Protection, Ending Relationships
Nutritional Profile Energy value (calories per serving): Low Protein: Moderate Fat: Low Saturated fat: Low Cholesterol: None Carbohydrates: High Fiber: Moderate Sodium: Moderate Major vitamin contribution: Vitamin C Major mineral contribution: Potassium
About the Nutrients in This Food Beets are roots, high-carbohydrate foods that provide sugars, starch, and small amounts of dietary fiber, insoluble cellulose in the skin, and soluble pectins in the flesh. Beets are also a good source of the B vitamin folate. One-half cup cooked fresh beets has one gram of dietar y fiber and 68 mcg folate (17 percent of the R DA).
The Most Nutritious Way to Serve This Food Cooked, to dissolve the stiff cell walls and make the nutrients inside available.
Diets That May Restrict or Exclude This Food Anti-kidney-stone diet Low-sodium diet
Buying This Food Look for: Smooth round globes with fresh, crisp green leaves on top. Avoid: Beets with soft spots or blemishes that suggest decay underneath.
Storing This Food Protect the nutrients in beets by storing the vegetables in a cool place, such as the vegetable crisper in your refrigerator. When stored, the beet root converts its starch into sugars; the longer it is stored, the sweeter it becomes. Remove the green tops from beets before storing and store the beet greens like other leaf y vegetables, in plastic bags in the refrigerator to keep them from drying out and losing vitamins (also see gr eens). Use both beets and beet greens within a week.
Preparing This Food Scrub the globes with a vegetable brush under cold running water. You can cook them whole or slice them. Peel before (or after) cooking.
What Happens When You Cook This Food Betacyamin and betaxanthin, the red betalain pigments in beets, are water-soluble. (That’s why borscht is a scarlet soup.) Betacyanins and betaxanthins turn more intensely red when you add acids; think of scarlet sweet-and-sour beets in lemon juice or vinegar with sugar. They turn slightly blue in a basic (alkaline) solution such as baking soda and water. Like carrots, beets have such stiff cell walls that it is hard for the human digestive tract to extract the nutrients inside. Cooking will not soften the cellulose in the beet’s cell walls, but it will dissolve enough hemicellulose so that digestive juices are able to penetrate. Cook- ing also activates flavor molecules in beets, making them taste better.
How Other Kinds of Processing Affect This Food Canning. Beets lose neither their color nor their texture in canning.
Medical Uses and/or Benefits Lower risk of some birth defects. As many as two of every 1,000 babies born in the United States each year may have cleft palate or a neural tube (spinal cord) defect due to their moth- ers’ not having gotten adequate amounts of folate during pregnancy. The R DA for folate is 400 mcg for healthy adult men and women, 600 mcg for pregnant women, and 500 mcg for women who are nursing. Taking folate supplements before becoming pregnant and continu- ing through the first two months of pregnancy reduces the risk of cleft palate; taking folate through the entire pregnancy reduces the risk of neural tube defects. Possible lower risk of heart attack. In the spring of 1998, an analysis of data from the records of more than 80,000 women enrolled in the long-running Nurses’ Health Study at Harvard School of Public Health/Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in Boston, demonstrated that a diet providing more than 400 mcg folate and 3 mg vitamin B6 daily, either from food or supple- ments, might reduce a woman’s risk of heart attack by almost 50 percent. Although men were not included in the study, the results were assumed to apply to them as well. However, data from a meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in December 2006 called this theory into question. Researchers at Tulane Univer- sity examined the results of 12 controlled studies in which 16,958 patients with preexisting cardiovascular diseases were given either folic acid supplements or placebos (“look-alike” pills with no folic acid) for at least six months. The scientists, who found no reduction in the risk of further heart disease or overall death rates among those taking folic acid, concluded that further studies will be required to verif y whether taking folic acid supplements reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Adverse Effects Associated with This Food Pigmented urine and feces. The ability to metabolize betacyanins and be taxanthins is a genetic trait. People with two recessive genes for this trait cannot break down these red pig- ments, which will be excreted, bright red, in urine. Eating beets can also turn feces red, but it will not cause a false-positive result in a test for occult blood in the stool. Nitrosamine formation. Beets, celery, eggplant, lettuce, radishes, spinach, and collard and turnip greens contain nitrates that convert naturally into nitrites in your stomach—where some of the nitrites combine with amines to form nitrosamines, some of which are known carcinogens. This natural chemical reaction presents no known problems for a healthy adult. However, when these vegetables are cooked and left standing for a while at room tempera- ture, microorganisms that convert nitrates to nitrites begin to multiply, and the amount of nitrites in the food rises. The resulting higher-nitrite foods may be dangerous for infants (see spinach).... beets
Nutritional Profile Energy value (calories per serving): Low Protein: Moderate Fat: Low Saturated fat: Low Cholesterol: None Carbohydrates: High Fiber: Low Sodium: Low Major vitamin contribution: Vitamin A, folate, vitamin C Major mineral contribution: Calcium (moderate)
About the Nutrients in This Food All cabbage has some dietary fiber food: insoluble cellulose and lignin in the ribs and structure of the leaves. Depending on the variety, it has a little vitamin A, moderate amounts of the B vitamin folate and vitamin C. One-half cup shredded raw bok choy has 0.1 g dietary fiber, 1,041 IU vitamin A (45 percent of the R DA for a woman, 35 percent of the R DA for a man), and 15.5 mg vitamin C (21 percent of the R DA for a woman, 17 percent of the R DA for a man). One-half cup shredded raw green cabbage has 0.5 g dietary fiber, 45 IU vitamin A (1.9 percent of the R DA for a woman, 1.5 percent of the R DA for a man), 15 mcg folate (4 percent of the R DA), and 11 mg vitamin C (15 percent of the R DA for a woman, 12 percent of the R DA for a man). One-half cup chopped raw red cabbage has 0.5 g dietary fiber, 7 mcg folate (2 percent of the R DA), and 20 mg vitamin C (27 percent of the R DA for a woman, 22 percent of the R DA for a man). One-half cup chopped raw savoy cabbage has one gram dietary fiber, 322 IU vitamin A (14 percent of the R DA for a woman, 11 percent of the R DA for a man), and 11 mg vitamin C (15 percent of the R DA for a woman, 12 percent of the R DA for a man). Raw red cabbage contains an antinutrient enzyme that splits the thiamin molecule so that the vitamin is no longer nutritionally useful. This thiamin in hibitor is inactivated by cooking.
The Most Nutritious Way to Serve This Food Raw or lightly steamed to protect the vitamin C.
Diets That May Restrict or Exclude This Food Antiflatulence diet Low-fiber diet
Buying This Food Look for: Cabbages that feel heavy for their size. The leaves should be tightly closed and attached tightly at the stem end. The outer leaves on a savoy cabbage may curl back from the head, but the center leaves should still be relatively tightly closed. Also look for green cabbages that still have their dark-green, vitamin-rich outer leaves. Avoid: Green and savoy cabbage with yellow or wilted leaves. The yellow carotene pig- ments show through only when the cabbage has aged and its green chlorophyll pigments have faded. Wilted leaves mean a loss of moisture and vitamins.
Storing This Food Handle cabbage gently; bruising tears cells and activates ascorbic acid oxidase, an enzyme in the leaves that hastens the destruction of vitamin C. Store cabbage in a cool, dark place, preferably a refrigerator. In cold storage, cabbage can retain as much as 75 percent of its vitamin C for as long as six months. Cover the cabbage to keep it from drying out and losing vitamin A.
Preparing This Food Do not slice the cabbage until you are ready to use it; slicing tears cabbage cells and releases the enzyme that hastens the oxidation and destruction of vitamin C. If you plan to serve cooked green or red cabbage in wedges, don’t cut out the inner core that hold the leaves together. To separate the leaves for stuffing, immerse the entire head in boiling water for a few minutes, then lift it out and let it drain until it is cool enough to handle comfortably. The leaves should pull away easily. If not, put the cabbage back into the hot water for a few minutes.
What Happens When You Cook This Food Cabbage contains mustard oils (isothiocyanates) that break down into a variet y of smelly sulfur compounds (including hydrogen sulfide and ammon ia) when the cabbage is heated, a reaction that occurs more strongly in aluminum pots. The longer you cook the cabbage, the more smelly the compounds will be. Adding a slice of bread to the cooking water may lessen the odor. Keeping a lid on the pot will stop the smelly molecules from floating off into the air, but it will also accelerate the chemical reaction that turns cooked green cabbage drab. Chlorophyll, the pigment that makes green vegetables green, is sensitive to acids. When you heat green cabbage, the chlorophyll in its leaves reacts chemically with acids in the cabbage or in the cooking water to form pheophytin, which is brown. The pheophytin gives the cooked cabbage its olive color. To keep cooked green cabbage green, you have to reduce the interaction between the chlorophyll and the acids. One way to do this is to cook the cabbage in a large quantity of water, so the acids will be diluted, but this increases the loss of vitamin C.* Another alternative is to leave the lid off the pot so that the volatile acids can float off into the air, but this allows the smelly sulfur compounds to escape too. The best way may be to steam the cabbage ver y quickly in ver y little water so that it keeps its vitamin C and cooks before there is time for the chlorophyll/acid reaction to occur. Red cabbage is colored with red anthocyanins, pigments that turn redder in acids (lemon juice, vinegar) and blue purple in bases (alkaline chemicals such as baking soda). To keep the cabbage red, make sweet-and-sour cabbage. But be careful not to make it in an iron or aluminum pot, since vinegar (which contains tannins) will react with these metals to create dark pigments that discolor both the pot and the vegetable. Glass, stainless-steel, or enameled pots do not produce this reaction.
How Other Kinds of Processing Affect This Food Pickling. Sauerkraut is a fermented and pickled produce made by immersing cabbage in a salt solution strong enough to kill off pathological bacteria but allow beneficial ones to sur- vive, breaking down proteins in the cabbage and producing the acid that gives sauerkraut its distinctive flavor. Sauerkraut contains more than 37 times as much sodium as fresh cabbage (661 mg sodium/100 grams canned sauerkraut with liquid) but only one third the vitamin C and one-seventh the vitamin A. * According to USDA, if you cook t hree cups of cabbage in one cup of water you will lose only 10 percent of t he vitamin C; reverse t he rat io to four t imes as much water as cabbage and you will lose about 50 percent of t he vitamin C. Cabbage will lose as much as 25 percent of its vitamin C if you cook it in water t hat is cold when you start. As it boils, water releases ox ygen t hat would ot her wise dest roy vitamin C, so you can cut t he vitamin loss dramat ically simply by lett ing t he water boil for 60 seconds before adding t he cabbage.
Medical Uses and/or Benefits Protection against certain cancers. Naturally occurring chemicals (indoles, isothiocyanates, glucosinolates, dithiolethiones, and phenols) in cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauli- flower, and other cruciferous vegetables appear to reduce the risk of some cancers, perhaps by preventing the formation of carcinogens in your body or by blocking cancer-causing substances from reaching or reacting with sensitive body tissues or by inhibiting the trans- formation of healthy cells to malignant ones. All cruciferous vegetables contain sulforaphane, a member of a family of chemicals known as isothiocyanates. In experiments with laboratory rats, sulforaphane appears to increase the body’s production of phase-2 enzymes, naturally occurring substances that inac- tivate and help eliminate carcinogens. At Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, 69 percent of the rats injected with a chemical known to cause mammary cancer developed tumors vs. only 26 percent of the rats given the carcinogenic chemical plus sulforaphane. In 1997, Johns Hopkins researchers discovered that broccoli seeds and three-day-old broccoli sprouts contain a compound converted to sulforaphane when the seed and sprout cells are crushed. Five grams of three-day-old broccoli sprouts contain as much sulforaphane as 150 grams of mature broccoli. The sulforaphane levels in other cruciferous vegetables have not yet been calculated. Vision protection. In 2004, the Johns Hopkins researchers updated their findings on sulfora- phane to suggest that it may also protect cells in the eyes from damage due to ultraviolet light, thus reducing the risk of macular degeneration, the most common cause of age-related vision loss. Lower risk of some birth defects. As many as two of every 1,000 babies born in the United States each year may have cleft palate or a neural tube (spinal cord) defect due to their moth- ers’ not having gotten adequate amounts of folate during pregnancy. The current R DA for folate is 180 mcg for a woman and 200 mcg for a man, but the FDA now recommends 400 mcg for a woman who is or may become pregnant. Taking a folate supplement before becom- ing pregnant and through the first two months of pregnancy reduces the risk of cleft palate; taking folate through the entire pregnancy reduces the risk of neural tube defects. Possible lower risk of heart attack. In the spring of 1998, an analysis of data from the records for more than 80,000 women enrolled in the long-running Nurses’ Health Study at Harvard School of Public Health/Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in Boston, demonstrated that a diet providing more than 400 mcg folate and 3 mg vitamin B6 daily, either from food or supple- ments, might reduce a woman’s risk of heart attack by almost 50 percent. Although men were not included in the study, the results were assumed to apply to them as well. However, data from a meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in December 2006 called this theory into question. Researchers at Tulane Univer- sity examined the results of 12 controlled studies in which 16,958 patients with preexisting cardiovascular disease were given either folic acid supplements or placebos (“look-alike” pills with no folic acid) for at least six months. The scientists, who found no reduction in the risk of further heart disease or overall death rates among those taking folic acid, concluded that further studies will be required to verif y whether taking folic acid supplements reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Adverse Effects Associated with This Food Enlarged thyroid gland (goiter). Cruciferous vegetables, including cabbage, contain goitrin, thiocyanate, and isothiocyanate. These chemicals, known collectively as goitrogens, inhibit the formation of thyroid hormones and cause the thyroid to enlarge in an attempt to pro- duce more. Goitrogens are not hazardous for healthy people who eat moderate amounts of cruciferous vegetables, but they may pose problems for people who have a thyroid condition or are taking thyroid medication. Intestinal gas. Bacteria that live naturally in the gut degrade the indigestible carbohydrates (food fiber) in cabbage, producing gas that some people find distressing.
Food/Drug Interactions Anticoagulants Cabbage contains vitamin K, the blood-clotting vitamin produced natu- rally by bacteria in the intestines. Consuming large quantities of this food may reduce the effectiveness of anticoagulants (blood thinners) such as warfarin (Coumadin). One cup of shredded common green cabbage contains 163 mcg vitamin K, nearly three times the R DA for a healthy adult; one cup of drained boiled common green cabbage contains 73 mcg vita- min K, slightly more than the R DA for a healthy adult. Monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors. Monoamine oxidase inhibitors are drugs used to treat depression. They inactivate naturally occurring enzymes in your body that metabolize tyra- mine, a substance found in many fermented or aged foods. Tyramine constricts blood vessels and increases blood pressure. If you eat a food such as sauerkraut which is high in tyramine while you are taking an M AO inhibitor, you cannot effectively eliminate the tyramine from your body. The result may be a hypertensive crisis.... cabbage
Hin: Akasgaddah;
Mal: Kadamba, KollankovaTam: Akashagarudan, Gollankovai;Tel: Murudonda, NagadondaCorallocarpus is a prostrate or climbing herb distributed in Punjab, Sind, Gujarat, Deccan, Karnataka and Sri Lanka. It is monoecious with large root which is turnip-shaped and slender stem which is grooved, zigzag and glabrous. Tendrils are simple, slender and glabrous. Leaves are sub-orbicular in outline, light green above and pale beneath, deeply cordate at the base, angled or more or less deeply 3-5 lobed. Petiole is long and glabrous. Male flowers are small and arranged at the tip of a straight stiff glabrous peduncle. Calyx is slightly hairy, long and rounded at the base. Corolla is long and greenish yellow. Female flowers are usually solitary with short, stout and glabrous peduncles. Fruit is stalked, long, ellipsoid or ovoid. Seeds are pyriform, turgid, brown and with a whitish corded margin. It is prescribed in later stages of dysentery and old veneral complaints. For external use in chronic rheumatism, it is made into a liniment with cumin seed, onion and castor oil. It is used in case of snakebite where it is administered internally and applied to the bitten part. The root is given in syphilitic rheumatism and later stages of dysentery. The plant is bitter, sweet, alexipharmic and emetic. The root is said to possess alterative and laxative properties (Kirtikar and Basu, 1988). Root contains a bitter principle like Breyonin (Chopra et al, 1980).Agrotechnology: Cucurbits can be successfully grown during January-March and September- December. For the rainfed crop, sowing can also be started after the receipt of the first few showers.Pits of 60cm diameter and 30-45cm depth are to be taken at the desired spacing. Well rotten FYM or vegetable mixture is to be mixed with topsoil in the pit and seeds are to be sown at 4-5/pit. Unhealthy plants are to be removed after 2 weeks and retained 2-3 plants/pit. FYM is to be applied at 20-25t/ha as basal dose along with half dose of N (35kg/ha) and full dose of P (25kg) and K (25kg). The remaining dose of N (35kg) can be applied in 2 equal split doses at fortnightly intervals. During the initial stages of growth, irrigation is to be given at an interval of 3-4 days and at alternate days during flowering and fruiting periods. For trailing cucumber, pumpkin and melon, dried twigs are to be spread on the ground. Bitter gourd, bottle gourd, snake gourd and ash gourd are to be trailed on Pandals. Weeding and raking of the soil are to be conducted at the time of fertilizer application. Earthing up may be done during rainy season. The most dreaded pest of cucurbits is fruit flies which can be controlled by using fruit traps, covering the fruits with polythene, cloth or paper bags, removal and destruction of affected fruits and lastly spraying with Carbaryl or Malathion 0. 2% suspension containing sugar or jaggery at 10g/l at fortnightly intervals after fruit set initiation. During rainy season, downy mildew and mosaic diseases are severe in cucurbits. The former can be checked by spraying Mancozeb 0.2%. The spread of mosaic can be checked by controlling the vectors using Dimethoate or Phosphamidon 0.05% and destruction of affected plants and collateral hosts. Harvesting to be done at least 10 days after insecticide or fungicide application (KAU,1996).... cucurbitsHabitat: Cultivated as an oil-yielding crop.
English: Field Mustard, Turnip Rape.Ayurvedic: Sarshapa, Siddhaartha.Unani: Sarson.Siddha/Tamil: Kadugu.Action: Stimulant, diuretic, emetic, rubefacient, counter-irritant. Used externally for bronchitis and rheumatic pains (increases flow of blood to a specific area). Powdered seeds are used as a tea for colds, influenza and fever.
The seeds contain glycosinolates (the derivatives are responsible for tox- icity). The concentration of the major glucosinolate, gluco-napin, varies from 0.64 to 1.8% in the oil-free meal of Indian brassicas. The glucosinolates in rapeseed meal split upon enzymatic hydrolysis to produce glucose, potassium, hydrogen sulphate and a sulphur- containing compound which undergoes intramolecular rearrangement to give rise to the antinutritional factors, isothiocyanates or thiocyanates.The volatile oil of mustard is given internally in colic; in overdoses it is highly poisonous and produces gastro- enteric inflammations. It is employed externally as a liniment for rheumatic pains.Adulteration of mustard oil with argemone oil (Argemone mexicana is frequently found growing in brassica fields), by accident or by design, has led to the widespread epidemics of dropsy and glaucoma due to an alkaloid sanguinarine.Black mustard contains sinigrin, which on hydrolysis by enzyme my- rosin, produces allyisothiocynate; the white mustard contains sinalbin, which produces p-hydroxybenzyl isothiocy- nate. Mucilage contains sinapine.Dosage: Seed—500 mg to 1 g paste. (API Vol. III.)... brassica campestrisNutritional Profile Energy value (calories per serving): Low Protein: Moderate Fat: Low Saturated fat: Low Cholesterol: None Carbohydrates: High Fiber: Moderate Sodium: High Major vitamin contribution: Folate Major mineral contribution: Potassium, phosphorus
About the Nutrients in This Food Celery has moderate amounts of dietary fiber and small amounts of the B vitamin folate. One-half cup diced raw celery has one gram dietary fiber and 17 mcg folate (4 percent of the R DA).
The Most Nutritious Way to Serve This Food Fresh, filled with cheese to add protein.
Diets That May Restrict or Exclude This Food Low-fiber diet Low-sodium diet
Buying This Food Look for: Crisp, medium-size pale green celery with fresh leaves. Darker stalks have more vitamin A but are likely to be stringy. Avoid: Wilted or yellowed stalks. Wilted stalks have lost moisture and are low in vitamins A and C. Yellowed stalks are no longer fresh; their chlorophyll pigments have faded enough to let the yellow carotenes show through. Avoid bruised or rotten celery. Celery cells contain chemicals called furocoumarins (pso- ralens) that may turn carcinogenic when the cell membranes are damaged and the furocou- marins are exposed to light. Bruised or rotting celery may contain up to a hundred times the psoralens in fresh celery.
Storing This Food Handle celery carefully to avoid damaging the stalks and releasing furocoumarins. Refrigerate celery in plastic bags or in the vegetable crisper to keep them moist and crisp. They will stay fresh for about a week.
Preparing This Food R inse celery under cold running water to remove all sand and dirt. Cut off the leaves, blanch them, dry them thoroughly, and rub them through a sieve or food mill. The dry powder can be used to season salt or frozen for later use in soups or stews.
What Happens When You Cook This Food When you cook celery the green flesh will soften as the pectin inside its cells dissolves in water, but the virtually indestructible cellulose and lignin “strings” on the ribs will stay stiff. If you don’t like the strings, pull them off before you cook the celery. Cooking also changes the color of celery. Chlorophyll, the pigment that makes green vegetables green, is very sensitive to acids. When you heat celery, the chlorophyll in its stalks reacts chemically with acids in the celery or in the cooking water to form pheophytin, which is brown. The pheophytin will turn the celery olive-drab or, if the stalks have a lot of yellow carotene, bronze. You can prevent this natural chemical reaction and keep the celery green by cooking it so quickly that there is no time for the chlorophyll to react with the acids, or by cooking it in lots of water (which will dilute the acids), or by cooking it with the lid off the pot so that the volatile acids can float off into the air.
Adverse Effects Associated with This Food Contact dermatitis. Celery contains limonene, an essential oil known to cause contact der- matitis in sensitive individuals. (Limonene is also found in dill, caraway seeds, and the peel of lemon and limes.) Photosensitivity. The furocoumarins (psoralens) released by damaged or moldy celery are photosensitizers as well as potential mutagens and carcinogens. Constant contact with these chemicals can make skin very sensitive to light, a problem most common among food work- ers who handle large amounts of celery without wearing gloves. Nitrate/nitrite poisoning. Like beets, eggplant, lettuce, radish, spinach, and collard and turnip greens, celery contains nitrates that convert naturally into nitrites in your stomach and then react with the amino acids in proteins to form nitrosamines. Although some nitro- samines are known or suspected carcinogens, this natural chemical conversion presents no known problems for a healthy adult. However, when these nitrate-rich vegetables are cooked and left to stand at room temperature, bacterial enzyme action (and perhaps some enzymes in the plants) convert the nitrates to nitrites at a much faster rate than normal. These higher-nitrite foods may be hazardous for infants; several cases of “spinach poison- ing” have been reported among children who ate cooked spinach that had been left standing at room temperature.... celery
Nutritional Profile Energy value (calories per serving): Low Protein: High Fat: Low Saturated fat: Low Cholesterol: None Carbohydrates: High Fiber: High Sodium: Low Major vitamin contribution: B vitamins, vitamin C Major mineral contribution: Potassium
About the Nutrients in This Food Cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamin C and a moderately good source of folate, a member of the B vitamin family. One-half cup cooked fresh cauliflower florets (the top of the plant) has one gram dietary fiber, 13.5 mcg folate (3 percent of the R DA), and 35 mg vitamin C (50 percent of the R DA for a woman, 39 percent of the R DA for a man).
The Most Nutritious Way to Serve This Food Raw or lightly steamed to protect the vitamin C. Cooked or frozen cauli-flower may have up to 50 percent less vitamin C than raw cauliflower.
Diets That May Restrict or Exclude This Food Antiflatulence diet Low-fiber diet
Buying This Food Look for: Creamy white heads with tight, compact florets and fresh green leaves. The size of the cauliflower has no bearing on its nutritional value or its taste. Avoid: Cauliflower with brown spots or patches.
Storing This Food Keep cauliflower in a cool, humid place to safeguard its vitamin C content.
Preparing This Food Pull off and discard any green leaves still attached to the cauliflower and slice off the woody stem and core. Then plunge the cauliflower, head down, into a bowl of salted ice water to flush out any insects hiding in the head. To keep the cauliflower crisp when cooked, add a teaspoon of vinegar to the water. You can steam or bake the cauliflower head whole or break it up into florets for faster cooking.
What Happens When You Cook This Food Cauliflower contains mustard oils (isothiocyanates), natural chemicals that give the vegeta- ble its taste but break down into a variety of smelly sulfur compounds (including hydrogen sulfide and ammonia) when the cauliflower is heated. The longer you cook the cauliflower, the better it will taste but the worse it will smell. Adding a slice of bread to the cooking water may lessen the odor; keeping a lid on the pot will stop the smelly molecules from floating off into the air. Cooking cauliflower in an aluminum pot will intensif y its odor and turn its creamy white anthoxanthin pigments yellow; iron pots will turn anthoxanthins blue green or brown. Like red and blue anthocyanin pigments (see beets, black ber r ies, blueber r ies), antho- xanthins hold their color best in acids. To keep cauliflower white, add a tablespoon of lemon juice, lime juice, vinegar, or milk to the cooking water. Steaming or stir-frying cauliflower preserves the vitamin C that would be lost if the vegetable were cooked for a long time or in a lot of water.
How Other Kinds of Processing Affect This Food Freezing. Before it is frozen, cauliflower must be blanched to inactivate catalase and per- oxidase, enzymes that would otherwise continue to ripen and eventually deteriorate the vegetable. According to researchers at Cornell University, cauliflower will lose less vitamin C if it is blanched in very little water (two cups cauliflower in two tbsp. water) in a microwave- safe plastic bag in a microwave oven for four minutes at 600 –700 watts. Leave the bag open an inch at the top so steam can escape and the bag does not explode.
Medical Uses and/or Benefits Protection against certain cancers. Naturally occurring chemicals (indoles, isothiocyanates, glucosinolates, dithiolethiones, and phenols) in cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cab- bage, and other cruciferous vegetables appear to reduce the risk of some cancers, perhaps by preventing the formation of carcinogens in your body or by blocking cancer-causing substances from reaching or reacting with sensitive body tissues or by inhibiting the trans- formation of healthy cells to malignant ones. All cruciferous vegetables contain sulforaphane, a member of a family of chemicals known as isothiocyanates. In experiments with laboratory rats, sulforaphane appears to increase the body’s production of phase-2 enzymes, naturally occurring substances that inacti- vate and help eliminate carcinogens. At the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, 69 percent of the rats injected with a chemical known to cause mammary cancer developed tumors vs. only 26 percent of the rats given the carcinogenic chemical plus sulforaphane. In 1997, Johns Hopkins researchers discovered that broccoli seeds and three-day-old broccoli sprouts contain a compound converted to sulforaphane when the seed and sprout cells are crushed. Five grams of three-day-old broccoli sprouts contain as much sulforaphane as 150 grams of mature broccoli. The sulforaphane levels in other cruciferous vegetables have not yet been calculated. Vision protection. In 2004, the Johns Hopkins researchers updated their findings on sul- foraphane to suggest that it may also protect cells in the eyes from damage due to UV (ultraviolet) light, thus reducing the risk of macular degeneration, the most common cause of age-related vision loss.
Adverse Effects Associated with This Food Enlarged thyroid gland (goiter). Cruciferous vegetables, including cauliflower, contain goi- trin, thiocyanate, and isothiocyanate. These chemicals, known collectively as goitrogens, inhibit the formation of thyroid hormones and cause the thyroid to enlarge in an attempt to produce more. Goitrogens are not hazardous for healthy people who eat moderate amounts of cruciferous vegetables, but they may pose problems for people who have a thyroid condi- tion or are taking thyroid medication. Intestinal gas. Bacteria that live naturally in the gut degrade the indigestible carbohydrates (food fiber) in cauliflower, producing intestinal gas that some people find distressing.
Food/Drug Interactions Anticoagulants (blood thinners). All cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, brussels sprouts, cab- bages, cauliflower, greens, radishes, and turnips) are high in vitamin K, a nutrient that decreases the anticoagulant effect of medicine such as warfarin (Coumadin). Multiple serv- ings of this vegetable, i.e., several days a week, may interfere with the anticoagulant effect of the drug. False-positive test for occult blood in the stool. The active ingredient in the guaiac slide test for hid- den blood in feces is alphaguaiaconic acid, a chemical that turns blue in the presence of blood. Cauliflower contains peroxidase, a natural chemical that also turns alphaguaiaconic acid blue and may produce a positive test in people who do not actually have blood in the stool.... cauliflower
Nutritional Profile Energy value (calories per serving): Low Protein: Moderate Fat: Low Saturated fat: Low Cholesterol: None Carbohydrates: High Fiber: High Sodium: Low Major vitamin contribution: Vitamin C (low) Major mineral contribution: Potassium (low)
About the Nutrients in This Food Eggplant is a high-fiber food with only minimum amounts of vitamins and minerals. One cup (100 g/3.5 ounces) boiled eggplant has 2.5 mg dietary fiber and 1.3 mg vitamin C (2 percent of the R DA for a woman, 1 percent of the R DA for a man). In 1992, food scientists at the Autonomous University of Madrid studying the chemistry of the eggplant discovered that the vegetable’s sugar content rises through the end of the sixth week of growth and then falls dramatically over the next 10 days. The same thing happens with other flavor chemicals in the vegetable and with vitamin C, so the researchers concluded that eggplants taste best and are most nutritious after 42 days of growth. NOTE : Eggplants are members of the nightshade family, Solanacea. Other members of this family are potatoes, tomatoes, and red and green peppers. These plants produce natural neurotoxins (nerve poisons) called glycoalkaloids. It is estimated that an adult would have to eat 4.5 pounds of eggplant at one sitting to get a toxic amount of solanine, the glycoalkaloid in eggplant.
The Most Nutritious Way to Serve This Food The eggplant’s two culinary virtues are its meaty texture and its ability to assume the flavor of sauces in which it is cooked. As a result, it is often used as a vegetarian, no-cholesterol substitute for veal or chicken in Italian cuisine, specifically dishes ala parmigiana and spaghetti sauces. However, in cooking, the egg- plant absorbs very large amounts of oil. To keep eggplant parmigiana low in fat, use non-fat cheese and ration the olive oil.
Buying This Food Look for: Firm, purple to purple-black or umblemished white eggplants that are heavy for their size. Avoid: Withered, soft, bruised, or damaged eggplants. Withered eggplants will be bitter; damaged ones will be dark inside.
Storing This Food Handle eggplants carefully. If you bruise an eggplant, its damaged cells will release polyphe- noloxidase, an enzyme that hastens the oxidation of phenols in the eggplant’s flesh, produc- ing brown compounds that darken the vegetable. Refrigerate fresh eggplant to keep it from losing moisture and wilting.
Preparing This Food Do not slice or peel an eggplant until you are ready to use it, since the polyphenoloxidase in the eggplant will begin to convert phenols to brown compounds as soon as you tear the vegetable’s cells. You can slow this chemical reaction (but not stop it completely) by soaking sliced egg- plant in ice water—which will reduce the eggplant’s already slim supply of water-soluble vita- min C and B vitamins—or by painting the slices with a solution of lemon juice or vinegar. To remove the liquid that can make a cooked eggplant taste bitter, slice the eggplant, salt the slices, pile them on a plate, and put a second plate on top to weight the slices down. Discard the liquid that results.
What Happens When You Cook This Food A fresh eggplant’s cells are full of air that escapes when you heat the vegetable. If you cook an eggplant with oil, the empty cells will soak it up. Eventually, however, the cell walls will collapse and the oil will leak out, which is why eggplant parmigiana often seems to be served in a pool of olive oil. Eggplant should never be cooked in an aluminum pot, which will discolor the eggplant. If you cook the eggplant in its skin, adding lemon juice or vinegar to the dish will turn the skin, which is colored with red anthocyanin pigments, a deeper red-purple. Red anthocyanin pigments get redder in acids and turn bluish in basic (alkaline) solutions. Cooking reduces the eggplant’s supply of water-soluble vitamins, but you can save the Bs if you serve the eggplant with its juices.
Adverse Effects Associated with This Food Nitrate/nitrite reactions. Eggplant—like beets, celery, lettuce, radish, spinach, and collard and turnip greens—contains nitrates that convert naturally into nitrites in your stomach, and then react with the amino acids in proteins to form nitrosamines. Although some nitrosamines are known or suspected carcinogens, this natural chemical conversion presents no known problems for a healthy adult. However, when these nitrate-rich vegetables are cooked and left to stand at room temperature, bacterial enzyme action (and perhaps some enzymes in the plants) convert the nitrates to nitrites at a much faster rate than normal. These higer-nitrite foods may be hazardous for infants; several cases of “spinach poisoning” have been reported among children who ate cooked spinach that had been left standing at room temperature.
Food/Drug Interactions MAO inhibitors. Monoamine oxidase (M AO) inhibitors are drugs used as antidepressants or antihypertensives. They inhibit the action of enzymes that break down tyramine, a natu- ral by-product of protein metabolism, so that it can be eliminated from the body. Tyramine is a pressor amine, a chemical that constricts blood vessels and raises blood pressure. If you eat a food rich in tyramine while you are taking an M AO inhibitor, the pressor amine can- not be eliminated from your body, and the result may be a hypertensive crisis (sustained elevated blood pressure). Eggplants contain small amounts of tyramine. False-positive urine test for carcinoid tumors. Carcinoid tumors (tumors that may arise in tis- sues of the endocrine and gastrointestinal systems) secrete serotonin, which is excreted in urine. The test for these tumors measures the level of serotonin in your urine. Eating egg- plant, which is rich in serotonin, in the 72 hours before a test for a carcinoid tumor might raise the serotonin levels in your urine high enough to cause a false-positive test result. (Other fruits and vegetables rich in serotonin are bananas, tomatoes, plums, pineapple, avo- cados, and walnuts.)... eggplant
Fibroids depend on oestrogen for their growth. High levels, as in The Pill, are believed to increase their size. Low levels cause shrinkage. Size: anything from a marble to a turnip, producing a sense of fullness. After the menopause when oestrogen declines they may shrink and finally disappear. When enlarged, they cause frequency of urine and constipation, sometimes resultant anaemia. A common cause of infertility. Not all are removed by surgery. Women with fibroids should not take steroids.
Alternatives. Anti-mitotics – Damiana, Motherwort, Helonias, Goldenseal, Life root, Prickly Ash, White Pond Lily, Thuja, Violet leaves (wild), Blue or Black Cohosh.
To arrest bleeding: add Shepherd’s Purse or Beth root.
For pain: Cramp bark. Goldenseal has a mixed success record and can constipate.
Tea. Formula. Equal parts: Corn Silk, Shepherd’s Purse, Violet. 2 teaspoons to each cup boiling water; infuse 15 minutes; dose, one cup thrice daily.
Decoction. Formula. Equal parts: Violet leaves, Clivers, Yellow Dock. 1 teaspoon to each cup of water simmered 20 minutes. Half-1 cup thrice daily.
Tinctures. Alternatives:
(1) Combine Cornsilk 3; White Pond Lily 2; Goldenseal quarter. Dose: 15-30 drops in water thrice daily. (Edgar G. Jones, MNIMH)
(2) Yellow Parilla, 60 drops; Yarrow 1oz; White Pond Lily 60 drops; Tincture Goldenseal 60 drops. Water (preferably distilled) to 8oz. Dose: 2 teaspoons in water after meals. (Arthur Barker, FNIMH) Powders. Formula. Blue Cohosh 1; Poke root 1; Goldenseal half. Dose: 500mg (two 00 capsules or one- third teaspoon) thrice daily.
A.W. & L.R. Priest. Combination: Goldenseal, Balmony, Galangal. (Oral and local suppository) Douche. 1 litre boiled water. Allow to cool. Add 30-40 drops Liquid Extract Goldenseal, Bayberry or Thuja. Castor oil packs over affected area. Three thicknesses cotton wool or suitable material soaked in Castor oil. Cover with an electric heating pad. Apply 3-4 nights a week for 6 months. Disappearance of fibroid reported. ARE Journal, Vol 19, May 84, p.127
Note: Correction of anaemia, if present. Simple iron deficiency – Nettle tea. Floradix. Special care during pregnancy. ... fibroids
Symptoms: malaise, bloody alternating diarrhoea and constipation; right side colicky abdominal pain worse after meals; flatulence, loss of weight and appetite. Intestinal obstruction can usually be palpated. Blood count. A blood count high in whites indicates an abscess – a serious condition which may require surgical repair during which segments of the gut may have to be removed. Malignant change rare. Differential diagnosis. Ulcerative colitis, appendicitis, appendix abscess, irritable bowel syndrome.
Cracks or ulcers at corners of the mouth may be a good marker of Crohn’s Disease.
Treatment. Select one of the following. Herbal treatment offers a safe alternative to steroids by inducing remission in acute exacerbation. Good responses have been observed from the anti-bacterials Wild Yam and Goldenseal. Fenugreek seeds are of special value. Comfrey (tissue regeneration). Irish Moss.
Teas: Chamomile, Comfrey leaves, Hops, Marshmallow leaves, Meadowsweet, Shepherd’s Purse (Dr A. Vogel), Lobelia. Silverweed and Cranesbill are excellent for internal bleeding; Poke root for intestinal ulceration.
Decoction. Fenugreek seeds: 2 teaspoons to large cup water simmered gently 10 minutes. 1 cup freely. The seeds also should be consumed.
Tablets/capsules. Wild Yam, Fenugreek, Ginger, Goldenseal, Lobelia, Slippery Elm.
Powders. Formula. Wild Yam 2; Meadowsweet 2; Goldenseal 1. Dose: 500mg (two 00 capsules or one- third teaspoon) thrice daily.
Liquid Extracts. (1) Formula. Wild Yam 1, Echinacea 2. 30-60 drops in water thrice daily. Or, (2) Formula: Turkey Rhubarb 2, Goldenseal 1, Caraway half. 20-30 drops in water thrice daily.
Tinctures. Formula. Bayberry 2, Goldenseal 1, Cardamoms 1. Dose: One to two 5ml teaspoons thrice daily.
Ispaghula seeds. 2-4 teaspoons thrice daily.
Tea Tree oil Suppositories. Insertion at night.
Diet. Bland, little fibre, Slippery Elm gruel. Irish Moss preparations. Increase fluid intake. Reject: broccoli, tomatoes, lima, Soya, Brussels sprouts, pinto beans, cocoa, chocolate, cow’s milk, peas, onions, turnips, radishes. Accept fish oils.
Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge. Reject foods containing wheat and all dairy produce.
Supplements. Vitamins A, B12, C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Zinc.
Study. In a study carried out by UK researchers (1993) food allergies were found to be the most common cause of the disease. Results suggested that dietary changes may be as effective as corticosteroids in easing symptoms. The most common allergens were corn, wheat, milk, yeast, egg, potato, rye, tea, coffee, apples, mushrooms, oats, chocolate. An elemental diet with a formula of nutrients (E028, produced by Hospital Supplies, Liverpool) was used in trials. (The Lancet, 6.11.1993)
Notes. Crohn’s Disease is associated with Erythema nodosum, more frequently recognised in childhood. A frequent cause is cow’s milk intolerance. Smoking adds to the risk of Crohn’s disease.
In susceptible people, the food additives titanium dioxide and aluminosilicates may evoke a latent inflammatory response resulting in Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis or bowel cancer. These chemicals may be found in the intestinal lymphoid aggregations in gut mucosa. (Jonathan Powell, Gastro-intestinal Laboratory, St Thomas’s Hospital, London) (Titanium dioxide rarely occurs naturally but is added to confectionery, drinking water and anti-caking agents.) ... crohn’s disease
Symptoms. The patient does not feel particularly unwell, but on examination is found to present a dry, scaly, thickened, puffy skin. Only a few signs may be detected: brittle lack-lustre hair, gross facial features, fatigue, slow pulse, slowness of expression and movement, aches and pains in joints, malar flush, deafness, anaemia, constipation, slurred speech, profuse menses. Later the voice assumes a deep masculine quality. The patient may be subject to carpel tunnel syndrome, and almost always complains of being icy cold. 90 per cent of cases are auto-immune.
Treatment. Official medication is the administration of Thyroxin, an iodine-containing hormone. Sometimes a herbal combination is given to supplement its action. On progress of the condition no permanent cure is possible but it is believed that certain herbs may arrest deterioration.
Alternatives: Carragheen Moss, Iceland Moss, Parsley herb, Kelp, Sarsaparilla, Ginseng, Ginkgo. Simple tea. For energy and vitality. Combine equal parts: breakfast Oats, Alfalfa herb, Gotu Kola herb. 1 teaspoon to each cup boiling water; infuse 5-10 minutes. One cup morning and evening.
Formula. Equal parts: Ginseng, Kelp, Ginkgo. Add a few grains Cayenne Pepper or drops of Tincture Capsicum. Dose: Liquid Extracts, 1 teaspoon; Tinctures, 2 teaspoons; Powders, 500mg (one-third teaspoon). Morning and evening.
Note: Snoring may be a feature of myxoedema.
Diet. The following have an adverse effect upon the thyroid gland and should be eaten in small amounts: Cabbage, Kale, Cauliflower, Spinach, Brussels Sprouts, Soya beans, Turnips and Beans.
Supplements. Vitamins A, C, D, E, PABA, Calcium, Iodine, Selenium, Zinc. Selenium is an essential component of an enzyme required by the gland. A deficiency of this mineral can be responsible for an under-active thyroid. ... myxoedema
Etiology. The more severe form, in younger patients, needs insulin treatment, without which ketosis and diabetic coma are possible. The milder form in older patients can be managed with diet and hypoglycaemic agents. Now considered due to auto-immune attack on Islet of Langerhams cells in pancreas which secrete insulin. “The Pill” often raises blood sugar. Lack of trace minerals (chromium and zinc). Zinc is a component of insulin and Chromium produces enzymes to stimulate metabolism of sugars. Diabetes can cause heart attack, stroke, hardening of arteries, blindness. It is the leading cause of kidney failure and gangrene.
Symptoms. Great thirst. Urine of high specific gravity. Weakness, emaciation, skin ulcers, loss of tactile sensation in the fingertips (Vitamin B6). In men there may be inflammation of the glans penis and in women, itching of the vulvae. Boils are common. In spite of large appetite there may by severe weight loss. Magnesium deficiency.
Diabetics are subject to glaucoma and detachment of the retina. There is a high incidence of cataract of the eye. While surgery may be necessary, effective supportive herbal treatment can do much. Regular visits to the Hospital Specialist help detect in time future eye, kidney and circulation damage.
High fibre, low fat, high carbohydrate. To help control blood sugar a diabetic must avoid sweets.
Exercise lowers blood sugar.
Agents used with some success: Alfalfa, Damiana leaves, Fenugreek seeds, Aloe Vera juice, Dandelion, Fringe Tree, Guar gum, Garlic (anti-diabetic action shown by Dr Madaus, West Germany, 1967), Bilberry berries, Goat’s Rue (dried aerial parts reduce blood sugar BHP (1983), Olive leaves, onions, Nettles, Pipsissewa, White Horehound, Sweet Sumach, Jambul seeds rapidly reduce sugar in the urine. Karela. Gurmar, (Gymnema sylvestre) leaves are chewed in India to reduce sugar in the urine (mild cases). Balsam pear. Bitter melon (Momordica charastia).
Hypoglycaemic herbs can be effective where the pancreas still functions. Type 1 diabetes, suffered by children whose insulin-producing cells have been destroyed and who produce no insulin at all will always require administered insulin. Maturity-onset diabetes (Type 11) occurs in middle life, insulin- production being insufficient. This form is usually associated with obesity for which herbs are helpful.
Diabetics are specially prone to infections; a course of Echinacea at the onset of winter is beneficial. Coronary artery disease is common in diabetics (especially women) who may develop atherosclerosis at an early age. High blood pressure places undue strain upon kidneys which may excrete too much protein (Yarrow, Lime flowers, Hawthorn). Lack of sensation in the feet exposes the subject to unconscious bruising and injury from which septic ulceration may arise (Chamomile foot baths).
Alternatives. Liver herbs work positively on the pancreas. Diabetic cases should receive treatment for the liver also, Dandelion and Fringe Tree being a reliable combination. Dr John Fearn, California (Ellingwood) used Fringe Tree for all his cases of sugar in the urine: 10 drops, Liquid Extract, 4-5 times daily.
Tea. Equal parts: Peppermint leaves, Dandelion leaves, Goat’s Rue leaves. 1-2 teaspoons to each cup boiling water infuse 5-15 minutes. Cup 2-3 times daily.
Teas from any one of the following: Bilberry berries or leaves, Nettles, White Horehound, Alfalfa, Olive leaves.
Decoction. Fenugreek seeds. 2 teaspoons to each large cup water simmered gently 5 minutes. One cup daily, consuming the seeds.
Powders. Equal parts: Sweet Sumach, Jambul seeds, Dandelion. Dose: 750mg (three 00 capsules or half a teaspoon) thrice daily.
Tinctures. Formula. Equal parts: Jambul, Fringe Tree, Goat’s Rue. Dose: 1 teaspoon thrice daily and at bedtime.
Tablets. Dr Alfred Vogel: tablet containing: Bilberry, Kidney Bean, Tormentil, English Walnut leaves, Alfalfa leaves, Cuckoo flowers.
Karela (Momordica Charantia) Hypoglycaemic action gave good results in clinical trials. Daily dose: 50/60ml fresh juice.
Evening Primrose. See entry.
Guar Gum. 5g unit dose sachets (Guarina) containing dispersible granules. This gum has shown beneficial effects for insulin-dependants.
Hypoglycaemics (second degree). Allspice, Bugleweed, Burdock, Ginseng, Lily of the Valley, Wormwood, Nettles.
Diabetic gangrene. Tinctures: equal parts, Echinacea, Thuja. Internally and externally. Internal dose: 30- 60 drops.
Diabetic neuralgia. Cayenne pepper (Capsicum). Frequently successful.
American traditional. It is claimed that 500mg Bayleaf, Cinnamon, Cloves and Turmeric halve the need for insulin in diabetics.
Diet. Dietary treatment has changed over the past few years. Patients are now advised by the British Diabetic Association to eat food rich in complex carbohydrates (starches) and high in fibre as in wholemeal bread, oats and wholegrain breakfast cereals, wholewheat pasta, brown rice, beans and lentils, vegetables and fruit. Fat intake should be carefully watched (lean meat); skimmed milk, polyunsaturated or low-fat cheeses and salad dressings. Certain foods are known to encourage the pancreas to produce more insulin: banana, barley, cabbage, lettuce, oats, olive, papaya, turnip, sweet potato.
Coffee intake should be limited to prevent hypoglycaemic symptoms.
Barley. A study has shown that the use of barley flour as a substitute for wheat in bread helps to control diabetes, in Iraq. (Naismith D, et al, ‘Therapeutic Value of Barley in Management of Diabetes’: Annals Nutr Metab, 35, 61-64 1991)
Supplementation. Vitamins A, B-complex, C, D, E, F. Vitamin B6. Brewer’s yeast. Minerals: Chromium 50mcg; Manganese 15mg; Magnesium 300mg; Zinc 25mg; to normalise glucose metabolism.
Note: Over 400 traditional plant medicines have been documented for diabetes, but few have been evaluated for efficacy. In the undeveloped countries they are chiefly used for non-insulin dependent diabetes. (Diabetes Care, 1989, Sept 12, p553)
Insulin dependents. Whether adults or children, insulin dependents should under no circumstances discontinue insulin injections.
Treatment by or in liaison with general medical practitioner.
Information. British Diabetic Association, 10 Queen Anne Street, London W1M 0BD, UK. Send SAE. ... diabetes, mellitus
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