Another research published in the April 2008 issue of Nutrition, noted, “apples are a major source of natural fiber and of low molecular weight plan polyphenols in the Western diet.” The Food Guide Pyramid recommends we should eat at least 5 servings of fresh produce each day –2 servings of fruit, like apples, and 3 servings of vegetables.

 What counts as a serving of apple?

• 1 whole medium apple
• 1 cup chopped fresh apples
• 1/2 cup applesauce (organic)
• 1/2 cup dried apples
• 6 ounces 100% organic apple juice or cider

A medium size apple contains:

• fat-free that helps reduce the risk of some types of cancer
• saturated fat–0%
• sodium–0%, may reduce the risk of high blood pressure
• natural sugars 25% called fructose
• only 80 calories that helps you maintain a healthy weight
• cholesterol–0%, helps your heart to stay healthy and may protect against cardiovascular disease
• artificial colors or flavors–%, helps you to keep your body free of chemicals
• dietary fiber–20%, helps to keep down cholesterol and high blood pressure, and aids digestion overall
• a natural and healthy snack you can carry everywhere and eat withour creating any mess

There are so many dishes you can create with this good fruit. You can use fresh apples in many salads with whole grains or with other ingredients such as beets, cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, bean sprouts, onions, watercress, fennel, dill, cheese and walnut. You can easily make many green apple appetizers with seafoods accompanied with cucumber, celery and lemon juice, of course. 

Do you have a sweet tooth? So, discover a sweet side of apples. You can make easy cinnamon apple muffins, apple kefir or yogurt dip, apple butter dip, apple turnovers and puffs, cakes and baked apples. If you ever tasted my Mama’s apple pie, a puffy apple cake, apple butter or apples baked in an oven with honey, lemon and cinnamon, you’ll say that you never taste the same divine foods in your lifetime.

Did I forget to mention how pleasantly these foods can melt in your mouth and keep your stomach happy, not bloated as other desserts packed with fat and calories? So, don’t worry and don’t complain about gaining weight and feeling guilty. Spoil yourself and experiment with apples. Now relax and focus on making homemade, natural and healthy apple foods this coming weekend.

Source: Nutrition, April 2008; Photo ‘A Girl with an Apple’ by Petr Kratovchil

Prepared for you by Svetlana Konnikova Copyright 2010

Apple wine and other alcoholic beverages can be produced from apples through the distillation process. This way Calvados, the famous French Apple Brandy, was created long ago in Normandy, and Applejack, a strong alcoholic beverage that originated from the French Apple Brandy, and was popular in the American colonial period.

The French Apple Brandy is an interesting blend of spirits of different ages blended with flowers, fruits and spices. Usually this beverage is long and at the same time light on the palate. It has a fresh aroma which comes from apples.

Want to make a Calvados cocktail and surprise yourself or your guests? Watch this video and see how Jill Santopietro, cook and recipe tester for the New York Times, makes this delicious drink in her tiny 11-square-foot kitchen.

Calvados is still very popular in European countries and can be served in any bar or restaurant there, but it is less in demand in the United States. I tried once this rich liquor, as French call it, at one of our student parties. I cannot say that I liked it, but it was cheap and obviously right for the students’ party budget. It tasted too strong to me. After that I have never tried again this beverage, but I built a very special relationship with it.

My liking of Calvados, as a  pretty name, not a drink, came from reading novels of one of my favorite writers, Erich Maria Remarque. This German author is well known for his novels, ‘The Road Back,’ ‘Flotsam,’ ‘The Spark of Life,’ ‘Time to Live and Time to Die,’ ‘Heaven Has No Favorites,’ but he became famous for his bestsellers, ‘Three Comrades,’ ‘Arch of Triumph’ and an anti-war novel, ‘All Quiet on The Western Front.”

Remarque’s skill to create interesting characters, fascinating plots, and smart balancing between realistic and emotional, sentimental scenes made him a highly popular writer. His heroes preferred to drink a rich Apple Brandy, Calvados. The first time I read the word ‘Calvados’ in one of his novels, I pronounced it loudly and loved how it sounded. 

If you did not read any of his novels, here is a brief input. His heroes were good observers of life, active or passive. They did not fight for their place under the sun. They were not obsessed with achieving high goals or ’getting to the top’ ahead of others. They simply lived their life day by day, and did not think what tomorrow will bring. They decided that the best way to live is ‘to flow with a flow of the river.’ To me it means that you accept everything as is, and don’t fight for what you think is right. 

“Obviously Calvados is very tasteful, if these guys love it so much!?” I thought while reading Remarque’s beautifully written prose where his heroes enjoyed (Yes!) drinking one the same beverage, Calvados made from apples, while sitting in cafes or bars, dreaming their dreams, writing their notes, observing people passing by, and thinking about different life situations, including a war.

I am still curious about Calvados, a favorite drink of Remarque heroes. Did you ever tried this apple beverage with such a soft musical name to it? If you did, please send me a note and tell how it tastes to you. This weekend I am going to try Jill Santopietro’s recipe for Calvados cocktail.

Read my next post about sweet side of fresh apples, as important ingredients in many healthy desserts.

Source: Photo by Petr Kratovchil
Text by Svetlana Konnikova
Copyright 2010.

Now watch the beauty of the Nature and relax. Today is still Sunday. Enjoy relaxation music by Nicholas Jeandot who pays his tribute to the earth.

Source: Ascension song comes from an album “Sacred Springs,” http://www.jeandot.com

My favorite apples are organic green Granny Smith and juicy HoneyCrisp.  One of these apples and a glass of organic kefir makes my favorite  light, nutritious and delicious snack full with dietary fiber (more than most cereals), flavonoids, antioxidants, plenty of vitamins, and almost zero fat and cholesterol.

According to the USDA Nutrient database if you eat one apple a day (100g/3.5oz) it gives you so many nutritional benefits, such as

• Energy                                    218 kJ (52 kcal)
• Carbohydrates                       10.81 g
• Sugars                                        10.39 g
• Dietary fiber                            2.4 g
• Fat                                                0.17 g
• Protein                                       0.26 g
• Water                                          85.56 g
• Vitamin A equiv.                    3 ug (0%)
• Thiamine (Vit. B1)                0.017 mg (1%)
• Riboflavin (Vit. B2)              0.026 mg (2%)
• Niacin (Vit. B3)                      0.091 mg (1%)
• Vitamin B6                               0.041 mg (3%)
• Folate (Vit. B9)                           3 ig (1%)
• Calcium                                      6 mg (1%)
• Iron                                             0.12 mg (1%)
• Magnesium                                5 mg (1%)
• Phosphorus                              11 mg (2%)
• Potassium                                  107 mg (2%)
• Zink                                              0.04 mg (0%)

Over the last decade, scientists and doctors at Mayo Clinic, the Cornell University, and the National Cancer Institute and other universities tried to find a proof that apples can help reduce risk of cancer and other diseases. 

• The Cornell University study showed how phytochemicals in the apple’s skin can inhibit the reproduction of colon cancer cells by 41 percent.
• Mayo Clinic researchers indicated that quercetin, a flavonoid abundant in apples, helps prevent the growth of prostate cancer cells.
• The National Institute of Cancer has reported that foods containing flavonoids, including apples, may reduce the risk of lung cancer by as much as 50 percent.

There are numerous European studies conducted on apples that show how these fruits can benefit your health. 

• Several recent British studies also found that eating apples can improve health of your lungs. 
• Researchers of the University of Nottingham reported that people who ate ar least five apples per week  experience better lung function and had a lower risk for respiratory diseases.
• If you smoke despite of all warnings of how cigarettes can endanger your health, the scientists of the University of Groningen in Netherlands  have good news for you. They say apples are No.1 on all fruits that could cut in half smoker’s risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
• Scientists also confirm that antioxidants found in abundance in apples may ward off disease by countering oxygen’s damaging effects on the body. 
• A Finnish study also indicated that people who keep a diet rich in flavonoids have a lower risk of heart disease and may prevent strokes.

So, you see, apples may help reduce the risk of lung and prostate cancer. New research suggests that both  apple pectin and and apple juice extracts may enhance the body’s ability to protect from colon cancer. 

• According to German researchers,  nutrients in fresh apples and fresh apple juice react beneficially in the colon and help to slow the growth of precancerous and tumor cells. This study was published in the April 2008 issue of a scientific journal Nutrition. 

If you are overweight even a little, apples are your best bet. They have an amazing ability to desolve fat! If you eat apples every day you  can loose your weight faster than any yo-yo diet,  and this is not all they can do for you. Apples are a rich source of antioxidants but relatively low in vitamin C. So what? Just eat more oranges and lemons, bell peppers and  berries like black currant, lingonberries, blueberries, and you’ll get plenty of vitamin C.

• A U.S. study found that adults consuming apples, organic applesauce or fresh apple juice every day have reduced risk of metabolivc syndrome (about 27%) when compared to non-consumers. As you may know, metabolic syndrome can include three or more of the associated symptoms related to cardiovascular risk, elevated blood pressure and C-reactive protein levels, and increased waistline.

The fiber content is also not the highest in comparisson with other fruits, but it’s enough to help you strenghten your digestive system, regulate bowel movements,  reduce the risk of colon cancer and heart disease, support weight loss, control and reduce your cholesterol. Finally, at least one apple a day will not only keep your doctor away, but will supply a generous amount of nutrients and calories that your body is craving for and needs to stay energetic.

Statistics say that the average American consumer eats about 19 pounds of fresh apples a year. It is only one apple per week. Can you believe, it happens in a country, one of the major apple growers in the world? Probably people should be more informed about the benefits of apples. What will you say if you’ll know that apples also are heart healthy, protect arteries from harmful build-up and fight cell damage that contributes to age-related memory loss.

• U.S. study shows that apples can significantly reduce risk in heart disease in women. American Heart Association came up with new recommendations to increase consumption of apples and other fruits and vegetables.

You see, an apple a day (every day) is a winner when it comes to your health. A new study where 34,00 women participated, found flavonoid-rich apples are one of three superfoods along with pears and red wine, that help to decrease the risk of mortality for coronary heart disease (CHD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) among post-menopausal women. So, empower your health with apples! Don’t ignore these delicious fruits.

Sources: scientific journal Nutrition, April 2008, 1999-204 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the government largest food consumption and health database; Nature, June 2000, Hournal of the National Cancer Institute, January 2000; Thorax, January 2000;  American Heart Association; American Journal of Clinical Nutrition; phot0 “Three Apples”  by Petr Kratochvil.

Prepared for your perusal by Svetlana Konnikova.

Copyright 2009

Apple has been a symbol of good health for thousands of years. Malus Domestica, apple, the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree belongs to the rose family Rosaceae. Apple is a champion in popularity. It is one of the most widely cultivated fruits in the world. Every spring when apple trees start their blossom, they bring a parade of freshness and romance to the earth, and dress it with gracious, snow-white flowers. Our planet looks like the most beautiful and happiest bride in the world.

Our ancestors planted certain flowers and trees for centuries to ward off inharmonious spirits that treatened the garden safety and tranquility with their intrusion. Apple, elder and almond trees served such purposes, while flowers such as St.John’s Wort, yarrow and angelica would protect against evil.

The apple tree is one of the most pleasant creations of Mother Nature. It is planted in any garden, commercial or near your house. If you have your own garden or visit any beautiful garden, you enjoy a serenity. It is hard to describe this impression, but you have a sense of joy and peace. You feel a release from the tensions of your working day, your everyday life problems, concerns and obligations.

The apple tree originated from Central Asia, a region of Asia from the Caspian Sea in the north to Afghanistan in the south. Central Asia consists of the five former Soviet Union republics of Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Other countries are included such as Mongolia, Afghanistan, northen Pakistan, north-eastern Iran, north-western India, and western parts of the People’s Republic of China (Xinjiang).

There are more than 7500 known cultivars like Adams Pearmain and Beauty of Bath in England, Ambrosia in British Columbia, Annurca and Brina in Italy, Antonovka in Russia, Arkansas Black in Arkansas, Bailey in New York, Baldwin in Massachusetts, Cameo in Washington, Braeburn in New Zealand, and many other kinds used for eating and cooking.

Approximately 55 million tons of apples with a value of about $10 billion are grown worldwide every year. China is the biggest apple grower producing 35% of total worlwide input. The United States is the second leading supplier with more than 7.5% of world production. Iran is the third followed by Turkey, Russia, Italy and India.

Looking for some new, healthy snack? Watch this video and learn how Leann Lazar makes one of her favorite natural and healthy snacks in minutes. All you need are apples, almond butter, agave nectar, and a dash of cinnamon. I would also squeeze a piece of lemon in my homemade apple snack. It’ll taste even better.

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If you are going to make this kind of snack every day or fresh juice, you can store most varieties of apples for approximately two weeks at the coolest part of your refrigerator. Some types of apple, including the Granny Smith and Fuji, have an even longer shelf life. Curious about how apples can keep you and your family healthy? Read about it in my next post.

Sources:Photo by Franz Kohler, Kohler’s Medezinal-Pflauzen; http://www.youtube.com & www.fordmodels.tv

If you would like to know exactly where germs, bacteria and viruses find a place to exist comfortably while bringing us harm and diseases, and what you can do about it, go to http://www.ultrasound-technologist.org/the-25-surprisingly-germiest-places-you-encounter-everyday/  You’ll find there descriptive information about 25 Surprisingly Germiest Places You Encounter Every Day. Learn how to avoid them by using useful tips offered to you by Michelle Brown. She  just started her blog with the above mentioned article. She did a  good research on a topic, so give it a consideration.

Do you know that some foods are ‘illegal’ for health reasons? Other foods are intended to exist for the survival of certain species. There are products that raise a red flag against an animal cruelty, so many people will even not touch these kind of foods, no matter how tasteful and delicious they are.  

 It’s up to you to decide. Many cultures around the world have some exotic meals, like their established menus with gourmet and other delicious  foods. French, for example, will make an exotic meal with frog legs.  Japanese use to make dishes with anything still alive and squirming which sounds a ‘most disgusting.”

It is well known that raw seafood  is legendary in Asian cuisine. Don’t you enjoy Japanese suchi or Korean kimchi? Raw octopus as is, and still alive…  Believe or not, but it can be served straight-up on a plate or in a bowl. As it is mentioned on the site of http://www.culinaryschools.org,/cuisine/10-disgusting-delicacies/, “”Baby octopus (sannakji) may be served cut into bite sizes or used in still-wringling pieces, suction cups or slurped squirming, whole.”

Can you imagine octopus alive? It’s rubbery, chewy and tasteless. However, skillfully prepared octopus, as a salad with a piece of lemon squeezed on a top, can be yummy!Some  adventurers in exotic foods  say that the suction cups sticking on the way down. In spite of this, octopus dish has been regarded as a valued part of Korea’s cuisine for centuries. It is even considered as a healthy food, a vitality and energy enhancer.

There are so  many exotic foods made around the world. The U.S. Southern cuisine offers fried alligator tail that tastes like chicken or catffish. Crocodile sausage with recipes that can be found at http://www.recipezaar.com from the 2003 Texas Gatorfeast. Cookbook, The Flavor of New Orleans has recipes for alligator soup and grillades. The barbecued crocodile steaks with Asian flavors are invented  by chef Anthony Hendre in Port Douglas in Australia and became popular there.

Surprises and miracles…  Human creativity is really limitless! If you are a foodie adventurer, read the article 10 Healthy and Delicious Foods That Are Illegal in the U.S. written by Jeanne Peterson. Some fooods in this List are definitely not illegal. Just not very popular, you can say, but healthy and delicious, and are eaten for centuries. Look at http://www.physicaltherapyassistantschools.org/10-healthy-and-delicious-foods-that-are-illegal-in-the-us/ On this site you can also find information on 100 Useful Tools for Your Own Alternative Health Care, http://www.physicaltherapyassistantschools.org/100-useful-tools-for-your-own-alternative-health-care/

Sources: Photo Red Bugs by Petr Kratovchil; photo Seafood by Shari Weinsheimer; photo Octopus Salad with a Piece of Lemon by Petr Kratochvil; http://www.culinaryschools.org/10-disgusting-delicacies/

News and Views delivered to you by Svetlana Konnikova

Copyright 2010

We had thousands of books in our home library. Reading was one of my favorite pastimes, especially in winter. We didn’t spent too much time with computers and computers games, and speaking endless minutes on the mobile. We didn’t watch television broadcasts with boring, upsetting news and undelivered promices by politicians. It could never have substituted or competed anyway with the world od classic literature and music.

 I savored the time I had to read masterpieces of literature, created by talented people throughout the world through the centuries. I convinced myself that the books would put me in fascinating adventures and voyages, and would substitute successfully in the wintertime for all the fine, soft-petaled spring flowers; the bounty of sweet-smelling summer blossoms and herbs, their scents made stronger by the heat of the summer sun.

I imagined that the books I held in my hands were paper flowers, blooming with brilliant human thoughts, so I developed a “strange habit.” It amazes me now how dedicated I was to reading and how I read each book voraciously as if I were a starving peasant with an insatiable appetite, gobbling down each word if it were my last bit of bread, my last drop of honey. I read volume after volume of Jules Vern’s science fiction, Alexandre Dumas novels, and James Fennimore Cooper’s colorful adventures in the wild West.

I devoured the works of Leo Tolstoy, Anton Chekhov, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Honore de Balzak, Gustave Flaubert, Theodore Dreiser’s dramas, Dante Alighieri, William Shakespeare’s tragedies, and Walt Whitman’s poems. It was a feeding frenzy. I never stopped reading an author’s collection. I read volume after volume until I finished all of them. It was my passion. I read all of their works, including the epistle genre: the letters they wrote to loved ones, friends, and other writers. Do you think I changed a little bit? I continue to read great books with the same passion day by day, year by year.

Today I would like to share with you my thoughts about Alexandre Dumas, a superstar of 19th century French literature. He was one of my favorite writers in the middle school. Fascinating adventures of his heroes in masterpieces like The Three Musketters and The Count of Monte Cristo fired my imagination, and I dreamed of  far-away, mysterious places where three musketeers and the Count of Monte Cristo have been living their  exciting life, their “joie de vivre.”

It was good influence. In 7th grade I gathered together my seven friends and formed my club, “Seven Musketeers.”  Twice a week we visited an orphanage in our town. We brought to the children there colorful picture books and fresh baked cookies that our Moms and Grandmas made with love. We  read them fairy tales and told them a story of  The Three Musketeers and their endless adventures.

While I have been admiring Dumas novels, sometimes I wondered how Dumas could be so productive in writing one after another such thrilling novels? Through the years some literary critics around the world argued the fact if Alexander Dumas really was an author of these works or he was a writer-businessman, an opportunist in the best meaning of a capitalist society. However, others insisted that without Auguste Maquet,  his collaborator’s creativity and precision of thought the erratic and uncontrollable Dumas would have been lost.

A longstanding, vigorous debate between the scholars and fans around the world took its central place  in a new movie about Dumas and his unknown collaborator, Auguste Maquet that has gone unacknowledged for more than 150 years. Finally the quietly creative ghostwriter playing crucial role in the production of Alexandre Dumas’s most famous novels, has his moment in a limelight. 

Creators of this new film cleverly mix fiction with fact,  and trace Maquet’s attempts to outshine his master in the public eye. Several days ago a film L’Autre Dumas (The Other Dumas) was released in French movie theatres.   Check out the site at http://www.lautredumas-lefilm.com (The Other Dumas–a  movie).

However, even if many scholars say that a beloved author of The Three Musketeers had a ghostwriter. Alexandre Dumas  is one of France’s most celebrated authors, so are other few around the world. Don’t we know how many famous authors with hundreds of novels written one after another, today have ghostwriters and collaborators quietly standing in the shadow of their masters– contemporary authors those names savvy publishers turned into brands?  

We can call anybody a collaborator who come up with “a million dollar idea.” Is that everything?  Somebody has to think and work all over all details, to do a solid research and produce an excellent writing packed in a great book-a novel that will take readers into a captivating adventure full of actions, noble and brave heroes, victories and happy end.

The news magazine Le Point suggested that whether Dumas was the brains and talent behind 17 novels that Maquet co -wrote with him or if Maquet was a hidden genius collaborating with Dumas, but the famous writer treated him “as a slave.” Other undisputed facts have fuelled the “French Style” melodrama. In 2002, Dumas was celebrated and honored in a posh ceremony that only national heroes are entitled to.

Devotees of Dumas say that Maquet’s greatest talent was his hard work . He assisted Dumas the best way he could and provided him with basics on which Dumas could then build his masterpieces. In the meantime, on Maquet’s tombstone at Pere-Lachaise cemetery the titles of classics The Three Musketeers,  The Count of Monte Cristo and La Reine Margot are engraved in a beautiful script. Was he the true genius behind these novels? In the public eye only Dumas was crowned with laurels for these masterpieces.

A new movie The Other Dumas (L’Autre Dumas) shows Maquet as victim. Famous French actor, Gerard Depardieu created an image of Dumas as a dude with ceaseless appetite for women, a careless spender running deeper and deeper in debt. Renoit Poelvoorde plays Maquet as a devoted family man, Dumas’ shadow. In 1858, frustrated with his lack of recognition, he sued Dumas in an attempt to gain the joint rights to their works they have been working together. Maquet was awarded financial damages for unpaid fees, but Dumas kept his sole ownership of their output. Dumas admitted Maquet’s help, but insisted he was the one true creator.

Scholars will definitely continue to study Alexander Dumas legacy, his life and character. Bernard Fillaire, the author of “Le Grand Decervelage,” other books and has written an essay in support of the ghostwriter’s rehabilitation,  favors Maquet as Dumas’ secret weapon. ” Of course he wasn’t a Balzak or a Dickens… but he definitely had talent.” He calls Dumas in his book ”as a kind of highway robber too busy as a bon vivant  to actually take that time to write his novels.”

It is such a pity to realize that a reputation of a brilliant writer widely recognized in his genre can be “smashed.” Scholars continue to clash over Auguste Maquet’s role in creating masterpieces such as The Tree Musketeers. For loyal Dumasiens, this is just a ruling which vindicated their idol’s brilliance. After all who individually can produce dozens of novels and plays over one decade without assistants’ s involvement?

In the article “Film reignites literary debate over Alexander Dumas’s ghostwriter”, Lisa Davies writes in Guardian on February 9, 2010, “There’s a view shared by Safy Nebbou, director of L’Autre Dumas, for whom Maquet was an able accomplice but little more. “Maquet did not have the genius of Dumas, neither did anything else that was really excellent. But Dumas did nothing more of any note, while Maquet went on to write a lot.”

As it happpened even Dumas had a grand burial, but being a hopeless debtor, he died a pauper. Maquet, sources say, died rich. he even bought himself a chateau in the French countryside. Some sources reveal tha fact that , in his library, he had a copy of The Three Musketeers rebound and retitled: “By A. Dumas and A. Maguet.”

So, who is a better businessman here? The writer or his collaborator? No matter what, as French scholar, Claude Schopp said, “They had an unusual alchemy together.” Obviously they both understood the magic of it and both profited from it in their own way.

My Grandma used to say, “Every love has its own secret.” In reality, Maquet was a talented but struggling writer. He couldn’t get published his works because “he did not have a famous name,” so he decided to sacrifice on recognition and collaborate with  already well known Dumas  and make money to support his and his family good life. But the only Dumas name on the cover of the books makes him unforgettable in the literary world with all other credits attached. As Schopp concluded, “They were both smart men in their own ways. Nobody was a real victim here.”

Is it not the same story can find its light in the 21st century? Do we ever read the same reminiscences about a group of 10-15 super popular writers who write so fast one book after another, as they bake pancakes? Sometimes it reminds me a publishing  factory production line that stops working only for  routine maintenance. Do you think, for example, that the  famous writers like Danielle Steel and Nora Roberts who are producing an uncessant stream of popular novels,  work without a team of collaborators? It’s simply impossible. But who are they? The history will hopefully show.

Sources: Mama’s Home Remedies: Discover Time-Tested Secrets of Good Health and the Pleasure of Natural Living by Svetlana Konnikova, MA, AN, Aurora Publishers, Inc., 2008, p.224; http://www.lautredumas-lefim.com; http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/did-alexandre-dumas-use-ghostwiter-august-maquet-fo-the; http://www.guardian.co.uk/book/2010/feb/maguet-dumas-ghostwriter-feud/print

Copyright 2010

Do you feel unhappy, depressed or fatigued? Make fresh pomegranate juice or buy a bottle of 100% natural Pom juice from California in Whole Foods. Add one teaspoon honey to eight ounces (one cup) and drink it. This is my Grandma’s recipe tested by many people including me, and it works. Try it, boost your energy, and treat your depression or fatigue naturally.

Pomegranate juice is high in three different types of polyphenols, a potent form of antioxidants. These three types–tannins, anthocyanins, and ellagic acid can be found in many fruits, but pomegranate juice contains particularly high amounts of all three. As antioxidants, they are credited with helping in the prevention of cancer and heart disease.

Lately pomegranates are being recognized as a new, hot “super food.” No surprise! Pomegranates are not only delicious and beautiful gifts of Mother Nature, they are also the most nutritious fruits you can eat.  Researchers confirm that pomegranates are high in vitamin C and rich in minerals –calcium, potassium, iron, and phytonutrients–compounds helping the body protect itself against heart disease, arthritis, cancer, diabetes and rheumatoid.

This nutrition-rich fruit contains powerful antioxidants helping you also to delay the aging process and neutralize almost twice as many free radicals as red wine and seven times as many as green tea. Some researchers also suggest that the crunchy  seeds of the pomegranate help to flush fats from the digestive tract.

What can you do with these tantalizing seeds? Sprinkle them over your salads, pop them into your mouth, add into your fruit desserts, cakes, pudding, marinades or just sqeeze them on a top of your veal cutlet. Here are two healthy recipes  for you to try and test your tastebuds.

Pomegranate Kefir  Appetizer

• 1 large pomegranate
• 1/3 cup pomegranate juice
• 2 cups chilled organic plain kefir (regular,no low fat)
•  1/3 cup fresh organic Italian parsley
• 1/3 cup fresh organic dill
• 2 scallions, finely chopped
• 1 small organic red onion, finely chopped
• a pinch of sea salt
• Fresh basil leaves

Separate seeds from the pomegranate and place them in a small glass bowl. Put aside. In a glass medium mixing bowl combine kefir, pomegranate juice, scallions, onion, parsley, dill and salt.  Sprinkle on a top of this mixture two tablespoons of the crunchy pomegranate seeds. Garnish with fresh basil leaves. Chill for 30 minutes and serve. Makes 2-3 cups.

I love avocados. So, very often I experiment with this amazing creation of Nature containing fat that is good for us, and our bodies crave it. You definitely know an original recipe for quacamole. Now try this delicious and nutritious Pomegranate Guacamole. I always make huge portions, but if you need smaller just use instead of three–two, etc.

• 3 large ripe avocados (or 2)
• 1 large organic yellow onion, grated (or 1/2 onion)
• 2 medium size organic tomatoes, chopped (or 1)
• 4 organic garlic cloves, chopped (or 2_
• 3 fresh organic small bell peppers (red, yellow, orange), chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh organic Italian parsley leaves, chopped (or 1)
• 1 freshly sqeezed lime or lemon
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate juice (or 1)
• 3 tablespoons pomegranate seeds
• a pinch of seasalt
• a pinch of Hungarian mild paprika

Finely chop the onion, tomatoes, garlic, small bell peppers and parsley leaves. Place all ingredients in a clear glass, medium size bowl. Add lime or lemon juice, mix ot and set aside. Peel and pit the avocados, cut on cubes, and place them in another glass bowl. Mash the avocados with fork and slowly add pomegranate juice. When yougot a smooth mixture, empty this bowl contents into a bowl with other ingredients. Mix it well, then sprinkle  the pomegranate crunchy seeds on the top of guacamole. Serve your Pomegranate Guacamole with fresh organic rye, 5 grains bread, whole wheat French muffins or with organic blue corn chips, warm tortilas or tostadas.

 Fresh pomegranates are available in September through January, but the juice is available throughout the year. So, whether you crunch fresh pomegranate seeds, drink the rich, dark burgundy color juice or make with pomegranates delicious meals, enjoy them in all variations, and do your body a favor of keeping it healthy and vital.

Source: Mama’s Home Remedies: Discover Time-Tested Secrets of Good Health and the Pleasures of Natural Living by Svetlana Konnikova MA, AN, Aurora Publishers, 2008, 2009 Mom’s Choice Gold Award Winner; http://www.pomegranate.org

Copyright 2010

What was included in the List of Wonders? Crocodile meat, Acai berry, seaweed, yerba tea and a big, giant melon with a taste of cocoa… Now look at these products. What do you think, can you eat crocodile meat?

I am not sure about crocodile meat, but I love nutritional green seaweed and yerba tea. You can read about these two products in one of my next posts.

Source: www.youtube.com

Exercise, walk or jog. Swim, run, and dance, dance, dance as often as you have a chance!  Do you know that dance is a pleasant physical exercise which allows us to express our emotions through movement? A popular aphorism in Europe is: Those who dance a lot live a lot. Involve yourself in one of these activities. Don’t come up with excuses and don’t miss even one day.

If you miss one, two or three days, you have to catch up with what is undone. It is not about the work that can be done or undone and nobody cared. It is about You and Your well-being. When we feel comfortable in our lives, we win the fight with distress and depression. Try to create your day and your busy schedule where you feel that you fit effortlessly. Then you’ll easily accomplish everything you planned.

Abraham Lincoln said once, “The leading rule for the lawyer, as for the man of every other calling, is diligence. Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today.” Just admit, isn’t sometimes you believe that if anything is worth doing, it would have been done already? Or shall you ever move quickly, except to avoid more work or find excuses?

“You may delay, but time will not.”–Benjamin Franklin

Copyright 2010.