Health Kicks

Foods that keep you going strong

Food gives us energy and replenishes our system, but some types of food provide us with more energy and replenishment than others.
Fruits are one of Mother Nature's energizers. They provide glucose for the brain and body and are more easily digested than anything else.
Our bodies can find all it needs from fruits, which have the highest water content of any food and provide a generous supply of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, amino acids and fatty acids.
But there's only one important thing to remember when reaching for a fruit: never eat it after meals. Fruit should only be eaten on an empty stomach. Eating fruit after a meal means that the fruit will not be able to digest properly.
Eat fruits as snacks in-between breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Those expensive power bars that line store shelves aren't the only way to get a quick pick-me-up during the day. A more inexpensive and just as powerful alternative is the banana. Most famous for its ability to strengthen bones, bananas are also high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system. This high-fibre fruit can also be used as a natural laxative. Pregnant women sometimes snack on bananas to avoid morning sickness. If you wake up the morning after with one of those nasty hangovers, reach for a banana. A banana milkshake will help calm the stomach. A tablespoon of honey will rebuild depleted blood sugar levels.
The kiwi is a small but powerful little fruit. It has twice the Vitamin C content of an average-sized orange and is also a good source of potassium.
It's no wonder that an-apple-a-day-keeps-the-doctor-away. Apples have plenty antioxidants that helps lower the risks of colon cancer, stroke and heart attacks. The skin is the most important part of the apple and carries the most antioxidant nutrients.
Speaking of antioxidants, there is no more powerful weapon than sweet and juicy strawberries, which have the highest total antioxidant levels and protect blood vessels from clogging.
Italy ranks as the highest exporter of limone. A member of the citrus family, lemons are one of the most versatile fruits around. They have a high quotient of Vitamin C and are an antibacterial; making them an absolute must for treating colds and coughs. For a nasty cold, squeeze two lemons and add one tablespoon of honey. Warm and drink to your health.
With its antibacterial qualities, limoni are useful from everything to cleaning to beautifying. The lemon is also a favourite in all sorts of Italian dishes and is particularly good with meats, especially chicken.
Olive oil is associated with Mediterranean cooking, particularly Italian cooking. The golden oil has held a respected place for centuries for its many uses. The ancient Egyptians regarded the olive tree branches to be a symbol of power. The liquid was also used in some mummification. The Ancient Greeks crowned their Olympic athletes with olive tree branches.
Scientists have found that this golden elixir has the ability to lower high blood pressure and helps keep the arteries healthy.
Italians use olive oil as a condiment in salads, meat and fish dishes and pasta dishes like Shrimp and Asparagus Angel Hair Pasta.
The Ancients also celebrated miele (honey). This other famous golden liquid has been used for both cooking and medicinal purposes since the era of the Ancient Egyptians. The Ancient Greeks used it as an ingredient in mead, an alcoholic drink used on special occasions.
Sweet, thick and versatile, miele contains a host of vitamins to help the body. And its taste and texture is also used to enhance the flavour of many Italian desserts such as Zeppole di San Giuseppe. These treats, made from honey, flour, ground toasted almonds, candied orange peel and water are made especially important in Sicily where they are made to celebrate Joseph, Mary's husband.
Chocoholics can now rejoice for they're really on to something delicious, and nutritious. The dark, sweet substance that was discovered by the Aztecs of Mexico is still the world's favourite guilty pleasure. The Aztecs served it up to Spanish explorer Hernando Cortez in 1519 and Cortez then introduced it to the Spanish aristocracy. The luscious treat was then exported to France in the mid 1600s and Louis XIV's chefs began to prepare it for their king.
For decades we had been told that the dark substance that tasted so good was bad for us but medical research has shown that having an affinity for the dark treat shouldn't cause any guilt at all.
A quarter ounce of milk chocolate contains 13 grams of fat, while dark chocolate has only 12. Chocolate is very low in cholesterol, contains only a small amount of caffeine and has plenty of antioxidants.

Publication Date: 2003-08-10
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=3028