Legendary lettuce

Is lettuce just the base of your salad or the crunch in your sandwich? Surprisingly, lettuce varieties contain a wide range of nutrients and including a combination of these in your diet will offer plenty of health benefits.

Each lettuce variety has its own phytonutrients and these are dictated by the colour pigments they contain. Phytonutrients provide us with unique health properties. For example green leaf lettuce contains quercetin; which can have anti-histamine effects and help prevent heart disease. Red leaves contain cyanidins, which are helpful with conditions such as diabetes and high cholesterol. 

Romaine lettuce is particularly rich in nutrients. It is an excellent source of vitamin K and vitamin A (in the form of carotenoids) and is also rich in folate and molybdenum amongst many others.

The vitamin K content is particularly important for maintaining healthy bones, blood clotting and preventing heart disease. Additionally the carotenoids are vital for promoting eye health, the immune system and normal cell growth and development.

So don’t just use lettuce as a garnish; it is delicious roasted, made in to Asian style wraps, puréed in to a smooth soup or braised with peas, onions and lemon juice.

My weekly ‘Nutritional Nugget’ written for Fields to Fork Organics

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Fabulous Fennel

Fennel contains a myriad of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients and has countless health benefits. Furthermore, it has been used for centuries as a herbal remedy for congestion, digestive problems and to promote breast milk flow, menstruation and urine flow. 

Clinical studies have indicated that the phytonutrient anethole has anti-cancer properties and can reduce inflammation. The research found that anethole inhibits the promotion of a harmful molecule which can alter genes and cause inflammation. 

Fennel promotes bone health due to it’s combination of iron, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium and manganese. Fennel’s potassium, calcium and magnesium composition can help to lower blood pressure and the fibre content will help to reduce cholesterol levels. Heart disease is associated with elevated levels of the molecule homocysteine in the body, however, fennel’s folate content can help to prevent it’s build up.
 
Fennel consists of a crunchy white bulb, pale green stalks and feathery green leaves from which flowers grow and where the seeds are found.
 
All parts of the fennel can be used in your cooking. The stalks are a delicious addition to a soup base or stock .They can be sautéed with fennel leaves and onions. Additionally, the leaves can add a subtle liquorice aroma to many a dish. The seeds can spice up any meal, be brewed as herbal drink or just chewed to promote good digestion. The bulb can be chopped into salads, steamed, sautéed or roasted as a delicious starter or side.

My weekly ‘Nutritional Nugget’ written for Fields to Fork Organics

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Magnificent Mushrooms!

Mushrooms are rich in a surprising variety of vitamins and minerals, and as a result boast remarkable health benefits.
Mushrooms also contain unique phytochemicals which are crucial to supporting our immune system. These nutrients play an important role in regulating the activity of our immune cells.
Mushrooms also have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. The minerals zinc, selenium and manganese, present in mushrooms, are vital for our antioxidant enzyme function, and for preventing the damaging effects of oxidation in our body.
Studies suggest that these health properties can help protect us against the development of cancer, cardiovascular disease and autoimmune conditions. It is thought that including up to 6 whole mushrooms a day in your diet will offer this therapeutic benefit.
There are endless ways to incorporate mushrooms in to your every day meals. Add them to curries, soups and stir fries, enjoy them stuffed, sautéed, chopped into a frittata or raw in salads. 

My weekly ‘Nutritional Nugget’ written for Fields to Fork Organics

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Brilliant Brussels

Though usually seen as a festive side dish, brussel sprouts are in fact a ‘super veg’, bursting with an amazing variety of beneficial nutrients. It is these nutrients that promote it's wonderful health benefits.

Brussel sprouts belong to the group of vegetables known as the brassica family, which includes broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. These vegetables share many special properties; however it is thought that the brussel has certain antioxidant nutrients that are unlikely to be found in any other food.

Many studies have been conducted in to the brussel sprout’s anti cancer properties. Chronic inflammation, low antioxidant status and poor liver detoxification may all play a role in the development of cancer. However, it is thought that the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and detox promoting nutrients packed in to the brussel sprout, contribute to its anti cancer mechanisms.

Avoid overcooking brussels to retain their nutrient status and taste. Cut into four and let them sit for a few minutes before steaming, for optimal health benefits.

Try roasting your brussels with pecans and garlic, tossing them lightly steamed in to a salad, with onion, feta and walnuts or simply steam, dress with olive oil and season.

My weekly ‘Nutritional Nugget’ written for Fields to Fork Organics

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Clever Cauliflower!

Not only is cauliflower packed with a vast variety of nutrients, it offers an array of health benefits too. Perhaps the most interesting, is cauliflower’s ability to support our detoxification process!

We subject our body to a huge number of toxins everyday due to our lifestyle, the environment around us and our dietary choices. Cauliflower contains a number of special nutrients that boost our detoxification activities. Consequently, this helps to optimise our liver’s ability to breakdown toxins which can then be released from the body.

Additionally cauliflower contains nutrients called glucosinolates which actually activate and regulate our detoxification enzymes; again supporting the liver in its important job.

To enhance cauliflower’s health promoting properties, cut into florets and then let sit for 5 minutes before cooking. Healthy sauté cauliflower with a little stock, to retain both the nutrients and flavour. Cauliflower can also be enjoyed in soups, curries and stir fries or grated into healthy cauliflower rice.

My weekly ‘Nutritional Nugget’ written for Fields to Fork Organics

If you are interested in reading more of my ‘Nutritional Nuggets’, top tips and the latest nutrition news, sign up to my monthly newsletter at www.marcellerosenutrition.co.uk