Sunday, August 26, 2012

~ Blueberries 2012 ~

This year the blueberries we so plentiful. I always call these blueberries like a piece of heaven. They have many health benefits.


















  1 ) They are one of the top highest antioxidant berry of all fresh fruit: Blue Berries, being very rich in anti oxidants like Anthocyanin, vitamin C, B complex, vitamin E, vitamin A, copper (a very effective immune builder and anti-bacterial), selenium, zinc, iron (promotes immunity by raising hemoglobin and oxygen concentration in blood) etc. boost up your immune system and prevent infections. Once your immunity is strong, you won’t catch colds, fever, pox and all such nasty viral and bacterial communicable diseases.




2) These berries neutralizes free radicals which can affect disease and aging in the body: Blue Berries bring you the brightest ray of hope, for they are laden with anti oxidants and rank number 1 in the world of anti oxidants. This is mainly due to presence of Anthocyanin, a pigment responsible for the blue color of the blue berries. The abundance of vitamin-C is also a big factor for this as well.




3)  It aid's in reducing Belly Fat: A new University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center study suggests that blueberries may help reduce belly fat and risk factors for cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome. So far, we know that the fruit works on rats, which were the test subjects. A blueberry-enriched powder was mixed into the rats' diet, which was either low-fat or high-fat rat chow. After 90 days, the rats with the blueberry-enriched diet had less abdominal fat, lower triglycerides, lower cholesterol and improved fasting glucose and insulin sensitivity. And their health was even better when combined with the low-fat diet. That group had lower body weight, lower total fat mass and reduced liver mass than the rats on the high-fat diet. An enlarged liver is linked to obesity and insulin resistance, a hallmark of diabetes. Although more research is needed to confirm these results in humans, a related study presented at the same conference showed that men with risk factors for heart disease who drank wild blueberry juice for three weeks seemed to experience slight improvements in glucose and insulin control.




 4)  Blueberries help promote urinary tract health: The building of colonies of certain bacteria like b-coli along the lining of the inner walls of urinary tract is responsible for this infection, resulting in inflammation, burning sensation during in passage of urine and other complications. Here, Blue Berries can be surprisingly beneficial. It has a compound formed of big polymer like heavy molecules which inhibits the growth of such bacteria. It also has some anti biotic properties which adds to this effect. These heavy and big molecules almost wash-off these bacteria along the tract, thereby preventing the infection.






  5)  It's been proved to preserve vision: Blueberry extract, high in compounds called anthocyanosides, has been found in clinical studies to slow down visual loss. They can prevent or delay all age related ocular problems like macular degeneration, cataract, myopia and hypermetropia, dryness and infections, particularly those pertaining to retina, due to their anti-oxidant properties. Blue Berries contain a special group of anti oxidants called Carotenoids (lutein, zeaxanthin etc.), Flavonoids (like rutin, resveritrol, quercetin etc.), in addition to others such as vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin A, selenium, zinc and phosphorus, which are very beneficial and essential for the ocular health. Data reported in a study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology indicates that eating 3 or more servings of fruit per day may lower your risk of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), the primary cause of vision loss in older adults, by 36%, compared to persons who consume less than 1.5 servings of fruit daily.







 Here is my Aloe Vera plant I love and use it on cuts and burns.....

Eat blueberries and Enjoy !!



Monday, August 20, 2012

~ Typical Lunch ~

I really enjoyed this salad it is very easy and basic. I used salad micro greens, cucumber, avocado, sunflower seeds soaked and hemp seeds.



Here is a picture  of my passport photo which should be good for the next five years.

Ading avocado seems to really satisfy me and keep me full for four to five hours. With this salad I am having favorable carbs, healthy fat and protien, from the avocado, hemp and seeds.





I have one main meal a day  and this is considered a solid meal.





The vibrant greens are beautiful and also make eating this very satisfying for me.....
















Here is a picture I adore from the site Printerest with edible plants.....























Source: flickr.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

~ Sweet Potato Greens ~


I tried sweet potato leaves and they were delicious. My family thinks I am crazy, but It felt very nourishing. I saw Theresa De wolf have the greens along with many other cool things to put in her smoothie and then looked it up and they are indeed edible.

There is a bountiful amount of veggies this year. Every year seems different, but everything looks green and beautiful.

These green oval leaves are edible as well and really wanted to try, but they belonged to my Mother and considers them just flowers. They are called nasturtiums....

 Here is a cucumber and notice there are flowers similar to zucchini flowers which are also edible....

My son, Matt is holding up a stevia plant. I can't want to try a leaf i am sure it is real sweet. I wouldn't mind putting a leaf in a fruit smoothie that would be interesting....

Green beans they look so delicious. I really don't enjoy beans cooked or carrots either. They just seem so flavorless and the life has been taken from them

I don't really eat green peppers, but these look fabulous and would have a bite if i could. They are not ready still a ways to go for most things....