 Why are they good for you?
🧅 Leeks belong to the same family as onions (as well as shallots, garlic, spring onions etc) 🩸Leeks are a little more nutrient dense than the humble onion with good doses of carotenoids (converted by your body to vit A) vitamin c, manganese and particularly high in vitamin K1 which we need for blood clotting. 🧄They contain a decent amount of allicin - the sulphur compound which makes garlic famously good for you. Allicin is a powerful antioxidant, antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial which should be part of everyone’s diet in one form or another. 👁Also high in the carotenoids zeaxanthin and lutein which are EXTREMELY good for eye health ❤️Folate is well known as being essential in pregnancy but it’s also extremely good for heart health as it helps keep a protein called homocysteine balanced (which can contribute to heart disease) 🏴 Lastly leeks are famously associated with Wales and there are many theories as to why. My favourite being that long ago before modern religion when nature was celebrated and worshiped, the leek’s reputation to cure would have been revered. It was highly regarded as a cure for colds and was a tasty, healthy ingredient in traditional welsh broth. 👍 We bloody love leeks in this household and particularly like finely chopping them and adding to the tops of salads. And homegrown ALWAYS tastes better... #leeks #growyourown #foodasmedicine #nutritionaltherapy #nutritionmatters #foodtips #gyo #gardentoplate #loveforfood #organicfood #kitchengarden #inmygarden #homegrowntastesbetter #nutritiousfood #nourishtoflourish #gentlenutrition #mybristolgarden #gingerandpicklesnutrition
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 🦋I’ve practiced yoga most of my life, even as a child and regularly as an adult. It brings me a lot of calm and peace as well as being a form of exercise.
🤸♀️Lots of people don’t enjoy the more spiritual ‘woo-woo’ side to yoga and that is fine whatever works for you and it’s easy enough to find a teacher to match the practice you enjoy. 🌦But the numerous scientific studies cannot be denied of the benefits of yoga not only for the body but for the mind. Specifically for those mental health issues such as depression or panic/anxiety disorders. It’s also wonderful for clients with mobility issues, chronic pain or fatigue disorders such as #CFS and #fibromyalgia. It’s a form of exercise I quite often recommend to clients (depending on the person of course!) in my #naturopathic practice and personally I try and practice at least twice a week (even if it’s not always that peaceful with three children!) ☀️☀️☀️ #yoga #yogabenefits #yogaeverydamnday #healthwithcare #naturopathicmedicine #exercise #mentalhealth #proactive #lifestylemedicine #bethechange #changethestigma #mentalhealthawareness #selfcare #gingerandpicklesnutrition
My cucumber plant is seriously motoring and giving us a lot of fruit (yes it’s technically a fruit) But remember its not just for salads!
😮Did you know cucumber contains most vitamins needed everyday plus some essential minerals such as magnesium, calcium, iron, zinc and potassium. 🥳 They contain a decent amount of B vitamins so adding some to your water can give you a much needed boost! Also great to eat before bedtime to avoid a hangover 🥂 🤢💨 Also really good for eliminating bad breath and destroying the bacteria causing the stink - press a slice to the top of your pallet for half a minute to feel the effects 🍔 A great mid afternoon slump snack - combine with a protein rich source such as nuts or even a slice of cheese to really help keep you full till dinner 👙Adding cucumber slices to your eyes or rubbing over areas prone to cellulite is a great way of combating wrinkles and orange peel bum as the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen to tighten 🐌 Adding some cucumber slices to some tin foil can fend off unwanted pests eating your garden as the cucumber reacts with the aluminium and gives off an unwanted scent (undetected by humans) 🧊 Lastly cucumbers are 90% water so just excellent for rehydrating on a day like today. The phrase cool as a cucumber comes from the ability of cucumber to cool our blood and reduce swelling which is why they are often used in facials So there we have it! All hail to the mighty cucumber. Also just smashing in a gin and tonic, in this GLORIOUS weather 🍸 #growyourown #gardentoplate #gardenlife #nutritionfacts #nutritionaltherapy #cucumber #fruitstagram #happyhealthylife #healthycooking #nourishing #nutrientrich #eatgoodfeelgood #wholefoods #foodlove #sutainableliving #plantbased #ginlovers #plantbaseddiet #fuelyourbody #girlswhogarden #beautifulfood #gingerandpicklesnutrition Look at these beauties ✨carrots are brilliant to grow! Lucky it’s the very favourite vegetable in this house as we have got a bumper crop. We ate some beautiful sweet raw carrots yesterday and looking forward to some honey roasted later on today. Don’t forget to use the carrot tops - they make an excellent pesto. Big carrot love here 🧡🧡🧡
🥕Carrots are great to eat at this time of year especially for skin health as the beta carotene helps protect from sun damage, fight ageing 🥕carrots are famous for their immune boosting vitamins and antioxidants so good for a summer cold 🥕And who could forget the fact they help you see in the dark (which isn’t completely true but they are good for eye health) 🥕Lastly did you know if you eat enough carrots you can actually turn your skin yellow? It’s called carotenemia and isn’t serious! Usually it just affects your palms and soles of your feet and you can stop it by eating less carrots... #carrots #gyo #antioxidants #betacarotene #foodasmedicine #girlswhogarden #nutritionaltherapist #gardentoplate #mygardentoday #mybristolgarden #growingvegetables #growyourownfood #healthyfamily #nutritionfacts #loveforfood #organicfood #bristolfoodie #kitchengarden #organicgardening #kidsgrowveggieskidseatveggies #gingerandpicklesnutrition This was one days haul from the garden gift that just keeps giving. Peas are such a glorious plant to grow with children, easy peasy (!) they grow like weeds, are impressively tall and fresh garden peas are just to die for. Even my pea-hating five year old likes fresh garden peas. Here are some decent pea facts:  A truly wonderful medicinal plant and culinary herb, it’s dead easy to grow (just grow in a pot away from your other veggies and herbs!) Here are some good fennel facts:
🥗 The whole plant is edible (stalk,seeds,bulb) 🤸♂️ It has so many nutritious elements such as decent amounts of vitamin C, manganese and potassium 🦠It is also a wonderful prebiotic (=feeds gut bacteria) which as today is #worldmicrobiomeday is a good vegetable to talk about! 🌱It contains many powerful plant compounds called polyphenols, which are wonderful antioxidants repairing damage in your body and providing some potent protection. 🥔The seeds are often used to aid digestion and relieve bloating and constipation, and small quantities are also low FODMAP so great for IBS. 🤱🏻 Did you know the plant is also a galactogenic - meaning it can help stimulate the production of breastmilk in new mothers. Fennel tea is a great way of stimulating breast milk production. 🥗The fennel bulb is lovely raw and sliced thinly in salads where it brings a wicked liquorice pop. 😋But for a softer flavour, try roasted fennel, it is off the hook good. 👆This is a quick and easy favourite summer dinner of mine - olive oil roasted fennel, potatoes with cherry tomatoes, olives and capers. #lowfodmap #lowgi #fennel #ibsdiet #breastfeedingtips #fennelseeds #fennelsalad #fenneltea #polyphenols #grainfree #foodasmedicine #plantbased #onlyplants #veganfood #dairyfree #breastfeedingfood #foodtips #culinaryherbs #healthyfamily #medicinalplants #bristolfoodie #herbalmedicine #dinnerinspo #gingerandpicklesnutrition  This is lemon, thyme and courgette cake. Recipe courtesy of @bbcgoodfood. We have a huge glut of courgettes from the garden which seem to just keep coming so we have been finding tons of interesting ideas with how to use them up.
Courgettes in cake is not as well known as the beloved carrot cake, but the effects are pretty similar. Courgettes have a very high water content, which make them perfect to bake with to keep cakes moist and soft. It didn’t go down well when my 5 year old found out the cake was made from courgettes, but, needless to say once tried this cake was finished in a day, and more courgette cake has been requested! Perfect to celebrate a beautiful midsummers day. There is a decent amount of courgette in here to feel pretty worthy whilst eating my cake and the pairing with the lemon and thyme is just 👌💋🙌 #baking #bakingwithkids #gbbo #courgettecake #growyourownfood #getgrowing #courgetterecipes #courgetteglut #recipesharing #nutritionaltherapy #gyo #urbangarden #vegetablepatch #fromgardentoplate #amateurbaker #fromseed #gingerandpicklesnutrition  New found use for my favourite herb lemon balm (Melissa Officinalis) baked with fish in the oven (alongside a knob of butter, lemon juice and black pepper) Simple and absolutely gorgeous on a summers eve. I can’t remember who gave me this tip but thank you this food pairing was a delight 🙏🏻
#dinnertonight #dinnerinspo #lemonbalm #herbgarden #recipeshare #foodlover #herbalmedicine #bristolfoodie #nutritionaltherapist #gingerandpicklesnutrition  We've had a lovely bumper crop of courgettes from the garden today (see WHOPPER courgette) so expect courgette spam for the foreseeable. Courgettes have a high water content but are low calorie with a decent amount of potassium so excellent veg choice for those watching their blood pressure. Dinner tonight: courgette pancakes.
Ingredients: 300g SR flour, 180g courgettes (grated) 100g frozen sweetcorn, 2 eggs beaten, 60g cheese, handful of herbs (I used chives) 300ml milk, 1tbsp olive oil, pinch of salt. Method: Threw all the ingredients together (sieve flour) until well mixed. Fry with olive oil until you see bubbles on the surface then turn. Serve with salad and lovely with humous. For vegan alternative swap milk for nut mylk, egg for flaxegg and cheese for nutritional yeast. For a GF alternative gramflour should work really well with this recipe. #courgette #nutritionaltherapist #dinnertonight #growyourown #gardentoplate #fieldtoplate #dinnerinspo #courgette #gyo #eatseasonally #eatlocal #fromthegardentoday #allotmentgarden #nutritionaltherapy #bristolfood #gingerandpicklesnutrition  Salsa verde is literally the taste of summer. Combine any two or three handfuls of herbs (preferably one of them parsley) with some garlic/onion/shallot. A good dash of olive oil, something sour (think capers, chopped gherkins, anchovies) and a dollop of mustard or sherry vinegar. Chop everything finely, mix and serve over fish or chicken. Many many recipes on tinternet - adapt as you like! Herbal gorgeousness...
#herbalifenutrition #herbs #salsaverde #herbalife #foodasmedicine #dinnerinspo #bristolfoodie #gingerandpicklesnutrition |
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