Boost Your Immune System With Yellow & Orange!
Vitamin C, which aids the immune system, can be found in most yellow and orange fruits and veggies. Scientists have been studying Carotenoids and Flavonoids, two classes of Phytochemicals found in many orange and yellow vegetables and fruits, that can help keep your vision, heart and immune system healthy, as well as potentially lower the risk of some forms of cancer.
Apricot
These sweet and juicy orange fruits can help fight maladies, including heart disease. Ounce for ounce, dried apricots, compared to the fresh, have twelve times the Iron, seven times the fiber, and five times the Vitamin A.
These fragile peach-like fruits, with their perfumed aroma and ultra-sweet flavor, contain impressive amounts of beta-carotene. They are also a fair source of potassium, and supply a good amount of fiber.
In Season: Spring — Summer
Trivia
Apricots are known as, "Moons of the Faithful" in China where they originated. Their cultivation spread westward from China to Persia and the Mediterranean, eventually coming to the New World with Spanish settlers.
It is interesting to note that both the fresh and dried apricot are a main food staple of a tiny Hunza principality in the Himalayas, who are known for their extreme longevity, excellent health, and an almost exclusive vegetarian diet.
Recipes
Cantaloupe
This sweet and juicy melon has a high amount of beta-carotene, which coverts to 100% the recommended daily intake for Vitamin A. Cantaloupe also supplies 80% recommended daily intake of Vitamin C.
These sweet, golden-fleshed melons make a refreshing snack, and are delicious in fruit salad. A cantaloupe is ready to eat when the blossom end is slightly soft, and the melon is mildly fragrant.
In Season: Spring — Summer
Recipes
Carrot
An excellent source of Vitamin A, carrots are also high in Carotenoids.
Preparation Tips
Most carrots are sold without the tops because they have been shown to draw moisture from the roots. Yet many people buy carrots with tops to ensure the product is fresh. However, in order to store carrots longer, remove the tops.
Trivia
Carrots belong to the parsley family. They originated in Afghanistan, cultivated originally for medicinal purposes utilizing the seeds which are produced in the second year of this biennial plant. (Marketable roots grow in a single season.)
The use of carrots spread westward, introduced into England from Holland in the 15th Century. At that point, carrots were coveted for their tops, and no well-dressed English gentlewoman would be seen without lacy carrot leaves decorating her hair.
Recipes
Nectarine
These sweet and juicy orange fruits can help fight maladies, including heart disease. Nectarines are a source of Vitamin C and Vitamin A.
Sweeter than its cousin, the peach, and darker-fleshed (hence richer in beta-carotene), nectarines are a sweet, juicy summer treat that is virtually fat free and a good supply of vitamin C and fiber. It is suspected that the name nectarine comes from the word nektar meaning "drink of the gods."
In Season: Summer
Recipes
Orange
With Folate and Potassium, oranges are also a source of Calcium, Magnesium and fiber, as well as Flavonoids such as Rutin and Hesperidin. They also contain Coumarins and Terpenes, and supply 130% recommended daily intake of Vitamin C.
Juicy and sweet and renowned for their high concentration of vitamin C, oranges make the perfect snack and add a special tang to many recipes; it is no wonder they are one of the most popular fruits in the world.
In Season: Autumn
Recipes
Peach
These sweet and juicy orange fruits can help fight maladies, including heart disease. Peaches offer a good amount of Vitamin C.
The third most popular fruit grown in the Unites States (right behind apples and oranges), the peach is really an All-American summertime favorite. The best peaches show a warm background color of yellow or cream, and have a rich, ripe aroma.
In Season: Summer — Autumn
Recipes
Pineapple
With valuable amounts of thiamin, Folate, Vitamin B6, Iron and Magnesium, pineapples are a delicious source of soluble fiber, and contain 40% RDI of Vitamin C.
Despite its tough bristly appearance, fresh pineapple is very easy to prepare, (and well worth the work!). It is a similar process to cutting a melon into chunks or slices. Simply cut the lengthwise into quarters, then cut the quarters into slices. To prepare for fruit salad, cut skin off of the slices, then cut the fruit into smaller chunks.
In Season: Spring — Summer
Recipes
Sweet Corn
This favorite yellow vegetable is high in Vitamin A, and is also a good source of vitamins B and C and Potassium. To get the most nutritional benefits from your corn, cook it to increase the Ferulic Acid and overall antioxidant activity.
Sweet Potato
Super nutritious with vitamins A and C, Folate, Iron, Copper, Calcium and fiber, sweet potatoes are loved for their flavor and texture. They're an excellent source of Vitamin A, and 2/3 cup provides 100% of Vitamin E.
Sweet potatoes are one of nature's truly perfect foods! They're low in calories, high in fiber, great for people who are carbohydrate sensitive, and packed with vitamins and minerals. Plus, the rich, flavorful flesh of the sweet potato is so versatile, and delicious.
