Have you ever eaten flowers from your garden? Fruits, herbs and vegetables aren‘t the only things you can eat from your garden. From the earliest times, the blossoms of plants were used for sustenance, at first by trial and error and by watching what birds and animals ate. As time went on, traditions were established: it became known which flowers were edible and this information was passed on within families. A new research states that common edible flowers are rich in phenolic and have excellent antioxidant capacity. They can be added to your food to prevent chronic disease.
1 large (70 g) carrot has 30 kcal, only 0,2 g fat, 1 g protein, 2002 IU vitamin A, 4,2 mg vitamin C, 10 mcg vitamin K, 24 mg calcium, 25 mg phosphorus, 230 mg potassium, 50 mg sodium.
Obesity and overweight are a result of an imbalance between food consumed and physical activity. Nowadays calories consumption of adults has increased, but there are no changes in physical activity. Obesity is a complex issue related to lifestyle, environment, and genes. Overweight adolescents often become obese adults. Obese adults are at increased risk for type 2 diabetes, hypertension, stroke, certain cancers, infertility.
Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, and high blood pressure is a major risk factor. In some people, sodium increases blood pressure because it holds excess fluid in the body, creating an added burden on the heart. Too much sodium in the diet may also have other harmful health effects, including increased risk for stroke, heart failure, osteoporosis, stomach cancer and kidney disease.
Most people who eat a healthy diet should get enough potassium naturally. However, many Americans don't. While the typical American diet, which is high in sodium-containing processed foods and low in fruits and vegetables, contains about two times more sodium than potassium, many health experts recommend taking in at least five times more potassium than sodium. So the average U.S. intake of potassium is lower than it should be.
Regions of North America identified as low in selenium content are the Northeast, Pacific, Southwest, and coastal plain of the southeastern region of the United States, as well as north central and eastern Canada. The lowest selenium content of soil exists in a few regions of China, especially in Keshan, where severe selenium deficiency was first reported in a human population in 1979. Other areas with low selenium content include parts of Finland and New Zealand.
Iron deficiency, the precursor of iron deficiency anemia, is the most common of all nutritional deficiency diseases. In the United States and worldwide, iron deficiency anemia is prevalent among children and woman of childbearing age. The groups considered to be at greatest risk for iron deficiency anemia are infants younger than 2 years of age, adolescent girls, pregnant woman, and older adults. Pregnant teenagers are frequently at high risk because of poor eating habits and continuing growth. Women in their childbearing years who are iron deficient benefit from either a diet rich in iron-containing foods or supplements.
