The Daily Dine: November Schmovember

When I think of all 12 months of the year, November is the hardest one on the system. It is getting darker everyday, the sun just doesn't shine as much, the air can't seem to decide whether it wants to be cold or warm, setting off a display of snow, rain and snrain (half rain/half snow). The only joy in this month of Movember the moustache growning extravaganza for men and to remind them to take care of their health and have a check up at the doctor. Women are reminded all the time and that is great, but the men had been left out until a few years ago when the moustache came back to party on the upper lips of men everywhere. I love the moustaches that are grown, so many different varieties and even the guys who don't quite have enough facial hair make a go at it.
While the health and well being of all our men is on our minds this month, isn't it nice to know that there are foods that are great for your man as well?

Tomatoes, these are fabulous for the man in your life. Tomatoes are widely known for their outstanding antioxidant content, including, of course, their oftentimes-rich concentration of lycopene. Intake of tomatoes has long been linked to heart health. Fresh tomatoes and tomato extracts have been shown to help lower total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. In addition, tomato extracts have been shown to help prevent unwanted clumping together (aggregation) of platelet cells in the blood - a factor that is especially important in lowering risk of heart problems like atherosclerosis. That is just one amazing benefit of these delicious and user friendly foods.
While there are many benefits to the tomato and the wide varities that are available I also like to refer to this delicious fruit the same way the French do, pomme d'amour, meaning "love apple," and in Italy, tomato is sometimes referred to as "pomodoro" or "golden apple," probably referring to tomato varieties that were yellow/orange/tangerine in color.
On these cold, wet days and early dark nights, have a read about the tomato and its benefits for you and your moustache wearing man!

It is also pomegrante season again!! These delicious fruits, although some work to get into and will leave a nice red hue to your finger tips, are a very healthy choice!

"Risks of impotency and prostate cancer are some of the most common medical problems which men have to confront with. Men suffering from atherosclerosis (a stage of arteriosclerosis involving fatty deposits (atheromas) inside the arterial walls, thus narrowing the arteries) are more prone to developing impotency. The antioxidants found in pomegranate juice helps in checking arteriosclerosis and reduces the risk of the occurrence of impotency. Pomegranate benefits for men, when used with conventional treatment methods, is known to help in treating prostate cancer. This is due to its quality of reducing the levels of prostate specific antigen PSA (a protein manufactured exclusively by the prostate gland. PSA is produced for the ejaculate, where it liquifies the semen and allows sperm cells to swim freely. Elevated levels of PSA in blood serum are associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer). Certain studies have shown that in patients who regularly consumed this fruit, prostate cancer cells also decreased in growth." -http://www.buzzle.com/articles/pomegranate-benefits-for-men.html

I would highly recommend eating these throughout your day. I like them in my smoothies in the morning and on my salad at night. They are delicious, in season (you can't beat that) and abundant so they are cheaper to buy. Crack one open and get your hues of red started early this year.