acaijuiceguide.org

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.

————————————-

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.

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.

————————————-

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.

————————————-

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.

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.

————————————-

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.

———————————–

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.

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.

————————————-

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.

If you’ve never tried a Texas navel orange, you have not tried the best of Texas produce. Of course, you may live in another state and still have the good fortune to buy a navel orange from the western part of the United States—not all navel oranges are native to Florida by any means. You need to take the time to engage in some enjoyment of the Texas navel orange whether it is from a produce stand or just enjoying the flavor along with your wonderfully prepared dinner at any of the many excellent restaurants.

For what reason should you select local Texas fruit? One of the best ways to get a taste of true Texas culture is to eat a local navel orange. This fruit is so easy to enjoy because the skin is easy to remove and the fruit is seedless. You can easily separate the fruit into segments, so its a great on the go, healthy snack. You can add navel oranges to any part of your diet, whether for breakfast or a late night snack.

Unfortunately during the time of year when most people travel (June through August and December in Texas and July through September in Florida) navel oranges are only available in California. This makes it difficult for some travelers to have the opportunity to enjoy a local Texas navel orange. However, that doesn’t mean you cannot enjoy other delicacies that may have been prepared while the navel orange was still available. It also doesn’t mean you will not be able to taste these sweet delights before you return home from your business trip or vacation.

The navel orange is definitely one of the delights of Texas culture and not one you want to miss while you are there. Whether you eat it whole or have it in a drink or in a culinary delight, you certainly do not want to miss the opportunity to enjoy the sweet taste of a navel orange. The best part of the navel orange is not the extra section on the end of the orange (“the navel”), but instead its amazing sweetness and juiciness. It is much easier to enjoy an orange of any variety when you don’t have to worry about seeds.

————————————-

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.

Grapefruit isn’t just great for your health, it’s also great for your skin.  Fresh grapefruit juice is one of the best things you can use at home to get beautiful healthy looking skin.  If you’re spending a lot of money on expensive skin care try these homemade beauty and skin care products and you’ll quickly realize that you can save a significant amount of money each month and look better by investing more in grapefruit and less in expensive skin care creams and washes. 

Grapefruit Sugar Scrub – This basic scrub can be made with dozens of different ingredients and oils to customize it to your own taste, but many women love this simple scrub just the way it is. You can use it to exfoliate your face and body on a regular basis, and use it to give yourself a home pedicure to get your feet ready for summer. Since grapefruit juice has natural antibacterial properties it’s perfect to use on  your feet in the summertime. To make the scrub mix fresh pink grapefruit juice in a large mixing bowl with granulated white sugar, or raw brown sugar, whichever you prefer. Add a tablespoon or so of grated grapefruit zest, and enough Sweet Almond oil to give the entire mixture a scrub consistency.  Once it’s all mixed pour it into individual containers.  The Sweet Almond oil is a natural preservative, so you don’t need to store this in the fridge. This scrub also makes a great gift when put into a pretty package.

Grapefruit Facial Toner – You can also make an all natural facial toner with grapefruit. You will need Witch Hazel, which can be purchased at a  drugstore, fresh grapefruit, and a drop of Tea Tree oil. Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Make sure you mix it well. Then store it in the refrigerator. This  easy to make toner works on all skin types, and is especially great for people with combination skin.

Grapefruit lip balm – This is super easy to make and it tastes fantastic. It’s also great for keeping your lips smooth and supple all year round.  To make your own lip balm you’ll need beeswax. Beeswax is available at health food stores or food co-ops or you can order it online.  Melt down some beeswax to a liquid state.  Add about a tablespoon of grated grapefruit zest and some grapefruit juice. Pour the mixture into a small pot or container and let it set. Once it hardens you will have your own grapefruit lip balm.

———————————–

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.

There are a few facts about Texas grapefruit that many people do not know. One is that the sweet red variety was originally grown in Texas after seeds were irradiated in college labs. The resulting hybrid seeds often bear the name Rio Red, Texas Sweetest or Texas Star. All are bright red, sweet and famous around the country. The Texas grapefruit variety also has more vitamins than their white and pink counterparts.

With this news, you may now be wondering how you can get more Texas grapefruit into your diet. There are a variety of ways you can add Texas grapefruit to your diet, including some you may not have thought of before. You can readily substitute recipes that call for lemons and limes with Texas grapefruit.

Of course, if the recipe in question is for key lime pie, them obviously you can not substitute Texas grapefruit for it. But for recipes that call for citrus because of the acidity or need the refreshing citrus to cut the fat in a particular dish, then you could try the grapefruit instead. It may actually taste better in some recipes and could inspire future cooking combinations and ideas as well.

Dessert is a place where Texas grapefruit was thought to not have a place. Most grapefruit is rather tart, but the deep red Texas grapefruit is actually sweet. As a result, it can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. One idea is to replace strawberries in a pie with Texas grapefruit, but still use strawberry glaze and whipped cream for added sweetness. You’ll be surprised with how many recipes you can use with Texas grapefruit.

Many people love to put slices of lime or lemon in their iced tea or glasses of plain water. Dieters especially do this because citrus is good for dieters in many ways. Try substituting a thin slice of Texas grapefruit instead. It makes a delicious addition to iced tea and water, and if you eat the fruit of the slice you will get a small shot of fiber as well. Did you ever think you could get fiber from your glass of water or iced tea? With Texas grapefruit, you can.

Of course, these are just a few suggestions about how to get more Texas grapefruit into your daily routine. This is by  no means a comprehensive list, as other substitutions like marinades or vinaigrettes are possible as well with Texas grapefruit. The sky is truly the limit for this sweet and delicious fruit.

————————————-

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.

Grapefruits grow best in subtropical climates. In fact, it’s in their “genes.” Grapefruits were first thought to be discovered in the Caribbean; specifically on the island of Jamaica. Back then the fruit was called a shaddock. Once this citrus fruit was brought to the Unites States, it was renamed the grapefruit because of its resemblance to growing bunches of grapes, albeit very large “grapes.” Today, the US is the world’s leading producer of grapefruit accounting for nearly 40% of the total global crop.

The scientific name for a grapefruit is citrus paradise; which has a nice ring to it! The average grapefruit tree can grow to an imposing height of thirty feet, but like oranges, you have the ability to grow your own grapefruit, but it just won’t result in a large amount of fruit. There are three varieties of grapefruit, red, pink and white. Red grapefruit are sweeter than white. When selecting a grapefruit make sure it has decent size and should be firm but not too hard.

Inside the grapefruit you’ll bite into sweet, juicy and tart pulpy sections. And those sections are packed full of many nutrients that your body is craving. Top of the list, is vitamin C and potassium. Both of those nutrients are essential to repair cell damage and lower cholesterol. When you’ve got that going on, then your chances of a heart attack decrease. So, yes, grapefruit is officially a “heart healthy” food!

Grapefruits are also loaded with folate, iron and calcium. These are all very important minerals that support strong bones and strong blood. Along with that, grapefruits are a great source of fiber which we need to help keep our digestive tract on track. They are also a rich source of bioflavonoids which has been shown in several studies to decrease the chances of heart disease. But all that grapefruit goodness doesn’t stop there!

When you add it up, all it takes is one half of a grapefruit to give you half of the vitamin C you need every day. If you drink grapefruit juice that amount shoots up to 150% of the daily dose. The red and pink varieties of grapefruit have an extra bonus of vitamin A. They also carry a strong helping of lycopene. Lycopene is an antioxidant which has been shown to lower the risk of some forms of cancer, especially prostate cancer in men. In fact, a recent Harvard medical study found that eating ten servings of lycopene enriched foods a week could lower you chances of getting prostate cancer by half.

Folks suffering from inflammatory disorders like arthritis or lupus have gotten relief from a daily dose of grapefruit. All of that is pretty impressive for one little piece of fruit.

————————————-

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.