Health Benefits of Fennel

Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare, is a flowering plant in the carrot family.  

It is an aromatic herb that has been widely used as a spice and a medicine. It also provides good dietary fibres for your dishes.

Fennel is an excellent source of the following vitamins: vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pyridoxine, folate, pantothenic acid and vitamin K.

It contains minerals and trace minerals such as; calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, molybdenum, phosphorous, manganese, zinc, nickel, lead, copper, cobalt, aluminium and barium. Fennel holds essential amino-acids: leucine, tryptophan and phenylalaninen.

This herb is a rich source of antioxidants; flavonoid and phenolic compounds. They can help protect cells against damage from free radicals and folate might help prevent cancer cells from forming. 

Fennel improves the immune response to infections, reduces chronic inflammation.

Dietary nitrates present in fennel help lower blood pressure and protect the heart.

Fennel seed oil treats a variety of gut and digestive problems, including stomach aches, flatulence, diarrhea, and constipation.

Oestrogen occurs naturally in fennel. It plays a central role in regulating the female reproductive cycle, and it can also determine fertility.

Fennel has an anti- microbial effect protects against bacteria and viruses.

Fennel oil also reduces blood sugar level and protects against liver damage.

You should consider adding fennel regularly to your daily diet.

Health Benefits of Asparagus

Ms H

In this sunny warm May one of the seasonal vegetables is asparagus. You can get fresh asparagus from the local market or it can be picked from the local farm. In either ways you can provide fresh healthy organic vegetables on your plate. Asparagus officially a flowering perennial plant is a spring vegetable.

Nutritional values of asparagus:

It is a very good source of dietary fibre, protein, minerals: potassium, zinc, iron, vitamins: vitamin K, vitamin B3, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin E and pantothenic acid.

Health benefits:

It is a rich source of glutathione, a detoxifying compound that helps to break down carcinogens and free radicals, so it may help protect against and fight certain forms of cancer, such as breast, larynx, bone and lung cancers.

Its antioxidants help to slow the ageing process and to neutralise cell damaging free- radicals. Asparagus may help our brains to fight cognitive decline. It holds amino-acid asparagine, which serves as a natural diuretic.

Winter Comfort foods

Soups 2

Tomato soup

Nutritional value of tomato:

Tomatoes contain dietary fibre, vitamin A in form of beta-carotene, vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin B6, niacin, folate, biotin and the following minerals copper, potassium and manganese. Provides essential antioxidants.

They are good for you heart, skin, hair, eyes and kidneys.

Ingredients:

cubed tomatoes	5
shallot	1
cloves of garlic	4
chopped red pepper	1
peeled and cubed potatoes	2
water	500ml
rosemary  leaves	6
basil leaves	7-8
salt	Up to your taste
pepper	Up to your taste
butter	1tsp
olive oil	1tsp

Melt the butter in a medium size pan add the shallot, garlic and chopped pepper stir them in. 

Mix the potatoes and the tomatoes in and salt the mixture.

Add the water and cook it for 10 minutes

Blend the soup with fresh rosemary and basil leaves.

Stir the olive oil into the creamy soup.

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.