Tag: potassium

Regenerating and Edible Immune Supporting Plants: Scallions

Posted by Nerd on

What Scallions Can Do for Your Health

Your grocer might label them as green onions. Scallions are an allium (Latin for “garlic”) vegetables. I use them as a suitable onion replacement. Their pungent relatives include onions, leeks, shallots, and chives. Cooks worldwide toss scallions into many Asian style dishes that needs a punch of flavor, but they aren’t limited to Asian style. The hollow, tube-like green tops have a mild, oniony zing, while the small, white bulb ends offer a sharper bite. In my opinion, they are pre-mature onions

Nutritional Values:

Scallions are mostly water, 1 cup is just 32 calories, only trace amounts of fat, and zero cholesterol. It also has less sugar and fewer carbs than vegetables like carrots, potatoes, and corn.

  • About 16% of your daily requirement for folate, a vitamin your body needs to make DNA and which is especially important for women who are pregnant
  • About 25% of your daily value for vitamin C, an antioxidant that helps protect your cells from damage
  • Twice the daily recommended amount for adults for vitamin K, which helps your blood clot and keeps your bones strong.
  • Iron — It plays a role in the formation of hemoglobin, cell growth and differentiation, metabolism, endocrine and brain function, energy production, and immune health.
  • Potassium — This mineral balances the electrical and chemical processes in your body, which in turn helps maintain proper muscle contractions, transmit nerve impulses, regulate blood sugar levels and improve blood pressure, among

Health Benefits

Prevents infections. Extracts of onions, garlic, and their relatives have long been used medicinally. They can kill bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Lab tests on certain varieties of onions showed that at high enough concentrations, some can kill or slow the growth of salmonella or E. coli.

Helps in fighting cancer. Scallions and other allium vegetables block mainly stomach cancer growth. Researchers believe that a compound called allicin, which is what gives you garlic breath, may prevent cells from turning cancerous or slow tumors from spreading.

Protects your body. Vegetables in the onion group are packed with phytonutrients, including chemicals called antioxidants that defend your cells against damage. Antioxidants in onions like flavonoids and polyphenols hunt down free radicals, substances that can lead to cancer, inflammation, and age-related diseases. Fresh scallions are always best because antioxidants in vegetables lose their power during cooking.

Fiber. A cup of cut scallions has about 10% of the fiber you need for the whole day. Getting lots of fiber helps you feel full, keeps your cholesterol levels down, and may lower your chances for diabetes, heart disease, and other conditions.

 

Warning: Scallions are high in vitamin K, which works against blood-thinning medication. If you’re taking warfarin to prevent strokes, heart attacks, or blood clots, ask your doctor if green onions are safe for you.  Always wash all fresh vegetables, including those that are sold prewashed and bagged. It’s rare, but people have been sickened or died of hepatitis after eating contaminated scallions.

Regeneration

When regrowing scallions you can use them to cook with and as a great home decoration. They grow about 3-4 inches + a week. Regrowing helps you #savemoney, #reducewaste, and wow the world. When doing a plant project with children I always use scallions since they grow so fast with low maintenance, and children have short attention spans, that need to see live results.

How to Use Scallions

You can find them practically anywhere. Wild scallions might be growing in your backyard. Your produce aisle likely stocks them year-round.

Here are some shopping tips:

  • Pick scallions with crisp leaves and bright color.
  • Trim the top and bottom tips and rinse with water. You can eat both green and white parts.
  • Store scallions in the fridge for maximum freshness.

People often use green onions as a garnish on salads, soups, rice bowls or stews. But you can enjoy them in lots of other ways!

Grill them whole. Brush with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and grill them for a couple of minutes for a sweet, charred flavor.

Puree them. Put cooked scallions in a blender and mix in eggs, flour, and a dash of soy sauce. They taste similar to scallion pancakes served at Chinese or Korean restaurants.

Buy Seeds

Banana Super Powers

Posted by Nerd on

Though they are native to Asia, Bananas grow in much warmer parts of the world. They are part of the berry family, contain a fair amount of fiber and antioxidants, help you lose weight, reduce bloat, fight cancer and increase your energy, all for just 19 cents a piece. At least that’s what they are going for at Trader Joe’s

One medium-sized banana (118 grams) contains 

Potassium: 9% of the RDI.

Vitamin B6: 33% of the RDI.

Magnesium: 8% of the RDI.

Copper: 10% of the RDI.

Manganese: 14% of the RDI.

Vitamin C: 11% of the RDI.

Protein: 1.3 grams.

Fat: 0.4 grams.

Net carbs: 24 grams.

Fiber: 3.1 grams.

Each Banana contains almost 105 calories, consists mostly of carbs, water, and contains very little protein and no fat.

The carbs in green bananas are mostly of starch and resistant starch, but as the banana turns yellow, starch turns into sugar (glucose, fructose, and sucrose).

They improve digestion

Bananas contain nutrients that help moderate body sugar levels after meals. They also help to reduce one’s appetite by slowing stomach emptying.

Assist in Weight loss 

Because of their appetite reducing effects, Bananas’s can assist in weight loss, since they are low in calories and high in nutrients your bodies need. 

Help in Sustaining your Hearts Health 

In my opinion, Banana’s are the best source of potassium and magnesium. These particular nutrients are essential for a healthy heart. 

A great source of antioxidants 

Bananas are high in antioxidants, such as dopamine and catechins. These potent antioxidants have been known to reduce the damage of free radicals, and lower risks of degenerative diseases, and heart disease. 

A common misunderstanding is that dopamine from bananas acts as a feel-good chemical in the brain, but dopamine produced by bananas never cross the blood-brain barrier. It simply acts as a strong antioxidant instead of altering hormones or mood

Banana’s help you feel full

Bananas ripe and unripe contain high amounts of resistant starch or pectin, both have been shown to have appetite-reducing effects. Both help keep you full. 

Unripe Bananas are a diabetic’s friend

Insulin resistance is a major risk factor for many of the world’s most serious diseases, including type 2 diabetes. Several studies have shown that 15–30 grams of resistant starch per day may improve insulin sensitivity by 33–50%, in as little as 4 weeks

Unripe bananas are a great source of resistant starch, and could, therefore, help improve insulin sensitivity.

Banana’s lend help to your kidneys

Thanks to its potassium potency, eating bananas several times a week can reduce the risk of kidney disease by up to 50%. Potassium is essential for blood pressure control and healthy kidney function.

Works like protein when it comes to Muscles

Because your muscle tissue is made up predominantly of protein, it needs an infusion of dietary protein, such as whey (pref. casein), that is rich in essential amino acids and can repair the damage that occurs during exercise. Potassium also assists your muscle recovery from a workout, strengthens their development and allows you to work out more.

Helps with PMS

Bananas have a  great amount of vitamin B6, which balance glucose ratios in blood and control typical mood swings. You don’t have to eat three bananas daily, but you should try to eat them during menstruation. They decrease stomach, back pain, and will make you happy.

Improves brain functions 

Bananas have a good amount of potassium & magnesium, both minerals are so important for brain development. Potassium provides oxygen to the brain and magnesium repairs electrical activities between the nerves and brain. Eating bananas daily, active your brain and improve memory. They also protect you from Alzheimer and other neurological diseases.

People don’t often carry bananas with them for the day because they are afraid of the banana getting squashed and getting all over the contents of their bag. There’s a solution for this with the Banana Saver. 

 

Why dates are good for you ?

Posted by Nerd on

Dates can provide some awesome nutrients and are a great sugar substitute. They contain high amounts of potassium, fiber, magnesium and vitamin B6. They are the fruit of the date palm and are a sweet and delectable treat often referred to as nature’s candy. They are great for your health as well as delicious, so there’s no need to feel guilty if you use them to satisfy your sweet tooth. They are filled with the vital nutrients and vitamins you need to lower cholesterol, lower your blood pressure, take care of your heart, and run the body. Try snacking on them or baking with them and you’ll soon be reaping the benefits.

 

 

 

Dates and Stroke

 

Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the US, and roughly 800,000 people have a stroke, and about 130,000 die from a stroke each year. So you’ll be glad to hear that the sweet little date is made to help combat this condition coming with 696 milligrams of potassium (20 percent of recommended daily intake) per 100 grams.

 

Cholesterol Reduction

 

Dates may also help reduce cholesterol levels by increasing your fiber intake. Dates contain about 6.7 grams of fiber per 100-gram serving and roughly 27 percent of recommended daily intake. Dates are high in a fiber called beta-glucan, which can affect cholesterol in a number of ways.

 

Beta-glucan dissolves in fluid to form a sticky substance that adheres to the cholesterol in food and prevents it from being absorbed. Second, beta-glucans bind to stomach bile acids that also contain cholesterol and causes you to excrete them as waste. As a result, your body must take cholesterol from your bloodstream to create more bile, this, in turn, lowers your cholesterol levels. 

 

 

Dates and blood pressure

 

According to Dr. Frank M. Sacks and Dr. Hanna Campos in a Harvard Health Publication, adding dried fruits to your diet such as dates, prunes, and raisins can help lead to a more balanced diet that promotes heart health and lower blood pressure.

 

Diarrhea and constipation

 

Another great benefit of dates is that they treat both diarrhea and constipation. Dates are high in fiber. It’s this fiber that allows your bowels to move along and at the same time gives bulk to bowel movements. So if you’re having a problem with either of these conditions, dates are an effective way to either get things moving or to add mass.

 

High in iron

Dates already offer so much, but they are also high in iron. Offering 0.9 milligrams of iron per 100 grams, which is 11 percent of the recommended daily intake. So if you suffer from anemia or are low in iron, eating a few dates is a great way to help you get back up to normal levels.

 

Important: 

Always remove the pit of a Medjool date before consumption to avoid a choking hazard!