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.