FRUITS:
In winter we take advantages of citrus fruits like oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruits, kumquats, mandarin/tangerine and ugli fruit. All of them are rich in Vitamin C.

PINA COLADA SMOOTHIE:
Yield: 3 cups

1 orange, peeled and sectioned
1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
2 bananas, fresh

Break the bananas into two or three pieces. Place all the ingredients in a blender and process on medium speed until smooth. Serve immediately.

Vitamin C in oranges is well known for boosting immunity, fighting colds, and helping to eliminate exercise-induced free radicals that cause soreness. Organic oranges have up to 30 percent more vitamin C than conventional oranges, even though they are half the size. The nitrogen in fertilizers used to grow conventional oranges may cause the fruit to absorb more water. Researchers theorize that the extra water means more vitamin C moves into the peel.

Owing to the multitude of vitamin C's health benefits, it is not surprising that research has shown that consumption of vegetables and fruits high in the nutrients is associated with a reduced risk of death from all causes, including heart disease, stroke and cancer.

The health benefits of oranges also include fiber. One orange has 15 percent of the recommended daily value. Fiber is known to reduce high cholesterol levels. Therefore, I eat whole oranges instead of juicing them. For some people, toothache in crowned teeth, however, eating whole oranges does not normally create this discomfort.

This information is from Tonya Zavasta's book called: BEAUTIFUL ON RAW: unCOOKED CREATIONS.

VEGETABLES:
David, my son and our friends love this salad so much that I want to share this recipe with you, hoping that you would enjoy it too.

KALE SALAD:

1 head kale (any variety, green, red or lacinato is great), shredded
(I tear kale by hand into small pieces, about 1 inch)
1 red, orange or yellow bell pepper
1/4 cup pine nuts

DRESSING:
1/8 cup olive oil
1/8 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey, agave or maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pinch of sea salt or celtic salt

In a mixing bowl toss kale and add the dressing. Then "massage" kale for five minutes to "soften" kale. Add bell pepper and pine nuts. Serve immediately.

KALE has over ten times the vitamin A as the same amount of iceberg lettuce. Served in equivalent portions it has more vitamin C than orange juice and more calcium than cow's milk.

Kale's concentrated beta-carotene content in an excellent source of vitamin A, which helps prevent premature aging. One cup of kale provides almost 250 percent of the daily value of vitamin A. Both vitamin A and beta-carotene are important vision nutrients. Kale contains the antioxident latein and iron, which transport oxygen to the skin.

Kale manganese and calcium, among other healthy attributes. Calcium is one of the nutrients needed to make healthy bones. But kale, unlike dairy products, is not a highly allergenic food, nor does it contain any saturated fat.

I use lacinato kale (also known as black cabbage, dinosaur kale or Italian heirloom) in my recipes because of its smoother texture.

This information is from Tonya Zavasta's book called BEAUTIFUL ON RAW: unCOOKED CREATIONS.