Botapreneur

According to research, it has been established that fruits and vegetables are important for healthy diet and living. To eat healthily is to eat fruits and vegetables in a great measure. However, it is saddening that many find it hard to feed on fruits and vegetables, thereby we have more sicknesses as a result of unhealthy diets. However, if only we can change the narrative and feed more on fruits and vegetables, many sicknesses will be prevented and we will live more healthily. This is because a diet rich in vegetables and fruits have so many health benefits such as lowering of blood pressure, reduction in the risk of heart disease, provision of nutrients and vitamins needed for health, etc Therefore, it is important to embrace fruits and vegetables more in our diets. This article is to provide different ways by which one can consume fruits and vegetables. This Is to prevent getting bored with one way of consumption and also help those that find it hard to eat some fruits and vegetables directly. We can consume fruits and vegetables as: 1) Snacks: The most common way of eating fruits and vegetables is to buy them, wash or peel as the case and snack on them directly. In this case, you are eating the whole fruits and veggies in their raw and untampered form hence getting the maximum nutrients from them. 2) Smoothies: Smoothies are usually thick drink made from blending fruits and vegetables with liquid base such as fruit juice, milk, yogurt, ice cream or water. 3) Puree: The process of making puree is similar to smoothie but slightly different. To make puree, the fruit or vegetable is slightly boiled before blended (and some times sieved). The texture of puree is usually creamy, smooth, and having no lumps like a pudding which makes it different from smoothies. Most times, puree doesn’t need any base for blending. 4) Sorbets: To make fruits sorbet is very simple. All it take is to cut the fruits, freeze and blend the frozen fruit. One type of fruit or combination of fruits can be used. Fruits that can be used include watermelon, banana, mango, strawberries, and oranges. One can add honey or syrup to enhance the sweetness and lime or lemon juice to prevent browning. 5) Popsicles: Smoothies can be frozen and turn into popsicles. The process is simply to blend the fruits and vegetables and pour into a popsicle mold and freeze. You can add coconut milk and syrup or honey if desired. 6) Salad: Salad is usually made up of various mixtures of chopped raw fruits or vegetables, usually seasoned with oil, vinegar, or other dressing. 7) Vegetable stock: To make vegetable stock, one need to chop the vegetables, put in a pot of water and allow to simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. After removing the pot from the heat, allow the stock to stay for about 2 to 3 hours so that the natural flavour of the vegetables get infused into the water. After these few hours, remove the vegetables and strain out the stock. Refrigerate the stock in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Freeze for up to 3 months. Note: The lesser the water used, the more the stock will be concentrated. Common vegetables used in making stock include carrots, onions, celery, cabbage and garlic. The difference between stock and broth is that a broth contains more seasoning than stock. 8) Soup: Making soup is a great way of getting to consume different types of vegetables. It can be by cooking them directly or by pureeing them and adding spices. 9) Addition to meal: Another way to eat more fruits and vegetables is to add them to every meal. For example, you can add a) vegetables to your sandwich, such as cucumber, tomato, lettuce or avocado. b) add vegetables to fried egg, rice, pottage, etc c) add fruits to your cereals There will articles on different recipes of soups, smoothies, juices, popsicles, etc soon. 10) Fruit Juice: Fruit Juice is simply made by extraction of the liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. Juicing can be done using a juice extractor that helps in separating the fruit pulp and the juice. Juicing can also be done manually by first blending and sieving the pulp from the juice. Thank you for reading to this point. I hope you incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet more from now.

Detox is rapidly becoming a popular thing in the era of social media influencers. Most fitness influencers like to flaunt their glass bottles filled with plain water and some colorful fruit chunks. This has been the norm for a very long time and was initially started as a tumbler trend. However, according to fitness experts, most people do not understand about the detox and few of the ingredients that are good for detox. Most of the influencers are not very well educated when it comes to formal medical and fitness education. As a result, they sometimes make things viral that are very helpful instead they usually like aesthetic things so they post their benefits according to their personal experience. We have seen infused water being used as a detox for a very long time and most people still try to figure out some of the ways they can use detox water to get rid of their inbuilt toxins. With the help of this article, we will mainly highlight the naturally infused water that is being used as a detox. We will talk about their importance and how most people are just endorsing them. We will also talk about their effectiveness and if this detox waterworks. What Is Detox And Is It Helpful? Detox is becoming a buzzword on social media thanks to most fitness influencers. However, detox any substance, solution, or medicine that can help you get rid of body toxins. This can be a metabolism booster, fat burner, or digestion booster as well. However, our body is capable of excreting the unwanted and toxins substance from the body and doesn’t need assistance. Most of the infused water and detox solutions available in the market only help you maintain a good supply of water and the substance that you mix in water for flavor and health only help with the supply of salts and minerals. In case you end up consuming all these substances in excess amount, this can have adverse effects as well. Most experts recommend that you should avoid getting detox from the market. Can You Make Detox At Home? People who start their detox diets usually talk about detox a lot. Their idea is to stop taking solid food and rely on liquid food only. Eventually, when they stop consuming solid food they feel less bloated and explain that it was due to detox. In reality, you can easily make the same detox at home that you buy from the market. Most of the detox solutions are just simple infused water solutions and since you have to maintain a good amount of water intake you eventually see its effect on the skin. Some of the best detox solutions that you can prepare at home include: Fat Burning Detox For the fat-burning detox, you will have to rely on acid-based water. You can use water mixed with lemon or apple cider vinegar and drink it in the morning. This will help you with digestion and you will see that you are losing weight. Although most people add honey and other sweeteners for some extra flavor, however, you can customize it according to your taste. This will have a lemonade-based flavor. Vitamin Based Detox Most of the minerals and vitamins that our body need are available in fruits. A simple way to get the same minerals in your diet is by adding fruits chunks to your water so you can enjoy infused water. Daily Detox Water For the daily detox, you just need to add some salt, honey, and lemon to your water. Make sure the quantity is very low otherwise you will end up getting a very concentrated solution. Take Away To sum it all up, our body has everything that it needs. If you are aiming to help your body detox better, you might want to reconsider the things that you are adding to your body. Our body has liver and kidneys that are already adequate to help you detox the body. In case you want to help your body detox better, just staying hydrated will be enough. You just need to drink more water and stay hydrated throughout and that will be enough for you to help your body. Extra detox solution, energy booster, metabolism booster, and other things might not be very helpful. Most of these quick fixes will cause digestion-related issues that can cause side effects in long run. Before buying a detox or even switching to natural detox make sure to go through the pros and cons first.

Dates are the fruits of the date palm tree botanically known as Phoenix dactylifera which is a flowering plant species in the palm family, Arecaceae. Date palm tree is majorly cultivated for its edible sweet fruit which is grown in many tropical regions of the world. Dates have become quite popular in recent years because they serve as healthy alternative to refined sugar while still providing essential nutrients for the body. Date is a delicious fruit with a sweet caramel like taste with many potential health benefits. Its major components are carbohydrates (mainly sucrose, glucose, and fructose), which may constitute to about 70%. Dates also contain many important vitamins and minerals which include calcium and iron. Date fruits also contain a number of phytochemicals such as carotenoids and flavonoids. Nowadays, many are adopting a healthy lifestyle and has been searching for how they can sweeten their foods naturally as against the use of refined sugar which has been known to have negative effects on the body. It is of good news that there are various methods by which one can sweeten foods naturally. The use of dates is one of them. Click here to read about 5 best natural substitutes for sugar Let us quickly look at 3 various ways by which dates can be used as sweeteners: 1) As Date Sugar: Date sugar is simply made from grinding dehydrated dates into powder. Date Sugar is also referred to as Date Powder or Organic Date Sugar. Dates are delicious and healthy and the sugar/powder can be used as sweeteners in oats, smoothies, pap, drinks, and also in baking recipes. They aren’t soluble like sugar and therefore don’t dissolve in liquid. However, they provide fiber which aids digestion. 2) As Date Paste: Date fruits can be blended into paste which also works well as sweetener for smoothies and salad dressings. Process of preparing the paste: 1) Pit the date fruits. 2) Put the pitted dates and water in any food processor – blender or a grinder. 3) Blend or grind until very smooth and your paste is ready. 4) Store the date paste in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks. 3) As Date Syrup: Asides turning dates into powder or paste, they can also be made into syrup which involves boiling the dates. Process of preparing date syrup: 1) Pit the date fruits, soak in water and boil for about 2 hrs. Then, allow it to cool down completely. 2) Remove the water by sieving using a cheesecloth. Ensure to squeeze all of the water from the cooked dates 3) Pour the cooked date into a pot and allow it to come to a gentle simmer for about 45-60 minutes until the excess water evaporates and the syrup reduces by approximately half. The syrup becomes thicker after cooling. Although dates also contain sugar but the amount of sugar is less and it has more nutrients and fiber, making it a healthier option. Dates also have less calories and sugar than honey plus more nutrients. Asides the use of dates as sweeteners, they have amazing health benefits which include the following: 1) Dates can be used especially for women who are close to delivery and at postpartum stage. The consumption of dates by women before and after delivery can act as a tonic to strengthen the uterine muscles. Dates also help in prevention of post delivery bleeding due to the presence of some constricting substances. Not only that, dates have been studied for their potential to promote and ease late term labor in pregnant women. Eating these fruits throughout the last few days of pregnancy may promote cervical dilation and lower the need for induced labor. 2) Dates are rich source of hydroxyl pope folic acid and therefore eating dates can increase the body’s immunity. 3) Dates are high in polyphenols. Polyphenols are antioxidant compounds that can protect the body from inflammation. Dates contain more polyphenols than most other fruits and vegetables. 4) Dates are high in fiber. Fiber aids digestion which prevents constipation. Fiber also promotes regular bowel movements. 5) Dates have a low glycemic index (GI), which measures how quickly your blood sugar rises after eating a certain food thereby being a very food aid in controlling blood sugar. However, it is essential to note that when dates are consumed in excess, it can lead to weight gain due to high caloric content. So, it is essential to consume dates in moderation. Also, individuals with kidney disease should follow caution while eating dates because of it’s hight content of potassium. Such people should consult their doctors regarding the amount of potassium to be taken every day.