What sort of fruit do people tend to substitute when they can't get fresh fruit easily? (in terms of what's healthiest). I know canned fruit in juice isn't too bad - but it's peeled (less fibre) and heavy to get back from the supermarket.

frozen.

most are fresh flash frozen and don't have added sugars.

i keep bags and bags in the frezzer. the monkeys live to grab ans eat them frozen!

when in season buy and freeze your own. it's very easy. i put fresh strawberrys on a cookie sheet and freeze. ( wash real well first and dry off ) then i just put them in freezer zip lock bags.

i also like dried fruits. check the lables on those. you don't want a bunch of added stuff. i have a food dehydrator, but i buy the dried blueberries and cranberries.

i hope this helps swift.

Thanks - unfortunately my local supermarkets don't seem to do frozen fruit except in the form of sorbet

However, you have made me recall laying blackcurrants out on a baking tray to go in the freezer so they weren't touching as a child...so I could try that (depending on what sort of new students I get where I'm living).

Why didn't I ever think of that? Such a simple idea....Geeze Louise!

I just aways bought the canned, "light" fruit---pears, peaches, apricots, etc. and paid dearly for out of season fresh fruit.

Go figure..... Thanks for the idea, and thanks for asking the question!
Hugs,
LS

I use pomegranate juice daily for some of my fruit.
Why?.... the newest data shows the antioxidant values for this fruit are
just enormous... prevent oxidation of LDLs (bad cholesterol) and also
prevents damage to arteries and veins with age.

Some companies have pomegranate with other fruits now.
My favorite is Pomegranate/100% cherry (good for arthritis).

Sometimes when my favorite is not in season, I buy the "dried" type and
mix with nuts for a snack. I have found 100% dried blueberries at WalMart
(with no sulfites) and also cherries (no sulfites). Some dried fruit however has sugar added, and sulfites (which can make allergies worse for some).
These new dried varieties lend well to taking with you to work, or whatever when you are busy...frozen is not so convenient for me.

swift,

you can freeze most berries that way. grapes work well too. froven grapes are a fave treat around here. banana slices...

pomagranite seeds are awesome tossed on salads if you like that bit of sweetness. same with other dried fruits. cranberries and almond slivers on a bed of fresh spinich leaves ( NO bagged stuff) or romaine lettuce.

Thanks again mrsd~

I will be looking for pomegranate juice. My family has an extremely strong history of aneurysm, and I'm thinking my arteries and veins need all the help they can get. I also have high cholesterol, so it can't hurt there either.

You're awesome!

Hugs,
Jan

Want to know something even better?

A friend sent me a tea for Xmas last year.. It is called Yerba Mate.
This is an herb (actually a form of Holly) that only grows in certain places
in South America. Knowing that I drink tea mostly (not coffee) she thought
I would be interested. It is heavily used in Argentina, Uraguay, and Paraguay.

Well, after 3mos of one teabag/day (I sometimes recharge the bag with more hot water)... guess what happened?

My hideous varicose veins in my right leg...80% faded away. That was unexpected. Also yerba mate is on PubMed as a choleretic..that means it
stimulates bile flow--- so my mysterious hard to diagnose GI problem stopped too. People with sluggish gallbladders can benefit from this too.

I am only using the green organic variety, by EcoTeas...and so far I can only find them online. This form is better than the "smoked" variety commonly sold in health food stores.
With some further research---you know how I am---- --- I found that the antioxidant levels of yerba mate are almost double that of green tea. And it is not unpleasant to drink, but it is GREEN...if colors put you off.
I put in some honey, or sometimes candied ginger, but it is okay straight as well.

My night vision improved markedly also -- I work nights so drive home very late...and now that is much easier for me. I really think that this alone has enormous benefits for blood vessels...so you might want to look into it.
www.yerbamate.com

I was told by the distributor that it will be easier to find in markets soon,
so you may be able to special order it locally now. I bought alot online ahead... I won't be without it now. I drink it about 5 days/week. (I don't always have tea). It also has minerals and some vits/amino acids in it.. so careful prep not to use too hot of water is important.

If you visit PubMed...and type in yerba mate into the search engine you will see the papers.
To get to PubMed --just type PubMed Entrez into Google.

I have seen some papers on copper levels/aneurysm... if you like, I'll search that again...but I seem to remember low copper leads to loss of integrity of the layers in the arteries... So PM me and I will look again for you.

The things we learn on here! Sometimes it just amazes me! Really girls! It does!

I had surgery in March because of my messed up veins. I have Venous statis disease. I wonder if this tea will help my legs. My valve in the top of my legs doesn't work right and causes blood to collect in my ankles. Discolors them of course. I might just hafta try this Yerba mate!

Pomegranite! That is also very interesting. Thanks for all the info ladies!

Sheryl

Thanks MrsD, I just ordered some of the tea.