Is the tomato toxic?

Ms H

The tomato plant belongs to the Solanaceae family. The whole of the plant is poisonous, other than fruit, the tomato.  The plant is toxic because it contains poisonous chemicals: solanine, glycoalcaloid tomatine and glycoprotein. Solanine is found in the main parts of the plant, stems, leaves and green fruits.  Yes the green tomato contains solanine and tomatine as it matures it loses them gradually. In the ripe fruit the amount of these chemicals are too small to be considered toxic.

The symptoms of poisoning are the followings; vomiting, diarrhea, increased heart rate, respiratory problems, cardiac arrhythmias and in a fatal case death.

Keep these in your mind, the tomato has great health benefits. It contains carotenoids, lycopene, lutein, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, potassium and antioxidants. It has its anti-cancer effect. It is important part of a healthy diet.

The conclusion is that you cannot eat the stems, leaves, stems of the fruit or the green tomato in order not to become poisoned but eat the ripe tomato.

Potato plant poisoning

Ms H 

Potato is the number one vegetable crop in the word.  It is an important food whether mashed, roasted, baked or fried.

When people consume potatoes turned green of ones that have grown new sprouts potato poisonousness can occur. If the potatoes are forgotten or start rotting they can also exude toxin fumes.

A glycoalkaloid, solanine poison is found in species such as potato, tomato and aubergine. It can occur naturally in any part of the plant; leaves, fruits, and tubers. Exposure to light, physical damage, and age increase solanine content within the tuber; the highest concentrations occur just underneath the skin. 

So you can see the poison is obtained in the plant but especially in green potatoes and new sprouts. Conclusion is that never eat potatoes that are spoiled or green below the skin. Always throw away the sprouts. 2-5 mg / kg of body weight of glycoalkaloid can cause toxic symptoms, which are usually occur 8 to 12 hours after ingestion, but may occur as rapidly as 10 minutes after eating high-solanine foods. The symptoms are the followings; vomiting, stomach or abdominal pain, headache, fever, slower breathing, delirium, vision change hallucination, and loss of sensation. 3-6mg / kg of body weight of solanine can be fatal.

Be sure to store potatoes somewhere cool, dark and dry with good air circulation. Also, keep them away from onions.

Summary

A Diet for Candida Albicans Yeast Intolerance

Candida Albicans is one of the six flourishing yeasts in a human body. They feed on sugar, starch, and carbohydrates found in the body to sustain themselves. It is usually grow well in the digestive system of a person. The friendly bacteria helps keep in check the Candida yeasts in our body to maintain the level of good and bad bacteria. When the friendly bacteria are lessened due to some factors such as antibiotics, stress, and fatigue, the level of Candida yeasts in our body becomes abnormal, which results to an inequity between the good and bad bacteria. So the person suffers the Candida yeast intolerance.

The Candida yeast intolerance, or more commonly known as Candidiasis, can lead to various infections and complications in the human body.

The diet for Candida yeast intolerance: This diet is designed to get rid of the Candida overgrowth in the body, thus, the diet is free from sugar, starch, and yeasts for this purpose. It is certain that a Candida Diet does not include any of the following foods:

· Yeast, in any forms (including bread)
· Dairy products, such as milk, cheese, ice cream, yogurt, and butter
· Sweeteners, including sugar, honey, maple syrup, corn syrup, sucralose, and the likes
· Fruits, in any form (fresh, canned, frozen, or dried)
· Vinegar and vinegar products, such as mayo, mustard, and salsa
· Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils
· Spicy seasonings, such as chili, pepper, and cinnamon
· Chocolate
· Coffee
· Fruit juice

The following  the foods  are included in the Candida Diet are:

· Whole grains
· Whole grain oatmeal and pasta
· Eggs
· Vegetables, especially dark green leafy ones
· Meat protein, such as fresh (uncured) pork, fish, beef, and poultry
· Vegetable oils, the ones which are not unrefined and must be kept in a refrigerator

Keeping this diet will help Candida yeast intolerance.

Health Benefits of Beetroot

Ms H

Beta vulgaris, beetroot is source of many raw or cooked healthy dishes, food colouring and medicinal plant. Swiss chard is another member of the beta genus grown for its edible leaves. In the Middle Ages it was used as a treatment for different illnesses and it was recommended to take it with garlic to nullify the effect of garlic- breath.

Nutritional value of beetroot:

The beetroot contains small amount of calories and fat but high level of fibre, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Minerals: sodium, potassium, calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium, manganese and copper.  

It also contains inorganic nitrates.

Vitamins: vitamin C a powerful antioxidant, vitamin A, carotenoids, flavonoids, vitamin B-s; folates,  niacin, pantothenic acid and pyridoxine,

Phytonutrients: carotene-b and betaine and glycine.

Health benefits:

·      Beetroot can reduce blood pressure further reduces the risk of heart disease due to the increased level of nitric oxide which relaxes the blood vessels.

·      It has anti-cancel properties

·       Beetroot helps to fight inflammation

·       The betalin pigments content supports your body detoxification process.

·      It also improves your energy level.