We Love Persimmons

I’ve only seen persimmons four times this year in our local grocery store. It is a rare, mostly due to the fact that they have not been domesticated, but an exciting find for us because we just love persimmons. When we find them, in the store, especially if the price is right, we buy several and freeze them. You can freeze ripe persimmons without them losing their taste. Similar to the look of a tomato in shape and sometimes color. Usually the color is a deep orange to yellow. Color can also vary depending on the variety found in your local market. This fruit is sweet and non-astringent, if ripe. You should eat them before they are too soft but when you push in a little, to the touch.

Preparation: wash, peel (like you would a pear or apple), and serve. Sometimes, especially if washing under water, you can remove the peeling with your hands like you sometimes can with a kiwi. I’ve never come across a persimmon with seeds so the whole fruit can be eaten once peeled.

Some nutrimental value of the persimmon: Vitamin A & C, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Calcium, Phosphorus, Iron, Carbohydrates, Protein

Major benefits of Persimmons: Help prevent cancer, used as home remedies for hemorrhoids, asthma, hiccups, lung infections, diarrhea and current studies showing it even protects cells against oxidative damage aka aging.

It is one of the fruits that I often pair with Iron for better Iron absorption. The American Persimmon packs in 66mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams compared to an orange which is 53mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams. However, the Oriental Persimmons are 40mg per 100 grams.

We love pumpkins!!! You can use pumpkins for almost everything: breads, butter, decorations, soups, muffins, pancakes, waffles, cakes, custards, cookies, just as is, or even leftovers as a face mask. Oh, yes, roast your seeds up for an additional nutritional snack for you or your hubby.

1) A pumpkin is a gourd-like squash

2) Native to Central America and Mexico

3) Gourd family examples: cucumbers, cantaloupe, watermelons, zucchini

4) Pumpkins now grow on 6 continents, even the state of Alaska, but not on Antarctica

5) In Texas, farmers start planting in June or July, giving 90-120 days for maturity

6) Indigenous to the Western hemisphere: Pilgrims learned how to grow pumpkins from the Native Americans and then brought seeds back to Europe where they quickly spread from there and became popular

7) High antioxidant beta-carotene improving immune function , reduce risks of cancer and heart disease makes pumpkin loved even more by us wisemommies!!!

8) Low in calories, fat and sodium but high in fiber vit A, vit B, potassium, protein and iron

Also contains calcium, magnesium, zinc, selenium, niacin, folate, vit C and vit E

How to: 5 Ways to Roast Pumpkin Seeds

Seed the Pumpkin: scrape the pulp and seeds out of your pumpkin in to a bowl.

Clean the Seeds: separate the seeds from the pulp and rinse in colander under cold water. Shake dry!

Bake Seeds: grease baking sheet with olive oil and spread the seeds on it in a single layer. bake for 30 min. at 300°F.

Add Spices: toss seeds with olive oil in a bowl and add spices as desired. Bake for another 20 min at 300°F. 

Design your Pumpkin Seeds: ( 5 Ways to spice up your Seeds )

Barbeque: add brown sugar, chipotle, chile powder, salt and ground cumin. 

Spanish: add smoked Paprika and salt.

Italien: add grated parmesan, salt and dried oregano.

Sweet: add cinnamon and sugar.

* More awesome recipes coming soon, with pumpkin

* Pumpkin seeds should not be fed to young children as it could be an allergen or chocking factor

Other ways to add variety to your children’s diet

while slipping in that needed Iron:

A Supplement List:

1. Pair veggies and grains with some meat for better iron absorption
2. Pair vitamin C with iron for better absorption
3. Add spices such as thyme or curry to dishes

Serve the following:

• Beans: lentils, dried/baked beans, black eye peas, peas, white beans, soy beans
• broccoli or other green leafy veggies
• Sweet potato
• Pretzels
• Blackstrap molasses
• Use ground turkey in the sauce for your spaghetti-Bolognese
• Liver, if your child will eat it, dish it up (in moderate quantities so they don’t get too much vitamin A)

When pairing Vitamin C with iron for better absorption, use a variety from different food sources. Everyone told me to pair oranges up with iron when I started my son on solids. The problem with oranges, for all babies, the acidity can cause a rash or digestive upset. Also, I did not want to introduce citrus fruits given our family history of allergies. Instead, I paired non citrus fruits such as avocadoes and kiwi with iron for the diet of my baby’s first foods

There are so many other fruits higher in vitamin C content than even oranges. Give a variety of vitamin C options to your children. Here is a chart that I use for my personal reference: click here!

'Wisemommies'

 Importance of iron in your child’s diet

ü      iron carries oxygen to muscles as the core of all red blood  

         cells which gives more energy to children

ü      can improve concentration in children

ü      important for brain development

ü      helps fight off many infections and inflammations

ü      improves sleep

Danger of not getting enough iron in your child’s diet

• asthma attacks have a greater chance of occuring in iron deficient anemia children, please read here
• cause learning problems or disabilities
• shorter attention spans and social disorders
• prone to infections
• could lead to a constant cranky and irritable toddler/child
• difficulty maintaining body temperature
• iron deficiency increases the vulnerability of children to lead toxicity

I don’t know about you but the benefit of iron absorbing lead greatly encourages me to double check that my child is getting the necessary requirements in their diet. With the worry of increased levels of lead in everything from toys made in China to plates which they eat from, I like the idea of my child eating a mineral that helps to diminish the risk of them absorbing lead they may be exposed to.

An iron test can be made for children whose iron level is thought to be low.

To make sure your baby/toddler is getting enough Iron:

1. breastfed babies should be given cereals that are iron-fortified
2. babies formula fed should have formula that is iron-fortified
3. possible iron supplements (supplement list to follow in the next post) for children that: a) picky eaters, b) strictly vegetarians or other restricted diets, c) often fatigued, and d) drinking more than 2-3 cups of milk per day instead of eating the necessary food

Also, make sure organic cereals and formula are iron-fortified as some might not add this! Remember to try and give your baby iron throughout the day, not just in one meal. It is absorbed better this way.

Thyme goes great over vegetables, fish or add with some rosemary over chicken. I must say that CURRY is my favorite spice!!! I could put yellow curry in just about everything that I cook. Next time you’re cooking for your family, add just a dash of curry into your rice or on top of those potatoes.

My mom is going into senior citizen mode with complaints from her doctor of being extremely deficient in iron. My mom is always trying to use this for an excuse to eat red meat 5+ times a week. What my mom doesn’t realize is that she may be eating meat but her body is not absorbing the iron because she doesn’t pair it with foods to help absorption. I often cook for the whole family, mom included, which gives me the perfect opportunity for feeding my baby and mom with foods high in iron paired with foods that will help with the iron absorption.

When I cook meat for dinner, I will serve certain fruits high in vit C for “dessert”. And if my mom eats all her dessert, she might even get a piece of chocolateJ while my baby will get an extra slice of banana (his favourite). * children, adolescents, pregnant women, athletes, menestrating women and older adults run the greatest risk of having iron deficiencies.

‘Wisemommies’