See recipe Sweet Peach Pickle, Stewed Peach Recipe

Peaches have long been a favourite pickle ingredient. For pickling, use peaches that are just ripe so that they will remain firm and retain their shape when simmered in sugar syrup. You can peel the fruit or use it along with the skin.

This fruity pickle is interestingly spiced with cinnamon and cloves. A little salt is added to most sweet pickles to enhance the sweetness of the pickle. It can be eaten the day it is made or can be refrigerated and stored for upto 1 month.

Aam ki Launji , Amla Murabba , Angoor ka Murabba , Grated Amla Murabba and Kesar Elaichi Mango Murabba are some more fruity pickles which go well as an accompaniment to the main course.

Is Sweet Peach Pickle, Stewed Peach healthy?

No, this is not healthy. Let's see why.

Let's understand the Ingredients.

What's good.

1. Benefits of Peach : Peaches are not very high in calories and a good source of fibre. Thus they have a good satiety value. You can have them in between meals while on weight loss regime. The fibre also helps to maintain a healthy digestive tract. Thanks to the low sodium count and high in potassium, that they are considered heart friendly and can be included by people with high blood pressure. One medium peach is a wise addition to a diabetic diet too. All they need to do is count these carbs as a part of their day’s intake and balance it through the day. Peaches have fair amounts of vitamin C which along with other phenolic compounds may form a line of defence against various diseases including cancer. Moreover, the vitamin C helps promote skin health.

2. Benefits of Cloves : Cloves are the immature unopened flower buds of a tropical tree. The four-pointed flower bud with a tapered stem measures 12-16 mm, and looks like a small nail.  Indians have long used cloves to treat indigestion, diarrhoea, hernia, and ringworm, as well as athlete's foot and other fungal infections. India's traditional Ayurvedic healers have used cloves since ancient times to treat respiratory and digestive ailments and its oil for toothache. It has powerful antiseptic and mild anaesthetic actions. When boiled with water and gargled, cloves are a good antibacterial mouthwash, which can help to combat bad breath and relieve a sore throat. Cloves are said to restore the appetite, and hence recommended for people with digestive disorders. Cloves are effective at clearing up a number of skin disorders such as acne, sores or ulcers. It has antioxidant properties, owing to the compound eugenol in it. Eating cloves is said to be aphrodisiac.

3. Benefits of Cinnamon, dalchini, cinnamon powder : Cinnamon with its antioxidant power has the ability to reduce inflammation in the body and thus reduce the risk of various chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes, cancer etc. Cinnamon since ages has been known to be beneficial for diabetics. Diabetes is a disease which occurs due to insulin resistance. Intake of cinnamon is said to reduce this resistance and instead improve insulin sensitivity in cells thereby helping to maintain normal blood sugar levels. cinnamon helps to reduce the blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels and thus prevents clot formation. See detailed benefits of cinnamon.

4. Lemon, Lemon Juice : Lemon is a very good source of Vitamin C and thus helps in the production of  white blood cells and antibodies in the blood which attacks invading microorganisms, prevents infection and builds immunity. Therefore, Lemon juice is given to prevent common cold. The ascorbic acid in lemon juice helps in absorption of iron from the food. So if you’re iron deficient or have anaemia squeeze a lemon on iron rich recipes. See detailed benefits of lemon, lemon juice.

5. Raisin, Kismis (kismis) : The health and nutritional benefits of sun-dried raisins range from the classic nutrients - such as natural sugars and potassium - to newly discovered antioxidant factors, factors which have found an important place in medicine and nutrition only in the last twenty years.
" The natural sugars of raisins are a great source of energy and come packaged together with fiber and other nutrients.
" Since raisins are high in potassium and low in sodium this makes them an ideal part of a heart healthy diet.
" The fiber in raisins, combined with other food from plants high in fiber, helps to regulate intestinal function and proper elimination.
" Raisins like grapes are one of the few fruits that contain a reasonable level of tartaric acid that works together with fiber to help proper elimination and help keep the colon healthy.
" The phenolic compounds in raisins are powerful, protective antioxidants.
" When hungry for a snack reach for a handy packet of raisins for a natural satisfying snack and prevent overeating.
" Raisins have been successfully used as part of diets to lower blood cholesterol and prevent its damaging oxidation.
" Richest source of mineral boron, benefits the bones.

What's the problem?

Sugar : Sugar used in the recipe is also called white poison. It is a simple carbohydrate with zero nutritional value. On intake, sugar will cause inflammation of the body which will last for many hours. It will spike your blood sugar level and shut down the fat burning process. This also causes high blood sugar levels in your body. The development of prediabetes comes from uncontrolled eating sugar and refined food products for many years and the classic symptom is if you have excess belly fat. This leads to diabetes and further onwards to heart attack, high blood pressure, strokes, impotence and kidney damage. 

Note : 1 cup = 200 ml (standard cup available in the market). The weight in grams varies for each ingredient.

Can diabetics, heart patients and overweight individuals have Sweet Peach Pickle, Stewed Peach?

No, this recipe is not good for diabetics, heart and weight loss. Sugar used in the recipe is also called white poison. It is a simple carbohydrate with zero nutritional value. On intake, sugar will cause inflammation of the body which will last for many hours. It will spike your blood sugar level and shut down the fat burning process. This also causes high blood sugar levels in your body. The development of prediabetes comes from uncontrolled eating sugar and refined food products for many years and the classic symptom is if you have excess belly fat.

Can healthy individuals have Sweet Peach Pickle, Stewed Peach?

No, this is not healthy.

What is a healthier Indian dessert option ?

We suggest you try low fat gajjar halwa recipe which uses dates as a sweetener along with low fat milk.  Make oats and mixed nuts ladoo recipe which is sweetened by jaggery,  oats and dates kheer and anjeer and mixed nuts barfi, dates and nut coconut balls, Dry Fruit Stuffed Dates sweetened by dates and zero sugar used.

Low Fat Carrot Halwa, Healthy Gajar Halwa

8 Pointers to get healthy on a Indian diet

1. Eat healthy and say yes to good home cooked food. Prefer whole grains like oatmeal, quinoa, buckwheat, barley and healthy flours like bajra flour, jowar flour, quinoa flour, wheat flour etc. rather than refined ones like maida. Have healthy Indian fats like ghee, coconut, coconut oil in your diet. 

2. Opt out of junk food, packaged food, deep fried foods. Prefer steamed snacks and other non-fried snacks. Check out some Healthy Indian Snacks. Remember to eat small frequent meals through the day as that will keep you always full and prevent your blood sugar from dropping. By starving your body through some diet, will not help you one bit. In fact, dieting will make you binge on 2 to 3 meals which is not good. 

Skip having Indian junk foods like pav bhaji, bata vada, pakoras, gulab jamun as they cause your body to have insulance resistance. The resultant is your body will store more carbohydrates as fats, causing storage of fat in the stomach causing a paunch and slowing down of our fat burning process. So its a bad cyle which causes you more more hunger and fatigue every time you eat junk food. 

3. Have 4 to 5 servings of vegetables and 2 to 3 servings of fruit is a must. Follow the logic of a vegetable in each main meal of the day and a fruit in-between meals. Check out a few Healthy Indian Soups and Healthy Indian Salads  recipes using this food group.           

4. Cut down on sugar and salt in your diet and pick honey ( very small amounts) or dates to sweeten your food. Slowly cut the sugar habit as this is not going to happen over night. Sugar  is also called white poison. It is a simple carbohydrate with zero nutritional value. On intake, sugar will cause inflammation of the body which will last for many hours. It will spike your blood sugar level and shut down the fat burning process. This also causes high blood sugar levels in your body. The development of prediabetes comes from uncontrolled eating sugar and refined food products for many years and the classic symptom is if you have excess belly fat. This leads to diabetes and further onwards to heart attack, high blood pressure, strokes, impotence and kidney damage. 

Salt and blood pressure. Apart from stress and obesity, one of the main reasons for high blood pressure is excessive sodium and salt intake. Most people find it difficult to limit the amount of salt in their cooking, thinking it will affect the taste of their favourite dishes. 

This is not true. Bajra and jowar are rich in potassium and critical for those with High Blood Pressure as it lessens the impact of sodium. Eating more Potassium Rich Foods will remove more sodium from your body through urine. So include the basic bajra roti and jowar roti in your daily diet to have with Lower Blood Pressure Subzis Recipes. 

5. Befriend a few healthy seeds and nuts like chia seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, walnuts and almonds. Stress. The easiest way to kill your immune system is chronic stress. 

6.  Sprouts are called ‘living food’. They are high is most nutrients and easy to digest as well. Let them feature in your meals at least thrice a week. Also Read : All Benefits about Sprouts. 

7.  Exercise 45 minutes every day. No excuse. You can walk fast, run, do weights, play your favourite sport or go to the gym. No activity reduces muscle tissue which will lead to muscke loss and all kinds of problems with that. Workout builds immunity and keeps virus or bugs away. 

8.  Sleep early and get up early. Get your body into rhythm and it will function best. Sleep helps your body to recover and makes you look much younger. Also getting good sleep prevent muscle loss, builds immunity and keeps virus or bugs away.

How to burn 32 calories that come from one tablespoon of Sweet Peach Pickle, Stewed Peach?

Walking (6 kmph) = 10 mins
Running (11 kmph) = 3 mins
Cycling (30 kmph) = 4 mins
Swimming (2 kmph) = 5 mins

Note: These values are approximate and calorie burning differs in each individual.