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

The Nutritional Analysis of Millet

By Lv Hongyu  

In our daily, millet is not so common as rice, but it is indeed a kind of nutritious and healthy food, which should not be ignored by us. In this article, we will talk about the nutritional value of millet.

Millet contains a variety of vitamins, amino acids, fat and carbohydrates. Its nutritional value is very high. Every 100 grams of millet contain 9.7 grams of protein and 3.5 grams of fat, which is not less than that of rice and wheat. What's more, most grains do not contain carotene, but every 100 grams of millet contains 0.12 milligrams of carotene, and it also contains the most abundant vitamin B1 among all the grains. As a result, millet is an ideal tonic for the elderly, patients and pregnant women.

In the northern China, many women would eat millet congee added with brown sugar to take care of their body. Then why millet is so favored by postpartum women? The reasons are as follows: millet contains twice of vitamin B1 as that of the rice with the same amount; and the content of vitamin B1 is 1.5 to 3.5 times higher than that of rice; the content of vitamin B2 is twice as that of rice. Because millet contains a high content of iron, so it is very helpful for the postpartum women to enrich the blood and restore the physical strength.

Under the great work pressure, a lot of modern people would suffer from stomach discomfort, which has already become a common disease. They often have poor appetite and don't want to eat food. There are many different kinds of medicine and drugs that can promote the digestion and enhance the function of the stomach. Actually, there is a kind of natural food which also has the same effect, and that is millet. Traditional Chinese medicine points out that, millet congee has a lot of health-care effects, such as clearing away summer heat, quenching the thirst, improving sleep quality, and so on. For the people who suffer from poor appetite, millet can promote digestion and prevent vomiting. What's more, the large number of vitamin B1 and vitamin B2 contained in millet have the function of preventing indigestion and accelerating the healing of wounds.

However, although millet has so many effects on human body, the nutrition of protein contained in millet is not better than that of rice. As a result, it is not advisable to eat millet as the only staple food. You should eat millet together with other food, so as not to cause malnutrition.

Lv Hongyu is the freelance writer for e-commerce website in the chemistry. LookChem.com is just a place for you to Look for Chemicals! Our LookChem provide the most convenient conditions for the international buyers and let these leads benefit all the business person.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Lv_Hongyu/662173

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Garlic, Garlic and Garlic, the Love/Hate Relationship.   

by Alam Noah

Allium sativum, that's the botanical name if you didn't know it, I didn't.
What can i say about garlic? It's simply a very nasty plant.
I've never found to this day a person who has told me that he loved the taste it leaves on the tongue, it's stinky and robust.
However, so many people are addicted to it (in the good sense).
My father for example, he can't sleep without eating four cloves, poor mom!
The history of garlic started in the Middle East region, I've read that the first people to have cultivated it were the ancient Egyptians; they used to consider it sacred and even gave it to the workers who have built the pyramids.
It has also been considered a healthy supplement to the Greeks; they used to give it to their warriors before war.

We can go on telling the story of garlic for a very long time, however, you can be sure of one thing, wherever it was eaten, it was placed a special position among the people.
Garlic is truly a miracle if we consider its healing properties.
Back in ancient Egypt, they used to treat people suffering from cancer with garlic, it has even been found in the tombs of pharaohs.
It has a chemical compound called Allicin which may be responsible for its healing properties.
Did you know that ancient people used to treat the common cold and even influenza with its extract?
My grandmother used to do this to my mother when she had a cold, she would bring some cloves and crushes them with olive oil, then she would take my poor mom and make her eat that nasty porridge.
My mom told me that she would be healthy and running within two days.
I've done the same now with myself, whenever I have a cold or feel I would have one, I take four cloves and crush them with a knife, and then I would slice them into little pieces and mix them with olive oil.
Trust me, I've tried to mash them; my friends made a lot of excuses not to see me. then I had the idea of swallowing it like a medication, which it is in my opinion, I put the mixture in a table spoon and swallow it with water.
The effects are amazing.
Garlic is, as most of you may already know, a fantastic seasoning or condiment on food.
There are many recipes you can prepare using garlic, you can't make one think with garlic: a sweet pie;)
My most favorite recopies are garlic bread and pasta prepared with a garlicky sauce.

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