Sweet Potatoes: More Than Just For A Holiday Treat

Sweet Potatoes: More than Just for a Holiday Treat

When entering into the holiday season we are surrounded by so many delectable treats for both dinner and dessert. How many can you name? What are your favorites?

Around Thanksgiving and sometimes Christmas and New Year’s (depending on the family), we come across a lot of different ways to cook and eat sweet potatoes. Sometimes my family will eat some sweet potato dishes all year long.

How many can you name?

We have: sweet potato soufflé, sweet potato pie, baked sweet potatoes, boiled sweet potatoes, steamed sweet potatoes…

Even though sweet potatoes are sweet and yummy, they are actually GOOD for you! Something that is both healthy and tastes good. That’s the kind of health food I like, too. Let’s explore why they are good for you.

Vitamins

Sweet potatoes are loaded with an assortment of important vitamins including: Vitamin C, B Vitamins (B6, B12, B1, B2, and B3), biotin (AKA Vitamin B7), pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5), and Vitamin A.

For a chart of the Daily Values click here.

Minerals

Sweet potatoes also contain an assortment of minerals as well: manganese, copper, phosphorus, and potassium.

They are also an excellent source of fiber.

Other Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes also contain nutrients that help with inflammation and regulating blood sugar. They also contain batatins that have antifungal and antibacterial properties which are not fully understood at this time.

Sweet Potatoes of a Different Color

Not all sweet potatoes are all the same orange color that we are familiar with, they can be purple which they contain more antioxidants than simply beta carotene. Purple sweet potatoes contain cyanins and peondins in the flesh as opposed to the skin. Antioxidants are important in helping eliminate free radicals and heavy metals that are harmful to the body.

Spicing Things Up

Adding spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, or cloves not only adds some great taste and pizzazz to sweet potatoes, they also add other nutritional benefits and antioxidants as well.

It’s amazing to me that something that is known as a vegetable and super-food can be found at the dessert table and can be eaten for that same reason. So here are some good reasons why you can eat sweet potatoes all year long and not just as a Holiday treat!

Amanda Taylor (Soaring Eagle Publications)

I would like to thank Amanda Taylor, with Soaring Eagle Publications for guest blogging on this website.

To Your Health,

Jenay Green

Photo credit vegkitchen.com

Sources: The George MateljanFoundation

Miraculous Health Benefits Of Garlic

Miraculous Health Benefits Of Garlic

Garlic is a member of the onion family and has been called the “wonder drug”. It is the world’s second oldest medicine.

Raw garlic works best as a powerful antibiotic that fights bacteria, parasites, and viruses. Garlic is good for fighting heart disease, two or three cloves a day can lessen the chance of heart attacks and stroke.

Garlic also contains many anti-cancer compounds and disease fighting antioxidants. It is great for colds as a decongestant and expectorant. The miraculous benefits of garlic also include boosting your immune system and lowering cholesterol.

Garlic can also lower your blood pressure, relieve gas, help diarrhea, and work as an antidepressant. Inflammation causes pain in the body, so if you are in pain try garlic, it is a great anti-inflammatory. Include it in your daily foods cooked or raw to see the benefits.

I suggest using a few cloves of raw garlic in all your salads. This is a great way to get more of this miraculous health benefits of garlic.

If you suffer from cold sores, you can cut a clove of garlic in half and rub it on the cold sore to speed up the healing process.

With summer comes the annoyance of mosquitoes. If you become a feast for the bugs whenever you are outdoors,then rub garlic all over your exposed parts. Garlic to mosquitoes is like kryponite to superman!

You can also rub garlic on the affected area of athletes foot then rinse with cold water in a half an hour to relieve athletes foot. If you have a sensation of warmth that intensifies try diluting the garlic with water for the next application.

Garlic helps stimulate the secretion of digestive enzymes and can help with indigestion. If Poison Ivy has you down then try boiling 4 cloves of garlic in a cup of water and after the the mixture cools apply it to the affected areas.

This is the season where so many are plagued with sinus trouble, here is a natural option to combat your sinus problems. Crush on clove of garlic into 1/4 cup of water. Sip up the garlic water into an eye dropper(make sure no garlic pieces get into the dropper)then use 10 drops of the water per nostril for 3 days.

For a toothache, get one peeled garlic clove and put it directly on your aching tooth for a minimum of one hour. I have a friend and her mother in law used garlic with olive oil to heal all her children’s ear infections growing up.

As you can see there are many miraculous benefits that garlic provides. God has provided through nature a variety of plant life that brings miraculous healing benefits to our bodies.

If you have used garlic for any ailments please share your experience by commenting below. Which of these remedies do you plan on using that you learned about for the first time today?

Pay it forward by sharing with others today!

To Your Health,

Jenay Green

Sources:

Bottom Line’s secret food cures” Joan and Lydia Wilen’

Nutrition Almanac Fourth Addition “Gayla and John Kirschmann”

Photo credits: www.imgkid.com

Got tummy trouble? Try this!

Got tummy trouble? Try this!

In this country today we are plagued with digestive issues. We are greatly affected by our Standard American diet. I have always heard it said that our health starts in our gut. What we are able to absorb as nutrients and eliminate as waste is crucial to the state of our health.

Over the years I have heard numerous complaints from clients about chronic constipation. If you listen most people they either feel bloated, constipated, or gassy all the time. Royalty society of medicine reports over 90% of diseases are a result of an infected digestive tract.

If you are like millions of others and suffer from digestive issues, try cabbage! This is one simple addition to your diet that may lead to some relief in this area. Cabbage is a cruciferous(root word meaning crucify) vegetable that is known to inhibit cells that potentially cause disease.

Cabbage is chocked full of beneficial nutrients for better health. The effect on your intestines acts as a broom to clean out the waste. Cabbage contains a powerful antioxidant that is responsible for detoxifying the liver which is our main organ for detoxing.

Red cabbage has a powerful antioxidant that can reduce inflammation. Inflammation causes a host of other issues and causes pain in the body. The nutrients in cabbage are known to reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and several types of cancers.

A compound found in cabbage is known to protect against the harmful effects of radiation. A natural chemical found in cabbage is been shown to decrease tumor size in a aggressive form of breast cancer.

Fermented cabbage used in Sauerkraut and Kimchi are choked full of probiotics that are great for our immune system and digestive health. If you have tummy trouble try fermented cabbage. The consumption of fermented foods makes vitamins and minerals easier to absorb and helps with relief of constipation.

For a cabbage chicken salad recipe try this site. For more information on fermenting foods and how simple and cost effective it can be check out wellness mama. If you are suffering from tummy trouble I highly recommend adding fermented foods to your diet.

Some ideas for the use of cabbage in your diet

1. Juicing

2. Add to your salads

3. Steam with a little sea salt, pepper, and lemon

4. Roast add fresh herbs and olive oil

5. Coleslaw

If you found any of this information useful please comment below on this article and share with others! To your health,

Jenay Green

Power punch for your health

Would you like a power punch for your health this cold and flu season? Sometimes your best defense is building a strong immune system. Granted, there is no fool proof way to be sure you will not catch any colds or flu, but you can lessen the chance and shorten the duration by strengthening your immune system.

One of the first and most obvious ways to give your body a power punch for your health is to eat plenty of clean foods. Cruciferous vegetables such as Kale, cabbage, and broccoli support the liver and immunity by boosting the livers ability to flush out toxins.

Mushrooms such as enoki, shitake, oyster are Japanese mushrooms loaded with a powerful antioxidant that does not get destroyed when cooking. Add some of these mushrooms to your hot cooked meals and soups.

Ginger warms the body and helps break down the accumulation of toxins in organs particularly the lungs and sinuses. Avocados are great for adrenal function. They contain essential amino acids and antioxidants. Avocados also have healthy fats and help balance hormones. So great news for all you guacamole lovers!

Black currants contain 5 times more vitamin c than an orange making them a great power punch for your health. Sage extract also works as an expectorant. It helps to move mucus out of the body. Try using a drop of sage extract with hot tea or make your own with hot water.

Graviola is a natural immune system booster that has been used to kill parasites, reduce fevers,and help treat colds and the flu. Graviola appears to contain natural compounds that have some anti- tumor properties.

A great whole food supplement is an easy way to get more of the essential vitamins and minerals we need to give our body a power punch for health. With holiday parties it is sometimes a little more challenging to eat clean and to avoid all the sugar that breaks down the immune system.

Exercise is a great way to give your body an extra boost. With endless benefits exercise also helps you release stress which wreaks havoc on immune function. Prayer, deep breathing, and giving thanks helps me release the stress. We all have stress we just have to not let it have us.

Get a good night rest. Our body repairs during sleep and sleep is crucial for healthy immune function. Do your body good and sleep like a baby. If you have a hard time with sleep try cammomile tea or melatonin.

Get a good belly laugh. The bible is full of wisdom from God on how to live a healthier and happier life when applied to our lives. Proverbs 17:22 tells us “ A merry heart does good like a medicine: but a broken spirit dries the bones”. Scientific studies have proven this to be truth!.

If you have any thing to add that has helped you during cold and flu season be sure to comment and share below. To your health,

Jenay Green

Sweet news for improving health

This delicious fruit can easily be added to a variety of recipes and has a host of amazing benefits for your health. Adding Mangoes to your daily diet is sweet news for improving your health.

Mangoes are high in vitamin C an antioxidant that improves immune function. With cold and flu season coming up this would be a great preventative measure to take. Mangoes are rich in over 20 vitamins and minerals which is known for reducing the risk of disease.

It has been noted that Mangoes have been effective against all cancers but has been the most effective on breast and colon cancers. With the high vitamins, potassium, and fiber content they have also been linked with helping ward off heart disease.

A lot of Americans suffer with digestive issues. Mangoes are great for elimination problems because of the high water and fiber content. The vitamin k has also been linked to a decrease risk of macular degeneration improving eye health.

Improved bone health is also a benefit of consuming mangoes and has a positive effect on your hair, skin, and nails as well. You can use it topically as a mask as well as enjoying it in your diet for radiant skin.

For those looking to lose weight mangoes should be a part of your weight loss arsenal. Mangoes are rich in fiber that will not only cause you to feel fuller longer but helps in calorie burning. Mangoes are nutrient dense as well as low calorie.

If your like me and the years have not improved your memory the glutamine acid found in mangoes helps keep cells alive and boost memory. It also is named the love fruit as it can increase vitality in men.

Mangoes are rich in iron for those who are suffering with anemia. They also help alkaline the body which is important as a vast majority of the foods and drinks we are consuming are very acidic.

Mangoes are low glycemic. You can also boil the leaves of the mango and let them soak over night to make a tea that helps regulate insulin.

Recipes for adding mangoes to your daily diet

Sunrise smoothie

1 c mango chunks 1/2 banana 1 tsp lime juice 1/4 tsp fresh grated ginger 2 tsp raw honey 2 c seedless watermelon chunks

Early morning energy smoothie

2 c frozen mango chunks 1 c coconut milk 1 tsp protein powder 3 to 5 kale leaves 1/2 frozen banana

You may also add a mango salsa to fish, chicken, or bean recipes as well using mangoes in a regular salad for a sweeter taste.

I hope you learned something new today that will inspire you to get on the path to healthier you. Please join the conversation by adding your comments at the bottom of this article and sharing this information with others. To your health,

Jenay Green

Health and Beauty Secrets in the Kitchen

Health and beauty secrets in your kitchen

Lets be honest, we all want to look and feel better right? Women are always looking for ways to get healthier, loose a few pounds, and look younger. We are what we eat. I believe health and beauty begins internally by what we put in our bodies.

According to a press release by market watch the anti aging industry is to hit 271 billion by 2024. Seems as if people are in a contstant search of that fountain of youth. A lot of us have loads of products that we spent money on hoping to find that miraculous health or beauty product only to be disappointed.

I have always searched for the very best health and beauty secrets not only for myself,but for the women I help. I have also been on a budget so have been unable to use expensive methods, therefore I have searched for creative ways to get similar results.

Eliminating chemical filled products has helped my skin more than anything as well as eating a healthier diet. Think about the fact that your skin is the largest organ and you are absorbing what you put on it.. So in essence what you eat effects the health of your skin, and what you put on your skin effects your health..

Fruits and veggies contain a lot of water which we also can not live without and is vital to our overall health as well as the health of our skin.

You will get omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin c, antioxidants that are all fabulous for your health and skin. I have seen improvements in my skin after using this great nutrition.

Health and beauty secrets from your kitchen may be just the answer you have been searching for to get amazing results without breaking the bank. I have found that a mask with raw honey leaves my skin feeling fantastic. Try baking soda as a scrub for exfoliating dead skin..

Another great health and beauty secret from your kitchen is raw apple cider vinegar. Be sure to dilute it with water or it will burn. About half and half is good works well for me.

Coconut oil is another one of my favorites that leaves my skin feeling like a babies and smells fabulous at the same time. Try incorporating some of these health and beauty secrets from your kitchen in your diet as well as using them on your skin and let me know in 6 weeks if you see a difference.

Be sure to comment and share! To your health,

Jenay Green

References : Web MD/ Dr. Josh Axe website/ Market Watch