Dried Plums and Figs - Super Foods to Eat During the Winter

One of the most common pieces of advice to help runners stay in tip top shape is to eat several types of fruits and vegetables. However, during the winter there are fewer types of fruits and vegetables available to start with. You can get around this by stocking up on dried plums and figs because they are packed with several nutrients, such as fiber, iron, potassium, and calcium.

These two super foods contain 100 and 110 calories per serving, respectively. Aside from having lots of calcium, dried plums have contain about thirty percent of our daily need for vitamin K, an essential vitamin that is also important for good bone health.

When you buy your dried plums and figs, they should feel soft and plump. If stored in airtight containers, and in a cool, dark, and cold place, they will last for months. You can choose to buy your dried plums with or without pits. Figs have a brown color to them when they are dried, as they are produced from mission or green figs.

You can make stews with your dried plums and figs. You can have just the plums and figs with chicken broth and other fruits and vegetables. Or, you can throw in some beef for a heartier meal. One other thing you can do is stuff them into pork loin. Chop them up and mix them with nuts, feta cheese, and greens to make a nutritious salad. However, there nothing wrong with having them straight up as a snack!

Taylor Z Madison has been writing articles for 5 years, covering a number of topics such as health, fitness, and home and gardening. Her latest blogs are about living room sectionals and garden swing cushions.

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Fruits to be Eaten During Summer

Strawberries - Buy sweet smelling strawberries that are red in colour without any white or green spots. Strawberries are full of vitamin C, potassium, sodium and iron as well as being low in calories. Strawberries can be frozen up to twelve months whole or sliced, with or without sugar. Do not remove the stem of fruit while storing it in the fridge. Before eating, rinse gently under cold running water.





Raspberries - Good source of vitamin C, vitamin A and fiber, raspberries are the most fragile of all the berries. So they have to be plucked gently. Buy firm dry raspberries avoiding soft ones. They are high perishable and should be refrigerated if not eaten immediately. Gently rinse the raspberries under cold running water and dry them on paper towels before serving.





Watermelons - Mostly water so they are low in calories. Excellent source of vitamin C, potassium and high in pectin. To know whether if the fruit is sweet, thump it with the knuckles and if you hear a hollow sound, then the fruit is going to taste sweet. Watermelon has dark green skin and bright red coloured flesh. Uncut fruit should be stored in a cool place, while cut watermelon should always be tightly wrapped, refrigerated and used within a day or so.





Cherries - Dark cherries = high in nutritional value. Packed with enzymes, vitamins and minerals. Buy heavy firm cherries with bright colour and fresh stem. They last for two days or so. Chilling not only preserves them, but also makes them more flavorful. Simply rinse cherries in cool water and drain on paper towel until they are ready to be eaten.





Pineapples - Storehouse of minerals, potassium, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium, sulfur, calcium and iron. They have loads of vitamin C and are an excellent source of bromelain, an enzyme that helps digestion. The best fruit to be eaten is the one with strong sweet aroma. The colour of the fruit skin should be dark golden colour; leaves should be fresh and green with no brown or yellow tips. They ripen at room temperature. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate it.





Peaches - They are a rich source of beta-carotene and potassium and contain moderate amounts of vitamin C. Buy bright coloured, firm peach with smooth skin and sweet aroma. They can ripen at room temperature. It is ideal to refrigerate the ripe ones and eat it within 5 days.

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