Thursday, November 29, 2012

Pineapple Grape Juice: No Sugar Added

Has anybody start baking for Christmas yet? I haven’t started yet, but I feel that I need too. I have a long list of goodies I plan to make, but I don’t know whether I will get the time to finish it; maybe I will be able t finish at least ¼ of what I have planned, we will see. I have lots of bread, cookies, and traditional recipes from my home state, Kerala. My hubby says it is a six month project that I want to finish in one month. I have no comment on that.

We buy lots of pineapple, and that’s because everybody in my home likes it; especially my princess who loves it. Grocery shopping without them I feel is not complete. My hubby and princess like to eat them as such, but I love to make dishes out of it. The only that they agree with me is pineapple pachadi. But whenever I say can I make pineapple upside down cake, hubby says it has lot of sugar, you can make, and I won’t eat it. When you get clear cut answer like this how can I try? Since he agrees with me in trying other recipes I have to listen to him.

Pineapples have lot of goodness; it is loaded with vitamins and minerals including vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, phosphorus, and potassium. It is also rich in fiber and calories.

Since pineapples are rich in vitamin C, it can help you in fighting common cough and colds. Pineapple contains substance called bromelain in the core of the fruit and stems which is known to reduce inflammation and excessive coagulation of blood. It also helps our digestive health too.

It is rich in manganese, an important trace mineral our body needs to build bones and connective tissue.

When we are young, eating a carrot will help your eyes health, but as you get older carrot can’t help you as much, then pineapple comes to your help. Pineapple also helps to control the effects of Macular degeneration, which is the primary cause of vision loss in adults, and is caused by damage to the retina. Reading, recognizing faces, and doing daily activities can become a lot more difficult because of this problem. This is because this fruit contains beta carotene that is good for our sense of sight.

Due its anti-inflammatory capacities it can help in reducing the pain of arthritis, carpel tunnel syndrome and gout. I have a family history of arthritis. Read more about pineapple from here and here.

With all the goodness you can get just by eating a fruit why in the world are we are not eating it, so try to eat them when you can.

Couple of weeks ago, while I was watching Dr OZ show on TV, he is telling that eating Gamboge / Kodum puli supplement can help with weight loss, as the in clinical studies, there have been significant loss even without any surgery. In Kerala, we add it in sea food curries. It is easily available in Indian store specially selling stuff from Kerala. I will prefer the original ingredients than a supplement any time.

Coming to Red grapes, the other fruit I used to make this juice, it is rich in flavonoids that can help in the prevention of heart disease. It can reduce the plaque buildup.

Antioxidants like Polyphenol and anthocyanin in the skin of red grapes can help to prevent cancer development. It also contains a polyphenol (resveratrol) which helps to lower the blood cholesterol level. It also prevents blood clots .

The lutein in red grapes helps to protect your vision, especially to reduce the effects of macular degeneration.

Red grapes are rich in vitamin A and C.

Normally when my hubby drinks a juice especially fresh orange juice in the evening, his blood sugar is spiked in the morning. However after drinking this combo juice his blood sugar was low, but in certain diabetic persons, both water melon and pineapple has tendency to spike blood sugar. So make sure to check how your body reacts.

If you want to see how much sugar in fruits take a look at here.

If you have pineapple chunks and red grapes in your hand make this juice, healthy, delicious without any addition of sugar.

If you buy a fresh pineapple, remove its skin, core and cut it into small pieces. I know it is pain in the butt, still it is worth it. Precut ones will take a chunk of money.

Wash 2 cups of red grapes and dump it into blender along with 1 ½ cup of water and 1 1/2 cup of pineapple pieces. Blend it until everything comes into a smooth consistency. Strain it and enjoy with some ice. So refreshing.