All-Natural Foods for Improving Your Health: Nutritious Raspberries Once Used Primarily for Med...

All-Natural Foods for Improving Your Health: Nutritious Raspberries Once Used Primarily for Med...: Raspberries are native to Europe and Asia in hilly areas, heaths and on the edge of mountains, especially those by acid soils. They are f...

Nutritious Raspberries Once Used Primarily for Medicinal Purposes

Raspberries are native to Europe and Asia in hilly areas, heaths and on the edge of mountains, especially those by acid soils. They are found growing wile in northern Scandinavia and have long been gathered there. Seeds and debris from the plants have been found preserved in the remains of prehistoric lake villages of what is now Switzerland.

Raspberries were included in the practical poetry of Thomas Tusser and noted by Gerard in the 16^th century. At the time the fruit of the closely related bramble was considered far superior and raspberries were used more for medicinal and tonic purposes.

High in fiber, raspberries possess valuable amount of vitamin C, riboflavin, niacin, folate, iron and potassium. Raspberries also provide bioflavonoids which may protect against cancer. People sensitive to aspirin should be aware that raspberries contain a natural salicylate which can cause an allergic reaction.  Raspberries also contain oxalic acid which can aggravate kidney and bladder stones.

Heart Smart Blueberries Supplanted Once Popular Huckleberries

Blueberries, huckleberries or whortleberries are low shrubs native to Europe, found on heaths and moors in acid soils. Blueberries are also a traditional American fruit with different regions favoring different species, such as Highbrush or Swamo and Rabbiteye blueberries in the warmer areas and the Lowbrush, Early or Low blueberries farther north.

Huckleberries were once very popular. They would be picked from the wild and taken to market in the twons where they were esteemed for tarts and jellies. They were a staple food to the Scots Highlanders who ate them in milk and made them into wine. Huckleberries went into oblivion when the better fruiting blueberries from America became available.

Blueberries are a good source of dietary fiber and an excellent source of antioxidants. Blueberries provide some vitamin C and iron. Blueberries are thought to protect against some intestinal upsets and urinary tract infections. Blueberries have been known to cause allergies in some people.

All-Natural Foods for Improving Your Health: Swiss Chard a Leaf Beet High in Nutrition

All-Natural Foods for Improving Your Health: Swiss Chard a Leaf Beet High in Nutrition: The umbrella name for “leaf beet” includes Swiss chard and also encompasses spinach or spinach beet. A close relative of the beet, leaf b...

Swiss Chard a Leaf Beet High in Nutrition

The umbrella name for “leaf beet” includes Swiss chard and also encompasses spinach or spinach beet. A close relative of the beet, leaf beet is an ancient vegetable cultivated for its attractive, tasty leaves.

Native to the Mediterranean area, it is well known to Greeks who also ate its roots with mustard, lentils and beans. Aristotle wrote about the red chard in the 4^th century B.C., and Theophrastus recorded both light and dark green varieties.

The Romans introduced it to central and northern Europe, and from there it slowly spread, reaching the Far East in the Middle Ages and China in the 17^th century.

The name chard comes from the French “carde” and derives from the resemblance of the leaf stalks to the globe artichokes and cardoons.

Swiss chard is high in sodium, potassium, iron and magnesium and is an exceptional source of beta carotene. In folk medicine the juice of the chard is used as a decongestant; leaves are said to neutralize acid and have a purgative effect.

Highly Versatile Bottle Gourd One of the Oldest Cultivated Crops

First cultivated around 7.00 B.C. in South America, the bottle gourd is thought to have originated in either Africa, south of the Sahara, or India. The suggestion that it may have dispersed naturally by floating on oceanic currents from one continent to another has been substantiated by experiments which have found that the seed will germinate after surviving seven months in seawater.

The bottle gourd, one the earliest crops cultivated in the tropics, have narrow necks which have developed in many shapes and sizes with some reaching up to 6 feet long.

Bottle gourds have little nutritious value possessing on moderate sources of vitamin C, small amounts of B vitamins and protein. There are, however, several medicinal properties attributed to the bottle gourd including:

•  Induces Vomiting: Fruit pulps around seeds is emetic (induces vomiting) and purgative and is sometimes given to horses;
•  Treats Baldness: Juice from the fruit treats has been used to treat baldness;
•  Treats Acne: Mixed with boiled with lime juice, it is has been used to treat pimples;
•  Treats Rheumatism: Boiled with oil it has been used to treat rheumatism (muscle and joint maladies);
•  Treats Dropsy: Seeds and nuts have been used to treat dropsy (accumulation of water in the body);
•  Treats Headaches: The seed oil has been used externally for headaches.

The young fruits are edible, but mature shells become extremely hard when dried and have been used to make bottles, cooking utensils, musical instruments, floats for fishing nets, and even gunpowder flasks.

All-Natural Foods for Improving Your Health: Four Food Additives You Need to Avoid

All-Natural Foods for Improving Your Health: Four Food Additives You Need to Avoid: Part of the price paid for the many prepared food options available to today’s consumer is the fact that we don’t always know the specifi...

Four Food Additives You Need to Avoid

Part of the price paid for the many prepared food options available to today’s consumer is the fact that we don’t always know the specific ingredients in the food we order or more often, we don’t take the time to read the list of ingredients of the foods we purchase. Even more challenging is the fact that many of the listed ingredients are ones we are not completely familiar with. In other words, you need to do some preliminary research just to know what ingredients you’re looking at on the label.

Here are four ingredients you definitely want to be on the lookout for on your next trip to the grocery store:

1. Artificial Food Dyes: Petroleum-based dyes such as Blue No. 2 and Yellow No. 5 are banned elsewhere for their potential roles in hyperactivity and cancer. Try to pick foods naturally colored by beets and turmeric. Organic foods are always a safer choice.
2. Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO): BVO contains bromine – a compound found in flame retardants – and is linked to memory problems. It’s been used as an emulsifier in some sodas, sports drinks, and juices. Best to check for natural ingredients.
3.  Caramel Coloring: It’s made by heating sugars, often with ammonia, and the State of California has labeled one of its compounds a carcinogen. Opt for natural brown dyes like annatto extract.
4.  Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA): This petroleum derived packaged food preservative is a probable carcinogen. But some spice adequately replace BHA, so there may be hope for a preservative free future.

This list is by no means exhaustive. If you don’t recognize a specific ingredient on a label or want to learn more, we encourage you to do a little online research to put your mind, and your health, at ease.

All-Natural Foods for Improving Your Health: Fennel Ideal Vegetable for Dieters

All-Natural Foods for Improving Your Health: Fennel Ideal Vegetable for Dieters: A member of the parsley plant family, fennel looks like celery but possesses its own distinct flavor and nutritional qualities. Fennel ha...

Fennel Ideal Vegetable for Dieters

A member of the parsley plant family, fennel looks like celery but possesses its own distinct flavor and nutritional qualities. Fennel has been cultivated for centuries as an ornamental vegetable. Its close relative, wild fennel, is used as an herb.

Fennel was popular with the Greeks and Romans whose soldiers ate it to maintain good health – while the ladies used it to ward off obesity. In medieval times seeds were eaten during Lent to alleviate hunger, and dieters still chew raw stalks to suppress their appetite.

The first records of cultivation in England date from the early 18^th century where the Earl of Peterborough cultivated and ate it as a dessert. In 1824 Thomas Jefferson received seeds from the American consul in Livorno and sowed them in his garden. Jefferson is said to have remarked about fennel, “Fennel is beyond every other vegetable…delicious, perfectly white. No vegetable equals it in flavor.”

Low in calories fennel is a good source of potassium and fiber. Its leaves contain small amount of vitamin C and beta carotene.

Fennel eases flatulence, colic, urinary disorders and constipation. Recent research indicates that fennel reduces the effects of alcohol. Chew raw fennel to sweeten breath or infuse fennel as a mouthwash or gargle for gum disease and sore throats and to alleviate hunger and ease indigestion.

Celery Root Good Addition to Diet When Available

A member of the parsley family, celeriac (celery root) is a swollen stem relative of celery that has long been popular in Europe. Celeriac was introduced in Britain in the early 18^th century by writer and seedsman Stephen Switzer who brought the seed from Alexandria and wrote about in his book “Growing Foreign Kitchen Vegetables”.

The celery root is versatile, hardier and more disease-resistant than celery but with more flavor and aroma. It is often grated into salads or boiled and pureed to add body and flavor to soups and stews.

Low in calories celery root is rich in calcium, potassium and has small amounts of vitamin C. Celeriac is known to have a calming effect and is a traditional remedy for skin complaints and rheumatism. It is also said to restore sexual potency after illness.

The only drawback of celery root is that it is not always readily available in supermarkets and produce stores.