It's Kiwi Season!

Did you know that two kiwifruit have more vitamin C than an orange and as much potassium as a banana? And, SunGold, a new variety of kiwifruit with tangy, tropical flavors, has four times the USRDA of vitamin C in one fruit.

Kiwifruit are nutritional powerhouses and are also a great source of micronutrients like Vitamin E and antioxidants. They’re high in fiber, have a low glycemic index, and two fruit have fewer than 100 calories.

According to Rebecca Scritchfield, registered dietitian, nearly 70 percent of Americans don’t eat the daily recommended amount of fruit. Says Scritchfield, “Kiwifruit packs a nutritional punch and is a delicious and healthy way to boost fresh fruit consumption.”

An infograph highlighting the many nutritional benefits of kiwifruit can be viewed and downloaded at zesprikiwifruitmediakit.com. Along with the infograph, you’ll find tasty recipes, a news release, product fact sheets and downloadable images.

Zespri® Kiwifruit are available in the United States and Canada for a limited time, from June through October. 

Article provided by Zespri® Kiwifruit. 

Michigan Tart Cherry Gift Basket Giveaway

I'm excited because this is my very first giveaway! The Cherry Marketing Institute sent me a tart cherry gift basket filled with a bag of Michigan dried tart cherries and a bottle of tart cherry concentrate. Cherries are my favorite fruit, so I'm pretty happy. One of my readers will also have a chance to win a tart cherry gift basket!

A few years ago, The Cherry Marketing Institute invited me to attend an educational cherry immersion event in Traverse City, Michigan - The Cherry Capital of the World. The Cherry Marketing Institute (CMI) is a nonprofit national promotion organization that's funded by U.S. tart cherry growers.

You can read about my tart cherry experience here: The Elusive Tart Cherry of Northern Michigan

Cherry Facts 

Tart or sour cherries are recognized as the key ingredient in decadent desserts, but their potential health benefits are promising! There are over 1,000 varieties of cherries, but the two main types are sweet and tart. Both sweet and tart cherries are high in antioxidants, magnesium, potassium, iron, folate and fiber. However, tart cherries have been found to contain more beta carotene, vitamin C and anthocyanins. Anthocyanins are powerful antioxidants and the pigments responsible for the bright red color of cherries. If a fruit or vegetable has color, then anthocyanins are present. Tart cherries are the richest source of anthocyanins 1 and 2, which may reduce inflammation associated with heart disease, arthritis, and assist with muscle recovery after strenuous exercise. Anthocyanins may also inhibit the growth of colon cancer tumors.

Fresh tart cherries are very delicate, so they're rarely shipped fresh. Therefore, the cherries are frozen, dried or made into a juice or concentrate.

Cherries May Help Relieve Muscle Pain Associated with Exercise! 

Oregon Health & Science University discovered that tart cherry juice may relieve muscle pain and inflammation associated with running. Runners who drank 10½ ounces of Montmorency tart cherry juice twice a day for a week before their race and on the day of their race had considerably less pain than runners who used a placebo. The researchers concluded that tart cherry juice may be being a safer way to treat muscle pain and inflammation than over the counter pain relievers.

Get More Rest with Cherries 

The University of Texas Health Science Center found that tart cherries contain substantial levels of melatonin, an antioxidant. Melatonin may help regulate sleep and maintain the body’s circadian rhythm. Melatonin has also been said to fight jet lag and may even prevent cancer. Since the body contains melatonin in very small amounts, even a slight increase in melatonin can have very promising results.

Quick and Easy Ways to Add Cherries to Your Diet 

Fresh tart cherries are hard to find, but they are available frozen, dried and as a juice or concentrate. (Your other option is the National Cherry Festival in Traverse City, Michigan, in early July every year!)

 - Dried tart cherries are delicious in salads, quinoa, yogurt or on top of your oatmeal.

 - Mix dried tart cherries into low fat muffin or bread batter.

 - Create your own granola or trail mix with dried tart cherries.

 - Add an ounce of tart cherry concentrate to your water or sparkling water, or in your next smoothie, for a refreshing drink full of antioxidants.

Find delicious recipes at The Cherry Marketing Institute's Recipe Database


The Cherry Marketing Institute generously sent me 2 gift baskets, so a Nutritious Feast reader will win a bag of delicious dried tart cherries and a bottle of concentrated tart cherry juice!

Enter through the Rafflecopter form below. All entries are optional, but you'll have a better chance of winning if you submit more entries. A random winner will be chosen on or around August 9th! Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Understanding Antioxidants and Free Radicals

Everyone talks about antioxidants and free radicals, but what are they and how do they really work? Oxidation occurs when oxygen is exposed to cells and causes them to change. A real life example would be when oxygen hits an apple slice and it turns brown. Our bodies typically use oxygen in an efficient way, but sometimes cells get harmed in the process and free radicals are created.

Free radicals are unstable oxygen molecules that often collide with other cells and cause interference with normal cell functioning. They are considered free because they are missing an important molecule (electron) which sends them on a desperate journey to gain stability with nearby stable molecules. This sometimes causes a chain reaction and can result in the disruption of a living cell and ultimately cause DNA damage. Free radicals are also created from environmental pollution, smoke from cigarettes, radiation and other chemicals. The resulting oxidation is linked to a variety of health problems such as cancer, diabetes, macular degeneration and heart disease.

How Antioxidants Work

What is the ORAC Scale?

The oxygen radical absorbance capacity or ORAC scale measures a food’s ability to protect against free radicals. A high ORAC score means that a food or other compound is high in antioxidants. The ORAC scale was first developed by Dr. Guohua Cao at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University.

Health professionals recommend that we eat at least 3,000 to 5,000 ORAC points each day. Research reveals that eating a diet rich in antioxidants may protect cells from oxidative damage and therefore prevent cancer, heart disease and other illnesses.

You can check out the current database: USDA Database for the Oxygen RadicalAbsorbance Capacity (ORAC) of Selected Foods, Release 2

Example: 100 grams (3.5 oz) of blueberries ranks at around 2,400 points on the ORAC scale and a ½ cup of cooked broccoli is about 1,900 points. I have a feeling we’ll hear more about the ORAC scale in the near future!

The Health Benefits of Mushrooms

Did you know that mushrooms are the "fruits" of fungus called mycelium? They grow in soil, wood or decaying matter. There are thousands of varieties of mushrooms and to untrained eye, it's very difficult to identify the differences between edible and poisonous mushrooms. Don't pick a mushroom from the ground unless you're sure it's safe to eat!

Health Benefits of Mushrooms

Mushrooms contain large amounts of the antioxidant selenium. They actually contain more selenium than any other fruit or vegetable. Mushrooms also contain the antioxidant ergothioneine, known for its anticancer properties. They are a great source of B vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid. White, portobella and crimini mushrooms are excellent sources of potassium and white button mushrooms are rich in vitamin D.

If white mushrooms are exposed to ultraviolet light for 5 minutes after harvesting, they may contain 869% of the daily value of vitamin D!(http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12370708/)

A recent Australian study found that women who consume mushrooms daily may reduce their risk of breast cancer by two-thirds! (http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/9327)

One serving of mushrooms contains 20 calories and no fat!

Click the links below to learn more about mushrooms!

Discover Mushrooms: Nature's Hidden Treasure (American Dietetic Association PDF)

Mushroom Council

Mushrooms and Cancer Risk

Craving Some Chocolate?!?

Who wouldn't be happy to learn that a small amount of cocoa and dark chocolate may actually be good for your body? The Aztecs were way ahead of us!

Photo courtesy of FreeFoto.com


Cocoa beans are full of plant chemicals called flavanols. Flavanols are antioxidants that may reduce blood platelet stickiness and help prevent blood clots. According to the American Dietetic Association, Cocoa and dark chocolate may actually have up to 10x more antioxidant power than other antioxidant rich foods! Cocoa and Dark chocolate can be a good source of calcium, potassium and magnesium. Chocolate even contains vitamins A, B1, B2, D and E. The vitamins and minerals found in chocolate products can vary depending on the way the chocolate was processed.

Be sure to choose dark chocolate that’s at least 70% cocoa. Also, watch your portion sizes since chocolate is high in sugar and fat. You only need a small square (about 1 oz) to get the benefits! Read more about the benefits of natural cocoa and dark chocolate here:

Cocoa and Chocolate: Sweet News! (The American Dietetic Association Fact Sheet)

Daily Consumption of a Dark Chocolate Containing Flavanols and Added Sterol Esters Affects Cardiovascular Risk Factors in a Normotensive Population with Elevated Cholesterol The Journal of Nutrition