Fruit

Summer is at its height (well in the northern hemisphere anyway)...

If you've been dieting for weeks or months to get in shape for your holiday, how can you ensure you don't undo all your hard work in just a week or two? Can you stick to healthy habits and still enjoy yourself?

"Is that a watermelon in your pants or are you happy to see me?" Sounds silly, but research by Texas A&M's Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center has determined that eating watermelon might increase libido.

Watermelon is packed with key nutrients like lycopene, beta carotene, and the phytonutrient citrulline which, when converted by the body into arginine, helps relax blood vessels, similarly to Viagra.

New research by The University of California, Davis claims that fructose--found in fresh fruit, fruit juice, and jams--may cause people to accumulate belly fat.

After 10 weeks of being fed a "normal diet" the 33 study participants--overweight and obese adults--were split into two groups. For the next 10 weeks one group received 25% of their calories from fructose and the other group was fed the same amount from glucose.

I was shocked to read a recent article about wasted fruit and vegetables in the UK Times, reporting that 4.4 million apples are dumped in household bins every day in the UK. The figures have just been released by the Waste Resources Action Programme (Wrap) and a full report is due next month.

It's not just apples, either. The article went on to say:

Do you waste money by throwing away perfectly good food? Here's six ways to make sure you don't have to.

An interesting chart from the comic xkcd.com

It's easy to get caught up in work or chores, then dive into the nearest packet of biscuits because you're starving and too busy to stop and prepare a healthy snack. Keep some of the following to hand, and you'll always have something easy to grab.

All can be eaten without any preparation, straight from the container (though you'll need a spoon for a couple of them.)

For those of us who feel virtuous choosing a big bowl of fruit salad over a serving of mashed potatoes or pasta: a new research report warns that we may not be choosing as wisely as we think. The researchers say fructose, even when consumed in whole fruits, may be more of a problem than starchy foods when it comes to insulin regulation, diabetes and obesity.

Depending on where you live, winter is either on its way in or out. Keeping up fruit consumption in winter can get tough.

A frequent complaint from clients in clinic, is they don't eat fruit in winter because it's boring and the "really healthy fruit" are expensive.

Berries, citrus and stone fruit have long hogged the media spotlight. These glamorous fruits are praised for their colour, antioxidant content and flavour. However, we seem to have forgotten, the humble apple is also a nutritional wonder. Along with a bit of vitamin C, apples are packed full of antioxidant phytochemicals - particularly if you eat the skin.

Most diets focus on what you should not eat, and some diets count the calories you should eat, but a better approach is to focus on eating good foods.

Researchers found that overweight adults who were instructed to focus on lower-calorie foods lost more weight than those who were simply told to cut their overall calories.

Famous Pairs is a coffee table book using pears as the theme. The book, by Jeannie Sprecher and Kim O’Brien, features famous people as pieces of fruit.

Get ready to see Mickey Mouse's grinning face on an apple carton near you. Disney have created a new brand "Disney Garden" that uses produce from over 15 growers and will be packaged with Disney characters (see Imagination Farms). Already available are peaches with Daisy Duck and Goofy stickers, and table grapes packaged in Mickey and Minnie Mouse boxes. Organic apples with Winnie the Pooh -- the mascot for Disney Garden organic selections -- are due out sometime in September. (via CNN)

An assistant professor at the University of Arizona has invented a sticker that indicates fruit ripeness. Picking out fruit is currently something of an art (or just plain potluck).

The so-called grapefruit diet is one of those mythic fad diets that seem to come and go every few years. It is a terrible diet - very low in calories, nutrient deficient, and cannot be sustained beyond a matter of days. You might lose some water, some muscle, and a bit of fat - then gain it all back again.

In 2004 the Scripps Clinic made a press release claiming that the humble grapefruit does assist in fat loss. However the study seemed isolated, and it was unclear just how much support came from the Florida citrus industry body.