Discover How to Harness the
Powerful Secrets of Our Past
Build the Strongest, Leanest
Healthiest Body Possible
Haven’t been eating your beets? Don’t beat yourself up (see what we did there), because technically they’re out of season right now. But with spring fast approaching, perhaps it’s time to dig deeper and examine what these little purple monsters have to offer!
Hailing from South Africa, the beet – which is a relative of Swiss chard and a member of the Chenopodiaceae family – was initially cast off in Northern Europe as nothing more than animal chow. However, in the 16th century, Romans began eating the green leaves of the root vegetables and by the 19th century, they had become less picky and began eating the whole darn thing! In doing so, it was discovered that beets were an excellent source of natural sugar – so much so that Napoleon declared them Poland’s primary source of sugar after the British put the squeeze on other sugar sources during the war!
Posted By: Worker Bee
Used for cooking and medicinal purposes for over 2,000 years, asparagus is one nutritious perennial garden plant! See, and you thought all it was good for was turning your pee green!
Among its many health benefits, asparagus logs off-the-charts levels of Vitamin K (more than 115% recommended daily allowance (RDA) per 1 cup serving!), which is important for heart health and calcium regulation. In addition, asparagus also boasts high levels of folate that, when combined with Vitamins B6 and B12 (as is the case in asparagus), can protect against heart disease and other cardiac ailments. Asparagus also contains a hefty dose of potassium, which combines with an amino acid called asparagines to cause a diuretic effect as well as a healthy type of carbohydrate called inulin that clears the intestinal tract of unhealthy bacteria and promotes good digestive health.
Posted By: Worker Bee
Is it a plant? Is it an animal? Who cares when it tastes this delicious!
Classified as an algae (so neither plant nor animal!), the sea vegetable family counts ultra-healthy seaweed, sea lettuce, nori and kelp among its many relatives. Mimicking the mineral content of the ocean – which incidentally mimics the mineral content of human blood – sea vegetables are, pound for pound, the most nutrient dense food in existence.
On the minerals side, sea vegetables provide each of the 56 minerals required by the body for optimum physiological function. In addition, these minerals are made available in colloidal form, meaning that they are small enough to be easily absorbed by the body.
Posted By: Worker Bee
As was mentioned in a previous post, broccoli rabe (pronounced rob) is one vegetable that has more aliases than Jennifer Garner. Often referred to as rapini, rappa, Italian turnip, fall and spring rabe, and broccoli de rape, the one thing this vegetable can’t be confused for is broccoli itself!
As a member of the brassica family, broccoli rabe is most closely related to cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, rutabaga and turnips and even has some ties to the mustard family.
Much like its relatives, broccoli rabe is a great source of folate, which is important in fetal development and may also reduce the risk of cancer, especially tumors of the colon, breast, cervix and lung. When combined with vitamins B6 and B12, as is the case in broccoli rabe, folate can also lower the risk of heart disease and stroke. In addition, broccoli rabe touts high levels of vitamin K and magnesium, which is integral for bone development and repair.
Posted By: Worker Bee
With a long narrow, knobby body and a tuft of green leaves, the parsnip could easily be confused for an anemic version of the carrot.
The missing link, if you will, is beta-carotene, the compound responsible for giving carrots their golden hue. But rest assured, parsnips have plenty of nutritional power. For example, the parsnip boasts a high volume of insoluble fiber, which is important for a healthy digestive system as well as for regulating cholesterol and reducing blood sugar fluctuations. It is also a good source of potassium, which helps reduce the risk of kidney stones. The vegetable’s high folic acid content, meanwhile, can help reduce the risk of heart disease, osteoporosis and dementia and, for pregnant women, decrease the likelihood of birth defects. Rounding out parsnip’s nutritional power punch, its high vitamin C content has been associated with improved lung function—and even a reduction in asthma symptoms in children—and also gives skin a healthy glow.
Posted By: Worker Bee
Weekly Newsletter
Daily updates via RSS 
(what is RSS?)
©2008 Mark's Daily Apple | Design By The Blog Studio