Guide to Making Home Remedies with Your Extra Summer Veggies!

August 14th, 2013 · No Comments · Hanna Kroeger, Herbs for, home remedy

veg_gardenSummer is marked with the taste of watermelon, peaches, and fresh greens. This is it—the time when home gardens are bursting through the fence and the farmer’s markets are brightly colored with all kinds of fruits and vegetables! Whether you have a home garden and are now overwhelmed by a large ripening crop or you simply jumped on a seasonal deal at your local market for produce, chances are your kitchen is now the home of a few season items. Make the most out of your summer veggies! Fresh picked produce not only tastes better, but is richer in vitamins and minerals. Fresh produce makes up a large section in the booklet 111 Healthiest Foods. Your garden likely holds a number of healing foods to give your body a healthy boost.

Tomatoes for Your Cardiovascular System

agelessTomatoes can be used fresh, stewed, roasted, and even green! No matter how you eat your tomatoes, they’ll provide you with a good dose of vitamins and minerals. Fresh tomatoes are full of vitamin C, which supports the immune system and aids in healing. Thrown in a stew, cooked tomatoes have been shown to support good liver health and blood health. Phytonutrients in the fruit can improve the profile of fats in the blood stream, which will promote good heart health and keep your arteries in good condition. If your tomatoes are still green, consider using them as a tart addition to a salad—green tomatoes were recommended as a gland stimulant by Hanna Kroeger. Read her book, Ageless Remedies from Mother’s Kitchen, for more holistic remedies.

 

Strawberries: A Berry for Glowing Skin

Like tomatoes, strawberries are rich in vitamin C. In fact, a single cup of strawberries offers 141% of the daily recommended vitamin C intake. Vitamin C, along with other phytonutrients that scavenge free radicals, make strawberries a great skin food. By fighting oxidation, strawberries can help keep your skin looking younger longer. These berries may have the same effect on your brain—although research is still in beginning stages, some aging animals have shown improved cognitive function and less degeneration with the addition of strawberry supplementation. Strawberries are delicious fresh, but there are many other ways to enjoy them! Try making a sweet and spicy strawberry salsa, using them in muffins, or spreading some sliced berries over yogurt. Don’t stop there! Strawberry leaves are also rich in nutrients, though they are often overshadowed by the sweet fruits they bare. A tea of strawberry leaves can help address complaints of kidney stones, gout, eczema, and digestive issues.

Watermelon as a Kidney Cleanser:

kidneycareRecommended by Hanna as a kidney cleanser in her book Good Health Through Special Diets, watermelon is another fruit to load up on in the summer months. The seeds of watermelon will help your body expel kidney stones and cleanse your kidneys in the process. You may try eating watermelon and using a blend of herbs, such as Kidney Care Blend, to keep your kidneys in good health. The flesh of watermelons is also nutrient rich. Compounds in watermelon, called phenols, are naturally occurring nutrients found only in plants. Micronutrients, phenols have both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. This means that consumption of watermelon may help prevent cancer and can reduce the frequency of other inflammatory diseases. Have you had one too many slices of watermelon this summer? Try something different! Throwing a slice of melon on the grill for a few minutes will give it a caramelized finish. Watermelon pairs well with cheese for a sweet-and-salty snack, and a drizzle of balsamic and a basil leaf will add a tangy kick.

Sunflower Seeds: A Whole Body Booster

Sunflower_Metalhead64The body’s primary fat-soluble antioxidant, vitamin E, can be hard to eat enough of. Found in only a few food sources, vitamin E is essential to human health and helps the entire body. For this reason, many people choose to take a daily Vitamin E supplement. Sunflower seeds are extremely rich in vitamin E—a small quarter cup serving offers more than 60% of the daily recommended intake. The anti-inflammatory effects of vitamin E can reduce symptoms of a variety of diseases, from asthma to osteoarthritis. Another important nutrient found in sunflower seeds is magnesium. Taking magnesium may help you sleep better, and is an important building block for healthy bones. Try supplementing your diet with Magnesium Citrate, which may digest better than other forms of magnesium.

Look for ways to use up the cucumbers, peppers, squash, and zucchini from your garden? Check out this blog post with Hanna’s healing recipes! Remember that your diet plays a large role in your health. Read Foods that Heal for ideas on how to stay healthy simply by eating well.

 

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