Monthly Archives: September 2011

I have never like capsicums or bell peppers. Knowing how powerful this fruit is, I am beginning to fall in love with this fruit. I try to add capsicums into my veggie dish or simply eat them raw in stave off hunger pangs.  I will throw in some of these colorful peppers into my bi-weekly juicing too and must remind myself to get a bag when I do my grocery shopping today. And the next time I feel soreness in my throat, I better run to the market to get a bag of bell peppers to juice them for the anti-septic properties may help to treat the sore throat.

Last week, I bought a punnet of baby bell peppers from the supermarket and have been eating them raw. They are sweet and crunchy and even my kids eat them, albeit they are not their preferred choice of fruits.

The health benefits of capsicums far exceed that of many other fruits as it contains far more anti-oxidants that derive from its rich colors.

The stronger the color of the bell peppers, the higher the concentration level of anti-oxidants. A small bell pepper could provide up to three times more of the recommended daily amount of vitamin C, much more than any citrus food.

Each color of the bell peppers have different phytochemicals and provide different nutrients. Consumption of the variety of the colored peppers are recommended in order to benefit from all the nutrients.

Yellow – lutein, zeaxanthin
Red – astaxanthin, lycopene
Orange – alpha, beta and gamma-carotene
Purple – anthocyanin

Bell peppers have very high content of vitamin A, C and E (all anti-oxidants) that help to effectively neutralize free radicals. Anti-oxidants protects the body from carcinogenic and toxic substances. Just by this virtue alone, it is a good remedy for many health problems.

This fruit also has almost the whole range of vitamin B complex (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and B9). Other minerals are potassium, manganese, thiamine, molybdenum, trytophan, copper, cobalt and zinc.

Anti-bacterial and anti-fungal: The anti-septic properties in capsicum makes it effective in fighting food poisoning. Coupled with a good supply of probiotics, yeast and fungal infection problems, like ring-worm, shingles, athlete’s foot, etc. can be easily eliminated.

Anti-aging: We all know that anti-oxidant is highly effective in helping to protect the skin from free radical damage known to cause signs of aging.

Blood clots, prevent: The very high content of vitamin C in capsicum makes it very effective in preventing blood clot, thus preventing strokes.

Cancer: All the colored capsicums contain very high anti-oxidant and phytonutrients that are especially helpful in preventing cancers of the bladder, cervix, pancreas and prostate.

Cholesterol: These colorful juices can significantly help to reduce cholesterol. The concentrated anti-oxidant fights oxidative stress that is the main culprit in oxidizing the LDLs in our blood. In the process, it also retards the development of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and lower blood pressure.

Cold feet: During the winter when you have cold feet, cut up capsicum and put them in the socks. The mild “hot” will help keep your feet nicely warm.

Digestive system: Capsicum is a stimulant herb. It helps relieve gastrointestinal problems like indigestion, stomach ulcers, colic, dyspepsia, diarrhea and even help reduce excessive flatulence.

Immune system: The strong content of vitamin C stimulates white cells to fight infection, naturally building a good immune system.

Metabolism, enhanced: Increases our body metabolism by lowering triglycerides which are stored in our body fats. This helps to burn calories more effectively.

Nose bleeding: The rich vitamin C helps to heal, repair, build/strengthen the lining of the mucous membranes to prevent nose bleeds. Mix capsicum juice with lotus root juice for better effect.

Optical system: The high vitamin C and beta-carotene makes capsicums especially beneficial in preventing eye problems like astigmatism, cataracts and macular degeneration.

Pain relief: Capsaicin in capsicum blocks transmission of pain, so it can help relieve pain to a certain degree. It is also effective for eliminating headaches and migraines.

Respiratory problems: The high level of vitamin C coupled with flavonoids make capsicum a very good food that helps prevent respiratory problems like asthma, emphysema, wheezing, lung infections, etc.

Sore throat: Gargle some capsicum juice to help eliminate a sore throat. The anti-septic properties does the work super well.

Before the kids came along, I was a health freak who would diligently make fruits and vegetables juice several times in a week for my hubs and myself. After the kids’ arrival, everyone in the house including the helper have never been busier. Within a time span of 5 years, I popped 3 babies. Life has been crazy with 3 screaming babies – for me, the helper and everyone else in the family LOL! Now that my girls are bigger, things are more settled… albeit life is still as crazy! I have recently fished out my juicer, wrapped in layers of plastic bags to start juicing again! The health benefits one can reap from drinking freshly squeezed fruits and vegetables juice are vast. I now make fresh juices for my hubs, kids and myself 2-3 times in a week.

My juices normally consist of carrots, celery, cucumber, green apples, oranges, beet root (my girls hate beet root juice though), guava and banana.  I normally throw in 4-5 varieties of fruits and vegetables.

My 3YO girl has just gulped down half a cup of fresh juice here… and is now enjoying 1/4 slice of avocado. I am including lots of fruits and vegetables in this girl’s diet, to help combat the severe constipation that she frequently suffers from.

Do you juice too? What’s your favorite concoction of juice?

And what type of juicer do you use? I am still contemplating buying a more advanced juicer, i.e. one that can even juice a fruit without the need of removing the seeds and core. My current juicer does not do a thorough job. My helper has to put the fruits into the juicer twice to adequately extract the juice from the fruits.

The man whom I normally buy vegetables and meat from on the mobile market van sells sour sop fruits occasionally. He told me that sour sop can be used in soups and extolled the health benefits of sour sop, citing that it is good for reducing cholesterol, killing cancer cells, etc. So for the second time, I bought a huge sour sop from him. The first time, I ate it raw but had to throw 3/4 of the fruit away as I had cut it when it was not sufficiently ripe. This time, I made soup with the sour sop. I threw in some lean pork, red dates, preserved big dates, chinese wolfberries or gei chee and dried longans.

And my pot of sour sop soup turned out very tasty. It has a tang of sourness from the fruit with sweetness from the red dates, big dates and longans. The kids loved it too. Will definitely make this soup again soon.