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When you’re hungry and need a snack avoid grabbing cake or candy. Instead reach for a navel orange and preserve not only the calories but avoid any additional sugar and carbohydrates. While you will certainly find sugar and carbohydrates in a navel orange, you will find healthy natural sugar and “good” carbohydrates. While everyone is likely to have the need for snacks during the day, it’s important for each person to learn to eat snacks that are healthy, and eating a navel orange will help you not only get rid of the in between meals hunger pangs but also will provide healthy nutritional balance.

There are a variety of reasons to start adding navel oranges to your daily diet, such as a snack. Navel oranges taste great and are an excellent source of vitamin C as well as antioxidants. When cold and flu season rolls around, having that extra boost of vitamin C is a great benefit. No matter where you live you are prone to the cold and flu season. Adding navel oranges to your diet is a great way to boost your immune system during this season.

Colds and flu are not the only illnesses that will be improved when you eat healthy snacks that boost your immune system. Many serious diseases are caused by a breakdown in the immune system including some cancers. Choosing a navel orange instead of piece of cake will help your body build its resistance to many different illnesses while it will also help you maintain a proper weight because you don’t consume empty calories and excessive carbohydrates that your body turns into sugar. Instead of that bowl of ice cream, why not choose a healthy Texas navel orange in its place.

Often times, healthy food choices do not taste all that great. Fortunately for the navel orange it is sweet, juicy and extremely tasty at the same time. Choosing a navel orange dessert will provide you with many health benefits as a result of consuming important vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. That doesn’t mean you have to always eat the fruit right from the peel; you can certainly find many creative ways to eat a navel orange that will still provide you with the same nutritional value you would obtain from grabbing a piece of fruit from the fruit bowl when you’re looking for a snack.

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Pittman & Davis is a leading fresh fruit gift shipper, providing texas citrus, including ruby red grapefruit, oranges, fresh citrus, and baked goods. Visit http://www.pittmandavis.com for more information.

It’s not that surprising that kids don’t want to eat healthy. Most of their parents don’t eat healthy foods on a regular basis either. Research studies have shown that the eating habits that kids develop when they are little will stay with them throughout their lives, so it’s very important for parents to teach their kids healthy eating habits when they are small. If you want to start to get your kids to eat more fresh and healthy fruit the best way to do that is to get fruit baskets. It sounds a little strange but kids are far more likely to eat healthy food when it’s packaged in a pretty basket wrapped in colorful ribbons and cellophane.

Think about how many food items are packaged for kids. What do they all have in common? Often times, the packaging will be colored brightly, have sparkles or other designs to grab the attention of the child. Kids will be more likely to grab a piece of bright citrus fruit for a snack when it is presented in a beautiful basket and is easy to get to. If you keep the citrus fruit in a cabinet or the refrigerator, your child may not take the time to look for it. If you keep a basket filled with fresh oranges on the counter top and tell them they are for guests, you can bet they will be sneaking an orange when you back is turned. 

Kids don’t understand nutrition or how the body works and how vitamins and minerals are processed in the body. All they know is that fruit tastes good, and if you dress up the packaging of the fruit so that it looks exciting to them by serving it in fruit baskets they will choose the fruit over other snacks.  You can even make a game out of it by having your kids pick a fruit out of an attractive fruit basket each morning for their school lunches, or have them choose a piece of citrus fruit for each other as an afterschool snack.  If you put fruit baskets in the living room and play room the kids will probably grab an orange as a snack rather than come all the way out to the kitchen to beg for cookies. And, since they can easily peel an orange on their own you are encouraging their independence. Someday the kids will understand that eating healthy is important for staying healthy but when they’re small all they need to know is that those fruit baskets contain tasty treats.

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Article contributed by Hale Groves, providing fresh fruit baskets, gift baskets and Florida oranges and citrus, including delicious navel oranges, honeybells, ruby red grapefruit, valencia oranges, tangerines and more! Visit HaleGroves.com for more information.

When it comes to beating back the common cold, you just can beat a grapefruit! Whether you’re slicing it in half for a fresh start of your day or downing a glass of grapefruit juice to quench your thirst, you’ll be getting up to 80% of the recommended daily dose of vitamin C. That’s going to be your best, first defense against a cold. But there is so much more going on with that delightful piece of citrus. Here are five amazing reasons for eating grapefruit that you probably didn’t know.

1. Assists With Detoxing Your Liver

Your liver is like your body’s own private filtration system. Blood passes through the liver and gets a “wash” when the liver enzymes break down toxins. Grapefruit happens to be full of nutrients that increase the speed of liver enzymes. The faster the enzymes act, the faster the toxins can be driven out of your body. The assistance your liver gets for this process will help keep you healthy.

2. Battles Prostate Cancer

Everything that goes on in our bodies happens deep down at the cellular level. A grapefruit is packed with a flavonoid nutrient with the name of naringenin. What this nutrient does is assist in rebuilding those DNA cells that has taken a beaten from invading cancer cells in the prostate. As explained by the medical experts, your prostate cells divide at a slow pace. With an infusion of narigenin, those cells will be jumping up production. The more work they do, the less chance cancer has to take hold. Bottom line: grapefruit is good for the prostate.

3. Lung Cancer Defense

Not only can eating grapefruit help protect your prostate but drinking grapefruit juice can add a layer of defense against lung cancer. Researchers have found that people who can do a daily drink of three glasses of grapefruit juice can help breakdown the enzymes left behind from cigarette smoke that can cause cancer. This doesn’t mean you can keep smoking if you drink grapefruit juice. But once you kick the habit, start to fortify yourself with grapefruit juice. 

4. Lowers Cholesterol

There’s good cholesterol and bad cholesterol. With the bad cholesterol your arteries can become clogged forcing your heart to work harder. That’s a recipe for trouble. Grapefruit added to a diet has been documented to lower that bad cholesterol by up to 15%.

5. Breaks Fever

Although not the only thing you should take for a fever, grapefruit does its part by helping folks with high temperatures to bring those numbers down. Getting relief from a high fever is always well received. With all these benefits, there’s no reason you should not add grapefruit to your daily diet routine.

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Pittman & Davis is a leading fresh fruit gift shipper, providing texas citrus, including ruby red grapefruit, oranges, fresh citrus, and baked goods. Visit http://www.pittmandavis.com for more information.

One of the most popular fruits is the navel orange. Perhaps it is because of its larger size compared to other varieties of oranges or because the navel orange is usually seedless. The navel orange is well known for its size and the fact that it has what appears to be a navel on the outside, thus the name “navel orange.” The “navel” hides another small orange within the skin which is another reason this orange variety is larger than some of the other varieties you might find in the food market or at produce stands.

Because of the climate oranges are available in Texas all year although the peak season for navel oranges is November through early May. During August and September the market tends to slow down although it is still possible to find an abundant supply of navel oranges in some places throughout the United States. Texas is only one of the four states that grows and harvests the oranges that are shipped to various states on both the east and west coasts. The availability depends largely on the type of weather growers must endure during the peak growing season. Changes in temperature can negatively affect the number of navel orange crops the trees will produce.

Texas offers an assortment of different types of oranges, but the navel oranges is the most well known. If navel oranges are not available, people will usually choose Valencia oranges in their place. Both types are seedless, but you can find a few seeds in Valencia oranges every now and then. Valencia oranges are not as easy to peel as its cousin the navel orange, which makes the navel orange a great on the go snack.

The location where you live quite often determines where the navel orange you buy is cultivated. This is not necessarily a guarantee, however; it is quite possible you can closer to the east coast and purchase navel oranges that were cultivated on the west coast. One important thing to keep in mind is when it comes to eating any kind of orange, they are very healthy and have an abundance of vitamin C—important for those who live in changing climates that may cause the development of many weather-induced illnesses. Adding navel oranges to your daily diet will help boost your immune system especially during cold and flu seasons.

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Pittman & Davis is a leading fresh fruit gift shipper, providing texas citrus, including ruby red grapefruit, oranges, fresh citrus, and baked goods. Visit http://www.pittmandavis.com/ for more information.

Gourmet experts say fruit baskets are the hot trend for Valentine’s Day this year.  Spending hundreds of dollars on roses and chocolates is simply not in the budget for many Americans this year. If you don’t have the budget for fresh flowers and overpriced candy send your family and friends fruit baskets this year.  Delicious fresh citrus fruit is always a great gift, and you can customize your gift with chocolate, candy, nuts, or other treats too.  A perfect way to show your family and friends you care without overextending your budget is to combine exotic and delicious citrus fruits with gourmet chocolates or assorted nuts. They will really enjoy the thoughtful gift.

Valentine’s Day fruit baskets are designed by gift professionals to be romantic, sweet, and to convey your love and affection.  You can find a fruit basket that will fit into any budget, so even if you don’t have a lot of money to spend you’ll find the perfect gift for a spouse or loved one. If your butdget allows for it, spruce up the gift basket by adding some fun extras like gourmet chocolates, tasty preserves or an assortment of nuts. You don’t have to chose a fruit basket, the fruit can be presented in such things as vases, boxes or dishes. Another great plus is that the oranges, grapefruits and other delicious citrus in the basket will last a lot longer than flowers, so your Valentine can enjoy them for weeks.

The gift of citrus fruit is more appropriate when you are giving a gift to friends or extended family members or even someone you’re dating but not in a serious relationship with, instead of giving traditional flowers and candy. A citrus fruit gift basket is a nice gesture when you are in a new relationship. A beautiful fruit basket filled with tasty citrus fruit is a more relaxed gift that is perfect for new relationships or acquaintances.

If you plan an giving Valentine’s Day gifts to coworkers, fruit baskets are a great idea. Since it’s important to have a sense of decorum in the workplace and many people want to maintain professional but not necessarily friendly relationships with co workers fruit baskets are the perfect way to let your coworkers know you appreciate them without crossing any personal or professional boundaries.

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Article contributed by Hale Groves, providing fresh fruit baskets, gift baskets and Florida oranges and citrus, including delicious navel oranges, honeybells, ruby red grapefruit, valencia oranges, tangerines and more! Visit HaleGroves.com for more information.



There are all kinds of dietary supplements that you can find on a shelf. Grocery stores, vitamin shops, even places in the mall all seem to carry different supplements. Grapefruit pectin is a supplement that has amazing benefits. It is not as well known as some other vitamins and minerals, but it has so many health benefits it should not be overlooked. You can benefit from grapefruit pectin in its natural fresh fruit form as well.

It is important to know that grapefruit pectin is a type of fiber. Fiber is great for your body because it helps your digestive system and keeps you feeling full faster and longer. Eating foods high in fiber has been shown to be heart healthy, too. This is especially true of grapefruit pectin. This is because it has a huge impact on your cholesterol levels.

Cholesterol is attracted to grapefruit pectin, and bonds with it. The pectin with the newly bound cholesterol is then flushed through your system. The more cholesterol that is flushed out of your body, the better. This is because if it is not flushed out with grapefruit pectin or other ways, it can attach to the arteries that are found in your heart. The more cholesterol that attaches to your arteries, the harder they have to work to get blood aerated and pumping through your body. If this is the case in your body, it can lead to angina (a type of high blood pressure), heart disease, and even stroke.

A diet rich in grapefruit pectin can not only prevent your cholesterol level from going any higher than it already is, but it can also help remove some of the cholesterol that has already found its way into your artery walls. In addition to preventing high cholesterol, grapefrui pectin can lower cholesterol levels as well. Plus, you get the added benefits of Vitamin C, antioxidants and riboflavin. Adding grapefruit to your daily diet can help you avoid heart attacks, high blood pressure, digestive problems, and diabetes.

If you find yourself balking at the taste of grapefruit as a way to get grapefruit pectin into your diet, try the aforementioned supplements instead. A few pills a day (according to label directions) and you will be set. Also, there are grapefruit pectin powders that can get these great benefits as well. It may not taste great but if you are only concerned about your health and are on the go, grapefruit pectin supplements are a great way to go.

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Pittman & Davis is a leading fresh fruit gift shipper, providing texas citrus, including ruby red grapefruit, oranges, fresh citrus, and baked goods. Visit http://www.pittmandavis.com for more information.

Sometimes it can be difficult to get your family to eat healthy even when they agree that everyone needs to eat healthier foods.  In order to keep your family eating healthy you may need to convince them that healthy food can taste great too. Making some of these delicious grapefruit desserts will help to convince everyone in your family that eating low calorie, vitamin packed grapefruit can be just as good and can fill those cravings for sweets just as well as candy or cake or other high calorie and high fat treats.

Pink grapefruit cupcakes – These healthy sweets are the perfect alternative to sugary Valentine’s Day treats.  Make a cake mix using fresh grapefruit juice instead of water in the mix, and sprinkle a few tablespoons of grated pink grapefruit peel into the mix.  Bake the cake mix the way that you normally would using a cupcake mold. When the cupcakes are cool top them with a simple syrup of natural sugar and grapefruit juice boiled together instead of frosting, and place a piece of candied grapefruit peel on top.

Grapefruit sorbet – If you want to make this tempting dessert even more flavorful mix the juices of different varieties of grapefruit together to make the base. You’ll get a much richer, more layered flavor that way.  Mix grapefruit juice with sugar and boil to make a simple syrup. If the mixture gets too thick add more juice.  When a syrup has formed let it cool to room temperature and then place it in a chilled bowl. Keep it in a very cold refrigerator until it freezes to a slushy consistency and then eat. To make a more adult version of this sorbet you can add some vodka or gin and freeze it. The alcohol won’t freeze, so it will keep the sorbet from freezing into a solid cube.

Baked grapefruit – On chilly nights, this dessert will get you warmed up. Take a grapefruit and cut it in half. Then take a paring knife and loosen the segments, but do not remove them.   Into each half place about a tablespoon of butter, some cinnamon and some raw brown sugar. Bake on a baking sheet at 350 degrees until the grapefruit is warm and the butter and sugar mixture is melted into the segments. Once done, take the fruit out of the oven and serve. This dessert is delicious, with its tangy fruit mixed with natural sugar and butter. The whole family will love it.

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Pittman & Davis is a leading fresh fruit gift shipper, providing texas citrus, including ruby red grapefruit, oranges, fresh citrus, and baked goods. Visit http://www.pittmandavis.com for more information.

Florida oranges are well known around the world because they are so juicy and delicious. Even in countries that specialize in growing citrus fruits, like Spain, Florida oranges are well regarded. What makes Florida oranges so distinctive? More than one hundred years of citrus expertise make citrus fruits that come from Florida tasty treats that are in high demand all over the world.  Florida citrus fruits are often given as gifts because they are consistently high quality and people know that Florida oranges and grapefruits come from citrus experts.

Citrus fruit has been a major industry in Florida for more than one hundred and fifty years. Originally citrus trees were brought to Florida by explorers who came to Florida from the Caribbean. The tropical climate of Florida turned out to be the perfect climate to grow oranges and grapefruit and citrus farming became a solid industry.  The only real risk to the citrus groves was an occasional freeze in the Florida winter.  The tasty and delicious Florida oranges that were being grown by the grove owners were in demand from the very beginning. Initially, the greatest problem the growers faced was shipping the perishable fruit to the rest of the country before the citrus fruit spoiled. With the development of the railroad system, the grove owners were able to utilize this transportation to ship their citrus fruit across country and to major sports for international shipping. With modern technology and transportation, grove owners can ship their fruit and it reaches the consumer within days so the fruit always arrives at its peak of freshness.

Florida citrus fruit production also sets Florida oranges and grapefruits apart from the fruit shipped by growers in other states.  Because citrus farming is one of the biggest industries in Florida growers in the state work hard to stay on the cutting edge of advances in the industry. Organic farming, faster shipping methods, and exploring new variations of citrus breeds that are better adapted to dealing with the tropical climate of Florida are all areas that Florida citrus growers are making huge gains in everyday. If you want to give a gift that will impress your family, friends, and business associates with its quality giving a gift of Florida oranges or other citrus fruits is the perfect gift to give.

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Article contributed by Hale Groves, providing fresh fruit baskets, gift baskets and Florida oranges and citrus, including delicious navel oranges, honeybells, ruby red grapefruit, valencia oranges, tangerines and more! Visit HaleGroves.com for more information.

While most people have a tendency to go to the grocery store and pick up whatever orange juice is available, there are advantages to making your own navel orange juice. One of the most important reasons to make your own navel orange juice is because you know exactly what is in it. While you can certainly become a label reader, there may be ingredients in such minute quantities that the manufacturer does not have to disclose them on the label. While this is not generally a problem, in order to stay away from specific ingredients, you need to know what comprises the things you eat and drink. 

Many commercial navel orange juice varieties include an excessive amount of sugar. Since navel oranges are already sweet, there is no reason to add additional sugar. The problem is if you choose a low sugar variety, you also find it has half the amount of juice. Instead of actually reducing the amount of sugar in the navel orange juice, all they really do is add more water in order to give consumers the false impression they are drinking orange juice with less sugar content.

Another reason you should consider making your own navel orange juice is because you will know exactly what kind of orange you are using. While most commercial orange juices are made from Valencia oranges, manufacturers may use other varieties as well. In reality you may find that a variety of different oranges may go into the manufacturing of specific brands of commercial orange juice. This is likely to account for the reasons different brands have varying tastes, with some actually coming across as having a rather bitter taste. When you develop the habit of making your own navel orange juice you will have a consistent flavor.

While it may appear to be a great deal of work to make navel orange juice rather than buying commercial juice, the end result will be a healthier choice. You know what is in juice you prepare yourself, and you can control the amount of sugar you add if you choose to add any at all. You can create a sugar free variety by using artificial sweetener without reducing the amount of juice you use thus preserving the healthy quality of fresh squeezed Texas navel orange juice. Finally, if you are in the habit of buying organic fruit, you can have organic orange juice without the added cost of the commercial varieties.

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Pittman & Davis is a leading fresh fruit gift shipper, providing texas citrus, including ruby red grapefruit, oranges, fresh citrus, and baked goods. Visit http://www.pittmandavis.com for more information.

Using fruit baskets to decorate for a party is a great way to spend less and get more.  Instead of wasting money on flowers or balloons as decorations for birthday parties, picnics, anniversary parties, holiday parties and other occasions use decorative fruit baskets filled with tasty citrus fruit. Citrus fruit can be used in beverages, in cooking, or as a healthy snack alternative for the guests at the party.  Fruit baskets full of colorful varieties of citrus fruit will enhance the decor of the party and make it more festive. And, since citrus fruit can stand up to many different temperatures and weather events citrus fruit is perfect all year round.  Here are some fun ways that you can use both large and small citrus fruit baskets to decorate at your next party or wedding reception:

Centerpieces – You can make a beautiful centerpiece for any event by placing fresh oranges in small bowls. It doesn’t matter the weather, they can sit through both warm and cold days. Additionally, they can be used as snacks for your guest or to be taken home as party favors. You can even personalize the fruit but having stickers made up for the event or even stenciling a message on the peel. If you are throwing a shower or wedding reception these simple but elegant centerpieces don’t cost a lot so you’re not losing a lot of money if people take them home.

Pool parties – Fruit baskets are wonderful decorations for pool parties. Arrange several large mixed fruit assortments around the pool area so that people don’t need to get out of the pool in order to grab a snack.  One of the great things about citrus fruit is that it cleans up very easily and you won’t have to worry about dangerous spills poolside. Investing in citrus fruits is a good idea if you entertain at your own home pool during the summer months. One idea is to add a swim up bar to your pool where you can leave the fresh citrus fruit for either snacking or to add to refreshing beverages.

Birthday parties – Try not to offer to many sweet snacks, chips and party favors and keep the focus on the birthday cake at birthday parties. You can give parents a healthy snack alternative for their kids to snack on by having assorted fruit baskets placed around the party. Try having the kids do an activity such as making the citrus fruit party favors by making their own yarn wrappers or paper wrappers. The kids will really enjoy getting involved with making their very own party favor.

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Article contributed by Hale Groves, providing fresh fruit baskets, gift baskets and Florida oranges and citrus, including delicious navel oranges, honeybells, ruby red grapefruit, valencia oranges, tangerines and more! Visit HaleGroves.com for more information.