Category Archive: Vegetables nutritional informaiton

Broccoli is such a versatile veggie. I can eat it in so many ways. My favorite way of eating it has to be by blanching it till it is slightly soft, yet crunchy.  Once blanched, I can either make it into a 1-pot dish like salad with other veggie and fruits, chicken or turkey breast meat, nuts, seeds and hard boiled eggs.  Or I can steam it with chicken, stir fry it with other veggies, cook it with noodles, fry it with rice and the list goes.  I love eating blanched broccoli with Goma sauce (Japanese sesame salad dressing)  or with mayo. Some people juice it but I have yet to try it.

I was told that broccoli  are heavily sprayed with pesticides. Thus, I normally buy only organic broccoli and organic ones are really taxing on one’s wallet. If our weather permits, I would definitely plant my own broccoli!

My girls never really liked okra or ladies fingers until recently.  And that’s with lots of training from both grandma and mummy to alter their taste buds.  I think most kids won’t fancy ladies fingers due to the slimy feel and slightly torny  texture on the surface of the beans but if these pods are cooked tastefully, kids will gradually learn to love them, like my kids!

We do not stir fry the okra or cook them in curries. We only blanch them briefly so that the okra are still a tad crunchy, yet soft.  I get my supply of natural baby okras (planted without the use of pesticides) from a lady who sells them at the park every week.  My girls love to have a drizzle of citrus salad sauce from Japan to go with the pods. Sometimes, we eat them with sambal belacan and sometimes with garlic oil and a drizzle of soy sauce. But the girls love their okra eaten with the sweet, sour and slightly salty Japanese citrus sauce.

The superior fiber found in Ladies Finger (okra) helps to stabilize blood sugar by curbing the rate at which sugar is absorbed from the intestinal tract.

Ladies Finger helps lubricate the large intestines due to its bulk laxative qualities. The Ladies Finger fiber absorbs water and ensures bulk in stools.

This helps prevent and improve constipation. Unlike harsh wheat bran, which can irritate or injure the intestinal tract, Ladies Finger’s mucilage soothes, and Ladies Finger facilitates elimination more comfortably by its slippery characteristic.

Ladies Finger binds excess cholesterol and toxins (in bile acids). These, if not evacuated, will cause numerous health problems. Ladies Finger also assures easy passage out of waste from the body.

Ladies Finger is completely non-toxic, non-habit forming, has no adverse side effects, is full of nutrients, and is economically within reach of most unlike the OTC drugs.

Ladies Finger is good for summer heat treatment. Ladies Finger is a supreme vegetable for those feeling weak, exhausted, and suffering from depression.

Ladies Finger fiber is excellent for feeding the good bacteria (probiotics). This contributes to the health of the intestinal tract. These are similar to the ones proliferate by the yoghurt in the small intestine and helps biosynthesis of Vitamin B complex.

Ladies Finger is used for healing ulcers and to keep joints limber. It helps to neutralize acids, being very alkaline, and provides a temporary protective coating for the digestive tract.

In India, Ladies Finger has been used successfully in experimental blood plasma replacements. To retain most of Ladies Finger’s nutrients and self-digesting enzymes, it should be cooked as little as possible, e.g. with low heat or lightly steamed. Some eat it raw!!

As requested by some of my friends and blog readers, I managed to buy another bunch of Jews Mallow from the organic veggie seller and have the picture snapped. Here you go:

Notice the tiny little ‘bean’ like hanging on the twig? The taste and texture are similar to that of ladies fingers. Remember to eat only the leaves. The big and tiny twigs are very hard and very difficult to chew. You can either blanch it briefly with any soup of your choice or simply blanch it plain and add in some salad dressing of your choice. I like it eaten both ways 🙂

Since it is not easily available, I am unable to consume it regularly to treat the numbness on my hands. But I have discovered that if I sleep on my back throughout the night, the numbness and tingling sensation on my hands can be kept at bay. However, I can still feel those ‘warm’ and numbing waves coming if I try to sleep on my sides. So I have to sacrifice sleeping on my right, which is my favorite sleeping position and remain in a supine position for 5-7 each night!

Lately, the pins and needles and numbness on both my hands, especially on my right hand are getting worse. I had Carpal Tunnel Syndrome about 2 months after the birth of Alycia, my first born more than 8 years ago. It was partially healed several painful months later. Since then, I have been experiencing numbness and tingling sensations on my hands every morning at around 5-6am, especially when I am in an air-conditioned room. If I sleep on my side, the numbness is even worse. Thus I could only sleep on my back. But sleeping on my back would aggravate my lower backache! Sometimes the numbness and stiffness in my hands get so bad that I could hardly lift my hands up. I have to slowly raise the hand up and then shake it gently, so that the blood could ‘flow downwards’. After a few minutes of shaking, I could then get up from bed.

The other day, the organic veggie seller had some Jews Mallow from her farm. She extolled the benefits of Jews Mallow and said that it is good for treating numbness of the hands and also for preventing diabetes. She told me that she suffers from hand numbness every morning too, with the exact same symptoms as me. After a few days of consuming Jews Mallow, cooked with soup, the results were amazing. I am not sure how effective it is but I guess there is no harm trying. I got a bunch of Jews Mallow from her at RM3 and boiled them with some anchovies. The taste of the veggie was very palatable and the texture is a tad slimy. It reminds me of eating ladies fingers. I shall get more Jews Mallow from this veggie seller next week and hopefully she is able to harvest some.

I love radish, all types of radish – white skin radish, pink skin radish and green skin radish. I read that there is even black and purple radish, something that I have never seen. I love radish eaten in all forms – whether minced and raw, which is used as a condiment at Japanese restaurants, braised, stir fried or used as a ingredient in soups. I boil radish soup every week and my girls love radish soup too, especially after watching Kung Fu Panda 2 as Kung Fu Panda’s adoptive dad always cooks radish soup 😀

My bowl of radish soup boiled with pork ribs and red dates, another nutrition booster for my kiddos.
Some old folks told me never to cook carrots and radish together due to some counter-reaction that the 2 roots cause. I am not sure if it’s well documented or not and I never cook them together, to be on the safe side. I must google search on this.

Food For Thought
Article extracted from http://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/vegetable/health-benefits-of-radish.html

Jaundice: Radish is very good for the liver and the stomach and it is a very good detoxifier too, that is, it purifies blood. It is miraculously useful in jaundice as it helps removing bilirubin and also checks its production. It also checks destruction of red blood cells during jaundice by increasing supply of fresh oxygen in the blood. The black radish is more preferred in jaundice. The leaves of radish are also very useful in treatment of jaundice.

Piles: Radish is very rich in roughage, i.e. indigestible carbohydrates. This facilitates digestion, retains water, cures constipation (one of the main causes for piles) and thus gives relief in piles. Being a very good detoxifier, it helps heal up piles fast. Its juice also soothes the digestive and excretory system and this also relieves piles.

Urinary Disorders: Radishes are diurectic in nature, i.e. increase production of urine. Juice of radish also cures inflammation and burning feeling during urinating. It also cleans the kidneys and inhibits infections in kidneys and urinary system. Thus it helps a great deal in curing urinary disorders.

Weight Loss: Radishes are very filling, i.e. fills your stomach and satisfies your hunger easily without giving you many calories, as they are low in digestible carbohydrates, high in roughage and contain a lot of water. It is a very good dietary option for those determined to lose weight.

Cancer: Being a very good detoxifier and rich in vitamin-C, folic and anthocyanins, radish helps cure many types of cancer, particularly those of colon, kidney, intestines, stomach and oral cancer.

Leucoderma: The detoxifying and anti carcinogenic properties of radish make it useful in treatment of

Leucoderma. The radish seeds are used in this case. They should be powdered and soaked in vinegar or ginger juice or cows urine and then applied on the white patches. Eating radish also aids treatment of Leucoderma.

Skin Disorders: Vitamin-C, phosphorus, zinc and some members of vitamin-B complex, which are present in radish, are good for skin. The water in it helps maintaining moisture of the skin. Smashed raw radish is a very good cleanser and serves as a very efficient face pack. Due to its disinfectant properties, radish also helps cure skin disorders, such as drying up, rashes, cracks etc. and also refreshes it.

Kidney Disorders: Being diurectic, cleanser and disinfectant, it helps cure many kidney disorders. Its diurectic properties help wash away the toxins accumulated in the kidneys. Cleansing properties clean kidneys up and lessens accumulation of toxins in the blood, thereby decreasing their concentration in the kidneys. Its disinfectant properties protect the kidneys from any infections too. Thus it is good for overall health of the kidneys.

Insect Bites: It has anti pruritic properties and can be used as an effective treatment for insect bites, stings of bees, hornets, wasps etc. Its juice also reduces pain and swelling and soothes the affected area.

Fever: It brings down the body temperature and relieves inflammation due to fever. Drink radish juice mixed with black salt. Being a good disinfectant, it also fights infections which cause fever, thereby helping cure it.

Respiratory Disorders, Bronchitis and Asthma: Radish is an anti congestive, i.e. it relieves congestion of respiratory system including nose, throat, wind-pipe and lungs, due to cold, infection, allergies and other causes. It is a good disinfectant and also rich in vitamins, which protect respiratory system from infections.

Liver and Gallbladder: Radish is especially beneficial for liver and gallbladder functions. It regulates production and flow of bile and bilirubin, acids, enzymes and removes excess bilirubin from the blood, being a good detoxifier. It also contains enzymes like myrosinase, diastase, amylase and esterase. It protects liver and gallbladder from infections and ulcers and soothes them.

Other Benefits: Apart from above benefits, radish is a good appetizer, mouth and breathe freshener, laxative, regulates metabolism, improves blood circulation, is a good treatment for headache, acidity, constipation, nausea, obesity, sore throat, whooping cough, gastric problems, gallbladder stones, dyspepsia