Growing and harvesting Swiss Chard is a tremendous joy. But, eating the fruit of one’s labor must be the best part. Today we clipped some Swiss Chard fresh from the garden and made a lamb and swiss chard warp with it the same day. It does not get fresher than that! We harvested Swiss Chard by clipping a third of its leaves and clipping from the outside. Plants such as lettuces tend to grow from the inside leaving the mature leaves on the outside. Also one should leave leaves on the plant such as these (also herbs) so they can continue to photosynthesize and grow more leaves.
I harvested these leaves which were used in a lamb, salmon and vegetable wrap. We hear that the harvest was delicious. What are the benefits of eating fresh foods? What are the benefits of growing your foods organically? How can you and yours benefit from growing and harvesting your own foods? Share your comments with the community. Share the wealth of health with your friends and family by sharing this article with 3 people today. As always you are the best part of what we do. Keep sharing!
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Do you have any healthy quick meals you eat? Do you consider how what you eat can benefit your life style and health? Did you know combining certain foods with your exercise routine can enhance your exercise and the impact of exercise on your over all health and fitness? Share your comments with the community by posting them below. Share the wealth of health with your friends and family by sharing this article with 3 people today. As always you are the best part of what we do. Keep sharing!
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Carrots and raisins are two of my favorite healthy snacks. What are 3 of your favorite healthy snacks? Do you carry it with you so it is easy to snack on? What are some places where you can get your healthy snack already prepared for you? Ho can you prepare and make it easy to snack on healthy snacks? Share the wealth of health with your friends and family by sharing this article with 3 people today. As always you are the best part of what we do. Stay healthy.
If these articles have been helpful to you and yours, give a donation to Shidonna Raven Garden and Cook Ezine today.
While the plants grow in the garden, most of us are simply wondering when we can eat the fruits of all this labor, which brings us right to the point of eating, preparing and cooking. Some people claim that eating food raw is more beneficial to one’s health. The facts simply do not bear this out. What the facts do support is that both raw and cooked foods are both beneficial to one’s diet. In my journey I have discovered other foods more beneficial than others to my body’s particular needs. Our guess is that you might find the same is true for you: one size or food does not fit all. So, we went to healthline.com for some more details.
Cooking May Destroy Enzymes in Food
When you consume a food, digestive enzymes in your body help break it down into molecules that can be absorbed. Enzymes are heat sensitive and deactivate easily when exposed to high temperatures. In fact, nearly all enzymes are deactivated at temperatures over 117°F. However, the human body produces the enzymes necessary to digest food. And the body absorbs and re-secretes some enzymes, making it unlikely that digesting food will lead to an enzyme deficiency.
Some Water-Soluble Vitamins Are Lost in the Cooking Process
Some nutrients are easily deactivated or can leach out of food during the cooking process. Water-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin C and the B vitamins, are particularly susceptible to being lost during cooking.
In fact, boiling vegetables may reduce the content of water-soluble vitamins by as much as 50–60% . Boiling results in the greatest loss of nutrients, while other cooking methods more effectively preserve the nutrient content of food. Steaming, roasting and stir-frying are some of the best methods of cooking vegetables when it comes to retaining nutrients. Also, the length of time that a food is exposed to heat affects its nutrient content. The longer a food is cooked, the greater the loss of nutrients.
Cooked Food May Be Easier to Chew and Digest
Chewing is an important first step in the digestive process. The act of chewing breaks down large pieces of food into small particles that can be digested. It requires significantly more energy and effort to properly chew raw foods than cooked ones.
The process of cooking food breaks down some of its fibers and plant cell walls, making it easier for the body to digest and absorb the nutrients. Properly cooking grains and legumes not only improves their digestibility, but it also reduces the number of anti-nutrients they contain. Anti-nutrients are compounds that inhibit the body’s ability to absorb nutrients in plant foods. The digestibility of a food is important because your body can only receive a food’s health benefits if it’s able to absorb the nutrients.
Cooking Increases the Antioxidant Capacity of Some Vegetables
Studies have shown that cooking vegetables increases the availability of antioxidants like beta-carotene and lutein. Antioxidants are important because they protect the body from harmful molecules called free radicals. A diet rich in antioxidants is associated with a lower risk of chronic disease.
Cooking Kills off Harmful Bacteria and Microorganisms
It’s better to eat certain foods cooked, as raw versions may contain harmful bacteria. Cooking food (at temperatures over 140°F, for most foods) effectively kills bacteria that may cause food-borne illness. On the contrary, fruits and vegetables are generally safe to consume raw, as long as they have not been contaminated. Spinach, lettuce, tomatoes and raw sprouts are some of the fruits and vegetables most frequently contaminated by bacteria. Raw meat, fish, eggs and dairy often contain bacteria that can make you sick.
We found that our research dispelled many myths we held. What did you learn? Are you a cook or a chef, what’s your opinion? Did you discover anything new or surprising in this article? How can what you learned improve the way you cook and prepare food and consequently your health? Share your comments with the community by posting them below. Share the wealth of health with your friends and family by sharing this article with 3 people today. As always you are the best part of what we do. Keep sharing.
If these articles have been helpful to you and yours, give a donation to Shidonna Raven Garden and Cook Ezine today.
