By Louisinette Machado Monsalve
Special to CSMS Magazine
Although lemons and limes may not be the fruits you would choose for a lunch time snack, they are considered to be the sour sweeteners for bringing the flavor of other food dishes. Lemons have an oval shape and feature a yellow, texturized outer peel. Limes are round shaped with a diameter of one or two inches with green flesh and skin. Limes are usually grown around June through August while lemons are usually at their peak in May.
Lemons and Limes contain unique flavonoid compounds that are antioxidants and anti-cancer properties. The flavonoids stored in both lemons and limes are called flavonol glycosides which have been proven to stop cell division in cancer causing cells. According to New England Journal of Good health, in several villages in West Africa where the cholera epidemic occurred, the addition of Lime juice during the main meal of the day was determined to have been protective against the contraction of Cholera.
In addition, Limes and Lemons are an excellent source of vitamin C, one of the most important antioxidants for humans. Vitamin C travels through the body neutralizing any free radicals with which it comes into contact in the aqueous environments in the body both inside and outside cells. Consuming lime and lemons is also beneficial for a strong immune system because the vitamin C nutrients are useful for conditions such as flu’s, colds, and recurrent ear infections.
According to recorded animal studies and laboratory tests with human cells, compounds in lemons and limes called limonoids are proven to help fight cancers in the mouth, skin, lungs, breast, and stomach. Another substance found in both lemons and limes is called limonin which is attached to a glucose molecule present in the form of limonin glucoside. In a recent ARS study, about twenty volunteers were given a dose of limonin glucoside in amounts ranging from those found in one to ten glasses of lime juice. The blood tests showed that limonin was present in the plasma of all the subjects, with high concentrations within six hours after consumption and traces of limonin were still present in five volunteers after twenty four hours of consumption of limonin glucoside.
Furthermore, lemons and limes provide humans protection against inflammatory polyarthritis, a form of rheumatic arthritis involving two or more joints. In a study in the Annuls of the Rheumatic Diseases about twenty thousands subjects who drank lemon and lime drinks and consumed a fat-free citrus diet remained arthritis free because of the vitamin C intake both lemons and limes.
Also see Coconut: nature milk fruit
Peach: The Healthy Persian Fruit
Watermelon: nature’s healthiest fruit
Avocados: nature’s health conscience fruit
Eating right is all that matters,not how much
Have you tried grilled turkeyburgers with avocado mayonnaise?
