Snapdragons are a treasure for a children's garden+++Jams and preserves: a taste of summer for the winter+++Fruit flies: a summer plague+++Homemade thirst-quenchers for summer+++
Latest Articles:Articles - A Healthy Diet:
So you think healthy food is expensive? Not necessarily. Eat these affordable foods and you could really improve your health.
Leafy greens: These are full of vitamins and can be used in so many different ways. Leafy greens taste great left raw or steamed. Take care not to overcook spinach, chard or Chinese leaves.
Chard stimulates the liver and kidneys, and as such is used in traditional medicine as a therapeutic agent against bronchitis and pneumonia. It also contains betaine, an amino acid which is important when it comes to digesting fat. Chinese leaves are a real treat, whether eaten raw together with different salad leaves or steamed with onions, tomatoes and a little caraway seed. They have a particularly high vitamin C content and also provide vitamin B, sodium, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorous and valuable amino acids.
Nuts: Most of the fat provided by nuts comes in the form of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Unlike saturated fatty acids, which primarily derive from animal products, these vegetable fats have a positive impact on human health. Nuts contain minerals and vitamin E, as well as B group vitamins, potassium, sodium, magnesium and phosphorous. Nibble on nuts in moderation as a light snack between meals or add them to a salad. Thanks to their high magnesium content, nuts are good for the nerves in stressful or high-pressure situations.
Onions and garlic: Alongside salt, onions and garlic are the most widely used condiments in the world. If you won’t eat them because “they smell”, you will not only be missing out on their fantastic taste, but also on a range of health benefits. The truth is, they are chock full of goodness. Onions contain numerous vitamins, potassium, calcium, iron, iodine and selenium, as well as spicy, pungent essential oils. Some of them even act like hormones on our bodies. Onions have an anti-bacterial effect, are good for the bowels, work as an expectorant and aid digestion.
Garlic is almost more like a medicine than a food. It strengthens the immune system, acts as an antispasmodic, thins the blood, improves circulation and lowers cholesterol. Like onions, it also has anti-bacterial and germicidal properties. The doctor and bestselling author David Servan-Schreiber puts garlic and onions in first place on his list of anti-cancer foods. Experts suspect that the compound “ajoene” found in garlic can affect the cycle of cell division; if true, this could be enormously significant in terms of cancer therapy.
Yoghurt: There is a German saying that “good health starts in the gut”. And yoghurt is a great help in achieving a healthy gut. But what are these “probiotics” which always seem to crop up when talking about yoghurt? Probiotics are micro-organisms which are present in all foods produced by means of lactic acid fermentation: soured milk, kefir and yoghurt, but also sauerkraut or pickled gherkins. The bacteria released during the fermentation process help to preserve the food and destroy harmful bacteria by producing large amounts of acid.
When you eat yoghurt, these “little helpers” also stimulate your digestion, support the existing gut flora and, as a result, strengthen your immune system. Recent studies have shown that dairy products made under controlled organic conditions contain more omega 3 fatty acids than those made via conventional means.
Author: Hendrik Jürgens
