The Tayberry, An Usual Fruit To Add To Your Diet

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you were to cross a blackberry and a raspberry? The answer, which we have, thanks to a couple of Scottish botanists, is the tayberry - a large reddish purple berry.

The tayberry was first developed, in 1962, in Invergowrie (right by the Tay River, thus the name) by David Jennings and David Mason, botanists at the Scottish Crops Institute. This raspberry-blackberry cross produces its fruit in July and August; and the berries are wonderful eaten fresh or cooked into a variety of foods.

It both tastes and smells just like a blackberry. Taking a bite into one, you may notice that there is a slight tart flavor to it. Fruit of the tayberry are borne on short, strong laterals on prickly canes 6 to 7 feet long. The tayberry fruit, like that of the raspberry and blackberry, is an aggregate fruit consisting of a collection of drupelets. There are many ways that you can enjoy this wonderful, meticulously merged fruit.

A tayberry makes a great pie, which is a wonderful change of pace and is welcome at any late summer picnic. You can make tayberries into a deliciously tart-sweet jam, perfect that peanut butter sandwich or topping on toast.

Try adding tayberries to a bowl of yogurt or ice cream, or incorporate them into fruit salads and smoothies for something a little different. In fact, you can use tayberries anywhere you would ordinarily use blackberries or raspberries.

Tayberries are an exciting addition to your morning cereal, baked goods and of course, they are wonderful just eaten as they are - there's no wrong answer to the question of how to enjoy these fruits.

For those who like to make wine, the tayberry can be a easy to work with and is certainly an unusual wine to bring to dinner. This wine is delicious and very vibrant red in color. It is a tart, yet sweet wine. You can enjoy it with a beef stew, roast, and other meats such as steak and wild game, such as duck. You can also enjoy it with hors d'oeuvres and a strong cheddar cheese. A bottle of tayberry wine runs about $15. (Learn to make wine at home using tayberries, grapes and other fruit with the The Complete Illustrated Guide To Homemade Wine.)

The tayberry is not just rich in flavor, but has a lot of health benefits to offer. This two-in-one fruit contain a lot of vitamin C and bioflavonoids as well as being a good source of folate and fiber.

Folate and folic acid are forms of a water-soluble B vitamin. Folate occurs naturally in food. Folic acid is the synthetic form of this vitamin that is found in supplements and fortified foods. Folate is necessary for the production and maintenance of new cells. This is especially important during periods of rapid cell division and growth such as infancy and pregnancy. Folate is needed to make DNA and RNA, the building blocks of cells. It also helps prevent changes to DNA that may lead to cancer.

The tayberry fruit and the leaves are a good home remedy for diarrhea. And chewing on the leaves is supposed to help cure bleeding gums.

Tayberry can be used for many things from home remedies to food and wine. It is grown as a cash crop in Florida and New Mexico. You may find it soon growing on a roadside near you. If you find it at your local green grocer, give a try.

A source for this post was KC Kudra, who recommends Jello salads!

Turmeric, Fighting Breast Cancer and More

The spice, turmeric, is made from a plant root of tropical plants found in Southeast and Southern Asia. The root has multiple uses and has been used as a dye for fabric and cloth; the turmeric root is also used in cooking and has been part of local diets for thousands of years. Now the root is being recognized for its health benefits.

Turmeric root, when used in cooking, is known for its very pungent flavor, like peppery ginger (the plant is part of the ginger family). It is great with rice and in stews and can be added to egg omelets. This root is a big part of the curry cooking process. Turmeric is what gives curry the bright yellow color.

Turmeric root is steamed or boiled and afterward dried and turned into powder by grinding the dried root. The smell is quite strong and has a bitter, but robust taste.

The health benefits of taking turmeric are many. Turmeric, research has found, may help to prevent the spread of breast cancer cells. Turmeric and its main a active ingredient, curcumin, can be obtained in capsule form that can be taken daily.

Turmeric can be used to benefit anyone: men, women (including before, during or after pregnancy, and nursing), children and animals. The health properties of turmeric may benefit those suffering from Alzheimer's disease and people with cystic fibrosis. It appears to help relieve pain for those with arthritis and certain pains associated with diabetes. Turmeric has been shown to help reduce the inflammatory reaction in diabetics as well. It also has anti-bacterial properties.

Turmeric also enhances the effect of taxol in reducing metastasis of breast cancer. Taxol is an anti-cancer drug used to treat patients with lung, ovarian, breast cancer, head and neck cancer, and advanced forms of Kaposi's sarcoma.

Some Indian women to keep them free of superfluous hair (hair removal) use turmeric paste.

As part of wedding ceremonies, turmeric paste is applied to both bride and groom before marriage in some places of India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. It is thought that the turmeric gives a glow to skin and keeps some harmful bacteria away from the body.

So whether you use turmeric in your cooking, take it in capsule form or wear on your body! - It should be part of your daily life. The health benefits of turmeric are many and as a spice it is a nice addition to many meals.

If you enjoy cooking, you can learn more about spices and seasonings at Seasonings. A source for some information in this article was Daniel Tanner

The Benefits of Fish Oil

More and more scientific evidence shows that fish oil can superbly improve your health from ordinary to extraordinary! And some think that the omega 3 DHA and EPA acquired from fish oil is the health "Miracle of the 21st century".

While I am leery of such hyperbole, there is no doubt in my mind that high quality fish oil supplements offer excellent health benefits.

Here is an overview of several benefit:

1. Better Intelligence and Brain Performance - Omega 3 fish oil has been recognized to have positive effects on memory, recall, reasoning, and focus. It can even help prevent of slow down the onset of Alzheimer's and senility. It is also beneficial for pregnant and lactating moms since it is said to have positive effects on a baby's intelligence.

2. Minimal Pain During Inflammation - Omega 3 fatty acids help control the inflammatory response of the body. This helps prevent and relieve arthritis, prostatitis, cystitis or other inflammatory conditions. Less inflammation means less pain.

3. Fewer Chances for Depression - Fish oil gives you more benefits than just improved brain development. Research shows that omega 3 fatty acids eliminates or lessens mental distress including that due to bipolar, depression and schizophrenia type conditions.

4. Regulates Blood Pressure - Omega 3 oils have been shown to do marvelous things for the cardiovascular system, which includes the heart, arteries and veins. It can also lower blood pressure.

You should be able to get Fish Oil supplements locally, but if you need to shop online, I recommend Mothernature.com Spectrum Essentials Fish Oil - 1000 mg 250 count

5. Dropped Cholesterol and Triglycerides - Cholesterol, LDLs and triglycerides will also drop down. Simultaneously, good HDLs go up. This can lead to a longer, healthier life.

6. Prevention of Heart Attack and Stroke - A blood clot originates as a plaque that breaks loose from the arterial walls. It may travel to the brain and cause a stroke. Clots can also block the arteries and lead to a heart attack. Fish oil is capable of breaking blood clots before it can bring about any damage.

7. Lesser ADD, ADHD and Dyslexia - A study for alternative treatments that may be used on ADHD proved that children (and adults, too) having ADD or ADHD showed significant improvement for their condition with omega 3. Actually, those who have dyslexia, dyspraxia and compulsive disorders got a new lease in life.

8. Defense Against Cancer - Omega 3 has been revealed to help prevent breast, colon, lung and prostate cancer. According to research, it can achieve these preventative results in three ways. By stopping the alteration of a normal healthy cell to cancerous tumor, by preventing unwanted cell growth, and killing cancer cells directly.

9. Younger Skin and Healthy Hair - Fish oil has a beneficial effect on the health of your skin and hair.

Of course, Fish oil supplements are not the be-all of cures, but it has a great potential of helping you prevent particular diseases and conditions! If you cannot eat fish directly, make fish oil supplements a part of your daily diet.

Authority for this article is Michael Byrd whose website has more information about fish oil, visit fish oil for more info.