooms today, because they don't seem "healthy", just tasty. Apparently certain mushrooms, eg shiitake and reishi mushrooms are potential cancer-fighters. Mushrooms are also a good source of vitamins B2 and B3, while being fat free (well, if you don't smother them in garlic butter! #Lust)

Even found a whole site dedicated to the benefits of mushrooms! http://www.mushroomsandhealth.com/mushrooms-health-report-s101/

Other links

http://homecooking.about.com/od/foodhealthinformation/a/shroomhealth.htm

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA400053/are-mushrooms-good-for-your-health.html