Fruits are one of the oldest forms of food known to man. Fresh and dry fruits are the natural staple food of man. They contain substantial quantities of essential nutrients in a rational proportion. They are excellent sources of minerals, vitamins and enzymes. They are easily digested and exercise a cleaning effect on the blood and the digestive tract. Persons on this natural diet will always enjoy good health. Fresh and dry fruits are thus not only a good food but also a good medicine.
Fruits
Fruits have highly beneficial effect on this human system. The main physiological actions of fruits are as follows:
Hydrating Effect
Taking of fruits or fruit juice is the most pleasant way of hydrating the organism. The water absorbed by sick persons in this manner has an added advantage of supplying sugar and minerals at the same time.
Diuretic Effect
Clinical observations have shown that postassium, magnesium and sodium contents of the fruit act as a diuretic and diuresis frequency of urination is considerably increased when fruits and fruit juice are taken. They lower the urine density and thereby accelerate the elimination of nitrogenous waste and chlorides.
Alkalinising Effect
The organic acids of the salts in fruits produce alkaline carbonates, when transformed within the organism, which alkalies the fluids. All fruits promote intestinal elimination. This keeps the body free from toxic wastes which creep into the blood from an overloading, sluggish intestinal tract.
Mineralising Effect
Fruits furnish minerals to the body. Dried fruits such as apricots, raisins and dates are rich in calcium and iron. These minerals are essential for strong bones and good blood respectively.
Laxative Effect
The fibrous matter in fruits, cellulose aids in the smooth passage of the food in the digestive tract and easy bowel action. Regular use of fruits prevents and cures constipation.
Tonic Action
Fruits, as dependable sources of Vitamins, exert a tonic effect in the body. Guavas, custard apples and citrus fruits, like lemons and oranges are particularly valuable sources of Vitamin C. These fruits are usually eaten fresh and raw, thus making the Vitamins fully available to us. Several fruits contain good amounts of carotene which gets converted to Vitamin A in the body. A medium-sized mango can provide as much as 15,000 international units (I.U.) of Vitamin A which is sufficient for full one week and this Vitamin can be stored in the body. The common papaya is an excellent source of Vitamin C and carotene.
Fruits are at their best when eaten in the raw and ripe state. In cooking, they lose portions of the nutrients.
Salt and carbohydrates—They are most beneficial when taken as a separate meal by themselves, preferably for breakfast in the morning.
Curative Properties of Fruits
Moreover certain fruits can combat specific ailment. It should, however, be remembered that in the therapeutic use of any fruit as a treatment for specific disease, nothing except that particular fruit or its juice should be taken in the system at the time of treatment. Thus when utilising lemon juice as a food remedy, the juice should be taken in the system at the time of treatment. Thus when utilising lemon juice as a food remedy, the juice should be taken at least half an hour before consuming any other food.
It has been found that fruit sugars, calcium, iron, Vitamins A, B-complex and C control the gradation of heart energy. Hence, eating fruit like apple, lemon, orange and pomegranate can aid the proper functioning of the heart and keep it healthy even in old age. Fruits like apple, date and mango have direct action on the central nervous system. The phosphorus, glutamic acid and Vitamins A and B complex of these fruits exert a protective and tonic effect on the nervous exhaustion, mental tension, hysteria and insomnia.
All berries being extremely rich in iron, phosphorus and sodium, are highly beneficial for blood building and nerve strengthening. The lemon can be good food remedy in case of liver ailments, indigestion and rheumatism. Watermelons are the best kidney cleansers. The water flushes through the kidneys and traces of various minerals contained in the water act as healing agents.
The soothing qualities of pineapple and pomegranates are helpful in catarrh, hay fever and other chronic nasal and bronchial aliments. The common cold may be treated with grapefruit juice. This juice helps cure the infection by activating the organ of elimination.
Fresh and fully ripe fruits like grapes, apples, bananas and figs are best suited for all brain deficiencies. They contain a superior quality of easily digestible sugar which is transformed into physical energy that refreshes the brain. The walnut is a positive remedy for weakness of the brain.
Classification of fruits
Fruits are of different kinds:
Simple Fleshy Fruits
One of the major types of simple fleshy fruits is the berry. The term ‘berry’ is applied to pulpy fruits like tomatoes, grapes, blue-berries. Leathery skinned fleshy fruits are orange, limes, grape fruits etc. Hard skinned fleshy fruits are cucumbers and melons.
The second major type of fleshy fruit is the drupe or stone fruit like cherry, peach and olive. The pome is fleshy accessory fruit such as the apple or pear.
Simple Dry Fruits
Simple dry fruits are dehiscent or indehiscent. Dehiscent fruits open when matured to release the seeds. Indehiscent fruits remain closed throughout the period of their development. Dehiscent fruits are pea and bean. Indehiscent fruits are butter-cup and buck wheat.
Compound Fruits
There are two general types of compound fruits, viz, aggregate and multiple fruits, each of which is the product of two or more pistils in one flower. They are straw-berries, rasp-berries and black berries.
Multiple Fruits
They sometimes look superficially like aggregate fruits but these are products of many separate flowers that unite into a fleshy, closely packed mass as they mature. The mulberry, pineapple, breadfruit and the orange are good example of multiple fruits.
Vegetables
Vegetables are natural sources of essential and valuable nutrients. They help the body to endurance, in repairing its defective metabolism, in repairing tissues and, in building up energy. They are rich in Vitamins, minerals, roughage and cleansing process. Nature has its lap, variety of vegetables, which are important and essential factors to various needs of human body. Even animals live and thrive on vegetables and Herbs to feed and cure themselves. For every living being nature has plenty of variety to offer. They are available in the form of seed, roots, stems, leaves and fruits. Group of Vitamin B-complex, iron, protein, carbohydrates can be found in plenty from various vegetables. But calcium and Vitamin E are quite low in them.
How to Use Vegetables
All leafy and green vegetables are essential part of our diet and to derive optimum benefits, they should be used in their raw fresh form, as is done in case of preparing salads. For preparing a nutritious and tasty salad, it is essential that they should be green, fresh, leafy, dry and crisp, so as to satiate our taste buds and also to build up body’s resistance, in addition to supplying essential nutrients. In case vegetables are required to be cooked (which should be avoided, as far as possible) following points, if kept in mind, will go along way in the preservation of their nutrients values.
Vegetables should always be used fresh and washed thoroughly. After washing them properly in water, they should be cut into large pieces, they should not be washed again, as it would take away all their nutrient values.
Avoid frying or cooking vegetables with vegetable ghee, as cooking and heating destroy their food values.
It is advisable to boil, instead of deep-frying or cooking the cut vegetables and, for boiling purposes a cooker should be used so that the vegetables do not lose advantage of steam. Put some water (sufficient enough to immerse and soak the vegetables) in the cooker and some salt to it. When the salted water reaches its boiling point, insert the cut vegetables into it so that vegetables do not stay in the steam and hot water for longer period. This way, Vitamin B-Complex and Vitamin-C can be preserved to the maximum.
Use only that quantity of water, which will suffice to cover the vegetables, because the more the water the more the time consumed for softening or for reducing them into pulp. Certain vegetables like spinach, leafy vegetables and tomatoes, have enough of natural water, hence there is no need to add any extra amount of water to them for cooking.
Climatic changes and exposures should not affect quality of vegetables. Keeping the vegetables in the refrigerators is not recommended. Purchase the vegetable which could suffice for one or two meal servings. Always purchase fresh vegetables.
Vegetables should be boiled to the extent that their natural colour and flavor remains intact.
Vegetables after been cooked, should always be served fresh and hot. Fringe and cooked vegetables do lose most of their food value and taste.
As far as possible, vegetables should be steam boiled in their natural juices (water) on very low flame and after cooking, do not throw (away) of or drain away their water, thus allowing the vegetables to use their own natural water or juice.
Unless the skin of a vegetable is too hard to be chewed, it should not be separated/peeled off.
For steaming/boiling purpose, never use any aluminum utensil, as aluminum is a soft metal and is amenable to bad effect of alkalies and food acid, as such powerful astringent properties of aluminum harm immensely soft lining of the stomach, causing various digestive disorders.
Normally a person taking around 300 gms of vegetables per day would stay in sound health. Out of this 120 gms should be in the form of leafy vegetables, about 90-100 gms in the form of ladyfingers, brinjals etc., and the rest of 90 gms in the form of tubers and roots.
Vitamins In Vegetables
Vitamin-A is essential for health of skin, better eye-sight, for avoiding or delaying night blindness and for providing a protective shield against infractions to minimize the risk of catching cold. It is, thus, prophylactic for various digestive skin, eye, and respiratory tract infections. Vitamin-A is found in plenty in papaya, carrots, leafy vegetables, yellow pumpkin and tomatoes (rich sources of carotene). In short, orange coloured and deep green, yellow coloured vegetables are rich sources of carotene.
Fresh and green turnips, fenugreek leaves and beet contains maximum amount of riboflavin, the deficiency of which can cause stomatitis, cracking of lip corners, eczema, premature wrinkled face. Riboflavin is also necessary for general health and growth of hair, eyes, skin and nails.
It is always preferable and better to obtain these Vitamins B-2 (of B-complex Vitamin group) from all available natural resources, rather than depending on inorganic substances.
Vitamin-C (Ascorbic acid) is required for growth, repair and upkeep tissues and joints, their normal functioning not excluded, for healthy teeth and gum to build up and sustain normal resistance of the body to various impending infections. Deficiency of ascorbic acid may cause anaemia, premature aging, and scurvy, bleeding form the gums, promote to multiple infections. It is available in good quantity from cabbage, drumstick leaves, spinach, Indian gooseberry, bitter ground, lemon, tomato as far as possible should always be had from fresh vegetables, instead of rotten, stale and withered vegetables. Those, who smoke regularly, say 5-10 or even more cigarettes a day, are advised to use at least juice of lemon in any form they prefer in the absence thereof, a daily dose of 200-250 mg of Vitamin-C.
Minerals
Iron, Copper, Potassium, Magnesium, Manganese and Calcium are essential minerals which help to maintain electrolytic balances in the body and also help fats, proteins carbohydrates, generated by food to get absorbed the body. Excess of salt and liquids are also eliminated through excretory organs of the body. To seek relief or atleast, in amelioration of symptoms in cases of Nephrites (swelling of kidneys) oedema, swelling in heart and renal affections, diuretic action is very important and this action is promoted and prompted by beans, radish, turnip, brinjal, potatoes and spinach. For patients of kidney stones, spinach is a forbidden vegetable as also use of tomatoes in any form.
All minerals are essential nutrient factors and are present in our body in very negligible proportions but even then, their presence, utility and efficiency can not be denied. Fortunately, our food meets all the requirements of the above mentioned minerals, but Iron and Calcium are the two most important minerals, as iron is required for formation of blood in anemia of the emaciated, malnourished underfed. Hemoglobin is an indispensable constituent of blood, which helps in carrying oxygen to cells in various parts of the body. Rich sources of calcium and iron are carrot, tomato, fenugreek leaves, bitter gourd, spinach and beetroot.
Juice of Vegetables
Like fruit juices, vegetable juices are equally important for the body. Vegetable juices can provide elements and enzymes for all tissues and cells of the body. If one opts to choose fresh juices of vegetables, in place of raw ones, one can be rest assured that one’s assimilative and digestive process can be bettered and improved upon. Juices obtained form leafy green vegetables, such as spinach, tomatoes, cucumber, lettuce, celery and cabbage are no less nutritious than fruit juices, apart form juices extracted from carrot, raddish, beetroot, onion and potato. In order to get optimum mileage, certain fruits and vegetables can be mixed but, preference should always be given to mixing of juices of vegetables with green leafy vegetables, juices of root vegetables and leafy (green) vegetables should be better combined and mixed.
Vegetable juices ignite and promote appetite for this purpose, its intake should always be proceed before diet but when the need to digest the ingested diet is felt, it should always be followed after diet. This way vegetable juices serve twin purpose. Certain juices of vegetables are exclusively needed at times, for curing certain ailments.
For removal of constipation, green leafy vegetables (like salad, spinach) juices of cabbage, carrot, turnip, beet, radish, mint, lemon, ginger and garlic, aided by slight amount of salt (preferably black salt), will go a long way in curing of even habitual and obstinate constipation. Triphala is another useful combination of herbs. It should be taken daily with lukewarm water or hot water or hot milk , at the time of retiring to bed. It must be ensured that plenty of roughage and bulking agent are taken to render intestines mobile. Even habitual and regular use in the morning on empty stomach, of lemon juice mixed with lukewarm water, will remove chronic constipation.
Classification of Vegetables
Vegetables are classified on basis of the part of the plant such as root, stem or tuber that is used for food.
Root vegetables : The root group includes beets, carrots, radishes, turnips and yams.
Stem vegetables : The stem group includes asparagus.
Tuber vegetables : The tuber is an under ground stem. Edible tubers include Jerusalem artichoke, potato, and yam.
Leaf and leaf-stalk vegetables : The leaf group includes sprouts, cabbage, celery, chicory, lettuce, parsley and spinach.
Bulb vegetables : The bulb group includes garlic, leek and onion.
Immature inflorescence vegetables : This group includes artichokes, broccoli and cauliflower.
Fruits used as vegetables : The immature fruits are used as vegetables, viz. cow-peas, cucumber, papaya, jack-fruit, lima bean, pea.
Mature fruits, vegetables : This group includes musk-melon pumpkin, tomato and water-melon.
