WHY MUST YOU EAT CARROT?

Have you ever stopped to think about the health benefits of carrots, other than the fact they come handy in preparing fried rice or as snack? In recent years, carrot as gotten a lot of attention because of its many health benefits, including beautiful skin, cancer prevention, and anti-ageing. These include;

1. CANCER PREVENTION

2. HEALTHY SKIN

3. PREVENT HEART DISEASE

4. IMPROVES VISION

5. HEALTHY TEETH AND GUM

6. PREVENT STROKE

7. STOP DIARRHOEA

8. EXPELS WORM

Could daily intake of carrot keep the doctor away? Its quite possible, experts have evidence to show that carrots provide amazing benefits for good health, reports SADE OGUNTOLA. AN EXTRACT FROM THURSDAY, 25 JULY, 2013. NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

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CHERRY TOMATOES

Cherry tomatoes are slightly smaller and sweeter than conventional tomatoes. They are a popular variety of tomato all over the world, and they can be found in a wide assortment of dishes from Mexico, Asia to Africa.

Cherry tomatoes add charm to the recipe and offer up an abundance of tiny fruit just right for snacking. The most popular, of course, tends to be red cherry tomatoes, but there are many varieties to choose from. These delightful fruits come in several colors, sizes and shapes.

Many cherry tomatoes are about the size of a thumb tip, and sometimes somewhat larger. They are often about cherry sized, which is probably how the small tomatoes got their name. They are round to oblong, with colors which may range from green-streaked heirloom varieties to rich, glossy red. Despite being small in size, cherry tomatoes are packed with flavor, and they are often quite sweet to boot.

There are a number of uses for cherry tomatoes. They can be used like regular tomatoes in a number of recipes, although cooks should take the sweetness into account. They are excellent in salads and other appetizers, and can be used whole or cut in half. Some cooks enjoy roasting or grilling them, while others eat them raw as snack tomatoes. The sweetness of cherry tomatoes can complement a wide range of foods, and it intensifies with cooking.

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USES OF ORNAMENTAL PLANTS

An ornamental plant is grown for decoration, rather than food or other by-products. Ornamental plants may be grown in a flowerbed, shaped into a hedge or placed in a sunny apartment window. They are most often intentionally planted for aesthetic appeal, but a plant that occurs naturally and enhances the landscape could also be considered ornamental. While the most apparent use of ornamental plants is for visual effect, they serve a few less obvious purposes.

Add Beauty

Ornamental plants are used in landscapes and throughout the home to beautify the surroundings. A large, tropical plant in a living room provides a pop of color and helps soften harsh lines from furniture and architectural design. Colorful flowering ornamental plants break up the browns and greens that naturally occur outside. A large dogwood tree in the center of the front yard awakens with brilliant pink or white blossoms to flood the yard with color in spring. Exposed concrete block foundations are commonly concealed with hedges of boxwood, privet and other shrubs. Even fruit and vegetable trees and plants are sometimes used ornamentally when the plants lend themselves in some way to improving the visual appeal of the landscape.

Fragrance

Many ornamental plants are chosen because they appeal to the sense of smell, in addition to their visual appeal. Lavender is widely regarded for its pleasing fragrance; although widely harvested for lavender oil, it is commonly planted in home landscapes for its scent while in bloom. Roses are another type of flower well known for their pleasing scent. A walk through a rose garden is sure to entice visitors to lean in for a whiff of the floral bouquet. Some fragrant plants prove beneficial at repelling outdoor pests, such as ants, mosquitoes and flies. Perhaps the most well known is the citronella plant, a type of geranium with a lemon fragrance. The fuzzy blossoms of ageratum plants are prevalent in flowerbeds, but the flowers also produce coumarin, a natural mosquito repellent.

Attract Wildlife

Ornamental plants provide nutrition and shelter for many wildlife species. While some forms of wildlife wreak havoc on carefully planned landscapes, other species are responsible for pollination and propagation, making this attraction vital to the ecosystem. Choosing native plant species ensures there are ornamental plants in your garden adapted to attract native wildlife. Fruit- and berry-producing plants attract birds and small animals. Ornamental plants that produce berries include hawthorn, crabapple and native plants such as baneberry and Pacific madrone. Entire gardens of ornamentals are often dedicated to attracting butterflies. Plants to include in a butterfly garden are purple coneflower, coast angelica, coast buckwheat and pipevine. Twinberry is a native species that provides food for insects and hummingbirds with its flowers, and its berries are food for other birds.

Clean Air

Without plants we wouldn't have clean air to breathe, because plants create oxygen during photosynthesis. Plants take in carbon dioxide as food and release clean oxygen, acting as natural air filters. This proves especially helpful for indoor environments, where air circulation is limited compared to outdoors. Keeping ornamental houseplants has been shown to improve indoor air quality, even removing tobacco smoke and such volatile organic compounds as formaldehyde, trichloroethylene and benzene. Plants that prove especially effective include spider plant, golden pothos, peace lily, snake plant and several species of philodendron and dracaena. The healthier a plant is, the more effective it is at removing harmful toxins from the air. A National Aeronautics and Space Administration study suggests using up to 18 plants in 6- to 8-inch containers to clean the air in an 1,800-square-foot house.

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Oregano Nutrition Facts

Oregano is a wonderful perennial culinary as well as medicinal herb. It has long been recognized as one of the "functional foods" for its nutritional, anti-oxidants and disease preventing properties. The herb, whose name means "delight of the mountains" in Greek, is native to the Mediterranean region.

Botanically, the herb belongs to the mint (Lamiaceae) family, of the genus; Origanum and is known scientifically as Origanum vulgare.

Health benefits of Oregano

• Oregano contains an impressive list of plant derived chemical compounds that are known to have disease preventing and health promoting properties.
• The herb parts contain no cholesterol; however, are rich source of dietary fiber, which helps to control blood cholesterol levels.
• Oregano contains health benefiting essential oils such as carvacrol, thymol, limonene, pinene, ocimene, and caryophyllene. The leaves and flowering stem of the plant are strongly anti-septic, anti-spasmodic, carminative, cholagogue (help gall bladder secretion), diaphoretic (sweat production), expectorant, stimulant, and mildly tonic properties. Its decoction is taken by mouth for the treatment of colds, influenza, mild fevers, indigestion, stomach upsets, and painful menstruation conditions.
• Thymol is also been found to have anti-bacterial, anti-fungal activities.
• The herb is rich in poly-phenolic flavonoid anti-oxidants (vitamin A, carotenes, lutein, zea-xanthin, and cryptoxanthin) and has been rated as one of the plant sources with highest anti-oxidant activities. These compounds help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging and various disease processes.
• The active principles in the herb may improve the gut motility in addition to increase the digestion power by facilitating copious gastro-intestinal enzyme secretions.
• This marvelous herb is an excellent source of minerals like potassium, calcium, manganese, iron, and magnesium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps control heart rate and blood pressure caused by high sodium. Manganese and copper are used by the body as co-factors for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. Iron helps prevent anemia. Magnesium and calcium are important minerals for bone metabolism.
• In addition, fresh herb is an excellent source of antioxidant vitamin; vitamin-C. Vitamin C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals.

Oregano is a proven super "functional food." This herb is one of the foundation bases of healthy Mediterranean diet in addition to olive oil, fish and lots of greens, herbs and vegetables. It has an excellent nutritional profile; just 100 g of oregano herb provides:
Dietary fiber- 107% (Percent of RDA)    (RDA- Recommended daily allowance).
Folates- 69%
Pyridoxine- 93%
Vitamin-C- 83%
Vitamin-A-230%
Vitamin-K- 518%
Iron- 550%
Manganese-203%
Carotene-ß- 4112 µg 

Selection and storage

Fresh as well as dried oregano are readily available in the herb stores all around the year. If permitted, try to buy fresh herb over the dried form since it is superior in flavor and rich in essential oils, vital vitamins and anti-oxidants like beta-carotene, vitamin C, and folates.

Choose fresh oregano leaves featuring vibrant green color and firm stem. It should be free from mold, discoloration or yellowing. Try to buy dried oregano from the organic farm and processed from authentic sources since it assurances you that the product is free from irradiation and pesticide residues.

Fresh leaves should be stored in the refrigerator kept in a zip pouch or wrapped in a slightly damp paper towel. Dried leaves can be kept fresh for many months when stored in a tightly sealed
glass container, and stored in a cool, dark and dry place.

Culinary uses

In order to keep the fragrance and aromatic flavor intact, oregano leaves are generally used just before preparing recipes.
Here are some serving tips:

• Oregano herb is widely used as a "spice." It is principally employed in the cuisines as a seasoning to enhance the flavor.
• It has been used in preparation of many popular dishes in Mediterranean and Mexican cuisine since ancient times. Along with other spicy items, it is being used as flavoring agent in the preparation of pizzas, chicken, fish, and meat dishes.
• It has also been used in the preparation of soups, omelet, sauces, and pickling.
• Freshly chopped oregano is a great addition to green/fruit salad.

Medicinal uses

• The leaves and flowering stem of the oregano plant have antiseptic, antispasmodic, carminative, increase bile secretion, diaphoretic, expectorant, stimulant, and mildly tonic properties.
• Oregano decoction is taken by mouth for the treatment of colds, influenza, mild fevers, indigestion, stomach upsets, and painful menstruation.
• Thymol has been found to have anti-septic, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal activities.
  
  
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