Introduction: There are many ways to eat fruit, with eating raw and cooked being the two primary methods. Almost all fruits can be eaten raw, but not all are suitable for being cooked. Below, we've summarized several fruits that are even more effective when heated. Let's get cooking!
1. Pomelo
What you boil is not the pomelo pulp, but the pomelo peel. Pomelo peel contains flavonoids such as naringin and rutin, which have antioxidant effects, can reduce blood viscosity, aid in weight loss, and fight aging. When heated, these substances become more active in the body, exerting their maximum efficacy. Slice the soft white part of the pomelo peel, boil it in warm water for 10 minutes, and then steep it in tea with honey. Its nutrients will then begin to work in your body.
2. Apple
The pectin in apples has a great detoxifying effect and can work with dietary fiber to cleanse the intestines. When heated, the pectin becomes more stable and gains an additional benefit: "absorbing intestinal bacteria and toxins." Research has found that the content of polyphenols, natural antioxidants, in apples increases significantly after heating. Polyphenols can lower blood sugar and blood lipids, inhibit free radicals for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, and can also inhibit the rise of plasma cholesterol and eliminate free radicals in the body. Apples that have been stored for a long time are probably not very tasty to eat raw. You can cook them. Apples are low in vitamin C, so cooking them is not a loss. Beneficial components like potassium, pectin, chlorogenic acid, and flavonoids are retained after heating. When boiled with water, the taste can become sour, so use less water and add some jujubes to sweeten it. Steamed or baked apples are also good, or chop them and mix them into pancakes—the taste is great.
Hot Apple Drink
3. Orange
The orange peel contains narcotine and orange essential oil, which have the effect of relieving coughs and reducing phlegm. These two components are only released from the peel after steaming or boiling. It is especially suitable for children with persistent coughs. The steaming method is: wash the orange, do not peel it, cut off the top of the orange flat, sprinkle a little salt on the exposed pulp, then use chopsticks to poke a few holes in the pulp to allow the salt to seep in. Put the cut piece back on top, secure it with toothpicks, place it in a bowl (no water needed in the bowl), and put it in a steamer. Steam for 15 minutes after the water comes to a boil. Only eat the pulp and the juice at the bottom of the bowl, not the peel.
4. Pear
Pears can moisten the lungs and relieve coughs, but pears are considered "cold" in nature. Eating raw pears in cold weather can make one feel even colder. However, if you boil the pear, the situation is completely different. The cooked pear loses its "cold" nature, the peel becomes slightly bitter, and its effect of removing dryness and moistening the lungs is fully released. The lignin in pear seeds is originally an insoluble fiber, but it dissolves in the intestines after heating, helping to expel harmful cholesterol. "Bingtang Xueli" (rock sugar snow pear) is the most common way to cook pears. The method is simple: core and cut the snow pear, cook it with an appropriate amount of cold water and rock sugar over low heat for half an hour, and it's done. Pears can moisten the lungs, promote fluid production, clear heat, and resolve phlegm. Eating rock sugar snow pear in winter to nourish yin and moisten the lungs is the best choice. Patients with chronic bronchitis or chronic pharyngitis can also eat some rock sugar snow pear for dietary therapy.
Steamed Pear with Rock Sugar
5. Hawthorn
Hawthorn contains a large amount of organic acids and fruit acids, making it unsuitable for people with excessive stomach acid. However, if you cook it into a porridge with red beans and rice, and add brown sugar for flavor after it becomes soft, it becomes much milder. It not only aids digestion and lowers blood lipids but also has a weight loss effect. Hawthorn can also be steamed. The method is to remove the pits from the hawthorn, place them in a bowl, add rock sugar, and steam for 15 minutes. The steamed hawthorn is both sour and sweet and has the dietary effects of stimulating appetite, aiding digestion, invigorating blood, and resolving phlegm.
6. Red Dates
The skin of dried dates is very hard and the flesh is firm, which can irritate the stomach lining, so people with weak spleen and stomach should not eat them with the skin. Red dates become easier to digest after being cooked, so people with relatively weak spleen and stomach function can eat them in moderation. Cooking red dates with goji berries and longan has a better effect of warming the stomach, nourishing blood, and strengthening the body; Steaming red dates with goji berries and eggs can improve the condition of those with deficient qi and blood or poor liver and kidney function; A congee made with red dates, yam, and rice has the effect of treating uterine prolapse and pulmonary emphysema.
Sweet Soup with Red Dates, Pumpkin, and Lily Bulb