Surprise Fruit- Pomegranates

Pomegranates are not quite your typical banana, but breaking into one of these super seeded specimens could be better for you than your typical apple a day.

The fruit, known for its hundreds of tiny seeds inside a hard waxy shell, houses tons of health benefits. Pomegranate juice provides vitamin B, C and potassium. Besides that, the juice has shown to reduce heart disease, high blood pressure, prostate cancer, osteoarthritis, and fight against dental plaque. (That’s right, your dentist will thank you!)

However, pomegranates are an odd fruit, and between breaking into them and keeping the seeds together and figuring out how to eat them can be challenging. To open a pomegranate, slice off a bit of both ends, then lightly score the outside of the fruit with a knife. Submerge it in water and work the skin off and lightly brush the seeds out of the fruit. They will sink to the bottom of your bowl while the waxy outer coat will float. Scoop out the waxy shell and strain the bowl of water so your seeds remain.

As for eating them, the seeds can be eaten plain, or sprinkled on grilled chicken, vegetable soup, or cottage cheese. You can also make your own pomegranate juice by squishing the seeds through a strainer over a bowl to collect the drippings.

What’s your favorite fruit? How do you uniquely add fruit to your diet?

Whiten With Food!

After reading the new post on one of my favorite blogs, Faking Good Breeding, I decided to explore some other options for daily dental hygiene. Clean white teeth have become society’s obsession lately. Through all the products and treatments promised to work, there may be an easier way to take care of your mouth.

Monitoring what you eat and drink can affect the health of your teeth and gums. This article gives a couple helpful tips on teeth-friendly foods.

It explains that it’s not the amount of sugar in your diet that produces cavities, but when you decide to eat it. Eating a few sweets with lunch or dinner is the best option to keep your teeth clean. The other foods continue to help produce saliva in your mouth which washes out the sugar from sticking to your teeth.

The article also suggests staying away from sticky foods, like honey, jams and jelly because they tend to stick between your teeth increasing the risk of bacterial infections. And of course, drinks like coffee, tea, sodas and fruit juices can be just as harmful and break down tooth enamel.

Think about using a straw when possible. It will limit the contact liquids make with teeth. Also, after snacking, consider rinsing your mouth with water, eating a small piece of cheese, or chewing some sugar free gum. All of these options act as a cleanser for bacteria left in your mouth.

With all that in mind, consider sticking to all around healthy snacking. Fruit, vegetables and whole grains were among the many listed to promote strong teeth.