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Page 113
| and pureed dates are a nutritious substitute for white sugar in baked goods. In the Middle East, dates are considered a sexual stimulant, though research has yet to validate this claim. |
| F.Y.I. |
| You'll get far more benefits from peeling and eating a grapefruit like an orange than by sectioning it with a grapefruit knife. The outer part of each section, the pith, contains the bulk of beneficial pectin and bioflavonoids. |
| Figs |
| Out of the context of Fig Newtons (not a healing food, though far from the worst cookie you can eat), many people rarely, if ever, consume figs, either fresh or dried. That's a shame, because they are a wonderful, and wonderful tasting, source of energy and easily digested nutrients. Figs contain beta-carotene, vitamin B 6, and potassium. They're also loaded with beneficial soluble and insoluble fibers. |
| For centuries, figs have been used to treat cancer, and now research shows they really are effective: a fig compound called benzaldehyde has been found to help shrink cancerous tumors. Figs also contain an enzyme called ficin that aids digestion and appears to kill bacteria. |
| Grapefruit |
| One grapefruit supplies about 60 percent of the RDA for vitamin C, but the antioxidant power doesn't end there: grapefruit also contains beta-carotene and lycopene (found in red and pink grapefruit), as well as flavonoids, all of which may protect against bladder, cervical, and pancreatic cancers. |
| Grapefruit also contains the citrus oil limonene, which has been shown to help stop tumor growth and inhibit the formation of new tumors. Pectin, the soluble fiber in the pith, is an excellent heart protector. |
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