Why Tomatoes Are Such a Beneficial Food

It's gardening season in the U.S. and therefore no surprise tomatoes are beginning to appear in gardens across the land. Given the right conditions, they are easy to grow and highly productive plants. There is nothing quite like eating a ripe, garden-grown tomato right off the vine, and tomatoes are great additions to salads and sandwiches. The health benefits of cooked tomatoes, which are amplified when combined with a healthy fat like olive oil, continue to make news.

This gives me the opportunity to underscore the value of lycopene to your diet. You may already know the lycopene content of tomatoes is increased when you cook them. Now, new research out of Spain indicates cooking tomatoes not only enhances the positive effects lycopene has on your beneficial gut bacteria, but also promotes increased lycopene absorption in your gut. These are just two more reasons to include tomatoes in your diet.

When you reach for a tomato you may be interested to know organic ones are thought to be more nutritious than their conventional counterparts. One study found growing tomatoes according to organic standards produced tomatoes containing 55 percent more vitamin C and 139 percent more total phenolic content than their conventionally grown peers.

According to The World's Healthiest Foods, tomatoes are an excellent source of lutein, zeaxanthin and vitamin C, which is most concentrated in the jelly-like substance surrounding the seeds. They also contain good amounts of vitamins K and B, as well as copper, manganese and potassium. In addition, tomatoes possess anticancer properties and phytonutrients such as the flavonols kaempferol, quercetin and rutin, in addition to caffeic acid, coumaric acid and ferulic acid.

The benefits of lycopene, the carotenoid antioxidant responsible for the red color of tomatoes and other fruits like watermelon, gets top billing as one of the most important nutrients in tomatoes. Lycopene is well-known as a powerful antioxidant that decreases your risk of cancer and heart disease. Lycopene is also notable because:

Its antioxidant activity has long been suggested to be more powerful than hundreds of other carotenoids, including beta-carotene

A meta-analysis pooling results from more than 116,000 subjects revealed lycopene intake may reduce your stroke risk by nearly 20 percent.

Lycopene plays an important role in your bone health.

Its also been shown to be helpful in treating lung cancer and prostate cancer (more on that below)

When consumed daily with olive oil for 10 weeks in the form of tomato paste, it was shown to reduce ultraviolet-induced sunburn by about 40 percent.

Article Source: Dr Mercola at Mercola.com  

How to Grow and Use Ginger

Making high-quality ginger tea starts with the plant itself. Make sure your garden has rich, loose soil with lots of shade. Next, choose an organic ginger root from a reputable grower, as this is what you will need to place into the ground. Ideally, it should be around 4 to 5 inches long with several fingers that have greenish tips.

Plant the root in early spring after the last frost has passed. Next, cut off the fingers and place them in a shallow trench no deeper than 1 inch. Once the roots are firmly placed in the ground, water them thoroughly, and leaves will emerge within a week or two. After you’ve reached this phase, continue watering, but sparingly. Overall, it may take 10 months for the plants to completely mature.

Harvesting the plants is easy, as you only need to lift them gently from the soil. If you want to replant a new batch, simply break off a part of a root that has foliage and then return it into the ground. Wash the remaining bunch thoroughly with running water, and then store them in a reusable plastic bag with the air vacuumed, and place into your refrigerator’s crisper.

How to Make Ginger Tea

Once you have your own ginger plant, you can now proceed to making fresh ginger tea. It’s quite easy to make, ensuring that it’ll be a regular fixture in your diet for years to come. To begin making your tea, you’ll only need around 2 inches of raw ginger, and 1 and a half or 2 cups of water. Afterward, follow this procedure.

Article Source: Dr Mercola at Mercola.com  

 

Health Benefits of Ginger Tea

One easy way of obtaining ginger’s advantages is making your own ginger root tea, and it is one of ginger’s most commonly prepared forms. In its simplest sense, ginger tea is made by boiling sliced ginger root in water.

Another method for making ginger tea is using powder or teabags bought online or from your local store. If this is your preferred method, make sure that the product you’re buying uses high-quality ingredients from a reputable company. But if you have the time and resources, I strongly suggest growing your own ginger roots because this approach is healthier and safer.

What is ginger tea good for, anyway? Throughout history, it has been prescribed by healers and herbalists to help their patients alleviate a variety of conditions. Drinking it regularly may help:

Relieve nausea: If you feel nauseous due to whatever reason, drinking ginger tea may help you feel better.	Promote stomach health: Drinking ginger tea may help boost stomach health by reducing the effects of chronic indigestion.
Manage inflammation: Ginger’s anti-inflammatory properties have been well-known throughout history. Taking it as tea may help you remedy muscle and joint pain after a strenuous workout.	Ease respiratory conditions: Ginger tea may help relieve inflammation related to the respiratory system, such as asthma, allowing you to breathe better.
Boost brain function: In a study conducted among healthy middle-aged women, researchers discovered that ginger may help improve attention and cognitive processing without causing any side effects.	Relieve menstrual discomfort: The muscle-relaxing properties of ginger may help provide relief for women suffering from menstrual cramps, as evidenced in one study.
Strengthen the immune system: The numerous antioxidants found in ginger tea may help boost your immune system, thereby helping reduce your risk of contracting infectious diseases.

Caffeine Content and Other Nutrition Facts of Ginger Tea

Ginger is a caffeine- and sugar-free plant that contains a mixture of vitamins and minerals working together to benefit your health. Furthermore, ginger contains gingerol, a unique compound that may help boost cardiovascular circulation.

Article Source: Dr Mercola at Mercola.com 

Ginger Tea: An Ancient Health Solution

Dr Mercola writes: Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is one the oldest cultivated plants currently in existence. Historians believe that ginger has been grown for more 5,000 years, ever since ancient Indians and Chinese discovered and used it as a tonic root to help treat a variety of ailments

Ginger is a caffeine- and sugar-free plant that contains a mixture of vitamins and minerals working together to benefit your health. Furthermore, when made into tea, ginger releases gingerol and protease, which are compounds that may help boost cardiovascular circulation

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is one the oldest cultivated plants currently in existence. Historians believe that ginger has been grown for more 5,000 years, ever since ancient Indians and Chinese discovered and used it as a tonic root to help treat a variety of ailments. The plant was introduced to the Western world when it was exported from India to the Roman Empire.

Back then, ginger was considered to be an incredibly luxurious spice and was difficult to procure. During the 13th and 14th century A.D., however, Arab traders planted ginger roots throughout their voyage in Africa, causing the plant to spread and prices to go down. Today, ginger can be purchased easily almost anywhere compared to hundreds of years ago, where the price for a single pound of it was equivalent to a single live sheep!

Article Source: Dr Mercola at Mercola.com  

Why Eggs Are Not Just for Breakfast

Perhaps just as important as what eggs do for your health may be what eggs do for your food. Not just for breakfast, eggs are used to make everything from healthy pancakes to egg salad. Incredible Egg notes five of the egg's top cooking functions; eggs:

Bind ingredients in prepared foods like meatloaf and salmon patties

Leaven baked "high-rises" such as soufflés and sponge cakes

Emulsify mayonnaise, salad dressings and hollandaise sauce

Clarify soups and thicken custards

Add color, flavor, moisture and nutrients to baked goods

The good news is, some of the egg dishes you may have been avoiding, not to mention eggs by themselves, yolk and all, are back on the table. That said, it's important to understand that not any old egg is "good" for eating. Organic, pastured eggs are the best by far, as they're not produced in a CAFO, or concentrated animal feeding operation, which yields eggs far more likely to be contaminated with disease-causing bacteria such as Salmonella.

Everything you need to know about every aspect of egg production and what constitutes farm-fresh eggs can be found right here. You'll note that the best way to eat your organic, pastured eggs is raw or very lightly cooked, such as poached, soft-boiled or overeasy with very runny yolks. However, if you're looking for something a little different, here's a healthy, delicious recipe, inspired by the National Heart Foundation of Australia

Article Source: Dr Mercola at Mercola.com