This winter, try some delicious fruits that are in season. While the days of blueberries, strawberries and peaches might be a few months away, there are plenty of other delicious fruits to try this winter.
Cactus Pear: (or Prickly Pear)
A lot of people have never tried a cactus pear, but it is a delicious fruit! Look for cactus pears that do not have any dark spots on them, you can wash them and keep them in the refrigerator for seven days. The best way to eat them is to dice them up, eat it plain or use it as a topping for a salad, cereal or soy yogurt. They can be tricky to prepare, here is a short video on how to peal one.
Clementines:
I absolutely LOVE clementines. These wonderful little fruits only have 35 calories and are the perfect snack! They are great for when you are craving something sweet.You can also try this fantastic recipe for "spicy carrot salad"!
Dates:
Dates are a fabulous sweet treat! Instead of using an extracted or processed sweetener (like agave, maple syrup or sugar) start using dates! Using dates is a healthier way to sweeten things up, or just as a snack. They have fiber and are high in antioxidants.
You can make your own date syrup by pitting dates and then soaking them overnight (you can also boil them for a few minutes) and then put them in a blender with enough warm water so they blend easily (not a lot of water). You can use date syrup in place of other sweetener's or as a topping on whole grain waffles.
Or you can try this delicious recipe: Date-Nut-Poppers
Grapefruit:
Grapefruit is a great food, low in calories, high in taste with lots of vitamin A&C. Every morning my husband enjoys "Rip's Big Bowl" from Engine 2 Diet, which has an entire grapefruit mixed right in! I enjoy them just plain, they take some effort to eat and only have 60 calories, so they are great if you are trying to lose weight as well.
Try this fantastic "Spicy Grapefruit Coleslaw" recipe!
Kiwi:
Kiwi's are a good source of fiber and potassium and are high in vitamin C. They are a great addition to any salad, cereal or in a smoothie. For a treat, try these Kiwi-Coconut snack balls! And try using a little date syrup in the recipe for the sweetener!
Be sure to pick up some fruit this weekend!
---- Natala Constantine is certified in plant-based nutrition through Cornell University. She has a passion for helping people go vegan and getting healthy after she reversed diabetes and so far has lost over 150 pounds. She travels full time with her husband around the country speaking about plant-based nutrition and pursuing her passion for photography. You can check out her websites: veganhope and Constantine Arts and you can find her on twitter @veganhope or here on facebook!
Abigail Lipson Mahnke
said on January 07, 2011
Natala Constantine
said on January 08, 2011
That being said, I think it is important for people to make their own conclusions about it :) And it will be interesting if any more in depth studies are done on it.