All the ways to combine fruit and ice cream, for a light meal or for a delicious snack
Fruitis ice cream they have always been a perfect combination, neither too heavy nor too light, ideal for finishing a lunch with family or a dinner with friends. And if the cakes are often too demanding, one cup of ice cream with fruit it always turns out refreshing and satisfying, for its mix of flavors, textures and temperatures. Especially when the fruit is heated in the oven, and the ice cream contrasts softly with the heat of this. And as for the combinations, you can choose between contrasts o affinity: sweetness of the fruit, acidity of the ice cream, and vice versa.
It is then a fine meal that meets everyone's needs: of those allergic to lactose, and can therefore choose fruit ice creams, or those who, always struggling with the scales, can make the same choice, motivated however by the desire to gratify themselves with something sweet without taking too many calories. Not to mention that, in most cases, these are recipes that require very few ingredients and no cooking skills. Which never hurts, especially on these hot summer days.
An entrepreneurial project born from the idea of a mother and daughter after a moment of crisis. Citrus enhances Italian and seasonal fruit and vegetables, also communicating the importance of prevention through nutrition
The one of Citrus it's a good story. A story of failure and rebirth, of complicity between a mother and a daughter, a story of strength, perseverance and entrepreneurial creativity by two women. But above all Citrus means Italian fruit and vegetables is Seasonal, minor varieties rediscovered and precious for health, ethical and controlled supply chain crops, social agriculture, support for scientific research, sustainable packaging.
A difficult moment transformed into an opportunity
The project was born in Cesena in 2015 from the experience in the fruit and vegetable sector of Paola Pappalardo and from the passion of the daughter Marianna Palella for marketing, communication and graphics, but in reality it all begins much earlier, when the family business does not stand up to the economic crisis of 2008. "We are born from the desire to transform a difficult moment into an opportunity – says Marianna – When we lost everything, my mom and I started talking a lot, in long phone calls of self-criticism and reflection. Unbeknownst to us, those chats were brainstorming where we looked for ideas for innovate a sector, the fruit and vegetable sector, which has always remained the same and to communicate in a new way the importance of consuming fruit and vegetables".
The rediscovery of the verdello lemon
The first intuition was to enhance the lemons of Sicily throughout the year, offering them not treated on the surface and in theirs three different blooms. One of these is the green lemon, a summer lemon, small and green in color, little known and, indeed, often confused with an unripe fruit or a lime. "The absurdity is that in Sicily the verdello was left to rot on the plants because the sale did not cover the production costs, preferring instead a foreign lemon which, in counter season, offers large and yellow citrus fruits ”. Immediately then, Paola and Marianna find in Umberto Veronesi Foundation an ideal partner for their project: "We did not want to limit ourselves to saying to consume fruit and vegetables: through our products we immediately wanted to sensitize consumers about a healthier food culture. Our citrus fruits are in no way treated on the surface so that they can be grated and enjoy the precious molecule in peace. D-Limonene contained in the peel ".
Bergamot enters a supermarket for the first time
The verdello lemon of Citrus the Italian Garden accompanied by this educational communication was so successful in supermarkets that it was decided to expand the range of products: "By pure chance, during one of our production trips, we came across the Calabrian bergamot, a wonderful citrus fruit that immediately made us fall in love with its intense fragrance and multiple beneficial properties. The bergamot, also known as the green gold of Calabria, it had never been marketed in supermarkets (there was not even a code to identify it!). We thus began to rediscover it, enhancing its rich presence in flavonoids, which promote the cardiovascular system and the regulation of cholesterol. With this operation we have contributed in our small way to favoring the economic development of the territory ".
Support for producers and research
Citrus l'Orto Italiano products come from ethical and controlled supply chains that operate respecting the environment using farming methods such as integrated pest management, organic, zero residue (new entry is the line of legumes and cereals). The producers are gathered under the Agricultural cooperative The Leaves which allows Citrus to support the social agriculture project, capable of generating and redistributing value along the entire supply chain, starting from a fair remuneration of the production base.
Since its birth Citrus has decided to spontaneously donate gods funds to support scientific research promoted by the Umberto Veronesi Foundation: in 4 years of activity, 32 researchers were financed through one-year scholarships. "A special initiative of which we are exclusive partners is Lemons for Research that this year in just two weeks, despite the Covid-19 emergency, has allowed us to raise 240 thousand euros for scientific research ".
Smart and sustainable peaches
The latest product launched by Citrus is the yellow pulp peaches and the nuts peaches nectarines proposals in a smart and sustainable packaging, ideal to carry with you in your bag or backpack: "This product combines the practicality and sustainability of the tasteful packaging by offering the fruits at the right degree of ripeness, ready to be eaten. The packaging is environmentally friendly and made only of FSC certified paper. Being a project that starts from the Earth, we cannot but love and respect it ”.
The peaches of Citrus the Italian Garden
Looking to the future, generational exchange and positivity: the ingredients of success
“We represent a market niche, but in our own small way we hope to make our contribution to the issues of prevention through food, environmental sustainability, fair pay to farmers. Consumers are changing and are increasingly sensitive, curious and informed, perhaps when we started this journey few were aware of it.
If we are here todayI have to thank my mom for giving me confidence and space to act even if he did not always fully share my ideas and for giving me the opportunity to make mistakes, only to rush to remedy them. My message is from don't let yourself down, but to accept situations, even the most difficult ones, because from a moment of crisis, as is also the one we are experiencing now, many beautiful stories can be born, like ours! ".
Is it better to eat it after a meal or away from lunch and dinner? What is the quantity to consume? Which varieties to choose? Here are the nutritionist's answers
There fruit it is one of the foods that should never be missing from daily menus. It is a real treasure trove of beneficial substances. It has a high content of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, which are useful for the proper functioning of the body. But which one to choose if you are on a diet or need to get rid of a few extra pounds? "Fruit also contains simple sugars (glucose and fructose) that are easily assimilated by the body. Excessive consumption of rapidly absorbed sugars favors an exaggerated production of insulin, a hormone that stimulates hunger and promotes weight gain and the onset of various diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Fructose, although not involved in production of insulin, if in excess it favors the onset of fatty liver disease (fatty liver) ", explains the nutritionist Nicoletta Bocchino. «Some varieties such as grapes, figs, bananas, melons contain it in high quantities. So the advice is to give priority to the less sugary fruit such as strawberries, berries, peaches at the table and instead limit the consumption of the particularly sweet one . It must also be consumed correctly. "To keep blood sugar levels stable, the suggestion is to eat it away from lunch and dinner in combination with good proteins and fats that increase its satiating effect". Then pay attention to the quantities. "The ideal is to consume 3 servings a day, of 100-150 grams each," says nutritionist Nicoletta Bocchino who here gives a series of suggestions on how to eat it so as not to risk gaining weight.
Give priority to whole fruit
A whole fruit than a fruitsalad has a better impact on blood sugar. "After maceration, the sugars present in the fruit become gradually more easily assimilated by the body". Even the fruit in the "juice" version is more "sweet". «In fact, it has a higher glycemic index because it lacks fiber, which is instead present in the pulp. Then pay attention to the degree of ripeness. "The ideal is to prefer unripe fruit over more ripe fruit: it has a lower sugar content".
Prefer seasonal and zero-kilometer ones
«The freshly picked seasonal fruit, compared to the exotic fruit that comes from distant countries, ensures a higher content in terms of antioxidants, which are excellent allies of the line. These substances favor the elimination of toxins and waste substances, responsible for retention, swelling and other imperfections ". But there is more. «Many exotic varieties should be consumed in moderation because they are also the most caloric. One hundred grams of coconut, for example, provide more than 350 calories ", the expert warns us.
Pair it with yogurt for breakfast
Fruit is rich in soluble fibers that have a prebiotic action such as pectin found in apples and pears. "Combined with the probiotics of yogurt (or fermented milk or kefir) within the same meal, it fights constipation and increases the beneficial intestinal bacteria that help keep you fit and healthy. The proteins of which milk derivatives are rich also reduce the absorption of sugars of which it is rich ".
For a snack eat it together with dried fruit
To increase the satiating effect of fruit, the ideal is to eat it as a snack along with some walnuts, almonds, pistachios or hazelnuts. "The fiber and beneficial fats found in dried fruit modulate the absorption of sugars from fresh fruit and keep insulin under control. They also increase satiety, give constant energy and help keep away from hunger attacks .
Do not consume it as a meal replacement
Fruit is not a complete food. «It lacks proteins, good fats and complex carbohydrates, essential for making a balanced meal and for the metabolism to function efficiently. In addition, it is rich in rapidly absorbed sugars that ensure reduced and short-lasting satiety .
In the gallery which are the varieties of seasonal fruit in this period most allied to the line
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