“An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away”

An old proverb attests to the health benefits of the fruit: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Research suggests that apples may reduce the risk of colon cancer, prostate cancer and lung cancer. Like many fruits, apples contain Vitamin C as well as a host of other antioxidant compounds, which may reduce the risk of cancer by preventing DNA damage.

The fiber content, while less than in most other fruits, helps regulate bowel movements and may thus reduce the risk of colon cancer. They may also help with heart disease, weight loss and controlling cholesterol, as they do not have any cholesterol, have fiber, which reduces cholesterol by preventing reabsorption, and are bulky for their caloric content like most fruits and vegetables.

There is evidence that in vitro, apples possess phenolic compounds which may be cancer-protective and demonstrate antioxidant activity. The predominant phenolic phytochemicals in apples are quercetin, epicatechin, and procyanidin B2.

The seeds are mildly poisonous, containing a small amount of amygdalin, a cyanogenic glycoside; usually not enough to be dangerous to humans, but it can deter birds.

Health Benefits

Easy on the digestion, apples contain malic and tartaric acids that inhibit fermentation in the intestines. Their high fiber content adds bulk that aids the digestive process, making elimination natural and comfortable. Apples contain pectin, a soluble fiber that encourages the growth of beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract.Apples contain flavonoids, antioxidants that improve immune function and prevent heart disease and some cancers.

Green apples act as a liver and gall bladder cleanser and may aid in softening gallstones.

Because of their high water content, apples are cooling and moistening and aid in reducing fever. Simply grate them and serve them to feverish patients. Steamed apples sweetened with honey are beneficial for a dry cough and may help to remove mucous from the lungs.

Hippocrates , the Greek physician considered the father of medicine, was a proponent of nutritional healing. His favorite remedies were apples, dates, and barley mush.

Today medical practitioners are beginning to recognize that the apple’s abundant quantity of pectin is an aid in reducing high cholesterol as well as blood sugar, a wonder food for people with coronary artery disease and diabetes.

If these aren’t enough reasons to “eat an apple a day,” there’s more. Eating raw apples gives the gums a healthy massage and cleans the teeth. This popular fruit is said to have properties that are a muscle tonic, diuretic, laxative, antidiarrheal, antirheumatic, and stomachic.

Nutritional Benefits

Unpeeled apples provide their most plentiful nutrients just under the skin. Apples are a good source of potassium, folic acid, and vitamin C.

A medium apple, approximately 5 ounces, has only 81 calories and a whopping 3.7 grams of fiber from pectin, a soluble fiber. A medium apple supplies 159 mg of potassium, 3.9 mcg of folic acid, 7.9 mg of vitamin C, and 9.6 mg of calcium.Additionally, there are trace amounts of B vitamins, iron, magnesium, and zinc .

Apple Facts

About 10% of an apple is made up of carbohydrate. Apples contain dietary fibre in their skins and core. About 4% of an apple is made up of vitamins and minerals. The rest of the apple, more than 80%, is made up of water. A medium-sized eating apple contains about 40 calories ­ one kilo of fresh apples provides approximately 2100kJ (500 kcal) of energy. Excluding the peel and core of apples from the diet almost halves the amounts of Vitamin C and dietary fibre available in the whole fruit, but makes very little difference to the sugar content.

Washing the skin to remove any contaminants is advisable. Apple pips taste a little bitter, like almonds, and contain traces of cyanide ­ but not enough to be harmful!

Fruit and vegetables are an important part of a balanced diet. Health advisory organisations recommend we eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day to help reduce cancer risks and improve heart health. Apples are a good ’snack’ food and are easy to eat fresh. From food intake questionnaires returned to the Institute of Food Research we know that women in Norfolk between the ages of 24-34 eat most apples ­ about 1 a day. Young adult men eat very few apples. Figures for older adults vary between 4-6 a week, with little difference between men and women.

But, there are many other forms in which we can eat apples or drink their juice. Premium juice with the distinct flavour of English apples is altered as little as possible after the apples have been pressed. The juice is flash-pasteurised to give it a shelf-life of up to two years and prevent it fermenting and turning into cider. Apple juice is a mixture of sugars (primarily fructose, glucose and sucrose), oligosaccharides and polysaccharides (eg starch) together with malic, quinic and citromalic acids, tannins (ie polyphenols), amides and other nitrogenous compounds, soluble pectin, vitamin C, minerals and the diverse range of esters (eg ethyl-methyl-butyrate and iso-butyl acetate) which give the juice a typical apple-like aroma. The relative proportions will be dependant on the apple cultivar, the cultural conditions under which it was grown, the state of maturity of fruit at the time of pressing, the extent of physical and biological damage (eg mould rots), and, to a lesser extent, the efficiency with which the juice was pressed from the fruit. Apple juice is versatile in cooking; it can form the basis of a syrup, or be added to a sauce. It can be used instead of apple purée for mousses, ices and jellies.

Food Chart

This chart graphically details the %DV that a serving of Apples provides for each of the nutrients of which it is a good, very good, or excellent source according to our Food Rating System. Additional information about the amount of these nutrients provided by Apples can be found in the Food Rating System Chart. A link that takes you to the In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Apples, featuring information over 80 nutrients, can be found under the Food Rating System Chart.

Health Benefits

According to the latest research, the old saying, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” is fact, not just folklore. The nutritional stars in apples-fiber, flavonoids, and fructose-translate into apples’ ability to keep us healthy.

Cardio-Protective Fiber

Apples contain both insoluble and soluble fiber. One medium (5 ounces) unpeeled apple provides over 3 grams of fiber, more than 10% of the daily fiber intake recommended by experts. Even without its peel, a medium apple provides 2.7 grams of fiber.

Apple’s two types of fiber pack a double punch that can knock down cholesterol levels, reducing your risk of hardening of the arteries, heart attack, and stroke.

Apple’s insoluble fiber works like bran, latching on to LDL cholesterol in the digestive tract and removing it from the body, while apple’s soluble fiber pectin reduces the amount of LDL cholesterol produced in the liver. Adding just one large apple (about 2/3 of a pound) to the daily diet has been shown to decrease serum cholesterol 8-11%. Eating 2 large apples a day has lowered cholesterol levels by up to 16%!

A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine confirms that eating high fiber foods, such as apples, helps prevent heart disease. Almost 10,000 American adults participated in this study and were followed for 19 years. People eating the most fiber, 21 grams per day, had 12% less CHD and 11% less CVD compared to those eating the least, 5 grams daily. Those eating the most water-soluble dietary fiber fared even better with a 15% reduction in risk of CHD and a 10% risk reduction in CVD.

LDL cholesterol isn’t the only harmful compound on apple’s removal list. Pectin grabs toxins like the heavy metals lead and mercury, and ushers them out of the body. Both the soluble and insoluble fibers in apples have cancer-protective activity since they relieve constipation and send potentially toxic substances out with the stools.

When it comes to bowel regularity, apple’s two types of fiber tackle the job-no matter what it is. Both the insoluble fiber in apples and their soluble fiber pectin help relieve constipation (thus helping to prevent diverticulosis and colon cancer). The insoluble fiber works like roughage, while the pectin, which is found primarily in the skin, acts as a stool softener by drawing water into the stool and increasing stool bulk. On the other hand, because pectin firms up an excessively loose stool, it’s also used to treat diarrhea.

Cardio-Protective Flavonoids

A type of pigment in apples that helps provide their color, flavonoids have been extensively researched and found to help prevent heart disease. Researchers in Finland followed over 5,000 Finish men and women for over 20 years. Those who ate the most apples and other flavonoid-rich foods (such as onions and tea), were found to have a 20% lower risk of heart disease than those who ate the least of these foods.

Apples have been singled out as one of the small number of fruits and vegetables that contributed to the significant reduction in heart disease risk seen in a recent meta-analysis of seven prospective studies. Of the more than 100,000 individuals who participated in these studies, those who diets most frequently included apples, tea, onions, and broccoli-the richest sources of flavonoids-gained a 20% reduction in their risk of heart disease.

Apple skin and onions are the two major food sources of a potent flavonoid called quercitin. If, in addition to eating an apple a day, you add 2 tablespoons of onion and 4 cups of green tea (also rich in flavonoids) to your menu, you, like the men who consumed these foods in another study, may have a 32% lower risk of heart attack than people who consume less of these foods.

Quercitin’s benefits derive from its antioxidant activity, especially when it teams up with another antioxidant, vitamin C, also found in apples, to bolster the body’s immune defenses. This dynamic antioxidant duo provides another way (in addition to fiber) through which apples protect against cancer and also helps prevent the free radical damage to LDL cholesterol that promotes heart disease.

Juice Ranked among the Highest in Antioxidant Activity. Not all fruit juices are the same. They differ markedly in the variety of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity. Concord grapes came out on top with the highest and broadest range of polyphenols and the highest overall antioxidant capacity.

Other top scorers were cloudy apple juice, cranberry juice and grapefruit juice. Apples have long been touted as an excellent source of flavonoids that act as antioxidants, moping up oxygen free radicals that can damage DNA. Now, Eric Gershwin and colleagues from the University of California, Davis, US, have discovered a new way in which flavonoid-rich apples help protect against heart disease and cancers that goes beyond their flavonoids’ antioxidant effects.

Fructose for Stable Blood Sugar Levels

Apples derive almost all of their natural sweetness from fructose, a simple sugar, but one which is broken down slowly, especially when combined with apples’ hefty dose of fiber, thus helping to keep blood sugar levels stable.

Prevent Kidney Stones

Want to reduce your risk of calcium oxalate kidney stones? Drink apple juice. A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition found that when women drank ½ to 1 liter of apple, grapefruit or orange juice daily, their urinary pH value and citric acid excretion increased, significantly dropping their risk of forming calcium oxalate stones.

Promote Optimal Health

Whole apple extracts-in amounts comparable to human consumption of one, three or six apples a day-were shown to prevent breast cancer in test animals in a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. And apples worked in a dose-dependent manner; the more apples eaten, the more protection.

We definitely agree with the researchers in the first (breast cancer) study, who suggest that because apples are so richly endowed with phytonutrients capable of strong antioxidant and anticancer activities and are so universally enjoyed, eating an apple (or two) a day may be effective  way to lessen the incidence of breast (and colon) cancer.

Natural Sun Protection

It’s long been known that apple peel contains high concentrations of special antioxidant compounds called phenols that may assist in the prevention of a number of chronic diseases. Now it appears that the phenols in the skin of certain cultivars of apples may provide a hefty dose of UV-B protection, according to a study published in the Journal of Experimental Botany. Researchers evaluated both Granny Smith and Braeburn apples, with Braeburns being the clear winner in terms of their ability to accumulate UV-B protective quercitin glycosides in their sun-exposed skin. Sun-kissed Braeburns were resistant to high doses of UV-B radiation (up to 97kJ m-2). Next time you plan to spend time in the sun yourself, start your day with a Braeburn apple or bring one or two along for lunch and snacks.

A major review study published in the Nutrition Journal provides dozens of reasons to enjoy an apple every day.

A review study is one that looks at the results of  many other studies. This one included an analysis of 85 studies. Apples were found to be most consistently associated with a reduced risk of cancer, heart disease, asthma, and type 2 diabetes when compared to other fruits and vegetables. In addition, eating apples was also associated with increased lung function and increased weight loss.

Here are some of the reasons why:

Apples are a rich and very important source of phytonutrients, including flavonoids and phenols, in the American diet and in Europe. In the United States, 22% of the phenolic compounds consumed from fruits come from apples, making them the largest source of phenols in the American diet.

When compared to other fruits, apples ranked second in total concentration of phenolic compounds, and perhaps more importantly, had the highest portion of free phenols. Since free phenols are not bound to other compounds in the fruit, they may be more available for absorption into the bloodstream.

Apples’ protective effects against free radical damage to cholesterol reach their peak at three hours following apple consumption and drop off after 24 hours, providing yet another good reason to eat a whole fresh apple a day.In animal studies, apples have also been shown to lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol while raising beneficial HDL cholesterol. Not only did the laboratory animals in these studies produce less cholesterol, but they also excreted more in their feces when fed apples, pears and peaches-but apples had the greatest cholesterol-lowering effect.

In the most recent studies, investigators found that the combination of apple pectin and apple phenols lowered cholesterol and triglycerides to a much greater extent than either apple pectin or phenols alone. This again suggests a beneficial synergy between the many healthful compounds found in apples and supports eating the whole fruit instead of simply drinking apple juice, eating peel-free applesauce or taking fiber supplements.

Apples have also been shown to greatly inhibit the growth of liver and colon cancer cells in several studies. In one study, at a dose of 50 mg/mL, liver cancer cell proliferation was inhibited by 39% by extracts of whole Fuji apple and 57% by whole Red Delicious extracts. In another study in which colon cancer cells were treated with apple extracts, cell proliferation was inhibited 43% at a dose of 50 mg/mL.

Promote Optimal Health

Eating an apple a day may also offer significant protection against breast cancer, suggests an animal study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry . When laboratory animals with breast cancer were fed the human equivalent of 1, 3 or 6 apples a day for 6 months, their tumors shrank by 25%, 25%, and 61%, respectively.

Researchers credit apples’ strong protective action to the synergistic interactions among the wide variety of potent antioxidant and antiproliferative phytonutrients, including phenolics and flavonoids, they contain.

In several large epidemiological (population) studies conducted in the United Kingdom, Finland and the Netherlands, apple consumption (a minimum of 2 apples per week) was found to be inversely linked with asthma and type 2 diabetes, and positively associated with general lung health. Researchers attribute apples’ protective effects in these conditions to apples’ high concentration of anti-inflammatory flavonoids, such as quercitin and catechin.

In addition to their beneficial effects against chronic diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, asthma and diabetes, apples may also help combat cholera. Recently, crude extracts from immature apples were found to inhibit cholera toxin in a dose dependent manner by up to 98%.

A Flavonoid Unique to Apples May Help Prevent Menopausal Bone Loss.  A flavonoid found only in apples called phloridzin may help prevent bone loss associated with menopause, suggests a study published in Calcified Tissue International..A side effect of the sex hormone changes that occur during a woman’s transition through menopause is a tendency towards increased inflammation and free radical production, which in turn, promotes bone loss.

Because of their anti-inflammatory actions, polyphenols have been suggested as one means of protecting against bone loss during this pro-inflammatory time in women’s lives.

To test this theory, French researchers ovariectomized lab animals (to simulate menopause) and divided them into two groups, which were given either a control diet or a diet supplemented with phloridzin for 80 days. Three weeks before the animals were sacrificed, 10 animals in each group were put into an inflammatory state.

While all the animals on the control diet lost bone, and those in the inflammatory state lost even more bone, the rats receiving phloridzin not only did not lose bone, but actually increased bone mineral density-even if they were experiencing a high inflammatory state!

Fruits richest in fiber include apples, dates, figs, pears and prunes. When choosing a high fiber cereal, look for whole grain cereals as they supply the most bran (a mere 1/3rd cup of bran contains about 14 grams of fiber).2

NEELAKURINJI

In God’s Own Country, a very special creation takes place once in twelve years. A mesmerizing natural wonder, that is witnessed through the mass flowering of a single plant species – Strobilanthes kunthianus, popularly known as Neelakurinji.

Neelakurinji is a shrub that used to grow abundantly in the shola grasslands  of Western Ghats in South India above 1800 metres. The Nilgiris, which literally means the blue mountains, got its name from the purplish blue flowers of Neelakurinji that blossoms gregariously only once in 12 years.

Neelakurinji is the best known of a genus that has flowering cycles ranging from one to 16 years. Plants that bloom at long intervals like kurinji are called plietesials. The genus has around 300 species, of which at least 46 occur in India. Besides the Western Ghats, Neelakurinji is seen in the Shevroys in the Eastern Ghats. It occurs at an altitude of 1300 to 2400 metres. The plant is usually 30 to 60 cm high on the hills. They can, however, grow well beyond 180 cm under congenial conditions.

Terminology

It was the Geman botanist Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck (February 1776 – March 1856) who nomenclatured Neelakurinji as Strobilantehs Kunthiana. The standard botanical author abbreviation for him isNees. He classified Neelakurinji to be of : -

Kingdom : Plantae
Division   : Magnoliophyta
Class        : Magnoliopsida
Order      : Lamiales

Family     : Acanthaceae
Genus      : Strobilanthes
Species    : S. kunthiana

Binomial name
Strobilanthes kunthiana

On the hills, the plant usually grow 30 to 60 cm in height, but under more favorable conditions they can grow well beyond 180 cms. It can be found only in high altitudes between 1,600 metres and 2,600 m and what makes it so special, apart from its beauty, is that it blooms only once in 12 years. The mass flowering and subsequent death of the Kurinji is the subject of hill folklore.

Although Neelakurinji has flowering cycles ranging from one to 16 years, it has been flowering every 12 years since 1800. What triggers the massive flowering every 12 years is not known. Plants that bloom at long intervals like this is called plietesials. But stray flowerings do occur in between. The flowering season comes between August and November and peak in late September and October although some varieties exhibit little variation. It looks light blue in the early stage of blooming and has purplish blue colour when aged.

Neela means blue in Malayalam language and Kurinji is the local name of the flower. For those in Munnar, the blooming of Kurinji flower is a reminder that their lives have gone past another twelve years and for those from far off places it maybe once in a life time opportunity to witness the Kurinji flowers covering the hills of Munnar in a blanket of blue.

The Nilgiris, which means blue mountains, got its name from the blue flowers of Neelakurinji. Once they used to cover the entire Nilgiris like a carpet during its flowering season. However, now plantations and dwellings occupy much of their habitat. The departments of Tourism, Forests and Wildlife have initiated a campaign for the preservation of Neelakurinji and its natural habitat.

The Blooming of Neela Kurinji in 2006

In 2006, Kurinji (neelakurinji) bloomed gregariously at several places near Kodaikanal (India) and Munnar. The biggest flowering was at the Eravikulam National Park.

At the National park, carpets of flowers formed at the Turner’s Valley (about 16 km inside the park), Poovar and on the hills near the Lakkom Muthuvakudy besides the tourist zone at Rajamala..

It also bloomed gregariously on the hills between Klavarai in Tamil Nadu and Koviloor in Kerala, especially in the Kadavari area. These areas are now within the newly formed Kurinjimala Sanctuary.

Patches of kurinji occur in the remaining sholas near Koviloor. Koviloor is a few hours drive from Munnar in Kerala. A jeep road connects Koviloor to Klavarai and Kodaikanal (Tamil Nadu). Theroad need not be motorable all the time (especially during monsoon).

Trekkers could spot kurinji by the sides of the old Munnar Kodaikanal road. Trekking would require permission from the Forest Department. The plants can also be located at places such as Yellapetty and Kanthalloor outside the protected areas. At Yellappetty, you have to trek to the hills south of the Yellapetty estate.

Some areas of the Mukurthi National Park near Ootty also have the plant. Besides, blooms have been reported from Attappady and Mangaladevi. Flowerings occur at Shevroys in the Eastern Ghats also.  The next mass flowering is expected to take place in 2018.

Damage

The last few decades witnessed impairment to the habitat of Neelakurinji. Plantations of tea, cardamom and timber devastated stupendous range of pristine forests home to this rare bush. Vast stretches of virgin rain forests got drowned by some Hydro-electric projects. Tea plantations engorged the most of kurinji filled hills. Now the kurinji thrives in the valleys and gorges that remain undistorted.

Another anthropogenic threat witnessed this year is the indiscriminate collection and destruction of bushes and stocks of Neelakurinji by some unaware and unruly visitors. This is particularly noticeable in some of the Nilakurinji habitats around Ooty in the Nilgiris. In the last week of September many tourist were observed to make rampant inside Neelakurinji thickets at Kodanadu in Kotagiri. They were also found to collect bunches of these flowers.

In addition to habitant destruction, such impudent activities may well prove serious threats to this long term survival of this important member of the biodiversity of these mountains.

Kid’s Fashion

It’s because my sweet HANNAH , that I began to search, research and think more on kid’s fashion. Hannah is my six month old daughter. She is very cute and beautiful. Me and wife spend a lot of time discussing and arguing on what shall she wear for the day, especially when we are on an outing. We could hardly come to a compromise.

Your little ones are also getting bigger everyday, no? They are learning, growing and becoming more familiar with the world around them. Your job is to keep them safe, help them along and of course dress them darn cute! Some kids’ fashion is just irresistable and adorable like quirky tees and teeny-tiny funky pants. And, some kids’ fashion items are innovative and oh-so helpful! I’ll show you the most useful and fashionable items for your sweet hearts.

Boys’ Fashion

Boys’ Fashion, it gets better every year! This season is a great season in boys’ fashion because the styles are fresh and hip for boys of all types. The music lover can get fun and funky with The Rock Edge Look, the football star can look like a Sport’s Star on the field and in the classroom, and the naturally cool kid can show off his fashion sense with his effortles, Cool & Casual Style.

The Cool & Casual Look is all about being cool, confident and effortlessly stylish. The key to achieving this easy-going look is to choose items that have a vintage feel to them and layer them. When creating his layers, it’s ok to pair patterns like plaids and stripes with graphic images; just pick up a dominating color in the graphic print and echo it in the pattern. Wear it with confidence and it will look cool, hip and casual.

Your little athlete just loves hanging out in his track pants and sports logo tees right? Well, good news, he’s totally in style this season. The Sport’s Star Look is fresh and cool and oh-so-comfy this year. If he’s king of the court, ruler of the field or just the star of the his own backyard, your Sport’s Star can dress the part and look cool everyday in his favorite sporty wear.

Every boy wants to look cool for school. And what could be cooler than hitting the classroom styled out in the hottest surfing and skating brands? The Ride In Style Look is all about looking comfortable, casual and and in tune with the skating and surfing fashion scene.

Girl’s Fashion

Give your kids’ wardrobe a jolt of style with some gotta-have rock and roll inspired fashions for kids. Let your kids release their inner rock star with some serious attitute, cool tees, edgy jeans and oh-so-funky shoes.

Make sure your fashionista’s wardrobe is spring-tastic and totally fabulous. Find out what warming trends are heading your way this spring in the wonderful world of girls’ fashion. From cute and casual lounge wear to lovely, flowing dresses, she’ll love shopping for her spring wardrobe this year.

This spring, open up her inner girly-girl with some feminine and sweet fashions. This look is all about femininity and romance. Think florals, soft plaids and muted colors. The silhouette is flowing and soft, with details such as rushing, tie-back waists, lettuce edging and possibly even a ruffle or two. This is a beautiful look for girls.

This style, which has been popular for the last few seasons is still going strong. It’s a great look for girls of all ages. To achieve this look, shop for loose fitting tops with high waists and pair them with slim-fitting leggings, capris, skits, shorts or jeans. Or choose empire-waisted, roomy dresses with hemlines that come above the knee. The idea is to create a look that has volume and swing on top and is slim and fitted on the bottom. Finish her look off with feminine flat shoes or sandals, and her new spring outfit will look fresh and modern.

The Surfer Sweetie Look is hot, hot, hot for spring. She’ll look beachy keen in these radical clothes. Girls love this look because it’s hip, edgy, comfortable and easy to wear.
The Cute and Casual Look is for the girl who loves to be comfortable and casual but still fashionable. This look is simple to achieve; all she’ll need to do is shop for comfortable clothes that express her personality and toss them on. This look really benefits from a splash of color and layering.

The Fun and Funky Look is for the girl who has loads of personality and loves to stand out in the crowd. The best thing about this look is that it has no rules, limits or boundaries because it’s all about expressing her true personality. Achieving this look is easy; have fun pairing up patterns, bright colors and fun accessories to come up with a look that is 100% original.

The Boutique Princess Look is for the girl who has tons of personality and loves to look all dolled up. Once upon a time, Mom had to look high and low for small boutique shops to find these princess worthy clothes. Now, thanks to a plethora of great online shops, getting this look is easier than ever.

I am sure that today i could just begin this topic. Hope we shall share more on kid’s fashion next time. Please do have comments and if you don’t mind write back that, what do you think?

Love Birds

I think the word love birds itself makes some sort of lovely feeling to us. My friend Faizal is very interested in love birds. He has a beautiful nest and  three or four pairs of love birds. Some days ago ,I just went there. Since then I was searching on the subject. I think you people can help me by providing more beautiful pictures , text etc.

Lovebirds are small, stocky versions of parrots, with a large hooked upper beak . The most common lovebird species here (and maybe worldwide) is the charming Peach-faced Lovebird. Although the striking-looking black-masked lovebirds are also widely available.

Their voice apparatus allows a wide range of articulations, including the imitation of the human voice. Although they are not known to be great talkers; and most never learn to talk at all. Eight of the nine lovebird species come from Africa, the remaining one from Madagascar.

Lovebirds make lively and energetic pet birds. They are available in a variety of colors and are playful and often boisterous birds. African Love Birds require an owner who is willing to provide the care and attention this animated bird adores. Birds that do not receive this attention become prone to behavioral problems, including feather picking.

Description

Lovebirds are about 13-17 cm in size, 40-60 grams in weight, which puts them among the smallest parrots in the world. They are characterized by a small, stocky build and a short, blunt tail. The beak is rather large for their overall size.

Many lovebirds are green, although color mutations can feature many different colors. Some lovebird species, like the Black-masked Lovebirds, Fischer’s, black cheeked, and the yellow-collared lovebird, have a white ring around the eye. Their average life span is between 10-12 years with some living even longer. The oldest recorded lovebird lived 17 years, and we have had one person state that their lovebird has lived for 25 years.
Lovebirds are some of the most fascinating little parrots! They are active, cheerful and beautifully decorative!

The petite ‘pocket parrots’ are very intriguing! Though lovebirds are not going to learn a lot of tricks or necessarily want to have a lot of handling, they are very flamboyant, very social with both their keepers and their mate, and are wonderful birds to observe and enjoy.

Lovebirds are very suited to captivity. Not only do they have a good disposition, these charming, brilliantly colored little pets are very hardy and easy to care for. They can also provide you with a successful breeding experience.

The different species of lovebird are identifiable by their colors and markings. They vary greatly in their coloring, and each species can be viewed for their unique combinations. Younger birds are duller in color and they have black in their beaks. The young birds coloring intensifies as they reach maturity. Regardless of the species, mature lovebirds are gorgeous parrots!

Care and feeding:

Most lovebirds love a bath either in a flat earthenware dish or by spraying them with a light mist of lukewarm water. If you use a bathing dish, you will see the birds perch on the edge and dip their heads and upper bodies in the water and beating their wings. They prefer this kind of bath to getting into the water.

Lovebirds generally maintain their nails and beaks on their own through climbing and chewing. Another good use they make of their tree branches.In the wild, lovebirds feed on seeds, berries, fruits, grains, grasses, leaf buds, and agricultural crops of corn, maize and figs.

Foods available for Lovebirds include formulated diets, either pelleted or extruded, seed only diets, and small parrot mixes which offer a mixture of both. There are pros and cons to feeding only a formulated diet as well as feeding only a seed diet. A formulated diet provides a good nutritional base so does not require the addition of vitamins, however many parrots become bored with it due to the lack of variety. A seed only diet offers much more variety but requires additional vitamin and calcium supplements. Lovebirds need not only nutritional requirements met but also variety for psychological enrichment.

A love birds’s diet will consist of 1 1/2 to 2 ounces (45-60 grams) of feed daily for a single bird. A diet consisting of a small parrot mix along with a variety of supplements and vitamins is generally regarded as suitable; also a formulated diet along with greens, fruits, and vegetable supplements but without additional vitamins is also regarded as suitable, and is a more current trend.

Supplements include fresh vegetables, greens, tree branches for the bark, some fruits, and millet spray. Some of the fruit supplements include berries, apples, grapes, pears, bananas, and kiwi. Some of the greens and vegetable supplements include spinach, endive, watercress, chickweed, radish,parsley, dandelions, carrot tops, corn on the cob, peas, endive, field lettuce, and various garden herbs. Additional proteins can be offered such as nuts, try some unshelled peanuts as well as hazelnuts, walnuts, Brazil nuts, and chestnuts. Vitamins can be added to the food or drinking water. A cuttlebone, or gravel and oyster shell in a separate dish can be offered to provide calcium. Do not feed avocado as it can be toxic to birds!

Their food and water dishes are best if earthenware or porcelain as they will get gnawed if plastic. Lovebirds drink a lot of water, so will need fresh drinking water every day.

Housing:

Lovebirds are very active birds, so a cage best suited to adequately house them must provide a lot of space. A minimum of 32 x 20 x 20 (81 x 50 x 50 cm) per pair of birds is recommended with about four perches, feed and water dishes and an area for a bath. When you use a small cage, you must let your pet out daily to fly around.

If you are housing pairs of lovebirds here are a few guidelines: Try to house only one species of lovebird as mixing species can cause serious fights. House either one pair of lovebirds or three pairs, never two pairs or there will be fighting. Each pair needs about 35 cubic feet of space.

A roomy indoor aviary, a bird room, or an outdoor aviary (depending on your area) are all good choices. The aviary needs plenty of light and fresh air. The outdoor aviary needs to have a protected shelter that can be heated and cooled where necessary. Flights are recommended to be a minimum of 6′ x 6′ x 3′ (183 x 183 x 91 cm) with plenty of perches or branches at least 1 1/2″ (15 cm) thick.

Lovebirds like special resting places. Nest boxes placed up high, all at the same level and all of the same type work well and help prevent fights. A nest box for a lovebird is 8″ x 8″ x 8″ (20 x 20 x 20 cm) or 10″ x 6″ x 6″ (25 x 15 x 15 cm).

Maintenance:

The basic cage care includes daily cleaning of the water and food dishes. Weekly you should clean and disinfect the cage. Wash and completely dry the perches and toys whenever they become soiled. Sand floors should be renewed annually.

Social Behaviors:

Lovebirds are very social birds. Generally is thought that it is essential for their good health and happiness that they be kept in pairs, not singly. If you have a single lovebird, you must provide the necessary social interaction that it is missing from another bird. These birds develop fierce loyalties to their keeper or their mate.

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