The childhood tongue twister, “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers” has a philosophy to it.  If you picked a peck of peppers and ate them, you would be very healthy indeed!  For peppers have a powerhouse of nutrients for the AgeEsteemer’s body.  There are green, red, yellow, and orange bell peppers and smaller chili peppers.  The lovely little vegetables are tempting to the eye in their shiny coats.  They may be eaten raw or cooked, stuffed and baked, boiled, broiled, fried and mixed with other vegetables such as eggplant, zuchinni, and tomatoes as well as adding a hot spice to  food.

Bell peppers are loaded with vitamin C, fighting off cancer, eye diseases and even conditions such as Alzheimer’s.  Chili peppers, which are very hot, are good for unblocking clogged up lungs and bronchial tubes.  The compound that makes them hot acts as natural aspirin. In addition, when added to food they speed up the metabolism, thus enabling the burning of calories. One interesting study shows that they do not destroy the lining of the stomach nor do they cause ulcers.   Venture out now and pick a peck of peppers!

Grandma Nature

Many of us remember Popeye and his advice to eat spinach in order to become big and strong!  Well, unfortunately, this is not exactly true.

Yes, spinach does have some iron but it also has oxalate, which prevent much of the iron from being absorbed by the body.  To counteract this, simply drink or eat something with the spinach that has a lot of vitamin C.  Red and green bell peppers, strawberries, cantaloupe, and Brussels sprouts are some sources. This is essential in helping the iron to be absorbed in the body.

There is still good news regarding spinach. Its dark green leaves are full of antioxidants which aid in preventing cardiovascular disease and cancer.  In addition, the vegetable is full of beta-carotene which will help in preventing eye diseases such as macular degeneration.

As some antioxidants are lost in cooking, it is very important to eat spinach raw or very slightly cooked.

Spinach Salad
Fresh spinach, washed
Add chopped hard boiled eggs, chopped red pepper, and garlic roasted croûtons.
Serve with a salad dressing of extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and a bit of mustard.

Yum.  So healthy.

Grandma Nature