Must - Eat – Vegetables for Wellness: Part 5

Wellness is defined as the condition or state of having good physical and mental health, especially as the result of deliberate effort that emphasizes preventing illness and prolonging life by proper diet, exercise and maintaining good health habits, as opposed to treating diseases.

When I was growing up, my grand mom and mother used to say “Eat your veggies, it will keep you strong and safe” or they’d say “Eat your salad, you won’t turn into a rabbit instead you will be as strong and as fast as a horse”. To be honest, I grew up liking vegetables due to repetition, being a writer-researcher has opened my eyes to the miracles of plants, vegetables and fruits. 

Total wellness has now become a popular topic for people around the world. Social media has made it possible for people to read health tips from their mobile devices or chancing about their friends’ latest fruit “Like” and more. People have the power to “share” the things they like or articles they think would help other people stay healthy and glow with beauty. Below is my personal list of veggies our fridge often has an abundance of; I recommend you do the same and you will feel light and healthier even more.

6. Eggplant

Also called Mad Apple, defined as an egg-shaped glossy black-purple fruit which has white meaty textured flesh, the Eggplant or Solanum melongena is a delicate tropical perennial with a spiny stem that has tall, large, coarsely lobed leaves and white to purple flowers that later produce the fruit-veggie we all love to eat. Name was said to come from French aubergine, from Catalan albergínia, from Arabic الباذِنْجان(al-baðinjān), the eggplant, from Persian بادنگان (bâdengân), from باتنگان(bâtengân), from Sanskrit वातिगगम (vātiga-gama, “eggplant”),this purple-black veggie-fruit is famous all over the world.The plant is native to the Indian Subcontinent and has been cultivated in Southeast Asia since prehistory. The eggplant was first recorded in the Qímínyàoshù, an ancient Chinese agricultural treatise completed in 544. Called as “aubergine” in British English, the aubergine was first recorded in England in the 16th century as a plant that growth in Egypt almost everywhere.

For thousands of years different cultures have cultivated the eggplant and our ancestors must have had a very good reason why.A research study done by the US Agricultural Services in Beltsville, Maryland have published that eggplants are rich sources of phenolic compounds that function as antioxidants.Also other scientific studies show that this purple necessity contains important phytonutrients which have promoteantioxidant activity. Phenolic compound such as caffeic, chlorogenic acid, and flavonoids, such as nasunin are examples of Phytonutrients contained in this purple-black aubegine veggie. Nasunin is said to act as a brain-food and is shown to protect cell membranes from damage.

Good for the bone-building for it contains vitamin K and magnesium. Egg plants are high in heart-healthy nutrients such as vitamin B6, folate, copper and niacin. Eggplant is an excellent source of dietary fiber and heart-healthy potassium plus bone-building manganese. Researchers believe this may reduce risk of dementia and stroke. So say yes to aubergine and do not forget to place a load of this wellness veggie in your cart the next time you do your groceries. Make some Eggplant Parmesan, Pork Sinigang, Ratatouille or Greek Moussaka. The more the merrier!

Must – Eat - Vegetables for Wellness: Part 4

Wellness is defined as the condition or state of having good physical and mental health, especially as the result of deliberate effort that emphasizes preventing illness and prolonging life by proper diet, exercise and maintaining good health habits, as opposed to treating diseases.

When I was growing up, my grand mom and mother used to say “Eat your veggies, it will keep you strong and safe” or they’d say “Eat your salad, you won’t turn into a rabbit instead you will be as strong and as fast as a horse”. To be honest, I grew up liking vegetables due to repetition, being a writer-researcher has opened my eyes to the miracles of plants, vegetables and fruits. 

Wellness has now become a popular topic for people around the world. Social media has made it possible for people to read health tips from their mobile devices or chancing about their friends’ latest fruit “Like” and more. People have the power to “share” the things they like or articles they think would help other people stay healthy and glow with beauty. Below is my personal list of veggies our fridge often has an abundance of; I recommend you do the same and you will feel light and healthier even more.

5. Sweet potato

My research on this veggie necessity brought me to various cultures, countries and ways it can be cooked and consumed. Wow! I did not know there were so many ways you could cook this large, sweet-tasting, starchy tuberous root vegetable. Even the more reason, you should have a staple supply of this wellness must eat vegetable in your pantry for personal consumption. Also the sweet potato is a source of vitamin B6, vitamin B1, phosphorus and potassium; known to be an energy food used in cooking all over the world.

From Africa’s “amukeke” (sun-dried slices of root) eaten with peanut sauce to Egypt’s "batata" where this sweet potato tubers are known to be baked as a snack or dessert, served with honey to Korea’s “Goguma”, to Japan’s “yaki-imo” (roasted sweet potato) and “imo-jōchū” a Japanese Potato wine, to India’s Sweet potato – “shakarkand, शक्करकंद” roasted slowly over kitchen coal and eaten with yogurt dressing. Sweet potato contains calcium, sugars and carbohydrates which makes it filling to the tummy.

Different cultures from different continents have acknowledged the importance of this root vegetable.  Radio carbon dating revealed the presence of this tuber in the Cook Islands dating back to 1000 AD. Researchers postulated that it was brought to central Polynesia around 700 AD, it was Polynesians who brought this tuber when they traveled to South America. The first record of the name “sweet potato” is found in the Oxford English Dictionary in 1775. In Chile, Mexico, Central America, and the Philippines, this is known as camote or kamote. In Argentina, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic, it is called batata. Boniato is another name for it in Spain and Uruguay. In Peru, it is kumar, while in New Zealand it is called kumara.

The root vegetable is a great source of iron and fiber that can help regulate the digestive system.This vegetable tuber is found in different varieties all over the world has anti-cancer properties like vitamin C, A and manganese. No wonder everyone is going gaga over this root tuber veggie necessity. Try it today!

Must – Eat – Vegetables for Wellness: Part 3

Wellness is defined as the condition or state of having good physical and mental health, especially as the result of deliberate effort that emphasizes preventing illness and prolonging life by proper diet, exercise and maintaining good health habits, as opposed to treating diseases.

When I was growing up, my grand mom and mother used to say “Eat your veggies, it will keep you strong and safe” or they’d say “Eat your salad, you won’t turn into a rabbit instead you will be as strong and as fast as a horse”. To be honest, I grew up liking vegetables due to repetition, being a writer-researcher has opened my eyes to the miracles of plants, vegetables and fruits. 

Total wellness has now become a popular topic for people around the world. Social media has made it possible for people to read health tips from their mobile devices or chancing about their friends’ latest fruit “Like” and more. People have the power to “share” the things they like or articles they think would help other people stay healthy and glow with beauty. Below is my personal list of veggies our fridge often has an abundance of; I recommend you do the same and you will feel light and healthier even more.

3. Carrots

This horn-like shaped root vegetable is also called Daucus carota in Science or καρότον karōton in Greek. Carrot seeds have been found in Switzerland and Southern Germany dating to 2000–3000 BC. Back in the days, it was cultivated for its aromatic leaves and seeds, not their root. The carrot gets its characteristic and bright orange colour from β-carotene, and lesser amounts of α-carotene and γ-carotene. Glad to inform you that this veggie is the richest source of some antioxidant, like Vitamin A and Vitamin C – all perfect for your total wellness. Not only is it loaded with nutrients that are good for your eyes, hair and skin, this orange colored necessity helps reduce the risk of cancer and protects your cardiovascular system from damage. So now you can indulge in eating your low calorie carrot cake after dinner, enjoy your carrot nibbler as you watch TV, eat your Chopsuey for breakfast and feast on salads during lunch. With this orange colored miracle worker, you will never go wrong.

4. Squash

Archaeologists suggest that this plant has been cultivated first in Mesoamerica dating back to about 8,000 to 10,000 years ago. Rich in fiber, potassium and magnesium, the squash is also a viable source of anti-inflammatory nutrients.Consumption can help remedy a lot of health conditions including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and asthma.Bees played a big role in the pollination and cultivation of the squash plant in the olden days.Squash was said to be historically proven to have been pollinated by the native North American squash bee, Peponapis pruinosa. Due to the decline of bee population, gardeners resorted to hand pollination. Squash was derived from the word askuta

squash (a green thing eaten raw). Botanically speaking the squash is a fruit though, like the tomato, it is considered to be a vegetable in cooking. This yellow necessity can be served in salads, made into a soup-base and cooked stuffed with meat, fried and baked into pastry. Take note that this yellow-orange fruit-veggie has lots of wonders, for not only can the fruit be eaten but also its seeds. The leaves, shoots and squash tendrils can also be eaten as greens. The blossoms are used in many other parts of the world but are recorded to have played an important part in Native American cooking. To this very day, we enjoy the same privileges of our ancestors; this golden veggie contains Vitamin C and beta-carotene which reduces the risk of breast cancer. Today health enthusiasts have come up with squash flavored cakes and pastries, catering to the health conscious crowd, for a yummy tandem with your favorite afternoon coffee or tea time.

Must – Eat – Vegetables for Wellness: Part 2

Wellness is defined as the condition or state of having good physical and mental health, especially as the result of deliberate effort that emphasizes preventing illness and prolonging life by proper diet, exercise and maintaining good health habits, as opposed to treating diseases.

When I was growing up, my grand mom and mother used to say “Eat your veggies, it will keep you strong and safe” or they’d say “Eat your salad, you won’t turn into a rabbit instead you will be as strong and as fast as a horse”. To be honest, I grew up liking vegetables due to repetition, being a writer-researcher has opened my eyes to the miracles of plants, vegetables and fruits. 

Wellness has now become a popular topic for people around the world. Social media has made it possible for people to read health tips from their mobile devices or chancing about their friends’ latest fruit “Like” and more. People have the power to “share” the things they like or articles they think would help other people stay healthy and glow with beauty. Below is my personal list of veggies our fridge often has an abundance of; I recommend you do the same and you will feel light and healthier even more.

Here are my most recommended wellness vegetables:

2. Tomatoes

In an article written by award-winning physician and medical journalist, Dr. Julie Lynn Wong published by www.abcnews.go.com last Oct. 2012, it was stated how tomatoes are linked to lower stroke risk. The article discussed a research conducted by Jouni Karppi, lead study author of the University of Eastern Finland showing the evidence that diet high in fruits and vegetables is associated with lower risk of stroke. Karpi confirmed that eating tomatoes and tomato based food reduce stroke risk. Men with the highest blood level of lycopene, followed over an average of 12 years to see if they would develop a stroke, were 55 percent less likely to have a stroke. Statistics confirm every four minutes, someone dies of a stroke. Lycopene found in vegetables like tomatoes may help reduce risk of stroke by preventing the formation of blood cloths that can obstruct the brain’s blood supply, Karppi mentioned in an interview.

A very exciting medical find that support the cardiologist recommendation that people consume fresh fruits and vegetables rather than nutritional supplements. Tomatoes are always plentiful and cost-efficient.

Dubbed as the “golden apple” or pomi d’oroback in the 1500s by Pietro Andrea Mattioli, this red fruit of the Solanum lycopersicum, commonly known as a tomato plant, has been around since the time of Mesoamerica. Aztec people used it in their cooking by 500 B.C. and they believed that those who witnessed the ingestion of tomato seeds were blessed with powers of divination. Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes may have been the first to bring this red orb to Europe after he captured the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan, now Mexico City, in 1521. Good for the heart, the face and the whole body. Not only should you consider the tomato an important part of your everyday diet but also include tomato based products available in the market. This salad-making necessity is a big hit in the wellness community. These gorgeous little red-orange spheres are jam-packed with lycopene that have anti-aging and anti-cancer properties. Though categorized as a fruit, it is usually treated as a vegetable. Who would think that these little red planets are bursting with vitamins from A to K. So to live long, eat your tomatoes.

Must – Eat – Vegetables for Wellness: Part 1

Wellness is defined as the condition or state of having good physical and mental health, especially as the result of deliberate effort that emphasizes preventing illness and prolonging life by proper diet, exercise and maintaining good health habits, as opposed to treating diseases.

When I was growing up, my grand mom and mother used to say “Eat your veggies, it will keep you strong and safe” or they’d say “Eat your salad, you won’t turn into a rabbit instead you will be as strong and as fast as a horse”. To be honest, I grew up liking vegetables due to repetition, being a writer-researcher has opened my eyes to the miracles of plants, vegetables and fruits. 

Wellness has now become a popular topic for people around the world. Social media has made it possible for people to read health tips from their mobile devices or chancing about their friends’ latest fruit “Like” and more. People have the power to “share” the things they like or articles they think would help other people stay healthy and glow with beauty. Below is my personal list of veggies our fridge often has an abundance of; I recommend you do the same and you will feel light and healthier even more.

Here are my most recommended Wellness Vegetables:

1. Broccoli

Cardiologists all over the world must have seen the documentary Fat Sick and Nearly Dead by Joe Cross, which chronicles Joe’s journey to healthy living though juicing, to answer their patients million dollar question: will that also work for me? The answer is yes. Cells in the body need frequent supply of nutrients to function well. When cells receive adequate micronutrients the body will feel fully energized. Juicing vegetables like broccoli will grant the body much needed fiber, phytonutrients such as sulforphane and provide natural anti-oxidants.

Broccoli or Brassica oleracea (from the Italian plural of broccolo, refers to the: “flowering top of a cabbage”) is defined as an edible green plant belonging to the cabbage family, whose huge flower head is used as a vegetable. Abundant in beta-carotene, folate and rich in vitamin C, this green veggie is notorious for boosting your immune system to fight the common flu and colds. The wellness gurus of the world now endorse this vegetable as part of the “cannot live without” list of food to eat in a week. Some eat it steamed with a special sweet-salty sauce or mixed with other veggies for variety, either way it will not lose its cancer-fighting abilities; also rich in vitamin K, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Lutein. Studies show that this green fighter can help reduce the risk of lung, stomach and rectal cancers since it if jam-packed with antioxidants. Juicing broccoli and other vegetables work explains Dr. Kahn, a cardiologist and medical director of Preventive Cardiology at the Detroit Medical Center. Dr. Joel Kahn is also a clinical professor of Medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine. Dr. Kahn is also the Director of Cardiac Wellness at Michigan Healthcare. You can build a plant-based nutrition program rich in phytochemicals through juicing veggies. This also makes it easier to reach your goal of 5-10 servings per day of vegetables. So learn from the experts and learn well, eat broccoli to stay healthy.