Garlic - is a truly unique medicinal vegetable. In folk medicine, garlic has various applications. Especially it useful  to improve digestion. Garlic stimulates the appetite, increases digestive juices, promotes better assimilation of food, and reduces the amount of gases in the intestines. It possesses a strong analgesic and sedative effect on the intestine. Eating garlic enhances dieresis and stimulates activity of sweat glands. It has anathematic action and disinfects the...

Although all varieties of lettuce are very low in calories, they do not all rank the same in nutritional value. Though Romaine provides decent nutrition, iceberg lettuce does not, so to make the ultimate nutritious salad, use plenty of leafy greens. Wonderfully flavored greens like radicchio, arugula, endive, chicory, and escarole make a salad stand out in taste and nutrition. Some greens back up their fat-fighting bulk with a decent amount of fiber. The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Amer...

Peppers don't have that spicy image for nothing. This vegetable is an excellent way to spice up otherwise bland dishes. Peppers come in a beautiful array of colors and shapes. They add flavor, color, and crunch to many low-calorie dishes. All peppers are rich in vitamins A, C, and K, but red peppers are simply bursting with them. Antioxidant vitamins A and C help to prevent cell damage, cancer, and diseases related to aging, and they support immune function. They also reduce inflammati...

Kohlrabi is a member of the Brassicae family. It’s a distinctive-looking vegetable with a ball-like shape, pale green and purple-tinged, marked by points where the leaf stems were attached. It has a sweeter, more delicate flavor than turnip. Kohlrabi originated in Europe. “Kohlrabi” is a German word, from Kohl, cabbage, and Rabi, turnip. It was apparently developed in northern Europe shortly before the 16th century where it was known in Germany, England, Italy (where the...

The spring garden takes on a colorful attractive appearance when the chives (Allium schoenoprasum) bloom in May and June. The pretty lavender-pink globular flower heads of chives not only beautify the garden, but they can also be used as a garnish for salad dishes. Chives are also beneficial to rose bushes, since they emit an odor which discourages aphids. Chives are part of a large genus of approximately 500 species of mostly strong-smelling perennials that contain bulbs or underground...

Throughout the year, broccoli is one of the easiest foods to locate, as most supermarkets across the United States offer a hearty supply of the nutrient-rich vegetable. While broccoli has gotten a bad reputation as being one of the most dreaded vegetables on the dinner plate for a child, there are actually many different delicious ways to prepare the vegetable with the alluring green stalk and bushy top. In addition to satisfying the daily requirements for fruit and vegetable intake, ther...

What would life be like without onions? The onion has been used as an ingredient in various dishes for thousands of years by many cultures around the world. World onion production is steadily increasing so that onion is now the second most important horticultural crop after tomatoes. There are many different varieties of onion, red, yellow, white, and green, each with their own unique flavor, from very strong to mildly sweet. Onions can be eaten raw, cooked, fried, dried or roasted. The...

Tomatoes are a member of the deadly nightshade family, and as such were considered toxic, causing many conditions like appendicitis, “brain fever” and cancer. In fact, they may have just the opposite effect. Tomatoes were not even eaten in the US until the early 1800s, when an eccentric New Jersey gentleman Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson brought them back from a trip overseas. Always one to take advantage of a dramatic opportunity, he announced an amazing display of courage wou...

We always hear people say that cucumbers are very good for our skin. It is used to reduce eye bags around our eyes. It relaxes and freshens. Aside from those, the cucumber has more to offer than you know.       Cucumber is an important health food. It provides a very healthy juice beneficial for increasing the flow of urine. For rheumatic conditions, it complements the effects of celery and carrot juice. Its juice is a soothing skin lotion. In fact, it is the best ...

Carrots are nutritional heroes, they store a goldmine of nutrients. No other vegetable or fruit contains as much carotene as carrots, which the body converts to vitamin A. This is a truly versatile vegetable and an excellent source of vitamins B and C as well as calcium pectate, an extraordinary pectin fibre that has been found to have cholesterol-lowering properties. The carrot is an herbaceous plant containing about 87% water, rich in mineral salts and vitamins (B,C,D,E). Raw carrots are ...