手機(jī)版
In many parts of the country, snow and ice still have a deathgrip on the local climate. In my neck of the woods, we still have massive piles of ice and snow on every street corner and at the end of every driveway. So it’s only natural that many of us are looking for a way to bust through the winter blues.
One thing that often works is to enjoy more tropical fruits, such as mangoes, bananas, coconuts, or papayas. These fruits are usually available all winter long, and are like an early preview of summer’s warmth. But beyond these warm feelings, many tropical fruits have far more powerful abilities.
Did you know that one tropical fruit can be used as a substitute for IV fluid in an emergency? Or that another tropical treat has been shown in studies to kill cancer cells? Aside from their health benefits, there are plenty of other reasons to love the following tropical fruits…and some of these benefits will definitely surprise you.
1. Coconuts
You might think of coconut as the sweet topping on German chocolate cake, but this fruit has plenty of health benefits as well. Coconut water has a ton of health benefits. It’s a sterile source of clean water, useful for survival hydration. On top of this, coconut water has the same level of electrolytic balance human blood. In the Pacific Theatre during World War II, coconut water was frequently used in the field as an emergency plasma transfusion for wounded combatants.
Coconut water makes a better sports drink than commercial products, as it is lower in salts and sugars and higher in potassium. And, of course, the flesh and oil of the coconut is also edible and good for you!
2. Mangosteen
The mangosteen is a small fruit with white flesh, popular throughout Asia. One group of scientists has proposed that alpha-mangostin, an antioxidant found only in mangosteen, can cause cell death in leukemia cells, effectively treating the disease. While more research needs to be done, mangosteen is also said to have powerful anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antifungal, and antiseptic properties.
3. Avocado
You might think of it as a vegetable, but this is actually a fruit. And not just any fruit, but a fruit that has been shown to lower cholesterol. They are also rich in folic acid, which can prevent some kinds of common birth defects. Even more interesting is that avocados are the ultimate life hack fruit: when you eat an avocado with other vegetables, you absorb more nutrients from the meal than you would have from eating the vegetables alone. Top your salad with a few slices of avocado, and you’ll be increasing your intake of vitamins and minerals from the meal.
4. Mango
A single mango will contain half of your recommended daily allowance of both Vitamin A and Vitamin C, as well as some B-Vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, polyphenols, beta-carotene, and…well, maybe it would have been quicker for me to list the few nutrients that this little fruit DOESN’T contain…
I picked up an interesting tip about quickly ripening mangoes from the book “Urawaza”, which I reviewed here recently. If you pick up a mango at the supermarket that is still hard, soak it in simmering water for just 10 minutes to speed up the ripening process. The sooner you can eat one, the sooner you can start to enjoy its beneficial qualities.
5. Longan
Longan berries, native to China, have long been said by Asian herbalists to have relaxing properties, making them the perfect snack to enjoy to lower your stress levels. It is also said to have anti-cancer, antioxidant, and liver-protective properties. The longan contains high levels of iron, potassium, and large amounts of vitamins A and C. Finding them in a form other than fresh at your local market may be tough, but dried and canned longan are also available.
In general, eating more fruits is good for your health. Overall, tropical fruits have been known to reduce your risk of cancer and heart disease. On top of these benefits, a diet rich in tropical fruits ensures that you will have improved digestion and GI function. Best of all, these fruits can neutralize free radicals, protecting you from asthma, joint pain, and the above-mentioned heart and cancer risks.
You are what you eat. If you want to be smart, eat smart, and reach for these tropical fruits the next time you are craving a snack.
參考譯文：
在我國(guó)的大部分地帶，冰雪依舊是本土氣候的大敵。在我居住的地區(qū)，街頭巷尾還殘留著成堆的冰雪。對(duì)我們來(lái)說(shuō)，找尋一個(gè)可以打破冬季陰郁情形的方法是在再自然不過(guò)了。
有一個(gè)十分有效地辦法，那就是多吃熱帶水果，比如芒果，香蕉，椰子和木瓜。這些水果在冬季也能買(mǎi)得到，就像是提前感受了夏天的溫暖。除了這些溫暖的感覺(jué)，很多熱帶水果有著更強(qiáng)大的養(yǎng)生作用。
你知不知道在急救的時(shí)候一個(gè)熱帶水果可以代替輸液的功效？你知不知道有研究表明有熱帶水果有殺死癌細(xì)胞的作用？除了他們的健康療效，愛(ài)上以下這些熱帶水果的原因數(shù)不勝數(shù)，有些益處甚至是你想都想不到的。
1.椰子
當(dāng)說(shuō)到椰子的時(shí)候，你想到的可能是德國(guó)巧克力蛋糕上的甜蜜裝飾，但是這種水果對(duì)人的身體同樣有著眾多的益處。喝椰汁的好處極多，這是一種無(wú)菌的凈水，適合做維持人體生存的水合物。另外，椰汁中的電解質(zhì)與人體血液中的電解質(zhì)可以保持平衡。二戰(zhàn)時(shí)期的太平洋戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)上，椰汁替代急救血漿廣泛用于傷員之中。椰汁比起一些商業(yè)產(chǎn)品來(lái)說(shuō)是很好的運(yùn)動(dòng)飲料，它少鹽低糖還富含鉀元素。椰肉和椰子油同樣可食并且也有益健康。
2.山竹
山竹是一種果肉為白色的小型水果，在亞洲地區(qū)很是流行。有科學(xué)家研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，只存在于山竹的一種抗氧化劑，α-山竹黃酮，能夠殺死白血病細(xì)胞并有效治療這種疾病。當(dāng)然，這一發(fā)現(xiàn)還需要更多的研究證明。據(jù)稱(chēng)，山竹還具有強(qiáng)大的消毒殺菌功效。
3.鱷梨
你可能認(rèn)為鱷梨是一種蔬菜，其實(shí)它是一種水果，而且還是一種有降低膽固醇作用的水果。鱷梨富含葉酸（維生素B）,這一成分能減少某些先天缺陷的出現(xiàn)幾率。更有趣的是，鱷梨還是水果中的“終極健康黑客”——比起單獨(dú)食用蔬菜，當(dāng)你將鱷梨與蔬菜同食時(shí)，你會(huì)從中汲取更多的營(yíng)養(yǎng)物質(zhì)。記得在沙拉中加些鱷梨條，這會(huì)大大增加你的維生素和礦物質(zhì)攝入量的。
4.芒果
一個(gè)簡(jiǎn)簡(jiǎn)單單的芒果就含有你一天所需的一半的維生素A、C，還有B族維生素，Ω-3脂肪酸，多酚，β-胡蘿卜素等等，對(duì)我來(lái)說(shuō)，列出芒果不含的營(yíng)養(yǎng)元素可能會(huì)比較簡(jiǎn)單吧。
最近我在《Urawaza》（主要內(nèi)容是生活訣竅）上找到一個(gè)有趣的關(guān)于快速催熟芒果的小貼士：當(dāng)你從超市買(mǎi)回的芒果還有點(diǎn)硬的時(shí)候，你只要把它放在溫水里浸泡十分鐘就能加速它的成熟進(jìn)程�？禳c(diǎn)開(kāi)始吃芒果吧，吃的越早，你就能越快開(kāi)始享受芒果帶來(lái)的樂(lè)趣和健康了。
5.龍眼
原產(chǎn)于中國(guó)的龍眼，很久之前就被亞洲的藥劑師們認(rèn)為具有放松身心的作用，這是一種具有減壓效果的絕佳小吃。另外，龍眼還有抗癌、抗氧化和護(hù)肝的療效。龍眼富含鐵、鉀以及維生素A、C。在本地市場(chǎng)上找到新鮮龍眼有點(diǎn)困難，但是風(fēng)干龍眼和罐裝龍眼也是不錯(cuò)的選擇。
一般來(lái)說(shuō)，多吃水果是有益健康的。總的來(lái)說(shuō)，熱帶水果被認(rèn)為能降低癌癥和心臟病的發(fā)病率，而且，包含熱帶水果的飲食能使你具有良好的消化和胃腸功能。最大的益處是，熱帶水果能中和人體內(nèi)的自由基，保護(hù)你免受哮喘，關(guān)節(jié)痛和上面提到的各種病癥的困擾。
人如其食。如果你想當(dāng)個(gè)聰明人，那就吃得明智一些吧，下次想吃零食的時(shí)候，選擇這些熱帶水果吧！
