The benefits and disadvantages of the various fruits around us

The benefits and disadvantages of the various fruits around us.

Even when eaten alone, oatmeal provides filling fiber that can help keep your energy steady until your next meal. This plant-based recipe levels up your usual bowl by adding potassium-rich banana,

antioxidant-packed blueberries and raspberries, a punch of healthy fat from walnuts, and a touch of sweetness from your choice of honey or maple syrup. How’s that for a power breakfast?

Serves 2

Ingredients

½ cup dry steel-cut oats

1 small banana, sliced

½ cup fresh blueberries

½ cup fresh raspberries

½ cup raw walnuts

Drizzle of honey or maple syrup (optional)

Directions
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Stir in the oats, return to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook the oats until they soften but maintain their nutty texture, about 25 to 30 minutes.

When the oats are done cooking, place them into 2 serving bowls and top each bowl with half of the banana, berries, and walnuts. Drizzle with honey or maple syrup, if desired.

Off The Vine: Wine And The Forbidden Fruit

For centuries wine has been one of the most popular beverages among people and cultures, its bountiful pleasure known far and wide. However, there have often been times throughout history when wine has, excuse the pun, left a bad taste in people's mouths. It’s what I call the forbidden fruit syndrome.

For instance, during the early Roman era, wine was something that only males drank. In fact, if a husband found his wife drinking wine he was then at liberty to kill her. That seems a bit harsh, don’t you think?

Romulus, purported to be the first king of Rome, stated that only free men over the age of 35 were allowed to drink wine. Sexist, perhaps, yet women and slaves were prohibited from doing so.

To add insult to injury, a husband upon his return home would greet his wife with a kiss to ensure she had not been drinking. What a waste, seems to me that good wine and a good woman go hand in hand.

Some even attributed the drinking of wine to madness and bad behavior which often times resulted in severe punishment.

Eventually, though, many of these prohibitions were rescinded and wine became more widely available, even to the lowest classes of Roman society.