Following up on the well received "The Purples", howzabout taking a look a "The Reds".
As with the purples, I have included a recipe for a cool summer red drink, Rosewater-Lime Watermelon Drink.
Reds have many health properties from cranberries that prevent bacteria from sticking to the urinary tract walls to rhubarb that help strengthen bones and teeth with abundant calcium.
You can't go wrong by eating any red fruit or vegetable on a consistent basis, or even mixing and matching. Your body will start to speak to you on which ones it wants and needs the most.
Mother Natures gifts from "The Reds": Resveratol, Capsaicin, and Lycopene
Resveratrol……
Good Sources: red wine, red grapes
Benefits: The wonder-working polyphenol neutralizes free radicals and may inhibit inflammation.
Preparation Tip: Freeze grapes with other fruit and add to clear glass pitcher for colorful flavorful water that kids will be more apt to drink than regular water or soda. Add frozen grapes to fruit salad, they’ll keep the dish chilled. Eat a bunch of grapes while home watching a movie, much better than candy or junk food.
Capsaicin…..
Good Source: chile peppers
Benefits: Hot stuff, indeed: This helps stave off hunger and even burns some calories. It also relieves pain.
Cooking Tip: Add minced chiles to scrambled eggs and stir-fries.
Lycopene…..
Good Sources: tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit, bell peppers
Benefits: A diet rich in the carotenoid lycopene may reduce the risk of prostate cancer by as much as 35 percent.
Cooking Tip: The body best absorbs lycopene when combined with fat: Toss tomatoes and watermelon with
olive oil and feta. Canned tomatoes are a smart staple during the fruit's off season; lycopene content may even increase in foods processed at high temperature (for example, tomatoes cooked for sauces allow for more lycopene absorption than raw tomatoes)
Rosewater-Lime Watermelon Drink
Optional amounts quality honey such as Soliga, or Birch Tree Xylitol
1 small seedless watermelon
Fresh-squeezed lime juice to taste
1 to 2 tablespoons rose water
Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
Ice cubes
Preparation:
Remove rind and any seeds from the watermelon. Cut the watermelon into roughly 1/4 to 1/2-inch cubes and place in a large bowl. Add lime juice, rose water, and a pinch of salt. Sweetener is not mandatory, but if wanted, add your desired amount. Real raw honey is my first choice, after that Birch Tree Xylitol. (see my post on AVOIDING ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS AND TABLE SUGAR!!!!)
Add approximately 1 cup of ice cubes per pound of watermelon. Set the bowl in the refrigerator for approximately 2 hours or until the ice cubed have mostly melted. When ready to serve. remove from refrigerator and add any additional lime juice and/or rose water as needed for your taste. Can also add Pink Himalayan Salt to rim of glass, similar to a margarita.
Also, try making come watermelon balls with a small cookie scooper spoon, freeze them, and drop them in the pitcher.
~stay healthy~
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