Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Pears - Health Facts
Wednesday, June 27, 2012 | 
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art_tatto_design_extremePears - Health Facts
Rosaceae
Pears (Pyrus communis) are a pome fruit relative of the apple.Pears are members of the rose family. Pear trees can grow for hundreds of years while still producing fruit. The pear tree prefers colder environments and is thought to have originated in present day Western China, where it diverged into 20 different primary species. Evidence also shows that pears were cultivated in prehistoric times, in Swiss areas and even in ancient Rome. Pears have a juicy, distinctive texture and vary in consistency depending on their ripeness. Pears are delicious in both sweet and savory dishes and are extremely high in fiber and vitamin C. When baked, pears soak in their own juices, taking on an even sweeter flavor.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.
Health ingredients
BORON: Pears contain boron, which helps maintain calcium levels and prevent osteoporosis.
COPPER: Pears also have a fair amount of copper, an antioxidant that fights off free radicals.
FIBER: Pears have an extraordinary amount of dietary fiber (4 grams), which can prevent constipation and decrease risks of heart disease and diabetes.
PECTIN: Pears have a high amount of pectin, which can help maintain healthy cholesterol levels.
QUERCETIN: Quercetin, found in the skin of pears, is an antioxidant that helps prevent cancer and artery diseases.
VITAMIN C: Pears are a great source of vitamin C, an antioxidant that is important for proper immune function.
FIBER :Fresh pears offer dietary fiber, much of it in the form of Pectin.High fiber diets may also help reduce the risk of colon cancer and can help reduce serum cholesterol.
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.
They have no cholesterol, sodium, or saturated fat. They offer a natural, quick source of energy, due largely to high amounts of two monosacharides: 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.
The pear is a well-known temperate fruit popular throughout recorded history in the West and the East. Europeans prefer soft flesh, “pyriform” pears that must be ripened to come to optimum quality while the pears of the Asia are round and crisp and do not require softening. Both qualities, although very different, are delectable in their own way. It is not surprising,therefore, that the pear should permeate the cultures that consume it. Yet, in art and literature, as well as pomology, the pear plays second fiddle to the apple, suggesting that the problems of the pear continue to bedevil its champions. We who love the pear must strive to improve it so it can take its rightful place in the pantheon of pome fruits. In eighth century B.C.,pears captured the praise of the Greek poet Homer,who referred to them as a “gift of the gods.”
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