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Post by Don Cuevas on Feb 18, 2012 13:05:05 GMT
What's the local word for the red ripe fruit of the nopal plant? Esweety-pie ~~ you didn't read the whole post? Sí, mi querida amiga, I read it all. But when we were in the state of Morelos and I had the pulque curado, there was yet another word for he cactus fruit, besides "tuna", when it's in a red ripe condition.
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Post by bixaorellana on Feb 18, 2012 14:28:58 GMT
Ahh, okay. I know there are other words, but I think some of them are regional and some of them are for the fruit of different cactus. Then that gets into another muddled category of words for fruit of cactus other than nopal/Opuntia, but the same word for more than one kind of cactus fruit. I'm thinking of pitahaya, which I associate with dragon fruit. But I've heard pitahaya applied to cactus fruit that to me is more tuna-like. I think the fruit of the organ pipe cactus is also called pitahaya, & probably that of some other cacti. Is that by any chance the word you heard in Morelos?
They make aguas/-ades from nopal fruit here. Have you ever juiced them? It seems that would be very nice & probably fool of all kinds of good vitamins & minerals.
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Post by Don Cuevas on Feb 18, 2012 17:46:25 GMT
I think it was "pitaya", but have since associated it with dragon fruit.
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Post by Don Cuevas on Feb 18, 2012 17:48:55 GMT
I think it was "pitaya", but have since associated it with dragon fruit. What beauties!
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Post by auntieannie on Feb 18, 2012 20:14:17 GMT
rather striking, Senor!
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Post by auntieannie on Feb 19, 2012 11:04:26 GMT
plain orange juice yesterday (orange orange) plain apple juice today
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Post by auntieannie on Mar 3, 2012 11:12:17 GMT
made a nice one this morning, with: 1 small beetroot 1 small carrot 1 inch fresh ginger 1 small plum
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Post by imec on Mar 3, 2012 15:12:35 GMT
I've seen one of these juicers at Costco and have been toying with the idea of getting one. What's all this talk of energy boost? Does the juicer release some sort of hidden caffeine??? Also, what's involved in keeping one of these things clean? I have several kitchen appliances I rarely use due to the onerous cleaning requirements. (I am a bit anal when it comes to keeping things clean in the kitchen - I have a phobia of giving someone food poisoning.)
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 3, 2012 15:57:34 GMT
Oh boy, Annie ~~ I have all of those ingredients except for the plum. I can make that with the juice of a tangerine instead.
I have the same question as Imec about the energy boost and would also like to know what you think of juice fasts and the like, please.
Imec, my limited experience with juicers is to recommend getting a big heavy one. The lighter ones dance around the counter top and drizzle juice down the sides. I have a heavy-duty blender & use that instead of a juicer. The difference is that blender juices are thicker because they retain the fiber that a juicer would shed.
I've had two juicers, as far as I can remember, & found cleaning them fiddly and obnoxious. However maybe the newer ones are easier. Maybe try juicing in a blender to see if it's something you'd find worthwhile enough to accept another small appliance into your home? And I'm curious as to what Annie will say about the health benefits of juicing & whether it's worthwhile to have a juicer.
One reservation I have about it is that it's a big blast to the system of sugars, albeit natural, unrefined sugars. You don't get the fiber you'd get by eating the fruit.
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Post by auntieannie on Mar 3, 2012 17:25:52 GMT
ok.. um.... I don't have all the answers...but well, if you make a juice from a juicer and drink it immediately/within 30 minutes or so, you should find more vitamins and/or minerals in it than in a juice that was made commercially and packaged in tetrapacks/glass jars as these have been pasteurised to preserve them. Vitamins are notoriously fickle/fragile so it is likely that the most you find in an industrial juice is on the label.
then yes if you use a blender you'll keep the fibres. Isn't that what they call a smooooooothie?
From my own experiment of the last few weeks, making my own juice, especially with added ginger and things like that does wake me up more than any caffeine boost could.
If I am not mistaken, it is also a simple question of volume of liquid intake. I drink approximately half a pint/300ml each morning. I understand that drinking the same volume of liquid of tea (Camellia sinensis) or coffee will not count for the same amount of liquid intake for your body, because of the astringent actions of the tannins in these. and if you add milk/sugar then it is even less.
As for the cleaning of the juicer: choose one that is easily cleanable is my advice. I have a "swan" juicer that was given to me years ago and I find it easy to clean. (throw the worst of the mess in the composting bin then wash up by hand in warm soapy water. the most difficult part to clean being the spout, and I feel I will get fed up with it in a few days and get one of these bottle cleaners, you know what I mean?
At this point in time, I am not in favour of juice fasts, or any fasts, or any "diet" that does not provide one's body with all the elements it needs to function properly. although a day of fruit/vegetables only from time to time shouldn't disrupt our systems too much, especially if we have a tendency to excess (fat/ highly processed foods/processed sugars) most of the time. I have heard of a documentary/film made by an ozzie who was overweight and full of various illnesses and he is much better now simply because he spent a few months cycling across the USA drinking vegetable juices and proselyting about the health benefits of it. The only thing I can say is that our bodies are made to function and you can create more problems by NOT doing than by doing. One downside of having a juicer is that it is yet one more electrical appliance and you can only make juices with it. so there is a large amount of time when it is simply sitting on the worksurface. The acquaintance who gave it to me was trying to reduce her electricity usage at the time/decluttering. I am using it as most of my time at the moment is spent sat somewhere trying to study and so it is adding more nourishment for my brain, and not clogging my gut. NB: I am a human being training to be a health professional. I may change my mind about some points above if I find scientific evidence that invalidates any of the beliefs listed.
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Post by onlymark on Mar 3, 2012 19:20:08 GMT
Hmmmm.........tannins........hmmmm. This is where my knowledge (or lack of it) becomes apparent. As far as I know (and I can easily stand to be corrected) - there is very little, if any, tannin in most coffees. I always used to think that drinking coffee made you pee out more liquid than you took in. But I think this is due to caffeine, not tannin. How the addition of milk and sugar affects this I have no idea, if it does at all because I can't really think of a reason why it would. Tea has more tannin than coffee. Citrus fruits don't have tannin(?), but if you are adding berries to a drink then they do - thus, if you make a fruit drink with berries you might be having more tannin than having a cup of coffee(?) Legumes contain tannin as do some nuts, also a number of herbs and spices.
My conclusion is, concerning tannin, I will suffer no ill effects from drinking coffee in a morning as opposed to fruit juices as during the rest of the day my tannin consumption will be far outweighed by the amount I'd ingest from other sources.
Errrrr............... no?
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LouisXIV
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L'estat c'est moi.
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Post by LouisXIV on Mar 3, 2012 19:20:42 GMT
I saw this on Face Book and clicked on it. Think I will have to ge my juicer out and try this.
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 3, 2012 19:24:06 GMT
Hey, Louis ~~ thanks for juicing up everyones awareness of facebook's potential in publicizing the anyport forum!
I'm eager to hear the results of your renewed juicing interest.
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Post by auntieannie on Mar 3, 2012 22:18:25 GMT
um... Dr Only... my knowledge of the exact reasons for tea and coffee not counting for the whole amount of liquid as intake is flakey. oops! Yes, there is much more tannin in tea than in coffee. Note that tannins aren't bad for you per se. they also have soothing effect. but in small quantities. too many cups of very strong black tea and you may start experiencing difficulties absorbing some minerals due to tannins coating your insides. what tannins do is precipitate proteins. hence why they are so useful in well..tanning.. pelts.
Obviously overdoing anything is not good as some people may experience burning sensation in their stomach from drinking some of these juices if they are too acidic for one particular person. (the same drink could have no ill effect on another person - yey! we're all different!)
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Post by onlymark on Mar 4, 2012 5:53:55 GMT
To be honest Annie I don't think there is any medical opinion that is set in stone and the professionals are notorious for flip flopping from one piece of advice to the opposite. So I'm certain that juice is better for you than coffee or tea no matter what the tannin level or other element is.
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Post by onlymark on Mar 4, 2012 17:33:50 GMT
And so I went out this morning and bought a juicer. I am now following this thread like a lovestruck schoolboy hanging on to the coat tails of the prom queen.
One question, citrus fruits, peel them first and lob them in, yes? Nothing more than that?
Vegetables - carrot, tomato (is that a veg? Argue away), beetroot (can't get at the moment)................... what else? Celery too expensive, don't like ginger ...... cucumber?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2012 18:18:08 GMT
When people start going overboard on this stuff, I am perplexed. Most of us live in some of the most overnourished and over-vitamined areas of the world and yet you see nutritionists acting as though we all have scurvy. I'm sure the people making super juices were already eating and drinking correctly well before these new fads. And people living off fast food and junk food are not going to change their ways until they have a heart attack.
Well, since we can't send these juices to North Korea or other places in need, I guess it at least keeps you off the streets.
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 4, 2012 18:44:54 GMT
Yaaay ~ Mark got a juicer! I am in a downsizing mood right now, but that hasn't kept me from cruising the small appliance aisles in stores. There could yet be a sturdy little centrifuge on my horizon.
Try throwing in parsley with the other vegetables.
Kerouac, in one way I see your point. However, we are more over fed than over nourished. And who knows if supplements work on the body the same way as eating foods high in those nutrients. I think one of the main pluses for many people who decide to juice is that it can help them change their evil ways. They may not continue juicing with zeal, but may develop some healthy negative feelings against eating processed food, etc. Also, even if they stop making juice, they'll probably start eating more fresh fruits and vegetables.
Annie, of course you're right that blenderized stuff is more like a smoothie than a juice. However, blenderized fruits &/or vegetables not tricked out with ice cream or the like have the same nutritional impact as a juice made from the same ingredients. I figured that for purposes of this discussion, the real difference is in the appliance used.
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Post by onlymark on Mar 4, 2012 19:01:30 GMT
Oooooh, kerouac got out the wrong side of the bed this morning!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 4, 2012 19:14:52 GMT
I don't get up that late on a Sunday!
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Post by imec on Mar 4, 2012 19:59:39 GMT
OK, so, I'm not the least bit interested in the "health benefits" of this stuff, whether real or imagined - I'll stick to a balanced diet and my daily cycling for that. What caught my interest here was the potential for really tasty fruit and vegetable drinks. So, will someone just tell me if this stuff can in fact taste marvelous? I've found a juicer at a local store which seems to have all the necessary attributes and is a very good price and am ready to pull the trigger...
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Post by auntieannie on Mar 4, 2012 22:11:28 GMT
ok...health benefits: debates rage around the world (also in the medical world) some saying fruit juices aren't healthy - that smoothies are healthier.I say anything that gets some unadulterated fruit/veg into a human being is good.
taste: for me, as has been detailed in various posts, some mornings have been glorious and some have been not so glorious. I like a mix of fruit and veg. Imec - I think you could make fab juices with some of the herbs you use in your cooking. I could see you present us with plates where the food has been sprinkled in a pleasing manner with something like lemongrass and fresh coriander juice or similar. I can imagine you preparing a cocktail for the beautiful Mrs Imec, using a freshly made juice as a mixer.
Frankly, if I hadn't remembered I had a juicer gathering dust in the pantry, I probably would have started making smoothies. It suits me because when I go to uni it is difficult to have a healthy diet so have to compensate when at home sat on the sofa most of the time.
Mark, my lovely, I say if you can get it cheaply and it it safe to eat raw... go on... juice the fruit or veg! I personally don't feel attracted to cucumber juice, even though I can enjoy an iced cucumber soup. but who knows, I might change my mind on that too! tell me what you can get cheaply and I can make suggestions. I note you don't like ginger. (you do realise fresh ginger doesn't taste at all like powdered ginger?)
problems with vitamin consumption. It looks like in the western world you can find people greatly deprived of vitamins as well as people suffering from hypervitaminose (too high concentration in vitamins.) which are both equally unwelcome.
Bixa beautiful, yes, you are right. eeech, calling "smoothie" something that has had icecream added to it. No. but a smoothie as you describe it is even better as it's got fibres in it.
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 4, 2012 23:18:58 GMT
will someone just tell me if this stuff can in fact taste marvelous? In a word, yes! Every single little market around here has at least one stand serving juice, so I've been able to sample quite a few single or combined flavors. However, that availability hasn't kept me from contemplating getting my own juicer in order to have fresh juice when & how I want it. Carrot juice from a juicer (not blenderized) is fabulous both in taste & texture. For someone who is as inventive & adventurous as you are in the kitchen, Imec, I think a juicer would be a worthwhile thing to own.
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Post by imec on Mar 5, 2012 0:03:08 GMT
Sold! (or should I say bought?) I'll report back soon!
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Post by imec on Mar 5, 2012 4:37:44 GMT
first try was tomato, radish, celery and parsley. second was strawberry and lime. both good!
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Post by onlymark on Mar 5, 2012 6:26:29 GMT
Annie, I'll let you know. As for ginger, I don't like it in any shape or form. Somewhat like what the posh people call cilantro, I don't like that either, it tastes wrong in all shapes and forms. Apparently there is not just me who dislikes coriander - ihatecilantro.com/
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Post by Don Cuevas on Mar 5, 2012 10:57:57 GMT
I like cilantro. I enjoyed cream of cilantro soup on a couple of occasions. I also LOVE ginger. It may be a genetic disposition. So; don't eat any. ;D
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Post by onlymark on Mar 5, 2012 12:05:32 GMT
I avoid it at all costs. I just hope that if kerouac ever cooks for me, he remembers not to throw some on the dish at the end (coriander, that is).
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Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2012 12:50:27 GMT
But I would need to use a lot to hide that I am serving you a big dish of pasta. Didn't we also have a thread about the delight of drinking pickle juice?
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Post by fumobici on Mar 5, 2012 16:21:23 GMT
Aversion to coriander/cilantro can be overcome, I used to hate the stuff and now can easily tolerate it. I'd still have no problem though if it ceased to exist. Ginger on the other hand is heavenly. Nothing like the fragrance when garlic and ginger are thrown into a hot wok at the start of a stir fry. I can't imagine Asian cooking without it.
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