The French word “celeri,” is derived from its Greek version and in turn it gives rise to the English language word “celery”. Celery is a biennial plant belonging to the same family as parsley, caraway, carrots and fennel. It typically grows in bundles of stalks that range from twelve to […]
Called the “fruit of the angles” by Christopher Columbus, this once exotic fruit is loved all over the world for its nutritional, digestive and medicinal properties.
“A cauliflower is nothing but a cabbage with a college education.” –Mark Twain Introduction to Cauliflower Regardless of the name, it is a vegetable and not a flower, belonging to the Brassica Oleraces species in the family of Brassicaceae. It is closely related to broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and kale, […]
Now, more than ever, your health is important. It is a scientific fact that what we eat dramatically influences the level of our health. That means we must choose what we eat carefully. This includes choosing foods with the maximum amount of nutrition (vitamins, minerals, etc) while avoiding those foods […]
The cultivated orange carrots we eat today look very different to the coloured wild carrots which were red, white, black or purple. These were bred by the Dutch in the Middle Ages by crossing red and yellow varieties.
Carrots are known for their eye health benefits. Beta-carotene is converted in the body to vitamin A, and pigments needed for night vision.
Carrots also contain compounds that help fight cancer, and phytochemicals that help reduce the risk of heart disease.
Carrots also have anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties to help out your immune system and can be applied shredded to external wounds to help prevent infection.
Munching on raw carrots can help maintain healthy teeth and gums, by increasing alkaline saliva production, stimulate gums and help reduce plaque.
Supplying a wide array of nutrients coupled with moderate amount of calories makes mangoes not only a healthy food but one that tastes delicious also. Each serving of the tropical fruit is free of sodium, cholesterol and fat, earning them a position in the super fruit category.
Carrot is a great way to get nutrition. It is full of vitamins and beta carotene. It helps to purify and feed nutrients to your cells.
These melons are actually a member of the same family as cucumbers, squash and pumpkins. Cantaloupes are thought to have existed in biblical times as long ago as 2400 B.C., and some Egyptian paintings even depict melons.
Cantaloupes are rich sources of beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A for good eye health. One cup of cantaloupe can provide your daily requirements for vitamin A.
Cantaloupes are also good sources of potassium, myoinositol (good for anxiety and insomnia) and digestive enzymes.
Cantaloupes may even help suppress nicotine withdrawal, offering a good natural support for those trying to give up smoking (as well as replacing the vitamin A that smoking exhausts).
The nutrients supplied by the juice of turnip root and its greens offer an ideal way for “powering up.” The vegetable provides a large variety of essential vitamins, minerals and fiber.
Documented evidence show Brussels sprouts were found in the location of modern day Brussels (in Belgium) as far back as the 13th century, and that is where it gets its name from.
Sprouts have cholesterol lowering properties but are also a rich source of glucosinolates which have anti-cancer properties.
Sprouts also contain anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties as well as antioxidants, vitamins C, A, B6, thiamine, folate, niacin, riboflavin, E and K. Sprouts also supply us with generous supplies of minerals, like potassium, manganese and iron.
Wheat grass is an amazing food that is loaded with seventeen amino acids, the building blocks of proteins and 92 out of the 102 minerals found in nature. It is the miracle food that must be included in everyone’s daily diet.
Blueberries are known for their high antioxidant content, and as we all should know, antioxidants help protect our cells from damage from free radicals that can lead to cancer and other disease.
Contrary to the common conviction that watermelon is nothing more than sugar and water, it is in reality a nutrient dense food. This means it is a food that delivers elevated quantities of minerals, vitamins and antioxidants at low calorie cost.
A relative of the cauliflower and Brussel sprouts, broccoli is a vegetable superhero. Broccoli has high levels of potassium, soluble fibre, chromium, beta carotenes, vitamin C and lots of other vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals.
Blackberries have powerful antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, and can be eaten from frozen if fresh ones are not available.
Switching back to a diet followed by our paleolithic ancestors has been shown to have remarkable health benefits.
Celery is the natural source of 3-n-butylphthalide, a calming chemical that may lower blood pressure. This is also the chemical that gives celery its distinctive flavour when raw. The famous American chef, James Beard, claimed to have cured his high blood pressure just by eating celery every day.
Cabbage was among the first known sources of beta-carotene, even though the nutrient is far more abundant in carrots. The early twentieth-century researcher Dr. Edward Mellanby, had noticed that butter, which is a good source of vitamin A, could protect against infections in dogs.
Orange carrots are one of the very best sources of the antioxidant beta-carotene. (Only red peppers contain more.) Beta-carotene is a kinder, gentler version of vitamin A that the body can use to make vitamin A is it is needed without the rare, although potentially toxic, side effects of vitamin A overdose.
Packing more vitamin C than an orange, the hairy kiwi fruit, with the bright green flesh and the tiny black seeds, adds a creamy texture and exquisite taste to any tropical fruit salad.
