Good Food Good Health – Elderflower

Antioxidants in Elderflower drinks are great for you.

The elderflower has been well known through the centuries for its high vitamin C content, anti oxidant and healing properties, and because of this is today one of the top selling natural summer cordials.

Drinking a glass of cordial daily is very refreshing and will help to improve your health, and it is not just the flowers that are good for you but also the berries when made into wine have equal beneficial properties.

We are all well aware now just how important anti oxidants and vitamin C are, and I do not mean only the ladies thinking about their skin and premature aging, but then maybe that is why through the ages women have always made and drank elderflower cordials and tea ritually, and is a staple product of the Women’s Institute along with jams.

Antioxidants are needed to help reduce the production of ‘free radicals’ (highly re-active and unstable molecules which contain atoms with unpaired electrons) in the body, high fat diets attribute to ‘free radicals’, but they are also produced naturally and especially in people who exercise heavily, attacking cells leading to long term damage and a higher risk of cancer.

Studies have shown that taking antioxidants such as vitamin C before eating high fat foods, reduces the damage greatly to the arteries.

The elderflower is well in bloom now and can be found in most hedgerows and roadsides, scrubland and gardens alike, and to many gardeners is a nuisance as it grows almost anywhere in a very short time to a considerable size.

The elder has acquired the nickname of ‘Nature’s Medicine Chest’, as its healing properties have been used for a very wide and varied range of problems from Rheumatism, hay fever, coughs and colds, asthma and influenza.

The elderflower is only in bloom for about six weeks, from the end of May to the beginning of July, but it is best picked now while the flowers are fresh and white and before they turn creamy brown.

I remember making this with my grandma every year, from collecting the flowers and berries to all the smells associated with this. I still have the hand written recipe of this and other by grandma, although I think some of these recipes are probably illegal to make at home now, like the marrow rum, I will have to check up on this at a later date.

The recipe to make 1.5 litres of Elderflower cordial is below, which you dilute to taste, is easy and inexpensive, and is great served with fizzy water and ice. Perfect for the summer.

Ingredients you need – 20 heads of elderflower, 1.8kg granulated sugar, 1.2 litres of water, 2 lemons and 75g citric acid.

Preparation time takes 20 minutes, plus overnight infusing and 5 minutes cooking.Method. Shake the flowers to expel any insects and place in large bowl.Put sugar in pan with water and bring to boil, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Pare zest off lemons in wide strips and place in bowl with elderflowers. Slice lemons discarding ends and add slices to bowl. Pour over boiling syrup and stir in citric acid. Cover with cloth and leave for 24 hours at room temperature. The next day strain cordial through a muslin (or a new boil washed J cloth or similar) and pour into thoroughly cleaned plastic or glass bottles with screw on lids, and that’s it.

The elder is also used as a natural garden insecticide, by crushing up and bruising the foul smelling leaves you can leave them around young plants to deter aphids and caterpillars. Obviously as they dry out and the smell disappears they need to be replaced.

Farmers used to hang bunches of elderflower above their horses before insecticides were used to rid flies, and dairy farmers used it as they thought it had properties to stop the milk from turning sour. People used to wear a small sprig to keep midges away. The elder has been closely entwined with pagans through the years to summon spirits, with twigs woven into head-dresses to enable the wearer to see spirits and undo evil spells! The mind boggles.

On the Isle of Man, every cottage has an elder growing outside its front door to ward off witches even to this day. In other parts of the country, people would never burn elder wood as it was said a member of the family would die. It was truly a revered plant.

The great thing about elderflower is that it tastes delicious, is highly refreshing and a good provider of vitamin C – an antioxidant, so why not try making your own or buy a good reputable manufactured cordial and start getting the benefits for good health now.

Happy drinking Sandra & Ted

http://www.goodfoodgoodhealth.com

http://www.thetalkingbooksite.com

http://www.quantum-mind-power.com

Good Food Good Health- Garlic

Hi everyone

For many years garlic has been known to have great health benefits and is often thought of as natures own antibiotic’ but people have been wary of eating fresh garlic because of the pungent odour it leaves on your breath, or excreted through the pores. Garlic has this effect because it is a substance that is not metabolised; instead it is absorbed through the stomach lining.

Now it has been realised that taking a good quality supplement of Allicin (the active ingredient of garlic) gives you equal effectiveness, and of course you can use the odourless variety, for this garlic is aged and detoxified leaving it deodorised.

I adore garlic and am happy with garlic on just about any type of savoury food, but being the minority in the family have resorted to taking odourless capsules to keep the peace. I think garlic is one of the few foods that everybody has an opinion about; you either love it or hate it!

In fact my father-in-law Joe used to eat raw cloves every day, probably one of the reasons he is in his eighties and has never suffered from bad health. Joe originates from Poland where garlic had been used for health benefits for years and years, primarily eaten against influenza, but they would also use it topically rubbed on the soles of their feet to ward of colds and many other ailments.

But yes, there was a problem with odour and it came to a head at the maternity centre when I had our eldest daughter, the nurses could not believe how after he visited us the odour lingered, and went on to tell him they were worried it would upset the babies on the ward. Obviously he was a little offended, but more embarrassed, even though we had approached the subject before, thank goodness this time it sank in. Now he still uses garlic, but not every day, and happily takes a daily odourless supplement.

To date garlic has under gone many studies and it seems the list of its benefits keeps on increasing. The main reason I have taken garlic for several years now is because of the effect it has on strengthening the body’s immune system.

With all the stress in today’s society our bodies could do with a little help. The antioxidant properties contained in garlic comes from selenium and germanium that are sulphur-containing antioxidants that boost the immune system.

It is this property that helps rid the body of free radicals that are believed to be associated with the ageing process, growth of tumours and atherosclrosis. Garlic in it’s raw state is thought to be one of the most potent boosters of you body’s natural killer cells. This alone should encourage non-garlic lovers to change their minds.

Research has shown that garlic-Allicin is an excellent natural antimicrobial that can disable a wide variety of infectious organisms. These antibiotic properties can provide extremely active against yeast, fungi and viral infections.

Garlic is great for your heart too, as it contains properties that fight bad’ cholesterol. Nowadays we are all aware that HDL- high-density lipoprotein which is not dangerous, but LDL – low-density lipoprotein definitely is because of the fact that it can be oxidised by dangerous free radicals. Garlic’s antioxidising qualities help diminish the free radical damage.

Garlic is a natural aspirin as it can help prevent red blood cells from clumping together. Garlic naturally keeps the blood thin which is necessary for the prevention of strokes and heart attacks, so people who regularly take garlic benefit from the same aspects as aspirin but without other risks associated with it, but it should not be taken in place of prescribed medication.

Garlic is also beneficial for the cardiovascular system – circulation, and has been proven to improve circulation in the body’s peripheries, which is extremely helpful especially in the aged, when getting enough exercise is often difficult.

Studies are also being undertaken to find the effect garlic has on cancer cells, and to date the findings carried out on mice are looking good. This is really encouraging.

I hope if you are not a lover of garlic this has given a good insight into the benefits of eating garlic or at least taking a supplement. Not only will your health benefit, but you will also have the added benefit of knowing you are safe from vampires!!

Garlic has been written about throughout history. 22 Egyptian remedies using garlic were found on papyrus dating back to the sixteenth century BC. Vikings would not take to long sea voyages without garlic, because of its anti-bacterial properties, this was also the reason it was used against the plague in the 1770′s. African missionaries found that garlic was successful at stopping dysentery.

In fact my granddad grew garlic, and he used to use old cloves steeped in water to cleanse his lean-to come greenhouse, he would fervently swear that it killed mildew and other infections, and apparently having been his grandfather that passed this down to his father, was obviously well thought of for its antibacterial properties.

In our modern hi-tech world we now live in, we have all but forgotten natures own natural problem beaters and these are often absolutely harmless, with no man made chemicals to endanger the environment. Perhaps we should look closer at what our ancestors knew and we seem to have forgotten.

Good food is good health

Sandra & Ted
http://www.goodfoodgoodhealth.com

http://www.thetalkingbooksite.com

http://www.quantum-mind-power.com

Good Food Good Health- Fibre

Hello everyone

Most of us know the importance of eating enough fibre daily in our diet and that a good varied balanced diet is essential – good food for good health, to keep us feeling on top of the world.

But alas, for a lot of people at this time of year it is easy to comfort eat, reaching for quick fixes that do not fulfil us for long and that often have high sugary and fat content. So if you need to snack why not try a healthy flapjack instead of crisps and chocolate, as

oats are a great way to include fibre in your diet.

Foods containing fibre release their sugars far more slowly than refined foods, therefore curbing the appetite much better with a fuller feeling for longer and in so helping control blood sugar levels.

Because of fibres excellent ‘filling’ properties it is helpful for people trying to lose weight or calorie count.

There are no recommended daily amounts (RDA) of fibre, but we should all aim to eat 25 – 30grams every day.

I adore porridge and always start the day with a bowl and is quite a family favourite, especially now you can buy a variety with maple flavoured sultanas, dates and pecans – it has been known that I have tucked into another bowl during the evening!

Fibre is essential to our digestive health and system by aiding digestion, it is important in helping escort ‘waste’ from the gut out of the body, also it can help reduce cholesterol levels which is good for improving cardiovascular health.

Research has shown that by eating a fibre rich diet can reduce the risk of bowel cancer by up to 40 per cent, which is a sizeable reduction. My father died from bowel cancer, and in fact had the disease twice, luckily with a 17-year remission in between.

Because of this I ensure my family eats a fibre rich diet. I am assured that bowel cancer is not hereditary but that it can occur in family clusters sometimes, and so am lucky enough to be on a programme where I have a colonoscopy every 5 years due to this, so maintaining a healthy digestive tract is important for all of us.

Fibre comes in two types – soluble and insoluble. The insoluble form contains lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose and is the type most people associate with. Found mainly in pulses and grains and is easily attainable through wholegrain bread and cereals that assist the movement of stools through the digestive tract.

Soluble fibre contains pectin and gums that helps to increase the level and growth of good bacteria in the gut, helps to lower cholesterol and regulate blood sugar levels. Found in many fruits such as oranges, strawberries, cherries, raspberries, apples, pears, blackberries etc.

Eating a healthy fibre rich diet is good for anyone wanting to lose weight, as they are generally lower in fat and good sources of other nutrients, and fill us for longer. Whole grain foods are also packed in iron and vitamin B.

By making sure you are eating at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables is a great way to increase your intake. Other easy changes to your diet can be made to include more fibre by eating brown rice, wholemeal pasta, baked potato and apples with skin.

Baked beans are an excellent choice as only 150 grams contains 10g.

Nuts are often overlooked for fibre, but a handful gives a generous amount – 6 walnuts about 2g, 10 hazelnuts – 2g, peanuts, almonds and Brazil are also a good source.

A tablespoon of raisins has 2g, so added to cereal will help boost your intake, a 200ml glass of orange juice contains 0.6g whereas a large orange has 2g.

Vegetables also contain a good source of fibre including broccoli, beans, spinach, kale, Brussel sprouts and Swiss chard.

Many people find that by suddenly increasing the intake can cause excessive wind and bloating to occur, so by gradually adding it to your diet can help stop this.

Any one who suffers from constipation should eat a fibre rich diet as this can alleviate it, but what is equally important is drinking plenty of fluid as this enables the fibre to work.

Remember eating good food gives you good health

Sandra & Ted

http://www.goodfoodgoodhealth.com

http://www.thetalkingbooksite.com

http://www.quantum-mind-power.com