Autumn and Healthy Live Style

Autumn gardens, local farms and markets offer you wealthy dishes of colourful fruits and vegetables for your table. These seasonal fruits and vegetables provide the daily vitamins, minerals, proteins, essential carbohydrates and fibres for your healthy diet. Eating seasonal field grown local products is sustainable, environment friendly, supports the local economy without any transport and with less carbon footprint.

These colourful fruits and vegetables contain essential phytonutrients, compounds may help prevent diseases and keep your body working properly.

They have beneficial effects working with other essential nutrients to promote good health.

•       Stop viruses adhering to cells walls.

•       Antioxidant

•       Stimulate or suppress enzymes

•       Stops abnormal DNA replication

Yellow vegetables such as sweet potatoes, carrots, and pumpkins all contain the phytochemical; beta carotene. Beta carotene is a powerful antioxidant that reduces the risk of cancer and heart disease. In addition, it helps maintain good eyesight and helps your body fight colds and flu by enhancing your immune system.

Purple vegetables and fruits; blueberries, plums, purple grapes, red onion and red cabbage contain disease-fighting phytochemicals, including anthocyanins and phenolics. Anthocyanins  are found in berries, dried plums (prunes), and raisins. These powerful antioxidants help reduce the risk of diseases including cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer's, and may even slow down the aging process.

White vegetables from the onion family, which include garlic, leeks, and any variety of onions, share a group of phytochemicals that are very important to good health. The most common member of this phytochemical group is allicin, with antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, which may help lower cholesterol and blood pressure and increase the body's ability to fight infections. 

Deep red or bright pink fruits and vegetables should be eaten every day. They contain phytochemicals, such as lycopene and anthocyanins. Phytochemicals, substances found only in plants, help your body fight disease and promote good health. Lycopene helps reduce the risk of several types of cancer, defends against heart disease and urinary track infection. Anthocyanins reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s and improve the memory.

Green autumn vegetables cabbage, savoy cabbage and Brussels sprouts contain phytochemicals, which provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. Broccoli also contains antioxidants. Researchers identified 45 different flavonoids in kale. Green leafy vegetables lower the risk of cancer and increase the strength of bones and teeth.

So you are provided with these beautiful and healthy goods, so it is your turn to serve tasty dishes on your table. Do not forget 75% of your healthy diet should be raw; prepare salad or smoothie.  Your other options are; steam and roast these bright vegetables.

Being in the beautiful, colourful autumn nature, breathing the fresh air help to maintain an emotional well-being. Outdoor activities rejuvenate people. Your body is able to absorb the sunlight, which generates vitamin D.  Vitamin D is necessary for brain, bones, muscle and cognitive functions. Physical exercise gets the blood moving, the brain stimulated, and the heart going all of which are good for your cognitive functions. Walking is the best form of physical exercise for all age groups. It also gives an opportunity to meet other people.

.

.

Beetroot Nutritional Benefits

By Jeannine Davidoff 

Beetroot Nutritional Benefits

Beetroot and Swiss Chard belong to the same family. Beets have a lovely rich red color from pigments called anthocyanins. It is water soluble and cannot be destroyed by heat. Since ancient times, this vegetable has been used for medicinal purposes that contain many healing properties. Thebeetroot nutritional benefits range from aiding anemia by building red blood cells to aiding digestion and helping the gall bladder and liver function. When beet juice is mixed with carrot juice, this combination provides the body with enough minerals to encourage the healing process.

Beetroot Nutritional Benefits 

·       Beetroots are a great anti-oxidant

·       Rich in fibre and micro nutrients

·       Rich in Iron and Calcium

·       Contain Vitamin A, Vitamin B-complex and Vitamin C, Iron and Magnesium

·       Regulates blood pressure

·       Keep bowel movements regular

·       Helps to detoxify the body

·       Clears the gall bladder, liver and kidneys

·       Beet greens are best used for juicing

Tips on harvesting and cooking Beetroot 

·       Harvest when the root is firm and swollen. It will usually be sticking out of the ground.

·       The bulbs should be scrubbed well till all the soil is removed.

·       The beetroot leaves can be used either when they are young or mature.

·       The leaves must be washed thoroughly and chopped then cooked.

·       The bulbs can be cut into fries, steamed or used fresh.

·       Beetroot juice is a very healthy and cleansing drink.

·       When juicing beetroots, be sure not to overdose.

·       Start by using half a juiced beetroot per week.

Build up your consumption to one per week.

Recipe using Beetroot
Beetroot Salad

·       Beetroot (2-3 large ones)

·       4 large Carrots

·       1 Pineapple peeled and diced

Grate the beetroot and carrots; add the pineapple and you have a tasty salad.
Simple and nutritious - serve with fresh bread.

How to Grow Beetroot 

·       The seeds, much like Swiss Chard are best planted directly in the place you want them to grow.

·       It is important to keep the soil moist around the seedlings.

·       In five to eight days after planting them, you will see the little leaves of the beetroot appear from beneath the soil.

·       They will shoot upwards and after about two and a half months, you should see the bulb beginning to form.

·       You can push the soil up around the beetroot bulb, as this will allow it to become larger. This is called ridging.

·       Be sure to give maturing roots space in which to grow without crowding them.

Companions of beetroot 
They have many companions and these include: Beans, Lettuce, Garlic, Onions, Kohlrabi and Cabbage.
However, Beetroot is not fond of growing near Mustard.

This vegetable is extremely simple to integrate into your diet; its so easily available in stores or just easy to grow. But the best reason to eat beetroot is for the beetroot nutritional benefits that assist in good health.

"Have you ever tried to encapsulate yourself in a few words...I will do my best and hope you don't come out as dizzy as me. I am mother, artist [http://www.notstraight.com/lesbian/artist/jeannine_davidoff.asp], writer, organic gardener, permaculture consultant, yoga teacher, freelance journalist and editor... a student of the universe. As a rampaging farmer and mother during the 90's, I got involved with environmental and permaculture projects in South Africa, I learned about rural life... spiders, cows, snakes and all. My 21st century focus is on communicating knowledge and sharing my art. Take a look at my book, Family Organic Garden, an easy and simple way to eating organic food straight from your own garden. "

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Jeannine_Davidoff/391549