 Lemon/Lime
(English)
Nimbu (Hindi)
Elumicham
Pazham (Tamil)
Lemons and
limes are related fruits of tropical citrus tree,
but they are two different fruits.
Lemon is bright
yellow fruit with thick peel and has more vitamin content.
Lime is bright
green fruit smaller than the lemon, more globular, more acid, and with a thinner
rind.
Lemons and
limes are the richest source of minerals and vitamins of any food or foods known
to man.
Lemons and
limes are believed to have originated in Kashmir, India in 4000 B.C.
Lemon tree is a
small tree about 15 ft tall with thorny branches and purple-edged white
blossoms. Lime plant is smaller and it is shrub like.
Trees bloom
throughout the year, and fruit is picked 6 or more times a year.
Not fond of too
much rain, grows well along rain-free coastal areas.
Average
commercial tree yields about 1,500 lemons per year.
Lemons take a
long time (up to 18 months) to ripen once they have been pollinated
Lemons contain
more sugar than strawberries!
Lemons were
once a highly prized commodity used for trading. In today's dollars, people
would have paid $17 for one lemon!
Women used them
on their lips to make them more colorful.
Lemons contain
about one-third more vitamin C than limes.
Add lemon juice
to dishes just before serving because its vitamin C components break down during
the cooking process.
To avoid
browning of apple slices, sprinkle the cut pieces with lemon juice that's been
diluted a bit with water.
No matter how
many times you squeeze lemons and limes into your diet, it is probably not
enough - One medium lemon has 18 calories, no fat or cholesterol, only 10
milligrams of sodium and supplies 35% of the daily recommendation of Vitamin C.
Nutritional
Value:
Lemons are a
great source of B6, iron, potassium. Rich in antioxidants and pectin. They offer
dietary fiber, vitamin C, calcium, folic acid, manganese, magnesium, zinc and
other nutrients.
Digestion:
Lemon and lime
contain phosphorus and one of its greatest properties is its ability to
"digest" proteins when put on meat, poultry, fish, beans and eggs.
Stronger Bones:
With its heavy
fruit calcium it supplies bones, teeth, and nervous system with basic
nourishment.
Weight
Reduction:
Lemon juice
daily on an empty stomach first thing in the morning eliminates water retention
and helps with weight reduction and keeps the system alkaline.
Subsides Fever:
The juice of
one lemon is to be added to a cup of hot water with honey and drunk at once
every 2 hours till fever or chill subsides.
Cures Infected
Finger: (nagasuthi in
tamil)
Infected finger
or toe is cured fast with the finger or toe is inserted into the lemon, and
bound up
Younger-Looking
Skin:
Prevent dark
circled eyes by twice daily applications of lemon juice.
It is proved
that lemon stops the free radicals that cause the signs of aging even better
than vitamin E.
It’s
easy to eat more lemons and limes – just be creative.
Add to
your drinking water to add nutrients and flavor easily.
Ice-cold
lemonade is all time favorite.
Squeeze
the juice on vegetables, salads and grilled foods.
Add lemon
zest to pancake batter or cookie dough.
Lemon
Pickle is very good with curd rice.
Toothbrushes
immersed in lemon juice, diluted with water, remain clean, as well as do the
teeth.
Add lemon
juice to a stain on cotton and let it sit out in the sun to naturally bleach it
out.
Cleans
stains on porcelain, copper, bronze and aluminum - dip cloth in lemon juice,
polish, rinse with warm water. |
