By Danielle Walsh, recipe by Kimberley Hasselbrink
Bon Appétit, Apr 23, 2014

A trick we like: Peel all overripe bananas and put in the freezer, then use to make supercreamy smoothies (and banana bread as well). If you haven’t prefrozen a banana, though, don’t worry—throw a few ice cubes into the blender for a slushier effect.

Ingredients:
1 frozen peeled banana, broken into 3–4 chunks
1 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon almond butter
1/8 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

Preparation:
Combine banana, almond milk, almond butter, and almond extract, if using, in a blender and puree until smooth.

Easy is to judge the mistakes of others,
Difficult is to recognize our own mistakes
Easy is to hurt someone who loves you,
Difficult is to heal the wound
Easy is to set rules,
Difficult is to follow them
Easy is to dream every night,
Difficult is to fight for a dream
Easy is to say we love,
Difficult is to show it every day
Easy is to make mistakes,
Difficult is to learn from them…

Source: desicomments

Photo source: healthimpactnews.com

Papaya is a delicious tropical fruit which has a great taste,
mouthwatering flavor and great health benefits. Originally from the
tropics of America the taste and its numerous health benefits made it
popular in all the continents.

Papaya enjoys a rich history, and has been used since very long for
medicinal uses in day to day life. The Mayans used to worship papaya
trees and called it the “Tree of Life”. It is said to be one of the
favourite fruits of Christopher Columbus. The story goes that when his
crew landed in America after a long sea voyage on meager meal, the
native people welcomed them with extravagant feast, which caused
digestive problems. The natives took the voyagers to the forest and
offered them papaya and they got cured. The leaves, seeds and the milk
of the papaya tree are used to cure intestinal problems and kill
intestinal worms and parasites. Women from India, Pakistan and
Bangladesh use them to prevent pregnancy and for abortion. Above all,
papaya is a very delicious food that has been enjoyed lavishly by people
as a part of cuisines and salads.

Nutritional Values of Papaya:

Papaya comes loaded with nutrients. Every part of a papaya tree, from the fruit to the leaves contains some medicinal properties. The nutritional values of papaya per 100 grams are:

•  Energy- 163 kJ
  

  Photo source: cdn7.wn.com

•  Calories- 39 kcal
•  Sugars- 5.90 gram
•  Carbohydrates- 9.81 gram
•  Dietary fiber- 1.8 gram
•  Fat- 0.14 gram
•  Protein- 0.61 gram
•  Vitamin A- 328 micrograms (41%)
•  Vitamin B1- 0.04 milligram (3%)
•  Vitamin B2- 0.05 milligram (4%)
•  Vitamin B3- 0.338 milligram (2%)
•  Vitamin B6- 0.1 milligram (8%)
•  Vitamin B9- 38 milligram (10%)
•  Vitamin C- 61.8 milligram (74%)
•  Calcium- 24 milligram (2%)
•  Iron- 0.10 milligram (1%)
•  Magnesium- 10 milligram (3%)
•  Phosphorus- 5 milligram (1%)
•  Potassium- 257 milligram (5%)
•  Sodium- 3 milligram (0%)

Health Benefits of Papaya:

1. Skin & Papaya– It is great for the skin and can be used as a face pack to get its benefits. It helps to get rid of acne and skin infections as it helps to open clogged pores. The fermented flesh of papaya also called as papain helps to dissolve the dead cells, giving fresh and glowing skin as a result. It is good to cure the skin infections and wounds that don’t heal quickly.

2. Cholesterol & Papaya– As it is a fruit that is rich in fiber it lowers blood cholesterol levels. It contains enzymes that help prevent oxidization of cholesterol, which in return helps to prevent heart-attacks.

3. Anti-ageing & Papaya– The antioxidants in papaya help in controlling premature ageing. This quality of the papaya helps you to get a younger look.

4. Intestinal Worms & Papaya– The seeds of papaya too possess medicinal properties. They are very good in treating intestinal worms in the body.

5. Constipation & Papaya– Papaya helps in preventing constipation and aids in digestion. The enzyme papain is a digestive enzyme that helps in natural digestion.

Photo source: zacsarian.com

6. Colon & Papaya– Its juice helps in curing infections of the colon by clearing the pus and mucus from it. You need to take it regularly to heal quickly.

7. Weight Loss & Papaya– It is low in calories and high in nutritional values. Hence, it is a good food for those who want to lose some weight.

12. Menstrual Irregularities & Papaya– It helps in controlling the menstrual irregularities in women. Papaya helps to ease menstrual cramps and helps in promoting regular flow of menstruation.

13. Liver cancer & Papaya juice– As it has anti-proliferative effect on liver cancer cells it stops or slows down the growth of the cancer cells of liver and helps in its cure.

14. Contraception & Papaya– Research with adult male langur monkeys has shown that it has contraceptive capability and maybe it has similar effect in adult males too.

15. Kidney disorder & Papaya- In poison related kidney disorder it was found that the aqueous seed extract of the unripe mature fruits of papaya induces antioxidant and oxidative free radical scavenging and help kidney to recover.

16. Dengue Treatment and Papaya – Researchers have found that the juice obtained from the papaya leaves helps in the dengue fever treatment. The extract obtained from the papaya leaf increases the platelet count also known as thrombocytes in patients with dengue fever.

How does Papaya get Spoilt?

1. Usually they get overripe if not eaten in good time and they lose their taste.

2. Viral infection of the papaya ringspot virus (PRV) can cause premature molting and malformation of the leaves of the plant. In the 1990s, the virus threatened to wipe out Hawaii’s papaya industry completely.

3. The papaya is also susceptible to the fruit fly, a small fly-like insect that lays its eggs in young fruit.

How to Buy & Shop for Papaya?

Step 1– Papayas are very delicious fruit. Asian, Hawaiian and Carribean variety are available.

They come in various sizes and shapes. Hawaiian are usually smaller and pear-shaped, while Asian and Carribean papayas are long and large.

Step 2– If you want to eat the papaya after 1 or 2 days, buy a green skinned papaya which is firm to feel. Normally as it will ripen after 1 to 3 days.

If you want to eat the papaya on the same day look for a ripe papaya in which the skin is turning from green to yellow or orange. If you gently press your finger into its flesh, it will yield but it will be not be too soft – otherwise it is overripe.

Papaya is a fruit worth considering in your daily or weekly grocery list. Consume them at least once in a week. Papaya can also be taken with fruit salads, or in other cuisines. If not eaten you can also apply it directly on the skin, it is bound to show some positive results and benefit your health.

Source: Medindia

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Being near does not mean being close.
I may be far from you in distance,
but at Heart I am just a breath a way.

~Jendhamuni

Mama was my greatest teacher, a teacher of compassion, love and fearlessness.
If love is sweet as a flower, then my mother is that sweet flower of love.

~Stevie Wonder

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A friend is someone who knows the song in your Heart
and can sing it back to you, when you have forgotten the words.

Source: sms4smile

By Alwyn Scott, Reuters, May 9, 2014

NEW
YORK (Reuters) – An American Airlines Group Inc aircraft almost
collided with a drone above Florida earlier this year, a near-accident
that highlights the growing risk from rising use of unmanned aircraft,
the U.S. air safety regulator said.

The pilot reported
seeing a small, remote-control aircraft very close to his plane while
preparing to land at Tallahassee Regional Airport, said Jim Williams,
manager of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Unmanned Aircraft
System Integration Office.

“The airplane pilot said
that the UAS was so close to his jet that he was sure he had collided
with it,” Williams said at an industry conference on Thursday, referring
to an unmanned aircraft system.

The aircraft, operated
by an American subsidiary, did not appear to be damaged when it was
inspected after the March 22 incident, Williams said.

But the incident served to highlight the risk of remote-control aircraft, he said.

U.S. passenger jet nearly collided with drone in March: FAA

“The
risk for a small UAS to be ingested into a passenger airline engine is
very real,” Williams said. “The results could be catastrophic.”

The
FAA currently bans the commercial use of drones in the United States
and is under growing pressure to set rules that would permit their
broader use. Hobby and many law-enforcement uses are permitted.

Last
year, the agency began establishing test sites where businesses can try
out commercial uses. [ID:nL2N0K90QW] Two of the centers have started
working ahead of schedule.

“The FAA is working
aggressively to ensure the safe integration of unmanned aircraft systems
into the national airspace,” the agency said in a statement.

The
March incident was reported to the Tallahassee control tower by the
pilot for Bluestreak Airlines, a US Airways commuter carrier. US Airways
is part of American Airlines.

The plane, a Bombardier CRJ-200, was a traveling from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Tallahassee.

It
was at 2,300 feet and about five miles from the airport when it
encountered the remote controlled jet. The FAA investigated but could
not identify the pilot of the drone.

American said it
is “aware of the published report alleging an incident with one of our
express flights and we are investigating.”

The airline said it would share any information with the FAA and would not comment further.

The incident was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

In
his address to the Small Unmanned Systems Business Expo in San
Francisco, Williams also showed videos of several drone accidents,
including one in which a drone crashed into a crowd during the running
of the bulls in Richmond, Virginia, last fall.

The crash was caused by a battery failure and resulted in minor injuries, he said.

Williams
also noted the “Miracle on the Hudson,” in which birds hit the engine
of a flight leaving New York, prompting an emergency landing on the
river.

“Imagine a metal-and-plastic object, especially that big lithium battery, going into a high-speed turbine engine,” he said.

(Reporting by Alwyn Scott; Editing by Diane Craft)