Why Not Grow Your Own Backyard Nutritious Food and Feed Your Body?
If I grow my own food, I know what I’m putting in my body.
If I grow my own food, I know what I’m putting in my body.
I was fortunate growing up in the country back in the 1950’s era — where most everyone had vegetable gardens and fruit orchards. There were no McDonald’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut or Taco Bell. The most fortunate could share a fried chicken on Sunday — and occasionally fried catfish or canned salmon.
Most farm people, factory workers or shop keepers were early risers and ate breakfast before heading off to work. There was no drive thru to pick up a biscuit or hot cup of coffee. Country people usually ate fresh yard eggs, red-eye gravy, biscuits with jelly or molasses. There is a lot of merit to this story.
I used to eat like this, knowing that breakfast was my most important meal of the day. I still hold pretty close to these principles, but occasionally I’ll eat breakfast at a drive-thru only for convenience while traveling.
Now that I’m 71 years old, my health is my primary concern. Realizing good health affords me freedom and saves me money in various ways — I want to eat the best quality of food.
How can I keep vitamins and nutritious value from the food I choose to eat?Lucky for me, I like most everything.
But now days, I’m concerned about the value of food I put in my body. After all, just because certain nutrients are abundant in food doesn’t; mean that your body will absorb them.
The way you prepare your fruits and vegetables can affect how much nutrition you get from them. Eating food raw is not always the best method to get your vitamins.
Did you know cutting and chopping vegetables triggers a defense reaction that releases polyphenols? We should eat foods with high concentrations of vitamin C right after cutting because the polyphenol interacts with vitamin C, and can use it up before it makes its way into our tissues.
Crushing Garlic Provides Alliums
It’s best to crush or chop garlic because it releases an enzyme called allicin which releases copious amounts of health-promoting chemicals for our benefits. After cutting or crushing garlic and onions, they both release their nutritional power for the next 10 minutes. It’s best to let them sit for a while before eating or cooking them.
Fermented Foods
Fermenting is another way of increasing good nutrients in some foods like sauerkraut and plant-based yogurt. They elevate antioxidant properties of fermented foods due to increased Vitamin C activity. Fermented foods are the secret to a healthy gut.
Sulforaphane — a cancer fighting nutrient
You can get sulforaphane from raw cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cabbage and broccoli sprouts.
To activate the sulforaphane, the vegetable cell walls must be broken, either by cutting or chewing. If you choose to cook your broccoli, you can sprinkle some powdered mustard seeds, which will activate sulforaphane.
Last, the power of food combining
Food combining not only optimizes nutrient absorption, but it also brings together flavors and textures. Think salads!
You can boost your health with food combining.
Take Away
It’s best to prepare your own food, so you can get the most nutritional value to boost your health and immune system. Food is our medicine.
Stay away from “fast food” places as much as possible. We don’t know how the food is prepared to benefit us nutritionally. To starve off hunger pains carry some peanut butter, nuts or other dried foods in your vehicle. Drink water to help you overcome the hunger pains. It’s easier to accomplish than you think. Just get in the habit of foregoing the fast food places and your health will reward you.
Thanks for reading.