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All fruits are healthy to the human body in specific ways. A combination of fruits in your diet can help to keep you healthy, and cure certain diseases as well. There is a huge variety of fruits that can help you, including apples, apricots, bananas, blueberries, cantaloupe, cranberries, figs, grapefruit, grapes, kiwi fruit, lemon/limes and oranges. Other healing fruits include papaya, pears, pineapple, plums, prunes, raisins, raspberries, strawberries and watermelon. Here we take a look at a variety of the healing properties of a selection of fruits.

Amaranth is a food that not everyone is familiar with. While technically a fruit, amaranth is commonly used as a type of grain that is found in many different types of breads, muffins, pasta and other foods that are as an adjunct to flour. The seeds of amaranth are extremely high in protein that builds muscle. Amaranth is much richer in protein than most grains. Amaranth seeds are also excellent at building up the immune system because they are high in zinc, copper and magnesium.

Apricots are excellent antioxidants. They are chock-full of vitamin C and beta-carotene. Research studies have yielded the fact that beta carotene is beneficial at protecting the body against lung cancer. Apricots are great sources of fiber. Apricots are more nutritious if you buy them fresh as opposed to canned.

Bananas are full of potassium, and therefore great at reducing blood pressure. Bananas are full of vitamin B6, which is good for encouraging the strength of the immune system. Bananas are particularly good to start off the day. Eat a banana with a glass of low fat milk and a piece of whole wheat bread (or toast) with peanut butter for breakfast and it will give you plenty of energy. For a change of pace whip up a banana shake in the blender and drink your start to a good day!

Cantaloupe is full of plenty of vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, vitamin B6, folate, potassium and fiber. Research studies have shown that beta-carotene is particularly helpful at fighting cancers that originate in the lungs but more recent studies have shown that it is also worthwhile for fighting other types of cancers such as cancer of the cervix, uterine cancer, stomach cancer and oral forms of cancers. Evidence also supports that vitamin C decreases the incidence of mouth cancers, throat cancers, pancreatic cancer and stomach cancer.

Figs are beneficial to health and that is the case regardless of whether you choose to eat figs fresh or in their dried form. Figs have plenty of vitamin C, fiber, magnesium and potassium in them. Figs contain a type of fruit fiber that is able to decrease blood pressure, and in particular, systolic blood pressure, which is the top number of the blood pressure reading which in turn, calculates the pressure of the contractions of the heart. Fiber in general is connected to decreasing the bottom number of the blood pressure equation, which is the diastolic blood pressure. The diastolic blood pressure stands for the pressure of the heart when it is resting between its contracting action.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more information on Food Cures.

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Tags: antioxidants, beta carotene, blood pressure, blueberries, cranberries, Food Cures, grapes, immune system, kiwi fruit, limes, magnesium, prunes, strawberries, vitamins, vitamins minerals, whole wheat

Grains are simply the seed-bearing fruit from grasses. Whole grains are more nutritious than refined grains because they contain all three parts of the grain which includes the bran, the endosperm and the germ. The bran composes the outer layer of the seed and it is high in many minerals including iron, riboflavin, magnesium, niacin, phosphorus, thiamine and zinc. Most of the fiber of the seed is contained in the bran.

Barley is a grain that is rich in beta glutens which is a form of fiber that is very effective at decreasing the risk of heart disease by decreasing the low density lipoprotein in the arteries. This is sometimes referred to as LDL cholesterol or bad cholesterol. The best form of barley to eat is the hulled, waxy forms that are readily available in health food stores and some grocery stores. When purchasing barley always look for the word “unpearled” on the packaging as this means that is both unprocessed and also very high in its fiber content. Be aware that fiber in any form beneficial in lowering blood pressure levels.

When choosing bran cereal always buy one that is high in wheat bran content. No other form of insoluble fiber is better at making the stools function properly as well as fighting cancer. It is believed by researchers that the quicker toxins are able to move through the bowels and be eliminated the lower a risk an individual has of developing colorectal cancer. Choose a bran cereal that is able to provide you with five grams of fiber in each serving or more.

Oats act like a sponge in the body, soaking up cholesterol and therefore, decreasing the level of LDL cholesterol in the blood. Oats are a form of soluble fiber. Consuming at least three grams per day of oats is believed to lessen bad cholesterol by 5.6 percent in a matter of six weeks. The more oats you eat the lower will your LDL cholesterol be.

Whole wheat bread and whole wheat flour contains vitamin B6 and magnesium and the fiber content in it is triple that found in white bread and whole flour products. Vitamin B6 is particularly relevant as individual ages because it works to keep the immune system as strong as it can possibly be. Do not just consume whole wheat bread but let whole wheat extend to pastas and baked goods as well.

Wheat germ is full of a tremendous amount of nutrients and is excellent to sprinkle atop breakfast cereal or porridge to get the day off to a good start. Wheat germ can also be sprinkled over yogurt, soaps, casseroles and a variety of other recipes as it has kind of a bland flavor that does not make it work well alone. Consuming merely a quarter cup of wheat germ supplies a person with all of the B vitamins, as well as iron, zinc, magnesium and five grams of fiber. Wheat germ is also rich in chromium, manganese and vitamin E.

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Scott Meyers is a staff writer for It’s Entirely Natural, a resource for helping you achieve a naturally healthy body, mind, and spirit. You may contact our writers through the web site. Follow this link for more informaton on Food Cures.

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Tags: barley, bran, cholesterol, lowering blood pressure, oats, vitamin b6, wheat bran, wheat germ, whole grains, whole wheat