Ginger Facts

Though it is rooted in eastern culture (specifically the Middle East, India, and China) because of its perennial persistence and adaptability, ginger (Zingiber officinale) is now available worldwide and can be consumed in a variety of ways. Whether as a capsule, powdered, dried, fresh, pickled, or crystallized, all have their beneficial uses.

The thick root of the ginger plant (known as the rhizome) was once an expensive commodity because of how far it had to travel to get to Europe. Regardless of cost, it remained popular. It has been referenced to as far back as Confucius, and it is present in centuries-old literature from its eastern origins. Now it is grown in many countries, so while it is still quite common to receive it from the east, it can also come from countries such as Fiji, Jamaica, Africa, and even Australia.

Read more about the benefits of ginger and other spices

The creation of “ginger ale” is from nineteenth-century England when it was quite common for barkeeps to put ground ginger on tables for people to be able to sprinkle into their beer. It was used to stave off plague and became a staple in homes and taverns, used as regularly as salt.

The most common ginger available in North America is mature ginger, which means it has a tougher skin and needs to be peeled.  Younger ginger is softer, and the exterior is more easily chewed and digested so it does not require peeling. Young ginger is not as common, but can sometimes be found in Asian grocery stores.

Ginger Health Benefits

It has long been known that ginger has restorative and healing digestive properties. It is reemerging as beneficial even in pharmaceutical products, once again being used therapeutically (as it was so many years ago) and is added to common over-the-counter cold remedies because of its reputation and continued success. Ginger helps to relieve gas and to smooth and relax the intestinal tract. It can help with the secretion of bile and aids in fat digestion.

Most commonly, ginger has been shown to help prevent motion sickness associated with all forms of travel (boat, car, etc.), and it has been shown to be beneficial for many women experiencing nausea during pregnancy. Ginger aids with circulation and warming, and it can be used to induce sweating for the relief of fever and illness. It is anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. Its anti-inflammatory effects are the result of compounds called gingerols which “inhibit the formation of inflammatory cytokines, chemical messengers of the immune system” according to The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods This is one of the reasons it is used for different forms of arthritic ailments such as rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis. Fresh ginger is higher in gingerols, so when using it therapeutically, it is best to keep this in mind.

How to Use Ginger

Dried, fresh, cooked or raw, ginger has many uses. It can be grated into salads for some heat or into hot water with some lemon for a sore throat. Thrown into a soup or stir-fry, it adds spice, and mixed with other root vegetables it makes for a wonderful addition to a hearty stew. For a milder taste, the ginger can be added early on in the cooking process, while adding it near the end of a soup or stir-fry keeps it more potent. It’s also a great idea to put it into smoothies, not only for healing, but for warmth, comfort, and taste. It goes particularly well with apple, beets, carrots, kale, and celery, with the added benefit of assisting with immunity and liver health.

As a tea, it can either be grated or cut into about an inch-long piece for health effects. Combining it with spices, like cinnamon-which is also anti-bacterial and particularly good for an upset intestinal tract-makes it all the more potent.

Read more about how to make an immunity elixir with ginger

References

Elson M. Haas, MD, Buck Levin, PhD, RD. Staying Healthy with Nutrition

Michael Murray, N.D. The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods

Deol PK, Kaur IP. Improving the therapeutic efficiency of ginger extract for treatment of colon cancer using a suitably designed multiparticulate system. J Drug Target. 

Image via heymrleej

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What are umeboshi plums?

Umeboshi plums have been used for centuries in Asia, specifically Japan, China, and Korea. The literal Japanese translation is “dried plums", although some like to categorize them as being more in the apricot family. They are an amazing alkalinizing food. This is because they contain citric acid. They are created via a lactic fermentation process using Japanese plums, shiso leaves, and sea salt. The shiso leaves have many medicinal health benefits themselves, and they contribute to the antimicrobial and infection-fighting components of the umeboshi plums. It is important to check that these three things are the only ingredients because mass production and recent demand for this fruit has caused some companies to use artificial dyes and preservatives to keep costs down.

Read more about reasons processed foods are killing you

Umeboshi plums can help with

• Fatigue
• Alcohol poisoning (hangovers)
• Vomiting
• General nausea (including pregnancy, motion, etc.)
• Diarrhea; dysentery
• Infection
• Runny nose
• Liver toxicity
• Oxidation of cells

How to eat umeboshi plums

The salty and sour properties of umeboshi plums make them an excellent accompaniment to rice dishes. Traditionally the Japanese put one of these dried plums in the center of rice dishes, thought by some to recreate the Japanese flag, but also to combat bacterial growth in rice, specifically Bacillus cereus. One popular Japanese dish is called onigiri, which is sticky rice wrapped in either nori (seaweed) or on its own with the umeboshi plum in the center. Umeboshi plums have also been called salty plums; they are very high in sodium, so although one plum a day can be quite beneficial for the many reasons listed above, it is definitely not recommended to finish a jar in one sitting!

Umeboshi plums are often enjoyed with green tea (often added right into the tea), as the opposing flavors juxtapose each other favorably. They can also be used as a salt substitute when cooking, or to just add a nice flavor when preparing any grains or vegetables. It is a great idea to add one to a dish being cooked to combat blandness. Eating one on its own first thing in the morning before breakfast stimulates digestion for the day. Umeboshi plums are very high in iron (important for hemoglobin production, stress reduction, and immune function), thiamin (important for a healthy nervous system, metabolism, and digestion), and riboflavin (formation of antibodies, healthy metabolism, and cortisol production).

Bottom Line

Umeboshi plums are said to have been used by the samurai to keep up their stamina, stave off fatigue, and help heal between battles; they were a staple in their daily diets. They are great to have on hand the morning after a party, or after lengthy travel to avoid nausea and exhaustion that can accompany these events.

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References:

Paul Pitchford. Healing With Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition (3rd Edition): 1993.
Elizabeth Lipski, Ph.D., CCN. Digestive Wellness: 2004.
Elson M. Haas, MD. Staying Healthy with Nutrition: The Complete Guide to Diet and Nutritional Medicine: 2006.
AnneMarie Colbin. Food and Healing: 1996.

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Beet Facts

Beets have their wild “roots” in North Africa, although they grow abundantly in many parts of North America and Europe in modern times. Their natural sweetness made them a prized alternate source of sugar in the nineteenth century. Beets were declared as the “primary source of sugar” by Napoleon when sugarcane was no longer widely available. Even today, dried and dehydrated beetroot can be found as a sugar alternative. Historically, the Romans brought beets to the rest of the world for agricultural use, originally as a source of food for animals, then gradually becoming food for humans.

As a member of the Chenopodiaceae family (along with Swiss chard, spinach, and quinoa-truly!), the beet (Beta vulgaris) is unique in that its leaves and root can be (and should be) eaten. Its deep purplish-red hue and hearty volume provides aesthetic richness to a plate in addition to its healthful properties. Beets can also be a gold-yellow color, providing slightly different nutrients. These rich red and yellow colors can be attributed to powerful phytonutrients called betalains (specifically more betacyanin in red beets and betaxanthins in yellow beets).

Read more about phytonutrients

Some people may find preparing beets an intimidating procedure because of how easily hands can become stained, but a little bit of lemon juice can often eliminate that. Also, when buying and storing beets with their greens attached, they are usually only good for 3-5 days; however, when their greens are cut they can last between two to four weeks. This is because the greens draw moisture away from the root.

Beet Health Benefits

The health benefits of beets are plentiful! While both the greens and root are extremely nourishing, the greens have higher concentrations of calcium, iron and vitamins A and C. Beets are also a great source of manganese and folate. In addition to being delicious and versatile, some of the healthful properties of beets include:

• Antioxidants (primarily from betalain)-in addition to vitamin C and manganese, the betalains provide excellent eye and nerve support.
• Anti-inflammatory-they inhibit the messengers that trigger inflammation (these messengers are known as COX enzymes), most likely through their phytonutrients betanin, isobetanin, and vulgaxanthin.

• Anti-cancer-a combination of the powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as their rich fiber content, is thought to be linked to their fight against colon cancer; beet juice is also connected to combating and protecting against cell mutations caused by nitrate-rich foods (found in smoked meats)
• Liver Detoxifier-betalains in beets trigger an essential enzymatic activity by which glutathione S-transferase connects to toxins, thus allowing them to become water soluble so that the body can eliminate them.
• Increases athletic performance-nitric oxide has been shown to improve performance in intense workouts like HIIT and prolonged aerobic exercise.

Ultimately, beets benefit the lungs, heart, liver, colon, and stomach, and their combination of highly beneficial compounds allows for an optimally run body.

How to Use Beets

Many people may think borscht as soon as they hear beets in autumn-so soothing and warming on a cold night. It’s also no secret that beets are a fantastic component to a juicing regime or as pickles.

What some people know they can do but may not practice as often is eating the leaves and stems as part of a nourishing diet. They make a wonderful addition to soups, but they can also be added to a sautéed vegetable dish or can be the main greens of a salad. Raw, the roots can be grated into a salad, too. Beets in their entirety can be added to juices and may have an earthy taste that screams “healthy,” but they’re also delicious in the right combinations (juiced with some mint, apple, and carrot).

It is also possible to buy beet crystals that have been dehydrated for additions to salads or as toppings to sweets. Some people may even want to sprinkle it on non-GMO popcorn.

Read more about avoiding GMOs

When washing and preparing beets, they should be washed under cold, running water. Though they look tough, this is deceiving and they’re actually sensitive to tears, which compromise their healthful pigments and compounds.

So go ahead and prepare a delicious salad, juice, or soup-all of your major organs will thank you!

More recipe ideas:

Beet and Carrot Pasta Sauce Recipe

Beet Couscous Salad with Fresh Mint

Warm Cheesy Chickpea Pesto Recipe with Beet Greens and Portobello Mushrooms

Photo Credit: woodleywonderworks

References:

Michael Murray, N.D. The Condensed Encyclopedia of Healing Foods. Pocket Books, 2006.

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=49 (World’s Healthiest Foods site)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24184837 (Versatile solvent systems for the separation of betalains from processed Beta vulgaris L. juice using counter-current chromatography. (Spórna-Kucab A, Ignatova S, Garrard I, Wybraniec S.)

The post The Health Benefits of Beets appeared first on NaturallySavvy.com.

Read more about joint health

Sesame seeds also have cholesterol-lowering effects via two important types of lignan fibres called sesamin and sesamolin. The latter has also been known to protect the liver from toxins. A study published in the journal Food Chemistry in 2006 showed that sesame products “demonstrated considerable antioxidant activity.”

A few of the important nutrients contained in sesame seeds and some of their health benefits include:

• Copper-skin, nerve, bone, and joint health
• Manganese-immune health, protein and fat metabolism, and blood sugar regulation
• Tryptophan-serotonin production, nerve conductivity, and sleep regulation
• Calcium-tooth and bone health, muscle growth and strength, and heart health
• Magnesium-heart health, stress reducer, and calcium absorption assistance
• Iron-hemoglobin production, immune health, and red blood cell oxygenation
• Phosphorous-heart and kidney health, blood-clotting function, and cell growth
• Zinc-immune, prostate, and skin health

Read more about prostate cancer

While their health properties are abounding, certain individuals who have a history of kidney stones and are on a reduced oxalate diet should be wary. Most of the oxalates (in the form of calcium oxalates) are found in the hulls of the seeds, and if a person has a tendency to suffer from kidney stones, they should reach for hulled seeds with largely reduced oxalates.

Aside from being physiologically beneficial, sesame seeds are an affordable and accessible food that we can incorporate into our lives with little or no preparation. If someone experiences difficulty with the digestion of sesame seeds because of their hulls, soaking them for a few hours (or overnight), and roasting them makes them more easily digested.

Sesame seeds are used widely is Asian cuisines, but they are definitely not limited to their traditional uses. They can complement most salads quite nicely. Raw or roasted, they can be sprinkled over top a traditional salad, or combined as part of the dressing (For example, mix them with maple syrup, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, and sea salt for a delightful dressing!). Alternatively, one could use the actual sesame oil as part of the dressing. It’s extremely high in polyunsaturated fat (41%) and monounsaturated fat (46%), but the same antioxidant that assists in protecting the liver assists in keeping this oil from spoiling rapidly.

Also, add roasted sesame seeds to steamed broccoli with lemon and an ounce of shredded, organic cheese, or top off grilled salmon or chicken with them. They can be ground and added to smoothies or mixed with ground sea salt to make a Japanese spice called gomasio. This can be used to flavor any dish, from pastas and rice to beans and vegetables. Gomasio works best if the seeds are first roasted (with hulls). This can be done in a frying pan on low heat for 4-8 minutes, or until their color starts changing.

The versatility of sesame seeds makes them a necessity for the kitchen. If you add one new thing to your grocery list this month, make it sesame seeds-simple to prepare and with rewards any “body” would be grateful for.

References:

Whfoods.com

http://sciencedirect.com (source for antioxidant study)

Paul Pitchford’s Healing with Whole Foods: Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition: Third Edition, 1993

Phyllis A. Balch, CNC, Prescription for Nutritional Healing: A-Z Guide to Supplements

Photo Credit: Mark Seton

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