Posts Tagged ‘manganese’

Mmmmm Cabbage!

One of the first recipes we posted on our site was our Spicy Red Cabbage Raw Slaw, which for us, started our love affair with this amazing vegetable. And what’s not to love? Sturdy, abundant and inexpensive, cabbage is a longstanding dietary staple throughout the world and is so widely cultivated and stores so well that it is available throughout the year. However, it is at its best during the late fall and winter months when it is in season. Cabbage is round in shape with layers of superimposed leaves with the inner leaves often lighter in color than the outer leaves because they are protected from the sunlight. They belong to the Cruciferae family of vegetables along with kale, broccoli, collards and Brussels sprouts.

There are three major types of cabbage: green, red and Savoy. The color of green cabbage ranges from pale to dark green while red cabbage has leaves that are either crimson or purple with white veins running through. Both green and red cabbage have smooth textured leaves. The leaves of Savoy cabbage are more ruffled and yellowish-green in color.

Because cabbage’s inner leaves are protected from the sunlight by the surrounding leaves, they are oftentimes lighter in color. Red and green cabbage have a more defined taste and crunchy texture as compared to Savoy cabbage’s more delicate nature. Bok choy as well as Chinese (Napa) cabbage are other varieties of cabbage available. Bok choy has a mild flavor and a higher concentration of vitamin A. Chinese cabbage, with its pale green ruffled leaves, is great to use in salads.

Let us educate you in the nutritious ways of the cabbage.

Health Benefits:

• Cabbage is an excellent source of vitamin C. It is also a very good source of fiber, manganese, folate, vitamin B6, potassium, and omega-3 fatty acids. Cabbage is also a good source of thiamin (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), calcium, potassium, magnesium, vitamin A, and protein.
• Consumption of cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage, is known to reduce the risk of a number of cancers, especially lung, colon, breast, ovarian and bladder cancer.
• Cabbage helps to optimize your body’s cleansing/detoxing abilities. Phytonutrients work as antioxidants to disarm free radicals before they can damage DNA, cell membranes and fat-containing molecules such as cholesterol. Phytonutrients in crucifers, such as cabbage, work at a much deeper level. These compounds actually signal our genes to increase production of enzymes involved in detoxification, the cleansing process through which our bodies eliminate harmful compounds.
• indole-3-carbinole (I3C), sulforaphane, and indoles are additional phytonutrients found in cabbage. These compounds help activate and stabilize the body’s antioxidant and detoxification mechanisms that dismantle and eliminate cancer-producing substances
• Raw cabbage juice is well documented as being remarkably effective in treating peptic ulcers, which are open sores or erosions in the lining of either the duodenum (duodenal ulcers) or the stomach (gastric ulcers). That’s right! You can juice a cabbage!

How to Select and Store Cabbage:

Choose cabbage heads that are firm and dense with shiny, crisp, colorful leaves free of cracks, bruises and blemishes. Severe damage to the outer leaves is suggestive of worm damage or decay that may reside in the inner core as well. There should be only a few outer loose leaves attached to the stem. If not, it may be an indication of undesirable texture and taste. Avoid buying precut cabbage, either halved or shredded, since once cabbage is cut, it begins to lose its valuable vitamin C content.

Keeping cabbage cold will keep it fresh and help it retain its vitamin C content. Put the whole head in a plastic bag in the crisper of your refrigerator. Red and green cabbage will keep this way for about 2 weeks while Savoy cabbage will keep for about 1 week. If you need to store a partial head of cabbage, cover it tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Since the vitamin C content of cabbage starts to quickly degrade once it has been cut, you should use the remainder within a couple of days.

Recipes:

• Spicy Red Cabbage Raw Slaw
• Cabbage Carrot Slaw
• Tom’s Fruity Medicine Chest Smoothie
• Alkaline Special (see last recipe in post)

Resources:

The Nutritional Profile of Cabbage is featured on WHFoods: Cabbage

Ground Cinnamon & The Holiday Spirit

Although available throughout the year, the fragrant, sweet and warm taste of cinnamon is a perfect spice to use during the winter months and is a scent that reminds most of us of the holiday season.

Cinnamon has a long history both as a spice and as a medicine. It is the brown bark of the cinnamon tree, which is available in its dried tubular form known as a quill or as ground powder. The two varieties of cinnamon, Chinese and Ceylon, have similar flavor, however the cinnamon from Ceylon is slightly sweeter, more refined and more difficult to find in local markets.

Health Benefits:
Cinnamon’s unique healing abilities come from three basic types of components in the essential oils found in its bark. These oils contain active components called cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl acetate, and cinnamyl alcohol, plus a wide range of other volatile substances.

• Cinnamon is an excellent source of manganese and a very good source of dietary fiber, calcium and iron.
• Cinnamon’s essential oils also qualify it as an “anti-microbial” food, and cinnamon has been studied for its ability to help stop the growth of bacteria as well as fungi, including the commonly problematic yeast Candida. In laboratory tests, growth of yeasts that were resistant to the commonly used anti-fungal medication fluconazole was often (though not always) stopped by cinnamon extracts.
• Seasoning a high carb food with cinnamon can help lessen its impact on your blood sugar levels. Cinnamon slows the rate at which the stomach empties after meals, reducing the rise in blood sugar after eating.
• Not only does consuming cinnamon improve the body’s ability to utilize blood sugar, but just smelling the wonderful odor of this sweet spice boosts brain activity! Research led by Dr. P. Zoladz and presented April 24, 2004, at the annual meeting of the Association for Chemoreception Sciences, in Sarasota, FL, found that chewing cinnamon flavored gum or just smelling cinnamon enhanced study participants’ cognitive processing.
• In addition to its unique essential oils, cinnamon is an excellent source of the trace mineral manganese and a very good source of dietary fiber, iron and calcium. The combination of calcium and fiber in cinnamon is important and can be helpful for the prevention of several different conditions. For example, both calcium and fiber can bind to bile salts and help remove them from the body. By removing bile, fiber helps to prevent the damage that certain bile salts can cause to colon cells, thereby reducing the risk of colon cancer.
• In addition to the active components in its essential oils and its nutrient composition, cinnamon has also been valued in energy-based medical systems, such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, for its warming qualities. In these traditions, cinnamon has been used to provide relief when faced with the onset of a cold or flu, especially when mixed in a tea with some fresh ginger.

How to Select and Store:
Cinnamon is available in either stick or powder form. While the sticks can be stored for longer, the ground powder has a stronger flavor. If possible, smell the cinnamon to make sure that it has a sweet smell, a characteristic reflecting that it is fresh.

Oftentimes, both Ceylon cinnamon and Chinese cinnamon (cassia) are labeled as cinnamon. If you want to find the sweeter, more refined tasting Ceylon variety, you may need to shop in either a local spice store or ethnic market since this variety is generally less available. Just like with other dried spices, try to select organically grown cinnamon since this will give you more assurance that it has not been irradiated (among other potential adverse effects, irradiating cinnamon may lead to a significant decrease in its vitamin C and carotenoid content.)

Cinnamon should be kept in a tightly sealed glass container in a cool, dark and dry place. Ground cinnamon will keep for about six months, while cinnamon sticks will stay fresh for about one year stored this way. Alternatively, you can extend their shelf life by storing them in the refrigerator. To check to see if it is still fresh, smell the cinnamon. If it does not smell sweet, it is no longer fresh and should be discarded.

Resources:
Cinnamon, WHFOODS, http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=68#descr

Bell Peppers: Sweet, Tangy, Good For You!

A wonderful combination of tangy taste and crunchy texture, bell peppers are the Christmas ornaments of the vegetable world with their beautifully shaped glossy exterior that comes in a wide array of vivid colors ranging from green, red, yellow, orange, purple, brown to black. Although peppers are available throughout the year, they are most abundant and tasty during the months of August and September.

Sweet peppers are plump, bell-shaped vegetables featuring either three or four lobes. They usually range in size from 2 to 5 inches in diameter, and 2 to 6 inches in length. Inside the thick flesh is an inner cavity with edible bitter seeds and a white spongy core. Bell peppers are not ‘hot’. They contain a recessive gene that eliminates capsaicin, the compound responsible for the ‘hotness’ found in other peppers.

Here are the health benefits of these amazing bell peppers:

• They are GREAT for your health! One cup of raw, chopped red peppers provides over 100% of the DV for vitamin C and vitamin A. Red peppers are also an excellent source of vitamin B6. Green peppers are a very good source of fiber, folate, and vitamin K as well as the minerals molybdenum and manganese. In addition to beta-carotene, red peppers contain the beneficial phytonutrients lycopene, lutein and zeaxanthin.
• Bell peppers are colorful protection against free radicals. Brightly colored bell peppers, whether green, red, orange or yellow, are rich sources of some of the best nutrients available. To start, peppers are excellent sources of vitamin C and vitamin A (through its concentration of carotenoids such as beta-carotene), two very powerful antioxidants. These antioxidants work together to effectively neutralize free radicals, which can travel through the body causing huge amounts of damage to cells.
• They also reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. For atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease, peppers also contain vitamin B6 and folic acid. These two B vitamins are very important for reducing high levels of homocysteine, a substance produced during the methylation cycle (an essential biochemical process in virtually every cell in the body). High homocysteine levels have been shown to cause damage to blood vessels and are associated with a greatly increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
• Bell peppers are easy on your eyes! They appear to have a protective effect against cataracts, possibly due to their vitamin C and beta-carotene content.

How to Select and Store:
Choose peppers that have deep vivid colors, taut skin, and that are free of soft spots, blemishes and darkened areas. Their stems should be green and fresh looking. Peppers should be heavy for their size and firm enough so that they will gently yield to slight pressure. Avoid those that have signs of decay including injuries to the skin or water-soaked areas. The shape of the pepper does not generally affect the quality, although it may result in excessive waste or not be suitable to certain recipe preparations. Peppers are available throughout the year but are usually in greater abundance during the summer months.

Unwashed sweet peppers stored in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator will keep for up to one week. Sweet peppers can be frozen without first being blanched. It is better to freeze them whole since there will be less exposure to air which can degrade both their nutrient content and flavor.

Recipes:
We’ve got some recipes featuring bell peppers if you want to get more in your diet. Check out:

• Raw Tacos
• Rawmazing Gazpecho Soup

Resources:
Bell Peppers, WHFOODS, http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=50#descr

Kale: Green Power!

Introduction:

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, we thought we would give you an extra special dose of green by doing a breakdown of kale, a fabulous vegetable you should know more about. Kale is a leafy green vegetable that belongs to the Brassica family, who’s siblings include cabbage, collards and Brussels sprouts. Kale leaves provide an earthy flavor with more nutritional value for fewer calories. 1 serving of Kale (1 cup) has only 36 calories, and once you see all the benefits, you’ll know you’re getting a great deal!

Something You Probably Didn’t Know:

Did you know that there are several different varieties of kale? There is curly kale, ornamental kale, and dinosaur kale. The most common version is curly kale, which is what you see in the produce section of your local market. Curly kale has ruffled leaves, its color is deep green, and it has a distinct peppery taste. But there is also ornamental kale, which leaves can vary in color (green, white, or even purple). Ornamental kale has a more mellow flavor and tender texture. Last, but not least, dinosaur kale. Not sure how it got its name, but dinosaur kale is a common title for the kale variety known as Lacinato. It features dark blue green leaves, an embossed texture, and has a sweeter delicate flavor.

Health Benefits:

Are you sure you’re going to be able to keep up with all these amazing benefits? We hope so!

• Kale is rich in a flavonoid called maempferol, which research studies suggest lower the risk of ovarian cancer in women.
• Over the past few years, research has shown that many phytonutrients work as antioxidants to disarm free radicals before they can damage DNA, cell membranes and fat containing molecules. Well, the phytonutrients in kale (as well as in other green leafy vegetables) work on a much deeper level. They actually signal our genes to increase production of enzymes involved in detoxification, which is the cleansing process through which our bodies eliminate harmful compounds.
• Kale is also well known for its carotenoids, especially lutein and zeaxanthin, which prevent damage to the eyes from exposure to ultraviolet light.
• Kale supplies 88.8% of your daily value (DV) of vitamin C in just one serving. Vitamin C is vital for the proper function of a healthy immune system, and it’s great for preventing colds. So, your body will thank you!
• Kale is also an excellent resource for vitamin A and vitamin K
• 1 serving of kale supplies you with approximately 10% of your DV for calcium. All that without having to drink a glass of milk!
• 1 cup of kale also provides 27% DV of manganese. This mineral helps produce energy from protein and carbohydrates. Manganese also promotes strong bones, maintains healthy nerves, and promotes optimal function of your thyroid gland.

How to Get in on These Goods:

To get the most benefits from kale, choose locally grown and organic varieties when possible. It has been shown that the phythonutrient levels are higher in organic kale verses that which was conventionally grown.

Adding kale to any green juice recipe will automatically make it go from green to super green, in color and also in nutrional value. If you are not yet adjusted to the flavor of kale, we recommend adding a little to start you off and then increasing the quantity as you become more comfortable. You can also easily mask the strong flavor of kale by making it the green component to your smoothies. If you do not have a high speed blender, use a food processor to adequately chop up the leaves before combining them with the fruit in your blender.

We hope this information helps you to embrace the true nature of wearing “green” for St. Patrick’s day. Honestly, you can say that you are wearing your green inside and out!

Resources:

World’s Heahthiest Foods: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=38