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ApricotsA Bounty of Beta-Carotenes
Apricots ~ Natures Super Foods
A Bounty of Beta-carotene Healing Power...
Can Help; Protect the eyes.
Prevent heart disease.
At one time, Chinese brides nibbled on delicate super fruits to increase fertility.
It sounds odd in this day and age, until you realize that these fruits are in fact, high in a mineral needed for the production of our sex hormones.
These days, of course, few of us are likely to rely on a fruit to influence our family size.
Yet this sweet, velvety, super fruit, contains a variety of compounds that research shows can fight infections, blindness, and heart disease.
Most of apricots' health benefits are due to their copious and exceptionally diverse carotenoid content.
Carotenoids are the pigments in plants that color many of our favorite fruits and vegetables, red, orange, yellow and carotenoids in humans have a wide range of health-protecting properties.
Researchers have identified at least 600 different carotenoids, with some of the most powerful, including beta-carotene, being found in these super fruits.
Apricots are one of the best foods to look to for carotenoids.
Fruit for the Heart
The super fruits unique mix of healing compounds makes this food a powerful ally in fighting heart disease.
Along with beta-carotene, apricots contain lycopene, and both compounds have been shown in studies to fight the process by which the dangerous low-density lipoprotein (LDL) form of cholesterol turns rancid in the bloodstream.
This is important because when LDL goes bad, it's more likely to stick to artery walls. Lycopene is currently considered one of the strongest antioxidants we know about. A 13-year study found that those with the highest intakes of carotenoids had a one-third lower risk of heart disease than those with the lowest intakes.
In an 8 year study of 90,000 nurses, those with diets richest in carotenoids had a one-quarter lower risk.
Apricots are a good source of beta-carotene.
Three fruits contain 2 milligrams, about 30 percent of the recommended daily amount.
In the Kitchen
Although most of us eat apricots straight from the fruit bin, there are many other ways to prepare and enjoy these little golden gems.
Grill them.
Grilled apricots take on a smoky, slightly sweet flavor as the sugars caramelize.
Simply thread whole or halved of these super fruits on skewers, brush with honey and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, turning frequently.
Broil them.
To cook these super fruits indoors, cut it in half, brush with honey, and broil in the oven, cut side up.
Poach them.
Poached apricots are a great way to warm up a cool evening.
Put fruit juice and whole cloves or a cinnamon stick in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.
Add whole or halved fruits and cook for 6 to 8 minutes.
Remove them and continue cooking the sauce until it thickens.
Then use it as topping for these delectable super fruits.
The Eyes Have It
Even if you don't have the spinach loving personality of Popeye, you can get lots of vitamin A by eating these fruits.
(The beta-carotene in apricots is converted to vitamin A in the body.)
This nutrient helps protect the eyes, and as it turns out, the eyes need all the help they can get.
Every time light passes through the eyes, it triggers the release of tissue damaging free radicals.
Left unchecked, these destructive oxygen molecules attack and damage the lenses of the eyes, possibly setting the stage for cataracts.
Free radicals can also attack blood vessels supplying the central portions of retinas, called the maculas.
If the blood supply gets cut off, the result can be macular degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss in older adults.
Vitamin A has been shown in studies to be a powerful ntioxidant, as it helps block the effects of free radicals. Food Alert!
DANGEROUS CLAIMS
The idea that apricot pits could be used as medicine dates back to the 1920s, when a Dr. Ernst T. Krebs put forth a theory that amygdalin, a compound found in apricot pits that is converted to cyanide in the body, could destroy cancer cells.
Some 30 years later, his son re-formulated the extract and named it Laetrile.
By the 1970s, people with cancer who felt that they couldn't be helped by modern medicine were traveling to obscure clinics and paying exorbitant prices for this new "miracle" cure.
So popular was Laetrile that at one time it was available in health food stores in 27 states.
Today, Laetrile cannot legally be sold in the United States, although it's readily available in Mexico and other countries.
Does Laetrile work?
According to most experts, the answer is an emphatic no. "Laetrile is not only useless but also potentially fatal," says Maurie Markman, M.D., director of the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center.
Indeed, a study at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, found that Laetrile frequently caused nausea, vomiting, headache, and other symptoms of cyanide poisoning.
Laetrile is dangerous for another reason, Dr. Markman adds.
Some people depend on it instead of turning to a safer and more effective cancer therapy.
Eat them firm
Even if you enjoy your fruit nice and soft, it's best to eat these super fruits while they're still slightly firm.
Because they contain the most nutrients when they're at their peak of ripeness, once they start getting soft, these compounds quickly begin to break down.
Shop for color
Unlike most fruits, apricots can be yellow or orange and still be ripe.
Both colors are acceptable when you're trying to get the most healing benefits.
However, those that have green in them were picked early and may never ripen, which means that you lose out on much of their healing goodness.
Store them carefully
It's important to keep apricots cool to prevent them from getting overripe.
Unless you're going to eat them within a day or two, it's best to store them in the fruit bin in the refrigerator, where they'll keep for about a week.
Here's another storage tip.
Because these are such a soft, delicate super fruit, they readily absorb flavors from other fruits they're stored with, or even from refrigerator smells.
So, it's a good idea to store them in a paper or plastic bag.
Apricot Breakfast Parfaits
1 cup low-fat granola (without raisins) 1 cup nonfat plain yogurt 8 large super fruits, pitted and thinly sliced Ground cinnamon
Preparation;
Place 1 tablespoon of the granola in each of 4 parfait dishes.
Add 2 tablespoons of the yogurt per parfait dish, spreading to make an even layer.
Divide half of the fruits among the dishes.
Sprinkle lightly with the cinnamon.
Place 1 more tablespoon of the granola in each dish.
Divide the remaining 1/2 cup yogurt among the dishes.
Top with the remaining apricots and the remaining 1/2 cup granola, dividing them evenly among the dishes.
Serve immediately, or cover and chill in the refrigerator for up to 2 hours.
Makes 4 servings
Cook's Notes: Use only ripe super fruits for this recipe. The fruit is ripe when it yields slightly to a gentle squeeze and is lightly fragrant. Glass dessert bowls can be used if parfait dishes are unavailable. Spoon the yogurt into 4 bowls, then top with the fruits and granola.
PER SERVING; calories 173 total fat 2.3 g. saturated fat 0.1 g. cholesterol 1 mg. sodium 75 mg. dietary fiber 2.9 g.
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