Organic Pineapple and Mangosteen and the health benefits

       Organic Pineapple Chunks (in Organic Pineapple Juice)

The Organic Pineapple Chunks, distributed by Edward & Sons are 100% organic and are USDA Certified, and certified organic by QAI. And to put the icing on the cake, they're also Certified Kosher by Kehilla Kosher.  They're gluten-free and vegan.  All this information is right on the label. It also has a description of the pineapples and says they are a product of Vietnam.

                                    Here's the description on the label:

" Native Forest Organic Pineapples are conscientiously grown and packed according to principles of organic agriculture. Our mission is to offer you the most delicious and healthful natural fruits, while renewing the fertility of the soil using time-tested, organic methods. We believe organic practices make sense for the land, the people and the product.


We hand select ripe organic pineapples and pack the fruits in their own juice at the peak of freshness. You and your family will love the great flavor of Native Forest Organic Pineapples:

Consistently sweet, tender and delicious. The quality that you taste is only a hint of the care and expertise behind every Native Forest product. Enjoy!" 

The label also recommends chilling before serving, and refrigerating unused portions in a covered glass or plastic container. Use within four days. 

Serving suggestions: The ideal lunchbox snack, Organic Pineapple Chunks are also perfect in fruit cocktails and smoothies.There's 400 grams per can.

Edward & Sons' Native Forest pineapple chunks are Rich in Vitamin C.

Benefits of organic pineapple: 

Organic pineapple is a low-calorie, gluten-free, filling addition to a snack, smoothie (or other drink) as well as with a meal. They also contain 0 trans fat, 0 saturated fat. In other words, they contain no fat.

Besides that, it's also a really healthy fruit, especially since they are organic, so they aren't lacking the nutritional value that fruits usually lack due to pesticides, other chemicals and being processed. The Pineapple Chunks from Edward & Son's (Native Forest brand) is a much healthier & better tasting alternative to the typical chemical-filled pineapples.

Pineapples are very healthy, but not when they're laden with chemicals and stuff. As you've probably been told or read hundreds of times,  chemicals and pesticides and all that take away the nutritional value in foods that we were meant to have and benefit from. I'll shut up about that, though and talk about the benefits we could be getting from pineapple (organic, of course.)

Pineapples have been featured as one of the "world's healthiest foods" on whfoods.com. Pineapples contain Vitamin C, Manganese, fiber, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B1, Copper and Folate.  It has been suggested that Pineapple may have anti-inflammatory and digestive health benefits, which is really amazing because most of the problems we suffer from, tend to be related to inflammation, and sometimes health conditions can be caused from inflammation. Anyways, another reason I say that's amazing is because I tend to have quite a lot of digestive issues, which I've came a really long way with, but it's great to know that the foods you are eating (and those you love) are beneficial there.

The Bromelain in pineapples has been researched (you can read in-depth about this by doing a search on it. Very interesting stuff!). Anyways, Bromelain, in a nut-shell, is helpful for the digestive system and intestinal tract. Bromelain has a lot of health benefits.

Pineapples also contain antioxidants, which fight free radicals (those are the things known to cause cancer.) and promote immune support. Pineapple  also offers protection against macular degeneration.

Personally, I don't like the syrupy taste of pineapples that are not organic. The added sugar/syrupy stuff added to the can leaves a taste that is nothing like what actual pineapples taste like. Plus, while I love the taste of pineapple, I hated that the canned ones (that are not organic) don't taste the best & they never fail to give me stomach problems! So, this is one of my big reasons for wanting to go with the organic pineapples from Edward & Son's. I've been wanting to add more natural foods into my diet for health reasons and all, and being a fruit lover, the options available from Edward & Son's was perfect. I've tried the organic pineapples & also their organic mangosteen! I've also tried two different flavors of their awesome rice snax, all of which I'll talk about here.



Ingredients: Organic Pineapple, Organic Pineapple Juice.
As you'll see, there's no artificial flavors, colors or other chemical ingredients that are found in the canned fruit you get find at grocery store.

Nutrition Facts:
3 servings per can. Calories per serving: 60.

 Dietary fiber: 1 gram
Sugars : 13 grams
Sodium : 10 milligrams
Iron : 2%
Vitamin C : 25%

                        Organic  Magosteen

This is the awesome Organic Mangosteen, also from Edward & Son's. I've wanted to try mangosteen for a very long time, so it was exciting to have found that Edward & Son's has it in organic. It's awful that there's even an option other than organic -- IMO, all food products should be organic, but that's another story.


P.S. Edward & Sons has a page dedicated to recipes and they look delicious! If you're interested, here's a recipe for Organic Mangosteen Ambrosia. 

Mangosteen is a delicious, filling snack that's great for those who like fruit, have a sweet-tooth or are looking to improve their diet and obtain better health. I like mangosteen because it's sweet and I love sweets, but don't like the bad health that comes with tons of cookies. Mangosteen is a really great alternative, especially since it has 0 fat, no artificial flavors and junky additives. Mangosteen is a really good fruit to eat on a regular basis for a little energy boost, fiber and free-radical fighting.

Ingredients:
  Water, Organic Mangosteen, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Citric Acid.

Notice the ingredients -- no added sugars and all that crap that makes you feel icky and is bad for your health. That's a plus. 


                                        Mangosteen Nutrition Facts:

140 grams

Serving size: 1/2 cup
Calories per serving : 90
Total fat: o grams
Saturated fat: 0 grams
Trans fat: 0 grams
Cholesterol : 0 milligrams
Sodium: 10 milligrams
Total carboyhydrates: 23 grams
Dietary fiber: 1 gram
Sugars 22 grams
Vitamin B1: 4%
Vitamin B4: 4%

In these photos, you can see the organic mangosteen fruit. It's white-ish in color and most of them are full mangosteen pieces, not little bits floating around. To me, mangosteen tastes like a mix between pears and peaches. I think it's the texture that makes me think of pears. They taste great and the syrup is organic light syrup, so it doesn't taste funky and thick like most canned fruits' syrup tastes. It has a pretty watery taste to it. You could use the juice in a recipe or drink it, but I didn't do that. The organic pineapple juice, though, is delicious in so many drinks! I used it in a pina-colada drink I made using coconut water.

Inside some of the little pieces are seeds. They aren't hard, but they're soft and edible. You can spit them out, but I didn't mind eating them. They don't have a funky/bitter taste like say apple seeds.

                 Mangosteen's Health Benefits

Mangosteen contains polyphenols (Xanthones) and antioxidants. This is why mangosteen is known for its immune system-strengthening properties. It helps fight disease and infection as well as working wonders for inflammation in the body. Mangosteen is a natural anti-fungal and anti-bacterial, so it's great for your digestive system, especially for those suffering with problems like candidiasis. Mangosteen also promotes positive cardiovascular health. I read that research showed that mangosteen can promote healthy teeth and gums, too!

A little about the company:

Edward & Sons Trading Co was founded in 1978 and is  family-owned and run. Their motto is very fitting: " "Convenience without Compromise" ®

I mentioned that their products were all organic, vegetarian and suitable for vegans. Edward & Sons do not tolerate  artificial ingredients in packaged foods so Edward & Sons™ products will never contain artificial flavors or colors, chemical preservatives or hydrogenated fats.

Their  product family encompasses several brands, including Edward & Sons ™, Native Forest®, Let's Do...Organic®, The Wizard's®, Premier Japan®, Let's Do...® and Road's End Organics®

Organic Acai Juice

 

What does Dr. Tim's Brazillian Acai juice taste like?

Like blueberries. It's slightly tangy with a natural sweetness to it. The juice is just a tiny bit thick, but not as much as orange juice with the pulp. The thickness is mostly due to the ground acai berries and the tiny particles in the natural juice.

 Brazilian Acai juice has a dark purple/slightly brownish color, also like blueberries.

The first time drinking it, I was nervous so I poured a small amount in the cap and stuck my tongue to it 3 times before actually drinking.







I tried to get a photo showing the clear safety seal that the Brazilian Acai container comes with, but whether you can actually see it or not is a tough call. But the Acai juice does come with a plastic safety seal as well as another one over the actual pouring hole! This is always reassuring. 

Above is a photo of the actual juice, poured into the lid. This is what I first used to take a drink. And remember, I liked it so much I went to get a full glass. Here you can see the color/texture of it. It's really not thick at all. 



What I experienced after drinking the Brazilian Acai

Most of you who are regular readers of mine know that I've had a long battle with endometriosis and IBS, and only recently felt comfortable even sharing the IBS part. I kept that one a big secret for over a year with only my partner and a family member knowing about it. Then, when I began getting better I've been totally comfortable sharing about it since I could possibly be of help to others. I have tried everything. As some of you know, I was very, very ill for about 3 years of my life and have only experienced real healing of it in the last year -- although the endometriosis is a totally different story, but I suffer far less from it as well.

But my point about IBS is that people who suffer from it, or any other digestive system disorder, are usually terrified to try something new, especially something with benefits because we're usually afraid it'll set off a "flare up." For those reasons, I wanted to share my own experience. I've not been able to take/drink just any health supplement without ill effects. Thankfully, I've been drinking the Acai Juice every day now for longer than one week and I've experienced nothing in the way of stomach/digestive problems! In fact, I feel better. For the past 9 days I've been dealing with "my curse," which happens to have come right around the time the Acai juice did. Often times during this time of the month many of us who have endometriosis and/or IBS have some type of problems or symptoms and mine happen to be pretty severe. Since I've gotten better health-wise, I usually only experience extreme or noticeably painful or uncomfortable symptoms from my problems around this time of the month. Especially the stomach troubles. They really are a struggle around this time, so I worried that the Acai Juice would kind of make things worse since most of the time I can't even have any more than one small sip of fruit juices without having ill effects from it. My stomach will be torn up for hours after drinking juice, but I was too interested in the Acai for that to stop me.

I'm happy to say that I'm doing fine! Other than the regular monthly pains and discomforts, this week has actually been better than my normal. I haven't had any ill side effects, but quite the opposite. 

The biggest thing I noticed this week (the week where I'm normally very down and feeling ill-ish) is I didn't have such a drastic decrease in energy like I do at this time each month. Normally every month around this time I'll need to take a nap during the evening due to fatigue. I'll also feel all around bad in my stomach. Small pains, large pains, pains where I'm doubled over and feel like my intestines will jump out of me are quite the regular and I've noticed a huge, huge difference there. And I do feel like some of this must be due to the Acai as I've not been taking my aloe for over a month!

I've told ya'll how I normally eat my aloe plant to help with the stomach issues and I'll skip days here and there, but when this time of the month comes, I double up my intake and do not miss any. However, it seems I've eaten all my plant! So while my baby plants are growing, I've not had any to eat since I've eaten my entire mature plant! That is why I expected to experience what is usually my normal -- a lot of pain and tummy troubles. 

Maybe the Acai juice is just as effective for my problems as aloe is. 

If you're a sufferer of IBS or the same conditions as me, you'll be happy to know that the Brazilian Acai juice is not likely to give you upsets. I have an extremely sensitive stomach, so I think it's safe to say most will be just fine.

On the bottle of the juice it says you can have a small amount or drink as much as you like! I started with a small glass at first just to be on the safe side though.









Why I love it:

The greatest benefit of Acai comes from its potent antioxidants. Acai contains more antioxidants than most any fruit or berry, even blueberries! Acai contains as much as 10 times more antioxidants than red wine. I am so intrigued by this that I even wanted to share the ORAC chart with you, to show you how Acai compares to other antioxidant-rich foods.

Photo courtesy of http://www.benefitsoftakingacai.org/brazilian-acai-berry.php

  

What is ORAC/ORAC Scale?

 ORAC stands for Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity: A test developed by  scientists at Tufts University that measures the total antioxidant activity(speed and power of foods/supplements) of a biological sample. 

  According to Health Report.com, the average Western person needs a total ORAC value of 2,000 units per day in order to deal with all the pollution, free radicals, etc. 

  "It’s been estimated that 80-90 percent of the world’s population fails to consume even half of this level. Acai is reputed to be extremely high on the ORAC scale and provides levels multiple times that of many anthocyanin-rich fruits and vegetables, such as cherries, cranberries and mulberries.

Aging Population: As the population ages, 80% of older people in Western countries will develop at least one chronic metabolic disease. The USDA says that high-ORAC foods may slow aging and prevent metabolic disease from occurring."

  Note that not all acai manufacturers are legitimate, which is something I've discussed with you concerning all kinds of organic or health supplement manufacturers such as with the aloe, coconut oil and wheatgrass we've discussed.

  This is why you need to read before you buy! Many acai products are manufacturing small amounts of genuine acai berry extract to literally make tens or even hundreds of liters or kilos of finished acai drink. Yet, you're getting nowhere but broke if you're going to purchase these products that contain so little acai! So I've done some of the work already.You want to be sure they are legitimate and you're getting enough of the acai to even benefit.  

Here are things to take into consideration when looking to purchase acai from a manufacturer:

*Look for a "USDA Certified" seal. For instance, on Dr. Tim's Brazilian Acai, you will clearly see this seal. 

*Does their webpage look spammy? Is there a lot of pop-ups and huge spammy text? When you go to the home page of the manufacturer you're considering purchasing from is the majority of the page covered in testimonials and then an "add to cart" or "buy now!" button? These things do not necessarily mean the product is not legitimate, but in my own experience, I have found that a webpage like this that's trying way too hard to sell the product while offering very little information about it is not the most trustworthy manufacturer to buy from, and in some cases I've even found that they aren't legitimate at all! Meaning you send $ and get nothing or get something strange like a box of rocks! This is no joke.

*And my own personal rule, which also is not a sure-fire sign that the company and/or their products are not legit:  Is there a "contact" button or an "email us" form or any way of contacting the company/supplier easily available on the webpage? 

This personal rule of mine also applies to every kind of product I'm interested in purchasing online. If there is no available contact information, I'm outta there! This is one sign that the company is not legitimate, and therefore their product isn't likely to be. 

From the instant I landed on Dr. Tim's Juices, I felt safe and secure. This was after many looks around the web, and I was beginning to feel like a victim in the sea of untrustworthy products/people. As soon as you arrive at Dr. Tim's Juices website you see the "USDA approved" sign. 

Along the top of the site Dr. Tim's Juices, you're offered a phone number right across the top of the page, a "contact" button, an "about us" button, "products" button and more. Dr. Tim's gives you the information about them without you having to cross your fingers and hope for the best.  

On the very home page, beside a photo of THE Dr. Tim himself is a promise telling you exactly what you can expect from Dr. Tim's lovely products:

"Dr. Tim's Juices uses the highest quality fruits and juices from around the world to create the best tasting most potent healthy drinks. We are passionate about making juices that work by focusing on superior quality, great taste and sensational value. I personally develop each product to "First Do No Harm". I use my vast experience as a physician, surgeon, and my knowledge as a professor of anatomy, physiology, biology to help our customers achieve their greatest health potential.

Have Fun, Drink More, Live active!"

To read more about Dr. Tim's story, and the Science of Cryoflux visit this page here.

 And in case you're curious, Dr. Tim's Juices does actually offer other products besides Acai Juice. Some of them are: Tibetan Gogi, Coconut Water, Thai Mangosteen, Chilean Maqui, Polynesian Noni and Amazon Camu Camu! All of which have their very own amazingly fantastic health benefits.


While the above is plenty enough reason to adore Dr. Tim's Brazilian Acai, there's more! I've done my research here, so let me just share.

  Here's something else you'll find on Dr. Tim's product labels and web site, which is very reassuring when you're looking to buy a product such as acai:

" Dr. Tim travels to the ends of the earth to bring you these exotic, healthful juices to savor. Each refreshing juice blend is uniquely designed to contribute to your overall health and wellness! You'll start drinking these wonderful juices for their impressive health benefits, but you'll stick with them for their unique flavors! Our PURE Super Juices are not diluted with water nor are they adulterated with additives or flavors of any kind. We sell 100% pure, 100% natural, 100% organic juice."

Dr. Tim's Brazilian Acai juice contains NO preservatives, added sugars, artificial additives. Dr. Tim cold processes his juice, which is truly the only method used that does not damage the product and render it non-beneficial to our health. Cold processing preserves the bio-activity of the juice. All other acai juices are either freeze dried or spray dried, which turns the juice into a powder and is then therefore far less potent. I learned the same lesson on cold processed products vs. freeze dried over a year ago when I'd been paying $30 a bottle for my aloe vera capsules. I then switched to a non-freeze dried version with a distinctive difference in potency and the benefits I'd been seeing. I then switched to using my own home-grown aloe plants for consumption, but we ain't even talking about aloe. I'm the scatter-brained blogger, forgive me. 

 And guess what else? Dr. Tim's Acai juice is 100% certified organic, another thing you should look for when trusting a company/manufacturer. 

Benefits of Dr. Tim's Brazilian Acai:



-According to Health Report. com, "Acai Phytonutrients: Anthocyanins are compounds that have potent antioxidant activity, allowing for the neutralization of potentially harmful free radicals. The famous research regarding the "French Paradox" attributes anthocyanins as being the antioxidant that protects the French from heart disease. The French are known to consume large amounts of coffee, nicotine, sugar, white flour, cheese and saturated fats, yet they have a very low rate of heart disease compared to neighboring countries like the UK and Denmark. The red wine grape, due to its anthocyanins is what is believed to be responsible for the very low incidence of heart disease. While red wine has good quantities of anthocyanins, the Acai berry has been shown to contain many times the anthocyanins levels of red wine."

-Potassium is found abundantly in the acai Berry. Acai is also extremely rich in the minerals manganese and copper.


-The Anthocyanins such as cyanidin-3-glucoside and cyanidin-3-glucoside-coumarate contained in the Acai Berry neutralize free radicals, hence the reason Acai is said to be the natural anti-ager.

 -Acai contains other phenolics such as catechin and epi-catechin (the same compounds in green tea), quercetin derivatives and other flavonoids. Phenolic acids interest me because they're said to have protective properties such as preventing heart disease and other oxidative damages. 

-Dr. Tim's Acai also contains phytosterols, essential amino acids, minerals, vitamins, protein, fiber, essential fatty acids omega 6 & 9.


-Acai contains Vitamin B1, B2, B3, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Phosphorus, Calcium, Potassium, fiber, proteins, iron,


 Dr. Tim's Brazillian Acai berry juice has so very many health benefits that I honestly don't think I'll ever be able to not have it. Here are some:

*Eczema.

*Chronic pain.

*Prevents disease/cancer.

*Improves cleansing and detoxifying.

*Improves mental focus.

*Increased sexual function.

*Increased stamina.

*Better digestion.

*Stronger immune system.










REFERENCES:

http://health-report.co.uk/acai.htm










Dr. Tim S. Hollingshead is a research scientist formulator and CEO  and President of Dr. Tim's Juices.






 Disclaimer: I am not a specialist, expert, professional or doctor of any kind. Content on this blog is not intended to be taken as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment or advice of any sort. I'm simply sharing information about my own experiences and results from use of a product or activity in hopes of providing useful information to readers, not to be taken as a patient/medical adviser relationship. I am not responsible for what readers choose to do after viewing the content here. Furthermore, I do not hold an "exceptional" or other special relationship with any company mentioned on this site. I'm simply a consumer who worked with the company on a review that is in compliance with FTC's guidelines. That means, everything you read here is my own words, not anything of the company's. I was not provided with monetary compensation for my review. All information posted has been done so with complete honesty. No action should be taken based solely on the content of this publication ( I'm not responsible.) Readers who rely on the information in this blog to replace the advise of an appropriate health care provider assume all risks of such behavior.