nutrients

Superfood 101: Apples!

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.

5 Blood Sugar Busting Mushrooms

Blood sugar is key to keeping our cells alive and fueled to do their thing, whether they’re muscle cells or cells in the brain.

Superfood 101: Nutmeg!

Nutmeg is native to Indonesia on the Spice Islands and grows on an evergreen tree known as Myristica fragrans. Its name is derived from the Latin word “mix,” meaning nut, and “muscat,” meaning musky. Nutmeg was exploited by a few traders who knew where the archipelago was located and they monopolized the market.

Superfood 101: Squash!

Squash (the winter species) is native to Central America and evolved around the same time as flowering plants, approximately 350 million years ago. However, it was not until 13,000 B.C.E. that man began using squash to make cups, containers, and floats for fishing nets. It was one of the earliest cultivated plants, first farmed in 10,000 B.C.E., but because of its bitter taste was not used as a food source until several thousands of years later when squash was bred to have a sweeter taste.

Know Your Minerals: Selenium

“Human health is only as good as the land we grow our food in or on.”

A.W.Erickson, 1945

In other words, we reap what we sow. Trying to build a healthy diet from plants grown in unhealthy soil is like building a house without starting with a foundation. It is essential to consider the origin of foods (and other products one consumes, too!) if one aims to live a well-balanced life…with a healthy amount of selenium in store.

Superfood 101: Pumpkins!

The pumpkin is a member of the family Cucurbitaceae, also known as the cucumber family in the genus Cucurbita L. – gourd P, which contains nine species. The familiar orange pumpkin popular in the United States is of the species Cucurbita mixta Pang.

9 Tips For Quality Compost

Composting is a technique which involves decomposing plant matter into rich, productive soil. It is an essential method for anyone who chooses to practice organic gardening. Successful composting requires more than just placing organic matter into large piles. To get the most out of your compost, check out these 9 useful tips!

 

Know Your Minerals: Iron

Did you know that iron deficiency anemia is the most common form of nutritional deficiency? Though it is most common among young children and pregnant women, men are also at moderate risk.

The Fuss About Couscous (With Sweet & Savory Recipes)

It sounds exotically hilarious and frankly, it’s impossible to say without a bit of a snigger. But laugh as you may, couscous is a powerhouse of nutrients that can definitely add to your health quotient... 

 

Superfood 101: Mushrooms!

Mushrooms have been eaten as food and used as a healing aid since pre-history starting in the Neolithic period. They were first found in in the prehistoric lake dwellings in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. Truffles were found in Greece and Rome where they cultivated the small Agrocybe aegerita on pieces of poplar trunks. In China and Japan they’ve grown shitake mushrooms on rotting logs. In 1678, a French botanist demonstrated the cultivation of mushrooms by transplanting their mycelia.