The actual color of the apple does not necessarily impact nutritional content, but like most produce, the peel of the fruit stores the most potent nutritional components. The apple peel is rich in anti-oxidants,  which fight free radicals to slow the aging process, so be sure not to peel the precious skin away and throw it down the disposal. Do make sure your apple is washed well – no matter whether you’ve chosen, local, organic or conventional origin. Vitamin C and Calcium are two important nutrients found in the peel and the flesh of fresh apples.

Cancer Fighting

Apples are also rich in flavonoids, an important bio-chemical compound found in many plants.  The flavonoids in apples, specifically, have been proven in various studies to prevent and fight cancer cells – particularly in relation to liver, colon and lung cancers. The cancer-fighting flavonoids are found in the fiber of the fruit and in the form of Quercetin in the peels (another important reason not to de-skin your apples). Once ingested, the apple fiber actually continues to work in the colon repairing any cellular damage. Quercetin, a natural flavonol, is also known to slow cellular degeneration – thus warding off conditions such as Alzheimer’s.

Lastly, apples contain the wonder-nutrient Pectin, which can reduce the risk of heart disease by preventing plaque from being deposited in artery walls; promote the healthy metabolism of cholesterol; and improve digestion and bowel function. Apples really are an amazing food, complete in their whole form and ready to eat…an apple a day.

Like color, the size of the apple doesn’t not matter either – although I suspect that the saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” referred to apples slightly larger than this one Jeremy found.

Super Easy Home Made Apple Sauce

This is a delicious and easy way to make use of extra apples laying around. Enjoy this tasty treat as dessert after meals, as a snack or paired with roasted pork chops.

1. Chop as many apples as you would like to turn into sauce into 1-inch cubes (I usually use about 4-5), leaving the skins on.
2. Place the apple cubes into a sauce pan.
3. Fill the pan with about an inch or two of filtered water, 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice and 1-2 tsp Cinnamon (or to taste).
4. Cover the pot and simmer the apples on low until they are soft and tender. Remove from heat and puree the apples, skins and liquid in a food processor to desired smoothness.
5. Enjoy warm and store the remainder in the fridge up to a week.

Charlie Brown had it right with his beloved pumpkin in the Peanuts classic film, as the pumpkin is truly one of autumn’s greatest joys (just like apple picking). There are many great farms around the East Coast – complete with pumpkin patches for wandering and picking out your perfect, great, pumpkin. Artistic carvings, nutritious roasted seeds, an anti-aging pureed facial mask and hormonal balance – all in one great pumpkin. And all after the jump.

Jack-O-Lanterns

Growing up, pumpkin carving was always a well-looked forward to event in my home (we even had our household cat, Jackie O’Lantern Hessel, named after my sister’s true obsession with this time of the year). Dad would line the garage floor with newspaper and clean pumpkins for the whole family to carve. Mom would roast the seeds for snacking while the artistry took place. It was quite the production, to say the least. Moving into my own home – and now, cleaning my own pumpkins – I realized that the task wasn’t all that hard: Cut a whole in the top, scoop out the insides, and go! Even do-able in a New York City kitchen.

Facial Rejuvenation

After you’ve finished carving and the seeds are in the oven, give yourself this healing mask for a healthy glow! Natural pumpkin is an excellent face mask for all skin types, offering soothing vitamin A and anti-inflammatory vitamin C. In addition, the pumpkin contains the highest naturally-occurring alpha-hydroxy-acid levels of all plants (the same stuff in those expensive peels at the dermatologists office for anti-aging). Save yourself a trip this month, and give your face the lift it wants in the comfort of your own home.

• 1 Tbsp Fresh Pumpkin Meat (or, can use canned pumpkin if skipping the whole jack-o-lantern step)
• 1/4 tsp honey
• 1/4 tsp milk

Puree all together in food processor and apply to clean skin. Leave for 10 min, or as desired. Rinse well and pat dry.

Achieve Hormone Balance with Vitamin A

The body cannot make estrogen – a crucial hormone in the female menstrual cycle – without vitamin A. Deficiency is associated with painful periods, clotted menstruation, fibroids and endometriosis. This vitamin is important for men as well, especially in relation to sexual health and sperm production for fertility. Vitamin A is most abundant in animal foods, and requires fat in order for the body to absorb it. Whole eggs, liver, and butter are great sources of Vitamin A.

Pumpkin, and other “orange” veggies of the season are rich in an important pre-cursor to Vitamin A: beta carotene.  Beta carotene, on its own, is a powerful anti-oxidant that can boost the immune system, improve the skin, hair, nails and reduce systemic inflammation. The body can convert beta-carotene to Vitamin A, with appropriate food combining such as adding butter to your orange vegetables. In this case, steam up a bit of your vitamin rich pumpkin meat, lather it with fresh butter and enjoy both the anti-oxidant and hormonal balancing effects of this important team.

Power-Packed Snack

Don’t forget to save the white seeds, they are packed with fiber and iron, and make an absolutely delicious treat. For my mothers delicious recipe, click here.

Have a Happy and Safe Halloween!

The leaves have turned color in New York City, the clocks turned back and the slight chill of winter lurks around the corner.  As our internal thermostats adjust to accommodate the external environmental changes during the fall, we often find ourselves fighting colds or catching the flu (beyond the hullabaloo of H1N1, there are many strains of simple colds out there – remember those?).  Much to my loving outdoor-hockey-playing boyfriend‘s approval, these “natural alternatives” deliver potent relief when the time is right.  Don’t get me wrong, I am certainly a fan of the occasional Advil or Tylenol PM (also harbored in my medicine cabinet), but sometimes these other things get the job done better.  Yup, that’s right, better.

Chinese medicine offers great remedies to knock out that bug that hasn’t quite become full-blown illness, or strengthen the system to prevent an attack.  Acupuncture works to detoxify the body, and tonify the immune system.  Herbal medicine can do the same and work at a very deep level to re-balance during seasonal shifts and either treat or prevent common ailments. The following are some remedies you can try at home to stay healthy and out of the doctor’s office as winter gingerly approaches.

Gan Mao Ling

A very common patent-herbal remedy for knocking out an on-coming cold before it has the chance to set in is Gan Mao Ling. It is most effective when you feel just on the brink of getting sick.  Take 8-10 pills (they are small, if you are used to taking Chinese herbs, you know what I mean) 3 times daily to nip a cold in the bud.  Take until you feel better, up to a week. If the illness has already sunken in to produce specific symptoms like headache, nasal congestion or cough, this formula is no longer the right one, but it certainly will not make anything worse if you are unsure.  If symptoms do not improve or begin to incorporate chills, try the next step.

Immune Tea

Prepare this tea while taking the Gan Mao Ling, and especially if you are starting to feel fatigued and a slight chill. The warm water will help to clean out bacteria in the mouth and throat, and the herbs will help strengthen the immune system. If you are feeling a chill, drink this and wrap up in a warm blanket - in an effort to break a small sweat, venting the pathogen.

In 4 C water, Boil Together for 10 min:

4-5 Slices Fresh Ginger

The Rind of 1 Tangerine, Cut in Slices

2 Green Onions, Sliced (using both the white & green parts)

Steep for 5min in either 1 peppermint teabag or in chopped fresh peppermint leaves

Pour into a mug with 1 Tbsp honey.  Enjoy several cups.

Other Patents

If your generalized-think-you’re-getting-sick symptoms begin to get more specific, Chinese herbs may still be able to help.  There is a wide variety of time-tested formulas for chest congestion, runny nose, headaches, foggy-headiness, muscle-aches, queasy stomach, sore throat and cough.  It may be too late to avoid getting sick, but such formulas can help your body fight it faster, and reduce the uncomfortable symptoms you feel in the process. Any Certified Chinese herbalist would be able to recommend the right formula for you, which can be purchased in a chinatown pharmacy or herb shop – usually at minimal cost.

If you have the opportunity to speak with a Certified Herbalist for a consultation, they may even combine formulas, or give you something more individualized for your symptoms. Although many Chinese herbs have anti-microbial, anti-bacterial & anti-fungal effects, it is always important to check with your doctor to see if something more serious is going on.

Stay Covered

It is the same as grandma said, and ironically enough it is the same in Chinese medical literature from thousands of years ago: stay covered! On windy days and as the outside temperature fluctuates, it is important to keep vulnerable areas like your neck, the top of your head, abdomen & feet covered.  When exposed, these areas are likely to ‘trap’ external factors in the superficial layer of the body’s defense, thus making you more susceptible to other ailments.

Sleep

In preparation for the hibernation of winter, your body may need more sleep than it did in the hot summer months.  This is actually a healthy sign, and it is important to listen to.  During sleep is when our bodies repair and strengthen, an important part to staying healthy.  It is the easiest prevention technique, so try and make time for a good-nights sleep as part of your health care regime.

Eat Warm Food

There is a reason behind mother-natures seasonal vegetables this time of year, and their need to be cooked (raw sweet-potato or butternut squash is not a delicacy that I know of). Eating cold or raw food causes your digestive system to work harder. Rather than immediately absorbing the nutrition just taken in, it must “cook” the ingested food first, then break it down for energy and nourishment. This takes vital energy away from other parts of your body -like your immune system that is working overtime as the days waver between a chilly 40 and a balmy 65 degrees Fahrenheit- trying to prevent you from getting sick. Help your immune system by giving your digestive system a break.  Eat easy to digest, seasonal, cooked foods.

This post is proudly a part of Prevention Not Prescriptions Tuesday @ The Kathleen Show.  For more information and to check out some other great health blogs, check this site.

In an effort to honor the transitional nature of fall (and provide a yummy breakfast in the process), I prepared home-made banana-fig muffins.  Melding the tropical bananas of summer with fresh fall figs to make a nourishing and hearty sweet-bread.  The coconut oil can be substituted with any vegetable oil, but then you’d be missing out on these important benefits.  Did you know that it helps to maintain healthy cholesterol levels, promote weight loss, stabilize metabolism levels and support immune function? It is truly an amazing (and under-utilized) oil.  These muffins are extra delicious served slightly toasted with goat-butter and a cup of earl gray tea.

BANANA-FIG MUFFINS

3-4 ripe bananas, peeled

1/2 Cup Virgin Coconut Oil

2 Eggs

1 Tsp Vanilla

1 Cup Brown Sugar (loosely measured, not firmly packed)

12 Fresh Figs

1 Tsp Baking Soda

1 Tsp Baking Powder

Dash of Salt

2 Cups Flour

Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F.  Using a hand mixer, blend together the bananas and oil, add the sugar and vanilla until smooth.  Incorporate the eggs one by one.  Slice 6 figs into halves and place in the batter, sprinkle the mixture with salt, baking powder and soda.  Blend until figs are fully incorporated into the mixture and powders are dissolved.  Using a large spoon, slowly incorporate the flour.  Lightly grease 12 muffin molds and fill 2/3 full with batter.  With remaining 6 figs, slice them into quarters, nestling 2 quarter-pieces on the top of each muffin for garnish.  Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a knife inserted into muffin comes out clean.  Enjoy!