Ruby Red Fruit Salad (GF/DF/Paleo/AIP/V)

Sometimes the most simple things are absolutely the most delicious. This simple fruit salad highlights the red fruits of the season: juicy watermelon, tangy raspberry oranges, sweet strawberries and perfectly refreshing pomegranate seeds.

Have you heard the theory that nature gives you clue’s regarding the foods you eat? For example, strawberries cut in half look like teeth and they in fact have malic acid in them which naturally whitens your teeth. Or sliced carrots look like eyes and they are loaded in vitamin A which is great for your vision. Or how citrus looks like a woman’s breast, a sweet potato looks like a pancreas, grapes look like the lungs, avocado a uterus, red wine resembles blood, kidney beans are shaped like a kidney, tomatoes look like a heart. And those are all the parts of the body that science has proven to they benefit. I could go on and on. Of course I find the value of food so interesting and I love talking about how the food we eat affects our bodies. So I did a little research on the health benefits of this particular salad.

The Health Benefits of Watermelon

• Great for hydration as it’s 92% water
• High in carotenoids, including beta-carotene and lycopene
• High in Vitamin C which helps prevent cell damage
• Has a plant compound called Cucurbitacin E which is anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and helps with immune regulation
• Protects against cardiovascular disease
• Anti-inflammatory
• Supports brain health
• Citrulline, an amino acid in watermelon, may reduce muscle soreness and improve athletic performance
• Good for skin and hair and may help protect against sunburn

The Health Benefits of Raspberry Oranges

Did you know there are about 600 varieties of oranges worldwide? And that Brazil is the top orange producer of the world? And that 85% of all oranges are produced for juice? Yes, yes and yes. Oranges are a wonderful delicious vibrant fruit with several health benefits. Just be sure you always purchase organic because commercial oranges are often bright orange because an artificial dye, Citrus Red Number 2, is injected into their skins.

• Oranges have high levels of Vitamin C which protects against free radicals and supportive of cancer treatments.
• Also high in folate and potassium which can help reduce blood pressure and the risk for stroke.

The Health Benefits of Strawberries

• Anti-inflammatory
• Anti-cancer
• Help protect the heart. One study showed the women who ate the most blueberries and strawberries were 34% less likely to suffer a heart attack.
• Protects against cognitive decline
• Protects against type 2 diabetes
• Reduces blood pressure
• Boosts immunity
• Improve pain and inflammation in adults with arthritis
• Can naturally whiten teeth

The Health Benefits of Pomegranates

These sweet tangy little seeds are power packed with nutrients. Did you know they have 3x the antioxidant value of red wine and green tea? They also:

• Lower inflammatory markers
• May help fight cancer cells
• Helps lower blood pressure
• May ease arthritis
• May lower your risk of heart disease
• Helps to fight bacteria and fungal infections
• May improve memory and fight Alzheimer’s disease
• Prevents obesity
• Modulates the immune system

Now for the delicious fruit salad recipe:

References

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Journal of Research and Medical Sciences. 2014. Effects of Pomegranate Juice Consumption on Inflammatory Markers in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

Molecular Carcinogenesis. 2014. Antiproliferative Effects of Pomegranate Extract in MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells Are Associated With Reduced DNA Repair Gene Expression and Induction of Double Strand Breaks.

Phytotherapy Research. 2013. Clinical Evaluation of Blood Pressure Lowering, Endothelial Function Improving, Hypolipidemic and Anti‐Inflammatory Effects of Pomegranate Juice in Hypertensive Subjects.

Phytotherapy Research 2010. Chondroprotective Effects of Pomegranate Juice on Monoiodoacetate-Induced Osteoarthritis of the Knee Joint of Mice.

British Journal of Nutrition. 2010. Effect of Pomegranate Seed Oil on Hyperlipidaemic Subjects: A Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.

Alternative Medicine Review. 2008. Therapeutic Applications of Pomegranate (Punica Granatum L.): A Review.

BMC Complimentary and Alternative Medicine. 2009. Anti-microbial Activities of Pomegranate Rind Extracts: Enhancement by Cupric Sulphate Against Clinical Isolates of S. Aureus, MRSA and PVL Positive CA-MSSA.

Indian Journal of Dental Research. 2010. Antifungal Efficacy of Punica Granatum, Acacia Nilotica, Cuminum Cyminum and Foeniculum Vulgare on Candida Albicans: An in Vitro Study.

Evidence Based Complimentary Medicine. 2013. Pomegranate Supplementation Protects against Memory Dysfunction after Heart Surgery: A Pilot Study.

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AXCLI. 2014. Watermelon lycopene and allied health claims.

Neuroscience Letters. 2015. Lycopene attenuates Aβ1–42 secretion and its toxicity in human cell and Caenorhabditis elegans models of Alzheimer disease.

Journal of Agrucultural Food Chemistry. 2013. Watermelon Juice: Potential Functional Drink for Sore Muscle Relief in Athletes.

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Harvard Health Publishing. 2013. Eat Strawberries and Blueberries 3x per Week.

Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry. 2006. Antioxidant Levels and Inhibition of Cancer Cell Proliferation in Vitro by Extracts from Organically and Conventionally Cultivated Strawberries.

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Journal of the American College of Nutrition. 2007. Strawberry Intake, Lipids, C-reactive Protein, and the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in Women.

Nutrients. 2017. Strawberries Improve Pain and Inflammation in Obese Adults With Radiographic Evidence of Knee Osteoarthritis.