Fall is here! Test your knowledge about some healthy fruits and veggies of the season.
True or False?
False: Johnny Appleseed introduced apples to North America. Although he did not introduce apples to North America, John Chapman (aka "Johnny Appleseed") did, however, spread them throughout the Midwest. Apples contain no fat, sodium, or cholesterol; most of the nutrients in an apple are in its skin, so try to avoid eating them peeled. Apples are great for bobbing because 25 percent of their volume is air! They're a good source of antioxidants and fiber, and research has shown that apple consumption can help reduce the risks of developing colon, prostate, and lung cancers. October is National Apple Month, so get a head start on stocking up on your favorite varieties. - True: Cranberry juice can reverse tooth decay. The juice of this small fruit contains a chemical that's been shown to inhibit and reverse tooth decay! The word "cranberry" is derived from the word "craneberry"—early European settlers in America thought the stem and flower resembled the neck and head of a crane. Cranberries are sources of phytochemicals, which are anticancer agents. They've also been shown to help reduce the risk of developing kidney stones and urinary tract infections. Native Americans even used the fruit in poultices to draw poison from arrow wounds!
True: Pumpkins are part of the squash family. Pumpkins are much more than the makings for jack-o-lanterns. They've been cultivated for over 8,000 years, and were once thought to cure snakebites and remove freckles! The seeds, also called pepitas, contain vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, and zinc, and reportedly help lower cholesterol levels. Although pumpkins are 90 percent water, their weights can range anywhere between less than a pound and over 1,000 pounds!- False: Sweet potatoes are the same as yams. The two are not related botanically; sweet potatoes are part of the same family as morning glories, while yams are part of the grass and lily family. Yams, native to Africa, get their name from the Senegalese word nyami, a similar tuber. And, actually, the sweet potato isn't exactly a potato either, being only a distant relative of the "common" potato. Sweet potatoes are native to the Americas (although they also have a very long history in Polynesia). A low-calorie food, sweet potatoes are rich sources of vitamin C, calcium, iron, thiamine, fiber, and beta-carotene.
True: The word "grenade" comes from the name of a fall fruit. The grenade gets its name from the pomegranate (called a grenade in French) because the shrapnel pellets inside of the grenade reminded soldiers of the fruit's seeds. In the northern hemisphere, the fruit is generally in season from September to January. In Greek mythology, the pomegranate was partly responsible for the end of summer—it was the pomegranate's seeds which Persephone ate in the Underworld, thus relegating her to become its queen for the latter part of each year. Her mother, the goddess of grain and fertility who controlled the seasons, mourned her daughter each year, and wouldn't allow anything to grow until Persephone could return in the spring. Also, the cocktail mixer grenadine comes from the pomegranate. An entire fruit only has about 100 calories, and it's a good source of vitamins C and B5, potassium, and antioxidants.
No comments:
Post a Comment