Health Benefits of Broccoli

Broccoli is a plant in the cabbage family, whose large flower head is used as a vegetable. The word broccoli, from the Italian plural of broccolo, refers to "the flowering top of a cabbage". Broccoli is usually boiled or steamed, but may be eaten raw and has become popular as a raw vegetable in hors d'œuvre trays.

Broccoli is classified in the Italica cultivar group of the species Brassica oleracea. Broccoli has large flower heads, usually green in color, arranged in a tree-like fashion on branches sprouting from a thick, edible stalk. The mass of flower heads is surrounded by leaves. Broccoli most closely resembles cauliflower, which is a different cultivar group of the same species.

Broccoli was derived from cultivated leafy cole crops in the Northern Mediterranean in about the 6th century BCE. Since the Roman Empire, broccoli has been considered a uniquely valuable food among Italians. Broccoli was brought to England from Antwerp in the mid-1700s by Peter Scheemakers. Broccoli was first introduced to the United States by Italian immigrants but did not become widely known until the 1920s.

Health Benefits

The phytonutrients and anti-oxidants in broccoli help boost our defense mechanisms and stimulates production of antibodies to fight cancer.

Bone-building: A cup of broccoli juice a day goes a long way to provide calcium for strong bones building. Far better than cow's milk that contains saturated fats and has no other healing virtues as broccoli does.

Birth defect, prevent: The rich anti-oxidant compounds protect sperms and prevents them from genetic damage and possible birth defects.

Breast cancer: Broccoli has an anti-estrogenic compound known as glucosinolates that are especially helpful to excrete excess estrogen that are linked to breast cancer.

Digestive system: Like all cruciferous vegetables, broccoli promotes good colon health, protecting against constipation and colon cancer.

Eye disorders: The high anti-oxidant level in broccoli promotes overall good health and is the best defenses against eye diseases. Lutein in broccoli is especially protective for age-related macular degeneration.

Immune system: Just half a cup of broccoli juice a day will provide more than your daily required vitamin C that helps boost immunity and fight many diseases.

Prostate cancer: Indole-3-carbinol in broccoli is a remarkable cancer-fighting compound which not only fight breast cancer, it has also been shown to be helpful in fighting prostate cancer.

Skin: The high concentration of sulforaphane in broccoli helps to boost liver and skin's detoxification abilities, helping the skin to repair damages done from over-exposure to the sun's UV harm.

Stomach disorders: The high content of sulforaphane in broccoli may help to rid the body of the Helicobacter pylori which is responsible for most peptic ulcers. It also helps other stomach disorders like gastritis, esophagitis and acid indigestion.

Tumors: Sulforaphane is found in extremely high concentration in broccoli sprouts, that help stimulate the body's production of detoxification enzymes which may help reduce the size of tumors.

Health Benefits of Carrot

Carrot is one of my favorite juice ingredients. It not only tastes good, it has so many health benefits and is highly cleansing.

Carrots may have high sugar content but it is also a very good blood sugar regulator (it's a paradox I know). If you're generally healthy without blood sugar problem, two or three medium-sized carrots daily would not cause any adverse effect (but diabetics should keep to just half a carrot a day).

arrot is one of the most healing foods that provides the finest and highest quality in nutrients, especially from its juice. It is an excellent source of pro-vitamin A, vitamins C, D, E, K, B1 and B6.

It is rich with biotin, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, organic sodium and some trace minerals.

Carrot greens/tops CAN be eaten. It is very rich with potassium (vitamin K) and protein. Potassium is a key mineral in our body, thus high consumption of it keeps all the organs in our body in tip-top condition.

The known phytonutrients in carrots are lutein, lycopene, anti-oxidants alpha, beta and gamma carotenes, zeaxanthin and xanthophyll. You don't need to remember these fancy names, but just remember that phytonutrients are nature's marvelous provision for healing of various

Health Benefits

Carotenes, the famous ingredient in carrots, is an anti-oxidant that has powerful healing virtues for many diseases. Drinking a glass of carrot juice daily will do much more for you than many bottles of supplement tablets. Here are some disorders that can be helped by drinking carrot juice regularly:

Acidosis: The vital organic alkaline elements in carrots help balance the blood acidity and blood sugar.

Acne: Its powerful cleansing properties are effective in detoxifying the liver, thus overall effective for acne which are caused by toxicity of the blood.

Anemia: Carrot's molecules are closest to human's hemoglobin molecules, making it very beneficial in blood-building.

Atherosclerosis: The highly cleansing power of this miracle juice scrubs away even the old build-up of arterial deposits, reducing the risks of heart diseases and stroke.

Asthma: The anti-oxidants effectively protects the respiratory system from infections and free-radical attacks.

Cancer: Studies show that adding one carrot per day in our diet significantly reduces cancer risks.

Cholesterol: Pectin in carrots lowers the serum cholesterol levels.

Congestion: Carrot juice is very effective in dispelling mucus from the ear, nose and throat area, easing nasal congestion, sinusitis, phlegm and mucus in the throat and other similar disorders.

Health Benefits of Ginger

Today, i will share with you about health benefits of Ginger. As you know, Ginger or ginger root is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family (Zingiberaceae). Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal.

Ginger cultivation began in South Asia and has since spread to East Africa and the Caribbean.

Ginger produces a hot, fragrant kitchen spice. Young ginger rhizomes are juicy and fleshy with a very mild taste. They are often pickled in vinegar or sherry as a snack or just cooked as an ingredient in many dishes. They can also be steeped in boiling water to make ginger tea, to which honey is often added; sliced orange or lemon fruit may also be added. Ginger can also be made into candy.

Young ginger is fragrant, pungent, fleshy and juicy with a mild spicy taste. Whereas mature ginger is fibrous and almost dry and tends to be spicier than its young counterpart.

Mature ginger roots are fibrous and nearly dry. The juice from old ginger roots is extremely potent and is often used as a spice in Indian recipes, and is a quintessential ingredient of Chinese, Korean, Japanese and many South Asian cuisines for flavoring dishes such as seafood or goat meat and vegetarian cuisine.

Ginger is available in many forms and are used differently in each culture, but here, I will focus on the use of its fresh young juice.

Health Benefits

The medicinal uses of ginger is almost endless. If you can stomach the spiciness, it does wonders in treating many disorders.

Anticoagulant: Add ginger in most of your cooking or add a teaspoonful of fresh ginger juice in your beverages to enjoy the anticoagulant properties of ginger. It helps make blood platelets less sticky which in turn reduces your risk of atherosclerosis.

Aphrodisiac effect: A natural aphrodisiac, this might be the better substitute to viagra! Drink hot ginger tea (by mixing ginger juice, hot water and raw honey) after a not-too-heavy meal and see it work!

Cold: Cut up a small piece of ginger and boil it with a small cup of pure drinking water. Add some green tea leaves if you wish. Strain and drink when hot. Effective if you also have fever resulting from the cold. You may also drink this concoction if you feel a cold coming.

Cough: Drink ginger juice with raw honey three to four times a day for a bad throat. It is soothing and helps clear up phlegm.

Digestive disorder: Mix a teaspoonful of fresh ginger juice with one teaspoonful each of fresh lime juice and fresh mint juice with some honey to taste in a glass of water. Drink to relieve heartburn, indigestion, nausea and vomiting. Especially helpful after a big meaty meal.

Fatigue: Slice a piece of ginger into disks and boil it with a big glass of water. Add a piece of cinnamon bark, bring to boil and then cover it for about half an hour till it turns to golden color. Drink it to relieve fatigue when recovering from fever. It also relieves muscle pain and soreness.

Flatulence/wind: Pound a piece of fresh ginger and boil with a cup of water and add a little honey to taste. Drink it twice a day to let off the wind trapped in the intestinal tract.

Impotency: Believe it or not! Mix a teaspoonful of fresh ginger juice to a half-boiled egg and a teaspoonful of honey. Take this concoction on an empty stomach, every night for a month. It helps to counter impotency, premature ejaculation and increase sperm count. (Not proven but worth trying!)

Inflammations: The anti-inflammatory (gingerols) and anti-oxidant properties in ginger help relieve various inflammatory disorders like gout, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. It provides substantial relief in pain caused by inflammation and help decrease swelling and morning