Nutritious Green Leafy Vegetables for All Dark green leafy vegetables are perhaps the most potent superfood on the planet. They are also the most ignored and avoided foods as well. If you consider the powerful dose of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients that we get from spinach, kale, chard, collards, dandelion and other greens, it’s a wonder we can live without them. Leafy Green Nutrition Leafy green vegetables have more nutrition per calorie than any other food. Greens make up a significant source vitamins A, C, E and K as well as several B vitamins. They are rich sources of minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and potassium. They are rich in fiber, extremely low in fat and carbohydrates and provide an excellent source of protein. As a general rule, you should aim to eat at least five servings of vegetables daily (that’s about 2 1/2 cups of cooked vegetables), and that includes leafy greens. As long as theyre prepared in a healthy way, leafy greens, like other nonstarchy vegetables, are a great addition to your diet and offer countless health benefits. Leafy greens are full of vitamins, minerals, and disease-fighting phytochemicals. They are rich in fiber, an important nutrient for weight loss and maintenance because it keeps you feeling full and helps control your hunger. Fiber can also lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and help to temper blood-sugar swings by slowing the absorption of carbohydrates into your bloodstream after meals. This lowers your risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Leafy greens also contain a lot of water, which helps keep you hydrated and contributes to beautiful skin and hair. Some leafy greens, like collards and kale, are particularly rich in calcium, which helps keep your teeth and bones strong and reduces your overall risk for osteoporosis. Calcium also contributes to muscle function and blood-pressure management. Leafy greens contain potassium as well, which further protects against osteoporosis and helps manage blood-pressure levels. The antioxidants like vitamin C, lutein, and zeaxanthin that are contained in leafy greens may help reduce your risk of cataracts and macular degeneration. Vitamin C helps the body make collagen too; collagen is a major component of cartilage that aids in joint flexibility, may reduce your risk of arthritis, and keeps your skin and hair healthy and beautiful. Research shows vitamin C may also slow bone loss and decrease the risk of fractures. Leafy greens that contain beta-carotene, such as collard greens, spinach, and Swiss chard, contribute to the growth and repair of the bodys tissues. Beta-carotene may also protect your skin against sun damage. Beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A in the body, and food sources of beta-carotene are the best way to get your vitamin A fix, since extremely high doses of vitamin A in supplements can be toxic and lead to bone, liver, and neural disorders as well as birth defects. Food sources of beta-carotene are entirely safe, though, since the body regulates how much beta-carotene is converted into vitamin A. Leafy greens are an excellent source of folate, which can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and memory loss. And since folate contributes to the production of serotonin, it may help ward off depression and improve mood. The vitamin E found in green leafy vegetables works with vitamin C to keep skin healthy as you age. This vitamin also helps protect your skin from the sun’s damaging rays and may help reduce your risk of cataracts and macular degeneration. When the Green leafy vegetables have such nutritional value,how is it not many people use it? The reasons are: lack of availability,cost etc. In a bid to provide leafy vegetables for all at an affordable price and using least space a simple,multi rack,easy to make vegetable farming system has been designed and developed by Dr.A.Jagadeesh,Director,Nayudamma Centre for Development Alternatives,Nellore,Andhra Pradesh,India. System Details: Book racks are available commercially in towns and villages. These can be assembled and dismantled easily. The height beween the gap of rack can be varied. A 5 level rack has been assembled reversing the plates(so that they actlike a vessel) fixing extra plates on each side of rack level to give more depth( about 5 to 6 cm) The Plates are a bit inclined and have small holes at the end to drain extra water. Used Fertiliser bags(which are available) are cut and spread in the space of the plates and filled with soil. Natural manure is mixed with sooil. The setup is faced sun facing (East to west in South India).The leafy vegetrable seeds are sprayed in each of the tray which is divided into half. Thus in 5 plate vessels 10 varieitis of leafy vegetables can be grown. One can choose which green leafy vegetables to grow. This way within 20 days one can get sizeable plants. By having two racks one can get round the week vegetables. For commercial purposes one can go for modular system. This can be placed on the roof top or in the backyard and occupies little space(vertical). Since natural fertilizer is provided at the roots,the roots won’t go deep. Advantages: The whole unit is affordable and can be easily assembled with a spanner. It is mobile. The height can be varied between plates to the size of the plants to be grown. One can get natural organically grown leafy vegetables. The system costs in Andhra Pradesh(South India) rs 2000(About 33 US$). Mass production can reduce the cost of the system. The Government can promote this system for livelihood among weaker sections of society. The unit lasts atleast Two years and with proper painting and maintenance 4 years. The investment on the system can be recovered in 6 months. Nutritious green leafy vegetables are available to all. Using this set up with controlled conditions like shade,Broccoli sprouts can be raised: Broccoli sprouts are three- to four-day-old broccoli plants that look like alfalfa sprouts, but taste like radishes. The radish flavor comes from a phytochemical that may act as protection against vectors (see also radical or free-radical theory) while the broccoli plant is still young.[1] This phytochemical not only benefits the young plant, but also when eaten by humans, may act as an antioxidant to stimulate the ability of cells to protect against disease. Broccoli sprouts actually have lower nutritional values than full sized broccoli according to the USDA.[6] Many studies compare the nutritional value of dry, dormant seeds to sprouts to obtain an exaggerated positive result for sprouts. However, the sprouts are not typically consumed for their nutrient content; they are consumed for their content of bioactive molecules with potent nutrigenomic potential. Broccoli sprouts contain a particular glucosinolate compound, glucoraphanin, which is found in vacuoles within the cytoplasm of the plant cell. The membrane of the plant cells also contain an enzyme, myrosinase, which is walled off from the vacuoles of glucoraphanin. Only when the plant cell is ruptured by cutting, chewing, etc. do the two substances come into contact with each other. In the moist environment of the cell, this leads to a chemical reaction wherein the myrosinase converts the glucoraphanin to an isothiocyanate, sulforaphane. It is predominantly the sulforaphane for which broccoli sprouts have been so widely researched. The glucoraphanin of itself is inert. Hundreds of research studies occur every year on the cancer preventive potential of plant nutrients. The cancer preventive property of cruciferous vegetables and sulforaphane is the subject of over 700 research studies to date. The following table is a representation of the epidemiological evidence of cancer prevention by cruciferous vegetables. Broccoli sprouts can be grown pretty much anywhere and require very little space or equipment. High in vitamins and antioxidants, broccoli sprouts have been found to contain higher concentrations of cancer-fighting compounds than broccoli grown to full size. They have very high levels of nutrients and enzymes, which provide the body valuable energy to detox and strengthen the immune system. According to the Hippocrates Health Institute, the other key benefits of sprouts include: - Increased vitality, energy and vigor from the large amount of enzymes. - 10 to 100 times more enzymes than fruits and vegetables when eaten within the first seven days of being sprouted. - Powerful antioxidants which help fight free radicals and aging. - The minerals and nutrients are easily absorbed into the body. While there are many excellent sprouts, there is a specific reason why I buy organic broccoli sprouts. What broccoli sprouts offer is sulforaphane, a powerful anti-cancer compound that helps fight and reduce the risk of developing cancer. Dr. Paul Talalay, Professor of Pharmacology at Johns Hopkins University, found that 3-day old broccoli sprouts consistently contained 20 to 50 times the amount of chemoprotective compounds than those found in mature broccoli heads. And sulforaphane is the reason why. The second one is simple soil solarisation: The advantages are: It will Help plants to: Good light insulation, sunlight warming the ground fast;Block the sunlight and weed control; Restrain the moisture in the soil; Protect plants from water, dust and frost; Promote crop precocious, yield and quality. My aim is To take it up with Local,National and International organisations,NGOs, Media both Print and Electronic to Promote it on a world wide level. Simple Soil Solarisation with black Poly ethylene cover Dr.A.Jagadeesh Director Nayudamma Centre for Development Alternatives 2/210 First Floor Nawabpet NELLORE- 524 002 Andhra Pradesh INDIA E-mail:anumakonda.jagadeesh@gmail Facebook:facebook/anumakonda.jagadeesh Blog: drjagadeeshncda.blogspot Twitter: @anumakondaj Phone: ++ 91 861 2317776 Mobile: +91 9490125950
Posted on: Tue, 30 Sep 2014 02:44:50 +0000
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