Basically, mustard greens (sarson or rai, as they are called in India) have a superb nutrition-to-calorie ratio—which means you get the most nutrition out of a bite and don’t stack those calories either! Plus, their flavor is such that they can be made into many versatile dishes, and the taste tends to grow on you. But let’s talk about the health aspects first…
The pecan is a member of the walnut family. The genus contains twenty-two species and the pecan is closely related to the hickory nut. Pecans are native to the central southern regions of what is now the United States. The term pecan is derived from the Algonquin word “paccan” which refers to both hickory and pecan nuts.
Apples are a member of the family Rosaceae, the Rose family in the genus Malus Mill. or apple P. This genus contains thirty-six species. There are about 10,000 varieties of apples throughout the world, of which 7,000 can be found in the United States.
Frankly, with words like chia, flax, probiotics, goji, and more making the rounds, it’s understandable to become sick of the whole bandwagon of health food and stick to a normal diet instead.
There are many species of cranberry that grow in the temperate zones of the world, the species Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton is the cranberry native to North America. It is found in both the northeastern and northwestern areas of the continent and was used by the Native Peoples for food and medicine. They introduced the plant to the pilgrims, who used the fruit for pie and tart filling; recipes have been recorded as early as 1672.
Mushrooms are valued in many parts of the world as nutrition and medicine. Cardiovascular health is one reason among many to eat mushrooms regularly, and science has been figuring out just what it is that mushrooms do to keep the heart and blood vessels healthy. Some easy to obtain heart healthy mushrooms include delicious edibles like shiitake, maitake, oyster and button mushrooms. Other medicinals like Reishi and Turkey Tails are also great for the heart but not so chewable!
Ginger is a bit of a conundrum for not only does it ease constipation and improve digestion, it also is a great tool to fight against bloating, indigestion, and even diarrhea. So basically it’s one all-rounder spice, being good for the digestive system on the whole. And this healthy spice has plenty other benefits to be reaped as well.
Triphala is a traditional Ayurvedic herbal formulation consisting of three fruits native to the Indian subcontinent: Amalaki (Emblica officinalis), Bibhitaki (Terminalia belerica) and Haritaki (Terminalia chebula). Triphala translates literally to mean “three fruits,” and comes from combining the Sanskrit words “tri” meaning three, “phala” meaning fruit and “churcha,” which means powder.
This slightly sweet, buttery nut is one of my favorites. I love popping a bunch of raw cashews in the oven and then lightly toasting them for an afternoon snack. I also like to sprinkle them on cereal or anything that needs a crunch.
Strawberries are the ultimate summer fruit. I remember going strawberry picking with my family every year as a kid. We would make a whole day out of it and at the end we would get freshly-made strawberry ice cream right from the farm itself.