Food Focused Facts from Fitness Elements! Pear-Walnut Sandwhiches what a treat!

>> Food Focus

Pears (Pyrus communis) are a pome fruit relative of the apple. One of the earliest written histories or records comes from Homer's reference to them as "Gifts from the Gods." The first pears arrived in the United States by European settlers in the 1700s. Pears rank second to the apple as the most popular US fruit. They can be eaten and used in a lot of the same ways as the apple. One distinct feature of the pear besides the shape is the soft texture. This soft texture is the result of the starch converting to sugar after being picked from a tree to ripen. (Wellness Encyclopedia of Food and Nutrition, 1992).

Pear

Serving size 1/2 cup, sliced (83g)Amounts Per Serving % Daily Value

Calories 50

Calories from Fat 0 0

Total Fat 0g 0%

Saturated Fat 0g 0%

Sodium 0mg 0%

Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Total Carbohydrate 13g 4%

Dietary Fiber 3g 12%

Sugars 8g

Protein 0g

Vitamin A 0%

Vitamin C 6%

Calcium 0%

Iron 0%



* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.







The very shape of a pear speaks of its luscious nature. When ripe and ready to eat, the pear has a honeyed flavor and beckoning perfume that bewitch your senses. There are more than 3000 known varieties in the world. US production comes from states in the Northwest, plus New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and California. Imports come from South America, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa.



With the numerous varieties and extended growing seasons, pears of all sizes and colors are available year-round.





Varieties



There are several varieties of pair including Anjou, Bartlett, Bose, Comice, Forelle, and Seckel. These fruits have a sweet, rich flavor and come in a variety of colors including green, golden yellow and red. Among these varieties there are only subtle differences in flavor and texture.



Pear Varieties

Pears come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors from tiny Seckels to long-necked Boscs to colorful Red Bartletts. Check out their availability and use below.



Green Anjou — Available October through June

Firm and green, even when ripe; this large, thin-skinned yellowish-green pear is best eaten fresh. When slightly under-ripe, it can be baked or poached, but once it ripens, its sweet, mellow flavor and abundant juice make it an excellent choice for salads and snacks.



Red Anjou — Available October through May

Much the same flavor, use and texture as the green Anjou. Red Anjous (generally dark, maroon red in color) show little to no change in color as they ripen, which is another characteristic shared with their Green Anjou counterparts. Red Anjous are recognizable for their near egg-shaped appearance.



Yellow Bartlett — Available August through December

One of the most common and popular pears, this large, bell-shaped all-purpose pear has a yellow skin sometimes blushed with pale red. It is very sweet, juicy, aromatic and perfect for salads, eating fresh, and excellent for canning or cooking. It holds its shape and flavor in baking and cooking.



Red Bartlett — Available August through December

Firm, bright red skin, very sweet and juicy when ripe. This variety is a bit smaller, with the same flavor, texture, and use as yellow Bartletts. They make an excellent choice as a color accent in a fresh-fruit dessert or salad.



Bosc — Available August through April

The Bosc has a firm, dense, yet tender flesh with brown skin that hides a deliciously, sweet and spicy flavor. Its dense flesh makes it ideal for baking and cooking. Color doesn't change as it ripens, excellent for baking. Its mild, not-too-sweet flavor is great for microwave recipes, salads, and snacks.



Comice — Available August through March

Is hard, green, and rounder than a Bartlett, but similar in flavor and texture. One of the largest, sweetest and juiciest varieties. Best used fresh in salads, served as an elegant dessert pear, or as an excellent accompaniment with cheese.



Forelle — Available September through February

Slightly larger than a Seckel, with freckled skin and a red blush. For what they lack in size, Forelle pears make up in sweet flavor and beautiful appearance. They're an excellent snack or lunch-box pear…sweet, juicy, and crisp.



Seckel — Available August through February

Tiny pears with ultra-sweet flavor, so sweet in fact they are called "sugar pears." Maroon and olive green in color, with no color change when ripened. They are an excellent choice for children's snacks, pickling, or as a garnish.



Fresh Pears are a Healthy Choice!



They have no cholesterol, sodium, or saturated fat. They offer a natural, quick source of energy, due largely to high amounts of two monosaccharides: fructose and glucose, plus Levulose, the sweetest of known natural sugars, found to a greater extent in fresh pears than in any other fruit. A pear is a nutrient dense food, providing more nutrients per calorie, than calories per nutrient. Carbohydrates make up 98% of the energy provided by a pear, and carbohydrates are helpful in weight reduction diets because they contain half as many calories as fat.



Fiber

Fresh pears offer dietary fiber, much of it in the form of Pectin. A pear weighing 166 grams provides 2.32 grams of crude fiber, and 4 grams of dietary fiber, of which 41% is pectin. Fiber contains no calories, and is a necessary element of a healthy diet, helping to sustain blood sugar levels and promoting regularity. High fiber diets may also help reduce the risk of colon cancer and can help reduce serum cholesterol. Pears are a good source of natural fiber.



Potassium

Fresh pears offer potassium; 210 mg in a medium size pear. Although it is an element lost easily through dehydration or perspiration brought on by active lifestyles or strenuous exercise, potassium is necessary for maintaining heartbeat, muscle contraction, nerve transmission, as well as carbohydrate and protein metabolism. Replenish potassium by eating fresh vegetables, fruits or legumes containing high potassium content— pears are an excellent choice.



Vitamin C

Fresh pears contain Vitamin C. One medium size pear provides 7 mg, or 10% of the RDA for Vitamin C. As one of the antioxidant vitamins, Vitamin C is essential for normal metabolism and tissue repair, helping prevent free radical damage the destructive by-products of the body's metabolic process. Vitamin C improves the immune system and promotes healing of cuts and bruises and guard against a number of infectious diseases. Fresh pears are a good source for Vitamin C.





Selecting



Sweet, succulent pears are perhaps the most glorious of fall fruits. Selecting them can be easy if you consider the following: avoid pears with bruises or cuts and dark brown colors; purchase pears while slightly green because they ripen better and faster off the tree; look for pears with a smooth unblemished skin; ripe ones will yield slightly to gentle pressure at the stem end. If you plan to bake pears, select those that are fairly firm.





Storing



If pears are unripe, place them in a paper bag at room temperature for 2 to 3 days or store them in a ventilated fruit bowl in a cool, dark place, and refrigerate as soon as they ripen. Ripe pears should be stored in the refrigerator in a plastic bag up to 3 days. They continue to ripen after harvest.





Wash and Eat



There's no need to peel a pear... their tender, edible skin is an additional source of fiber. A medium sized pear provides 4 grams of fiber, or 16% of the recommended daily value. Always wash all fresh fruits and vegetables before serving.

Recipes

1/2 cup (4 ounces) tub-style cream cheese

8 (1.1-ounce) slices cinnamon-raisin bread, toasted

2 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts, toasted

2 Bartlett pears, cored and thinly sliced

1 cup alfalfa sprouts (or try arugula, spinach or your favorite green)

Spread 1 tablespoon cream cheese evenly over each of 8 bread slices. Sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon walnuts evenly over each of 4 bread slices. Top each evenly with pear slices, sprouts and 1 bread slice. Cut each sandwhich in half diagnolly. Makes 4 servings.

Per Serving: 335 calories; 11 grams (g) fat; 8.7 protein; 52.2 g carbs; 5.9 g fiber; 15 milligrams (mg) cholesterol; 2 mg iron; 363 mg sodium; 56 mg calcium.

Recipe Source: Fresh Food Fast by cooking light magazine (Oxmoor House 2009)

Sandy Todd Webster and Idea Fitness Journal which I love!!

Five Famous Fibs and Fables: The Worst Nutritional Advice Ever Given

How to Determine if Food Combining is right for You

Fib 1. The Philosophy of food combining, in which certain foods are said to compliment or oppose each other in the digestive process, is based primarily on cooked food and cooked food only! When you are following a Raw foods diet, which is bountiful in the enzymatic activity that aids digestion, proper food combining is not as critical. It does become critical, however, for people with poor assimilation, digestion problems, low energy levels, diabetes, and high performing athletes.

Fib 2. If you are eating a completely Raw diet or trying to convert to mostly Raw diet these rules should apply only if you are not experiencing any health concerns, these food-combining guidelines will be helpful to you and your energy levels throughout the day.

Fib 3. Not properly mixing foods that require different digestive times and enzymes can cause food digestion to be difficult or slow. This is a very true fact my friends and you should experiment with this a little try to pay attention to times you feel really sluggish and not energetic I can guarantee it is something you ate that is having a hard time digesting. Starch Digestion, for example begins in the mouth and requires alkaline digestion secretion; but protein digestion begins in the stomach, where acid secretions such as hydrochloric acid and pepsin are found. When mixed, the alkaline and acidic secretions neutralize each other, resulting in poor digestion of both starch and protein.
Fib 4. Drinking beverages simultaneously with meals does not affect the diluting of your digestive juices. Yes it does and ideally try to drink one half-hour before a meal or one and a half hours after. This is also great for weight loss drinking lots of H20 will fill you up without filling you out and when your meal comes around you will already feel full.

Fib 5. It is good to mix fruits and vegetables together. I don't know about you my friends but that doesn't even sound good. Fruits and veggies are not generally best when mixed together. The exceptions to this rule are avocado (a fruit), which combines well with vegetables, and celery and lettuce, which combine well with fruit. Avoid combining acidic fruits such as grapefruit with sweet fruits such as raisins, because acidic and sweet fruits require different digestive times and secretions. Not to sound inapropriate or anything but people who find themselves complaining that fruit gives them gas can blame it on improper combining or the fact that that the fruit is cleansing bacterial overgrowth from the digestive tract.

For optimal digestion, try to eat light foods before heavy foods, because the lighter foods (being more watery) will be digested more quickly. Eat fats and proteins at separate meals. Example: 1 tspn of Organic Peanut Butter and a small sliced apple or 3 oz of albacore tuna fish with 6 low salt Triscuits. Those are great mini meal ideas with the right combination! Save Raw desserts such as cakes, cookies, and puddings to be eaten at least an hour after a meal and only a couple times per week. I hope these tips help you my health and fitness friends. Have a healthy and happy day!

By, Natalie Pyles

Health & Fitness Expert, Nutrition Specialist, Author, NSA Speaker