Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Using Edible Holiday Centerpieces to Spice Up Your Decor





When the holiday season rolls around again, many people are at their wits end to try and figure how to create the perfect atmosphere for holidays like Christmas. Fortunately, there really can be an easy solution. Fruit arrangements can make a fantastic edible holiday centerpiece, and can be made to represent any type of holiday theme you wish to create. By adding a touch of holiday décor to these fruit arrangements and centerpieces, you can allow it to become a focal point for your holiday decorations, and yet can still enjoy the perfect marriage of functionality and beauty.
 

The advantages of edible fruit centerpieces are that you can branch out and stop decorating in the usual ho-hum fashion for the holidays. Instead, you can explore the world of fruit arrangements as the healthiest and most intriguing way to fill your home with holiday cheer. Rather than stick to the very dull and predictable
centerpieces that simply do not stand out, you can instead choose a centerpiece that features bursts of color, sensual tasting fruits and stylish accents. When it comes to creating an atmosphere of holiday cheer, the small details can make or break the illusion, so it is important to only use high quality edible centerpieces.

Centerpieces are a central part of decorating, and although most people may choose to use candles, wreaths or traditional trappings for their holiday centerpiece, you can also choose to break away from humdrum by using a holiday fruit arrangement for your centerpiece. Not only is this a highly decorative use for fruit, but it is also practical, since you can enjoy eating the fruit and will not have extra centerpiece items to throw away once the celebrations are over. Whether it is Yuletide celebrations, Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day or even just a birthday celebration, the edible fruit basket, arrangement or centerpiece can be an elegant touch.

Holiday decorating traditions are part of American culture, and whether you go all out and decorate your entire home for Christmas or simply wish to decorate a side table with centerpieces, you can change the whole feel and look of a home in time for the holiday that you are celebrating. Fruit arrangements are absolutely beautiful to look at, and you can easily create or buy those that match your holiday décor or that contain your favorite fruits.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

An Apple A Day Helps the Pounds Drop Away? by Nancy Schramm

Remember that old saying, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away"? Recent research appears to be supporting the idea that eating apples can help you lose weight.

So, they not only taste good, make a great cobbler or pie, can be center stage at Halloween parties either covered in caramel or floating in a bucket of water, and are a staple in the Flowers to Eat Strawberry Apple Banana Bliss™ bouquet, but they could help me lose weight?

How you ask?

Well, the fiber pectin in them does help you feel fuller, as well as the other benefits of having a sufficient amount of fiber in your diet. But there's more.

There is a chemical that occurs naturally in apples, ursolic acid, that has been linked to maintaining muscle mass. In one experiment with mice, the mice that were fed chow to which ursolic acid from apples was added:
  • Gained 33% less belly fat
  • Had an 11% higher metabolic rate
  • Ran 38% longer on a treadmill exercise
  • Stored 24% less fat in the liver
More research needs to be done with humans, but what a great way to preserve  muscle mass, which is important for maintaining a  metabolic rate that is sufficiently high enough to lose weight.

Read more about it on the Dole newsletter blog: http://newsletter.dole.com/2012/anti-obesity-apple/