My love for vegetables has no limits. I eat them several times a day even for breakfast. If not leftovers from dinner the day before, I make a salad or a green drink. This has not always been the case. Just like many other children, I hated spinach, red beets and turnips. My mother always made me eat at least one bite to get the taste. It worked. Later on in life I became adventurous with all kinds of exotic greens that I ate without batting an eyelash, wrote about and sang their praises.
This is one of the times to praise again. I want people to really understand that vegetables contribute in a major way to sustained health. I am not talking about French fries and fried onion rings. Although in their natural state, these are potent providers of vitamins and antioxidants.
Vegetables are best when fresh from the garden. However, that freshness is definitely lost when bought at the super market. By that time it has traveled distances, rested on shelves and been rained upon by the store’s personal rain. Vitamins, minerals and valuable active plant chemicals went down the drain because most are water-soluble and oxygen sensitive.
Fresh, organic food can be bought on any given day at farmers’ markets around many small towns and in cities.
These are the ones I am talking about. They are powerhouses of potent, disease-preventing antioxidants. Antioxidants repair what free radicals and oxidative stress destroys. Some of the destruction is due to normal metabolic processes and effectively taken care of by the body’s internal enzymes. If we eat foods containing antioxidants, we help the body to heal, repair and restore.
Bioflavonoids are a class of plant chemicals found in citrus fruit and all vegetables. Allicin, for example, is in garlic and onions.
Allicin reduces the risk of blood clots, is good for heart related problems and lowers cholesterol.
Rutin found in buckwheat is used to strengthen blood vessels, for capillary flexibility and hemorrhoids.
Lycopene in tomatoes is strongly recommended for the prevention of prostate problems. Suggested is to cook tomatoes for lycopene to become effective.
Lutein and zeaxanthin are in eggs, kale and many fruits and vegetables. They protect the eyes, vision and prevent oxidation leading to macular degeneration.
Curcumin is the active antioxidant in the spice turmeric. It is well known now that turmeric is a very potent antioxidant as it is anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer. It is recommended to buy turmeric root fresh to get all the benefits of this spice not only the isolated active ingredient curcumin.
Anthoncyanidins are in wine and grape juice, beneficial in cardiovascular disease and to fight cancer.
Indoles and dithiolthiones are found in all cruciferous vegetables and are known as indole-3-carbinol or DIM. Indole-3-carbinol converts in the body to diindolylmethane DIM for short. Glucobrassicin is the precursor to indole-3-carbinol in cruciferous vegetables. The amount of this phytochemical depends on the way the vegetables are cooked. Steaming in a small amount of water is recommended because it leaches easily into cooking water. Drinking the cooking water in this case is an idea.
Studies have shown that indole-3-carbinol or DIM prevents the development of many cancers in particular estrogen driven breast, endometrial, and cervical as well as colorectal cancer.
Another class, isoflavones, containing genistein comes from soybeans. It was found that indole-3-carbinol works synergistically with genistein and can be used in lower concentrations together as prevention.
Phytochemicals have been studied for a long time and many pharmaceutical drugs originate from them. There are many more phytonutrients not known to us but will be revealed through future studies.
Healing medicines are in nature’s kitchen. We only have to make use of them. Eating vegetables is an obligation we owe ourselves. Starting with only one a week, you will see that after a while you cannot live without beautiful colors on your plate.
This is one of the times to praise again. I want people to really understand that vegetables contribute in a major way to sustained health. I am not talking about French fries and fried onion rings. Although in their natural state, these are potent providers of vitamins and antioxidants.
Vegetables are best when fresh from the garden. However, that freshness is definitely lost when bought at the super market. By that time it has traveled distances, rested on shelves and been rained upon by the store’s personal rain. Vitamins, minerals and valuable active plant chemicals went down the drain because most are water-soluble and oxygen sensitive.
Fresh, organic food can be bought on any given day at farmers’ markets around many small towns and in cities.
These are the ones I am talking about. They are powerhouses of potent, disease-preventing antioxidants. Antioxidants repair what free radicals and oxidative stress destroys. Some of the destruction is due to normal metabolic processes and effectively taken care of by the body’s internal enzymes. If we eat foods containing antioxidants, we help the body to heal, repair and restore.
Bioflavonoids are a class of plant chemicals found in citrus fruit and all vegetables. Allicin, for example, is in garlic and onions.
Allicin reduces the risk of blood clots, is good for heart related problems and lowers cholesterol.
Rutin found in buckwheat is used to strengthen blood vessels, for capillary flexibility and hemorrhoids.
Lycopene in tomatoes is strongly recommended for the prevention of prostate problems. Suggested is to cook tomatoes for lycopene to become effective.
Lutein and zeaxanthin are in eggs, kale and many fruits and vegetables. They protect the eyes, vision and prevent oxidation leading to macular degeneration.
Curcumin is the active antioxidant in the spice turmeric. It is well known now that turmeric is a very potent antioxidant as it is anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer. It is recommended to buy turmeric root fresh to get all the benefits of this spice not only the isolated active ingredient curcumin.
Anthoncyanidins are in wine and grape juice, beneficial in cardiovascular disease and to fight cancer.
Indoles and dithiolthiones are found in all cruciferous vegetables and are known as indole-3-carbinol or DIM. Indole-3-carbinol converts in the body to diindolylmethane DIM for short. Glucobrassicin is the precursor to indole-3-carbinol in cruciferous vegetables. The amount of this phytochemical depends on the way the vegetables are cooked. Steaming in a small amount of water is recommended because it leaches easily into cooking water. Drinking the cooking water in this case is an idea.
Studies have shown that indole-3-carbinol or DIM prevents the development of many cancers in particular estrogen driven breast, endometrial, and cervical as well as colorectal cancer.
Another class, isoflavones, containing genistein comes from soybeans. It was found that indole-3-carbinol works synergistically with genistein and can be used in lower concentrations together as prevention.
Phytochemicals have been studied for a long time and many pharmaceutical drugs originate from them. There are many more phytonutrients not known to us but will be revealed through future studies.
Healing medicines are in nature’s kitchen. We only have to make use of them. Eating vegetables is an obligation we owe ourselves. Starting with only one a week, you will see that after a while you cannot live without beautiful colors on your plate.
No comments:
Post a Comment