Veggies

Plant-Based Food to Help Fight Disease Did you not just hate all the different types of vegetables our mothers would try and make you eat as a kid? And what kid didn’t like that green stuff on our plates. Mother would say that if you don’t eat your veggies, you won’t get any pudding. Was that meant to be a bribe? Name one kid who doesn’t like pudding.  Then you sat there staring at what’s left on your plate and all there is, are the vegetables you sim. So you grin and bear it and eat the veggies. Fast forward, and … Read more

Nature’s Best Protection There’s a heck of a lot we can learn about leafy green vegetables and just how important they are for our health. Did you know that they have the power to deliver more nutrients for fewer calories than virtually any other food? And this is no trick question either. There are simply tonnes of essential nutrients in leafy green veggies, whether they are the dark variety or not. Leafy greens such as Swiss chard, spinach, kale, collard greens all contain plenty of the right stuff our body desperately wants and needs. Examples of these health-giving properties are iron, calcium, … Read more

The Red Hot Healers What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger. Perhaps the perfect cliché for hot chilli pepper. Then again, some like it hot. Not only can some people withstand the heat, but they also enjoy it. Chilli pepper fans savour the hotness at every opportunity and not just in traditional favourites like tacos and burritos but also other foods like omelettes, stews, salads and even in chocolates. Yes, dark chilli chocolate. Tastes great and has all the benefits. The hot chilli pepper is a lot more than just a little culinary spice. These thermogenic morsels are not only prized around … Read more

Blood Pressure Protection in a Stalk Whether you love it or loathe it, you cannot debunk the health benefits of celery. Some are crazy about it, and others hate it. The ancient Romans often wore wreaths of celery on their heads as protection against hangovers during their notorious party days. While there is no documentation to validate this claim, it might be best to lay off the heavy stuff and pour yourself a green vegetable juice which includes a few celery stalks. While celery might not stop your head from spinning in all directions, Asian folk have been using celery for … Read more

Stuffed with Antioxidants Sweet Peppers can come in a whole range of colours from dark green to fire engine red, but unlike their fiery-tempered siblings, the chilli peppers, these peppers are mild enough to eat in large quantities allowing you to reap all their health benefits. Not only are they plentiful in markets around the world, but you can also use in soups, salads, sauces, stir-fries, purees and pasta dishes. There’s just so much you can do with them. And these peppers do a lot more than add a sweet note to recipes. They come loaded with essential nutrients which … Read more

More than just a Root Vegetable Big question! Do carrots improve night vision? As part of the health benefits of carrots, and as a kid growing up, we were often told that if we eat our carrots, we would be able to see better at night. And we’ve all heard that proclamation many times over. During the second world war, if British fighter pilots ate those bright orange root vegetables before going on a night raid, they could win the fight against the enemy. And we all know the answer to that one. While there could be some merit in eating carrots to … Read more

Heads above all other Vegetables We’ve heard about the familiar cabbage but do we know about the health benefits of cabbage and that it’s also one of the most widely grown vegetables available to us on the planet. Cabbage comes in many shapes and sizes. While the green variety is familiar to most of us, a few other species also belong to this member of the cruciferous family, such as the Napa cabbage, the Red cabbage, the Chinese cabbage and the Savoy cabbage. There’s also a Milk cabbage, a Kohl cabbage and a few others too. And if you think that the … Read more

The King of the Crucifers You cannot overestimate the health benefits of broccoli. Though we hate to admit it, mom was spot on when she said that this green vegetable, which resembles a miniature bonsai tree, is the best thing since sliced bread. As a kid, sliced bread seemed a whole lot better than broccoli.  We also knew as a kid, that broccoli wasn’t one of our favourite veggies. It wasn’t until much later that we discovered how vital this green plant would be for our health. But back then, we didn’t know this cruciferous family member could help a host of health issues, including heart … Read more

Cancer Fighting Protection  Watercress is much more than just a simple garnish for your salad or sandwich. It’s packed full of beta-carotene, an essential nutrient that not only helps ward off heart disease but also helps reduce your risk of lung cancer. This dark green leafy vegetable with its delicate dime-size leaves and pungent and peppery flavour also helps prevent wrinkles and diseases associated with ageing, thus decreasing your risk of cataracts. Not bad for a small flowery plant with four petals that resembles a cross. It’s also a cruciferous vegetable. And as you may know, cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage and cauliflower are well … Read more

More than just a Halloween Decoration You may well ask yourself what exactly are the health benefits of pumpkin and that it’s not merely a sort-after commodity used as a decoration for Halloween. No, more than that, it’s a wonderful superfood we can all eat and enjoy. And pumpkins are filled with powerful carotenoids like beta-carotene, a chemical compound which can help stop cellular damage before it leads to disease. It’s not just due to its size that pumpkin is called the king of squash. A half-cup of pumpkin has more than 16 milligrams of beta-carotene, 160 to 260 of the Daily … Read more