It’s Day 16 of Vibrant Vegan’s 30 Days, 30 Fruits for You Project!

Again, this is just one way we can help you eat more fruit each and every day! Fruit can help you feel oh so healthy and vibrant! Fruits are loaded with nutrients that are proven to help you live a healthier life!

The featured fruit for Day 16 is the…BLUEBERRY!

And now for a bit of info I thought you’d find interesting about BLUEBERRIES:

-Blueberries are one of the few fruits actually native to North America.

-One cup of blueberries contains about 85 calories.

-Blueberries are and excellent source of:
flavonoids, antioxidants
vitamins B2, C, and E
manganese
both soluble and insoluble fibers

-We all know blueberries contain a huge amount of antioxidants, therefore eating blueberries has been shown to:

help our capillary walls stay elastic
help lessen inflammation of gout and osteoarthritis
improve learning ability and motor skills
help our brains stay healthy
help us stay alert
help prevent cancer
stop diarrhea (especially from food poisoning)
cure bladder infections
protect against glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy

-The pectin in blueberries helps lower cholesterol and also helps prevent cholesterol from going rancid, or oxidizing (rancid fats have been shown to be factor in heart disease).

-The fiber in blueberries helps us to have easier bowel movements. Blueberries can “ease” constipation.

-Blueberries contain vasodilators which help dilate blood vessels, thus giving you temporary relief for nasal and lung congestion.

-The blueberry is the official berry of Nova Scotia.

-The blueberry is the official state fruit of New Jersey.

-Blueberries are one of the easiest fruit to prepare and eat–no peeling, pitting, coring or cutting! They have few natural pests (other than birds), so pesticides are generally unnecessary.

-If refrigerated, fresh-picked (un-washed) blueberries will keep for several days. Wash your blueberries just before you’re going to use them, or there’s a good chance you’ll have mushy berries–ick!

-Blueberries are and excellent addtion to live, low fat vegan salsas, salads, chilled soups, sweet treats, and smoothies!

It’s recipe time! Here’s your LOW FAT, RAW VEGAN RECIPE FEATURING THE BLUEBERRY!

BLUEBERRY-BANANA-CACAO “PIE”

It’s like a pie, can be eaten like a pie, yet is so much more nutritious and healthier for you! Another refreshing, life-enhancing meal-treat for your low fat, raw vegan culinary adventures. This dish contains 350-400 calories.

Ingredients

1 banana
1 cup blueberries
1 tablespoon cacao powder
1 1/2 tablespoon agave nectar

Slice the banana into 1/4″-1/8″ slices. Cover the bottom of a small bowl (cereal bowl size is just right) with the banana slices. In a small bowl, stir the cacao powder and agave nectar together until smooth. Drizzle a spoonful of cacao-agave over the bananas. Pour 1/2 of the blueberries over the cacao and bananas, then drizzle another spoonful of cacao-agave over that layer of berries. Pour the last of the berries over the cacao-agave, then drizzle any remaining cacao-agave over the blueberries. And that’s it–Pure deliciousness!

There’s another low fat, raw vegan meal for you.
Eat lots of fruit! Eat blueberries whenever you can!

Be Vegan, Be Vibrant!

Duration : 0:4:25

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It’s Day 24 of Vibrant Vegan’s 30 Days, 30 Fruits for You Project!

We here at Vibrant Vegan know for sure for sure that if you eat several servings of fresh, raw fruit each day, you’ll be healthier–and we want you to be as healthy and vibrant as possible! So we’re doing this Raw Fruit Project to help you be that healthy and vibrant you of your dreams!

The fruit for Day 24 is the GRAPEFRUIT!

-The world’s largest producers of Grapefruit are the US, Mexico, and China!

-Grapefruit is believed to have been an accidental hybrid of the pomelo and orange.

-Grapefruit is a good source of:

Vitamins A, C, B-complex
Fiber
Potassium
Calcium
Folate

-Grapefruit is a great source of antioxidants that may help prevent heart disease and certain cancers.

-Grapefruit contains compounds that have been shown to help prevent cancer.

-Grapefruit have an alkalizing effect on our bodies, thus can help regulate pH.

-Grapefruit contain pectin, a soluble fiber shown to help lower blood cholesterol.

-One grapefruit contains 12 grams of fiber! About 6 grams are insoluble, which is great for preventing constipation and colon cancer, and the other 6 grams are soluble–shown to help lower cholesterol (the “pectin” thing from above). Peel and eat, rather than cutting the fruit in half then eating each little section with a spoon if you want all that fabulous fiber!

-Grapefruit has also been shown to help reduce the pain and inflammation ociated with inflammatory conditions–gout, arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and asthma.

-Grapefruit helps our livers detoxify our bodies! Yep, grapefruit increases the activity of certain enzymes which our boost our liver’s ability to remove toxins.

-Grapefruit trees can produce fruit for up to 40 years!

and now it’s time for your tremendously tantalizing LOW FAT, RAW VEGAN RECIPE featuring GRAPEFRUIT!!!

GLORIOUS GRAPEFRUIT-BLUEBERRY-AVOCADO SALAD

A fantastic blend of flavors makes this salad a sure-to-be-favorite in your home! Add some greens to this to make it even more delicious and suitable for any occasion. This dish contains right around 300 calories. (Substitute any berry or peaches for the blueberries in this dish.)

Ingredients

2 grapefruit, peeled and cut into chunks
1 cup blueberries, or your favorite berry
1/2 avocado, cut into chunks

Gently stir all of the ingredients in a bowl, and serve. Get ready for pure eating delight!

Eat handfuls and handfuls of grape fruit!
Eat thousands of bites of fruit!
Be Vegan, Be Vibrant!

Duration : 0:3:13

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-Cherries have been around for a long long long long time! Cherry pits were found in several Stone Age caves in Europe. It’s believed by some archaeologists and historians that Romans carried cherries throughout Europe and England along the routes of conquest.

-Cherries have one of the highest anti-oxidant levels of all fruits!

-Cherries are a good source of beta carotene–they have 19 times more beta carotene than blueberries and strawberries!

-Eat cherries and get a fantastic dose of Vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, iron, fiber and folate.

-Cherries have been linked to these awesome health benefits:*helping to ease the pain of arthritis and gout
*reduces some risk factors of heart disease and diabetes
*helping to lower a person’s risk of certain cancers
*because of their melatonin, cherries can help restore your natural sleep patterns, help you keep your all-important memory, and help lessen effects of jet lag
*possibly help you age with more “youthful exuberance” (maybe slow the aging process)
.
-1 cup contains about 85 calories

-In the United States, over 1000 different varieties of cherry trees are grown, and most of them blossom over three weeks in late May and early June. Only about 10 of those varieties show-up in our grocery stores and farmer’s markets.

-Just one mature cherry tree produces 7,000 cherries!

-Michigan grows the most cherries in the world, and Traverse City, Michigan, is the Cherry Capital of the World.

-Washington state grows more sweet cherries than any other state. In 2000 Washington growers produced about 95,000 tons of cherries. (USDA 2004)

-Cherries, plums, peaches, apricots, nectarines, and almonds are all relatives!

-Cherries are fairly perishable, so keep them in your fridge if you’re not planning to eat them right away; they’ll stay yummy in the fridge for up to 2 days.

So there’s your “pre-meal” bit of information and quirky cherry facts to chew-on–now it’s time for the meal…your LOW FAT RAW, VEGAN RECIPE featuring CHERRIES!

CHERRT AND ROMAINE SALAD

This is a huge salad, bursting with flavor and nutrients! It’s sweet, it’s tart, fruity, and a bit spicy! This dish contains right around 300 calories.

Ingredients

1 head Romaine lettuce, or equivalent of mixed greens–rinsed and chopped
2 cups cherries, pits removed and sliced or chopped
2-3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
7-8 fresh mint leaves, minced
freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, mix the cherries, mint, and balsamic vinegar. Let that sit while you prepare your Romaine lettuce. Put the lettuce in a big bowl, then pour the cherry-mint-balsamic mixture over the top. Grind some pepper over the top. Toss, then munch munch away!

Eat Cherries. Eat more fruit! Fill your plate with raw fruit–everyday!

Be Vegan, Be Vibrant!

Duration : 0:4:8

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The fantastic fruit for Day 23 is the PAPAYA!

-One cup of chopped papaya contains just 55 calories, and oodles of so-very-good-for-you goodies!

-Papayas are a fantastic source of these fantastic nutrients:

Papain
Beta-carotene
Vitamins A and C
Folate
Potassium
Fiber

-Papayas are the only natural source of papain, a powerful digestive enzyme. (The riper the papaya, however, the less papain it contains.)

-Papain is also used in treatment of jellyfish and insect stings. (Cut the skin from the rest of the fruit and apply it directly to the wound.)

-Papayas have been show to be anti-inflammatory, thus helping to reduce the pain of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, and edema.

-Paste made from unripe papaya, may remove pigmentation or brown spots from your face.

-Papayas can help protect against colon cancer because of their high fiber, plus the fiber in papaya has been shown to bind to cancer-causing compounds in the colon and remove them from the body.

-The papaya tree can grow from seed to a 20 foot, fruit bearing tree in less than 18 months. Wow-weee!

Now it’s time for your LOW FAT, RAW VEGAN RECIPE FEATURING THE PAPAYA! YIPPEE SKIPPEE!

PAPAYA-CILANTRO SALAD

Spectacularly sweet, a tiny bit tart, and extremely enlivening, plus super simple…This salad is amazing!!! Make a huge amount of this, because the recipe I’m giving to you has right around 65 calories!

Ingredients

1 small (Hawaiian) Papaya, cut into chunks
juice of 1/3 lime
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Toss the 3 ingredients into a bowl, give a gentle stir, and there you go–one of the best dishes you’re ever going to eat!

Eat pounds and pounds and pounds of Papayas!
Eat bunches and bunches of fruit!
Be Vegan, Be Vibrant!

Duration : 0:3:37

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