Classic

An orange has been a symbol of health since time immemorial. An orange contains a lot of vitamin C and if you’re not feeling well, you can boost your immune system simply by eating an orange. But how healthy is an orange exactly?

The origin of oranges is known by few people, oranges come from China. Hence the name orange: it comes from orange-apple. In the past, China was also called Sina. Pretty funny, right?

How healthy is an orange?

An orange is a citrus fruit and grows on an orange tree, so far you were probably already aware. But did you know that an orange used to be a real delicacy before the 20th century? That is different now. Every fruit basket has an orange at its base.

This is not without reason: oranges are known for their high content of vitamin C. But that is certainly not the only vitamin that an orange contains. Oranges contain both vitamins and minerals. Which ones are they and what are they good for?

These are the 5 health benefits of an orange:

1. Orange boosts the immune system

This is perhaps the best known health benefit of an orange. Because it is known for its high dosage of vitamin C, it boosts the immune system.

Vitamin C actually protects your body from free radicals, these can harm your body, including causing chronic diseases.

2. Healthy cholesterol

Besides vitamin C, an orange also contains fiber. The fiber in an orange can help lower cholesterol levels in your body. Research has shown that the fiber in an orange is able to clear away excess fat.

3. Radiant skin

In the latest Bedrock Talks episode on natural skin products, experts from the natural beauty platform Nourished talk about how important vitamin C is for healthy skin.

Vitamin C protects the skin against damage from the sun, for example, but also plays an important role in the production of collagen. That is the substance in your body that keeps the skin healthy, supple and young. So: eating an orange every day promotes healthy and radiant skin!

4. Good blood pressure

You want to prevent high blood pressure and eating an orange every day can help. That’s because an orange contains the substance hesperidin, or vitamin P, and according to research appears to have a lowering effect on blood pressure. The substance is mainly found in citrus fruits.

In addition to its effect on lowering blood pressure, vitamin P also benefits your brain. It is thought to make your brain work better together.

5. Cells

Your body consists of many cells that play a very important role in your health. If you get enough vitamin C, you have a greater chance of healthy cells in the intestines and bone marrow. That has to do with the fact that vitamin C can help prevent mutations of DNA.

Ginger. If you are aware that your daily diet can be a medicine for you, then ginger will not be missing from your kitchen. Still with you? Then read where it could help you all.

What is ginger?

The ginger that can be bought fresh everywhere these days is a piece of rhizome from a ginger plant. The ginger plant belongs to the family of plants that also includes turmeric, cardamom and galanga root. The ginger root can also be purchased as a ground spice in a jar and as pieces in a drizzly-sweet syrup, but I usually advocate using fresh ginger.

What is ginger good for?

Ginger has a lot of health benefits. The root has a 5,000+ year history as a medicine for all sorts of ailments that we women today often suffer from more than our ancestors. What is ginger good for?We explain 10 benefits of ginger to you below.

1. Ginger is a powerful anti-inflammatory

Chronic (hidden) inflammation underlies many of our current chronic diseases. Often you don’t feel these but they lurk in your body. Ginger is known as a powerful anti-inflammatory and can help you with a wide range of chronic symptoms and diseases. This active ingredient in ginger is called 6-gingerol.

2. Ginger can significantly reduce (menstrual) pain

For centuries, ginger has been a herb used to treat all kinds of pains, including menstrual pains. A study among 150 women showed that, if some ginger was taken every day at the start of the menstruation, it relieved the pain just as effectively as ibuprofen. Incidentally, ginger also proved to be a good remedy for muscle pain after exercise. Can also be useful!

3. Ginger reduces osteoarthritis and (rheumatic) arthritis

Many women suffer from arthritis sooner or later. More and more research shows that this is not the result of wear and tear but of chronic inflammation. Ginger helps on the one hand to counteract these chronic inflammations, but also fights the pain. A study of 247 people with osteoarthritis (often the precursor to arthritis) showed that those who were given an extract of ginger had less pain, which also meant they needed less pain medication.

4. Ginger increases nutrient absorption

This might be the reason why your body keeps nagging for food (too) often: your body then has too few nutrients to keep you healthy and sends you on a dietary path. Ginger can increase the absorption of nutrients from your intestines by up to 200%. This is a good reason to include some ginger in every dish. If you use ground ginger from a jar for this purpose your dish will not taste like ginger.

5. Ginger keeps your blood sugar levels in balance

Yet another way ginger can help you lose weight. An excessively high blood sugar level means that insulin is circulating in your blood; as long as there is insulin in your blood, it is impossible to lose weight. Ginger improves the action of insulin and your insulin sensitivity. It is able to increase the absorption of glucose from your muscle and fat cells, which will cause both your blood sugar level and also the insulin level in your blood to drop faster. This helps you with insulin resistance and obesity. To do this, combine ginger with some lemon juice.

6. Ginger helps with bloating and flatulence

Ginger stimulates the pancreas to produce various enzymes. This greatly stimulates your digestion. It also increases the contractions of your stomach, allowing your stomach contents to go to your intestines faster. This will reduce bloating. Ginger also improves peristalsis (contractions) in your intestines which can reduce flatulence.

7. Ginger has anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties

Flu and the common cold can be cured faster if you use ginger. Ginger has also been shown to inhibit the growth of the stubborn bacterium Helicobacter Pylori. This bacteria is found in your stomach and can be the cause of stomach cancer. There are several bacteria and viruses that are sensitive to ginger and like to wipe out when they come in contact with it.

8. Ginger improves brain functions

Traditionally, ginger has been used to improve memory. A study involving 60 middle-aged women found that a daily extract of ginger improved their reaction time and ability to concentrate and think. There are many studies involving rats that show ginger may protect against the decline of brain functions with age, including Alzheimer’s and dementia. This probably has everything to do with the anti-inflammatory effects of ginger.

9.  Ginger is effective in cancer prevention

We all have cancer cells in our bodies. Cancer is characterized by the uncontrolled growth of cells that don’t quite know how to shut down and break themselves down. The sooner these cells are cleared by your body the better; cancer should be fought while it is still vulnerable. Several animal studies have shown that 6-gingerol in ginger blocks the growth of several cancers, particularly colon cancer. There is limited evidence that ginger may be effective in pancreatic cancer, breast cancer and ovarian cancer, among others. But why wait for evidence when you can add some ginger to your menu today without any side effects?

10. Ginger counters nausea

Have you just had surgery, are you going through chemo, are you easily car sick or are you pregnant? These are all possible causes of nausea that you can counteract with ginger. For example, you can make ginger tea. Soak a piece of ginger in a mug or a jug of hot water and drink it in small sips.

Beware if you use blood thinners or have gallstones

Since ginger thins your blood, be careful with blood thinners. Ask your doctor whether you can replace (some of) your blood thinners (with side effects!) with ginger. Blood thinners are not drugs, they will not make you better. Change your diet and try to get rid of them. Your body will thank you.

Ginger can also increase the release of bile acid. If you have gallstones or problems with your gallbladder be careful with large amounts of ginger as well. Ginger is warming. If you suffer from hot flashes or night sweats, try ginger to make it worse.

How do you store ginger?

Fresh ginger is best kept in the fridge with the peel in a plastic bag without air.  Ginger can also be kept outside the fridge, but in the vegetable compartment of your fridge, it will keep a little longer: up to three weeks.

Have you already peeled the ginger? No problem, even now you can still store the ginger. Place it in an acidic liquid such as rice wine, rice vinegar or fresh lime juice. Although this may affect the taste.

Freezing? Yes, you can. In fact, there are several ways to do this. First, you can freeze the ginger root whole. Then grate a little bit off when you need it. The rest of the ginger can then be put back into the freezer.

You can also grate the ginger root before freezing it. Place the grated ginger in small piles on a plate and place the plate in the freezer. When the ginger grater is frozen, you can store it in a container in the freezer. Very convenient, because now you can thaw the ginger by the serving and the ginger will remain usable for up to six months. It is also possible to freeze in slices or cubes in a container. In principle, you do not even need to defrost the ginger before use.

Drying fresh ginger Would you like to be able to keep ginger even longer? Then drying is the last option. Grate the ginger root and spread the grating on baking paper. Let this dry for about four days in a cool, dry place. Now that the ginger is dried, you can keep it for up to a year.

Zest is a technical term for the thin peel of citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons and limes, without even a hint of white on it.

If you need zester for a recipe, peel the fruit as thinly as possible. You can do this with a sharp potato knife, but even better with a peeler. Large chunks of the skin should then be cut into strips or pieces. Or run the fruit over the coarse grater (and do not press too hard). Result: grated peel or, to be more precise, grated zest.

Of course, for preparations in which the zest must be included, use untreated fruit that you first scrub thoroughly with hot water.

The zest and juice of a lemon always come in handy. In fact, we should invariably have one of these sour, yellow things in the house. Unfortunately, the things don’t keep indefinitely. After a week, the juiciness is usually gone. But if you use this trick, the citrus fruit will last for a month.

Juice and grater as the basic ingredient

Back to the versatility of the lemon. Why should you always keep one on hand? First of all because of the juice, which you can sprinkle over a piece of salmon or add as an acid to a sauce or dressing.

But the peel is also indispensable. And apparently it becomes even tastier by the storage trick. For example, put the zest over pasta, through risotto or process it in a cake. When it comes to basic ingredients, lemon is definitely in our top three.

Lemon keeps the longest

Unfortunately, over time the citrus fruit loses its moisture and within a week it is no longer tasty and fresh. But America’s Test Kitchen has come up with a solution. The best way to store them is in the refrigerator in a sealable plastic bag.

The bag keeps the moisture in the lemons. This way you can keep them for four weeks. The grater will have a different taste if you store the lemon in a plastic bag, the zest will even be tastier. Look, that’s something we can use.

emons are known for their fresh, sour taste and the vitamin C they contain. But what do you actually know more about this yellow fruit? In this article we list 8 facts about the lemon for you.

1. Lower blood sugar

Lemons contain hesperetin, a phytonutrient (vegetable substance with a positive effect on the body) that helps to lower blood sugar levels. This also makes the lemon suitable for diabetics or people with insulin resistance.

2. Counters gallstones and kidney stones

The citric acid in the yellow fruit not only provides a fresh and strong taste: it also helps produce extra urine. This can prevent the formation of gallstones and kidney stones.

3. Lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

Cardiovascular disease is a common cause of death worldwide. Vegetables and fruits rich in vitamin C can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. In particular, dark leafy vegetables and fruits high in vitamin C, such as lemons and oranges, can have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system.

4. Can help with anemia

Anemia is often caused by an iron deficiency. Lemons do not contain an impressive amount of iron, but they are very rich in vitamin C and citric acid. These two substances allow our bodies to better absorb iron from other foods.

5. Blood pressure lowering

Lemons contain potassium. This important mineral is involved in many different processes in your body. Potassium affects your appetite, energy level and heart rhythm. Potassium can also have a blood pressure lowering effect. Potassium is found in lemons and can have a beneficial effect on high blood pressure. Another factor that plays a role in high blood pressure is the intake of salt and sugar. For overweight people, losing a few pounds can also lower blood pressure.

6. Strengthens your immune system

Vitamin C is essential for a healthy immune system. Lemons contain a good dose of this vitamin and thus help protect your body from colds, flu and other illnesses.

7. Good for your bowels

Lemons help stimulate your intestinal peristalsis. This is a movement your intestines make to move food around. It promotes good bowel movements and keeps your intestines clean. Clean bowels, among other things, allow your body to absorb nutrients better.

8. Tooth decay

It is important to realize that your teeth are put under pressure by eating acidic foods. Citric acid can damage tooth enamel, making you more likely to get cavities and tooth decay.

• Here’s what you can do to prevent lemon tooth decay:
• Don’t brush your teeth immediately before or after eating/drinking lemon (juice)
• Rinse your mouth with water immediately after eating/drinking lemon (juice)
• Drink lemon juice with a straw to avoid direct contact with your front teeth

When we talk about garlic we immediately think of the countries around the Mediterranean Sea. Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey. But is garlic originally from here?

In the middle of the 18th century, Botanist Carl Linnaeus gave Sicily in Italy the honor of being the place of origin for garlic. In 1875, Edward Regel wrote that he had encountered garlic species in the Dzungaria Basin, an area north of Tien Shan in China. Central Asia. In 1887, Eduard Regel came up with the indication that in Tajikistan and Tashkent are also possible places of origin.

Central Asia was difficult to access for Western researchers in the 20th century. Russian research into the place of origin of garlic did continue.

By 1980, Russian researchers had mapped an area where garlic originally occurred. This area lies roughly between Tien Shan in the east (see map). On the border of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan continuing west through southern Uzbekistan to Tajikistan and the Pamir Mountains, continuing west through northern Afghanistan and into northern Iran and Turkmenistan.

In 1995, Helga Maas and Manfred Klaas concluded through their study of molecular markers and DNA profiles of hundreds of garlic species that the most primitive forms of garlic with the ability to form seeds came from the eastern region of Uzbekistan and western and southern Georgia in the Caucasus.

Seed formation (also in garlic) is necessary for generative propagation and increasing diversity. We may assume that through selection of late to non-flowering species, humans had a hand in creating non-flowering garlic.

Distribution

Since humans arrived in Central Asia and found wild garlic, garlic has begun to spread other than by seed or incubation bulbs.

The hunters, gatherers of the time led a nomadic existence and presumably took garlic with them as food and flavoring. Central Asia was also an area that was on the various trade routes there such as the silkworm route. This makes it plausible that garlic got beyond its original area of distribution that way.

The first evidence of garlic was found in a tomb at El Mahasna Egypt. The clayed garlic images are dated to 3750 BC. Also found in the tomb of Tutankhaman, buried in 1352 BC were dried garlic bulbs in addition to gold and Lapis. The Greek historian Herodotus wrote in the 5th century BC after visiting the Pyramids in Egypt that he saw inscriptions describing that large quantities of radishes, onions and garlic were consumed by the Pyramid builders. These findings suggest that garlic played an important role in their culture.

Mentions of garlic have been found in India at least from 3000 BC and from China from around the year 0 and perhaps as early as 2000 BC. The thousands of years of trade and exchange have brought garlic to over much of the world. Even westward, garlic came through Russia and into Germany.

Now people are doing nothing else. People are looking from Europe and America for original garlic in Central Asia. China ships its garlic all over the world. And people take garlic all over the world by plane. The North -Western side of Europe did not warm to garlic. Until about 1950, garlic was known only in botanical and monastery gardens. It was mentioned in books about home remedies for ailments.

Garlic is a delicious seasoning in dishes, so the chances are that you have a few bulbs in your kitchen. But how long can you actually leave garlic before it goes bad?

The answer to this question depends mainly on where you store it and whether the garlic has already been peeled.

Guidelines for garlic storage

If you store an unpeeled garlic bulb in a kitchen cabinet, it will keep for about six months. An unpeeled garlic clove will keep for about three weeks. When you remove the skin from the garlic, it also deteriorates faster. For example, you can throw away a peeled garlic clove after only a week. Chopped or crushed garlic deteriorates fastest: you can keep it for a maximum of one day.

Damaged garlic

If garlic is no longer good, it will have dark or green stains. Also if garlic feels a little softer it is usually no longer good. Fortunately you will never really get sick from spoiled garlic, but it is not tasty.

Garlic is delicious and healthy, but it does make your mouth smell like shit. What can you do about this? The 10 best proven tips you will find in this article.

Did you know that garlic is very good for you? It contains vitamins B1, B6 and C, several minerals such as selenium, manganese, phosphorus, copper and calcium, and the amino acid tryptophan. Garlic is good for the entire immune system and is said to have a good effect on colds, flu, cardiovascular disease, anemia, arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, and obesity, among others. But the foul smells from your mouth can last for a few hours (sometimes even two days!).

Why does garlic stink?

After eating garlic, you may smell quite a bit from your mouth. How does this happen? Food is broken down in your stomach by stomach acids. Normally this happens without you noticing it. However, when garlic is broken down, volatile sulfur compounds are released. Those gases (especially allylmethylsulfide) smell. They come out through the mouth, skin and urine.

How can you remedy garlic breath?

1. Neutralize sulfur gases.

Of course, the best thing to do is to tackle the smell at the source and counteract the stinking sulfur gases (allylmethylsufide) directly in the stomach. There’s really only one remedy that does that: St. Sin’s anti-garlic breath sweets. These destroy and neutralize the odors in the stomach before they can escape through your pores and lungs. Within thirty minutes you will no longer suffer from garlic breath. Incidentally, the sweets also work against an onion smell. Useful if you have a nice meal with garlic and onions have eaten! The effect of St. Sin Garlic is scientifically proven and the sweets are even recommended by dental hygienists.

2. Raw apple

Raw apple and raw lettuce reduce the volatile compounds by half, research has shown. Apple juice and mint juice also reduced the amount of volatiles, but not as effectively as apple. This works in two ways: apple and lettuce contain elements that counteract the sulfur gases. If you eat the apple or lettuce raw, enzymes in the raw food also directly help counteract the foul odors.

3. Green tea, spinach, parsley, fresh mint, basil, lemon juice

Although raw apple and raw lettuce are the most effective foods, research has shown that green tea, spinach, parsley, fresh mint, lemon (juice) and basil can also have a positive effect on garlic breath. These foods are best eaten raw. It contains polyphenols, which break down the sharp components in garlic. Lemon juice is said to be especially helpful with pressed raw garlic. Be careful, though: lemon is very acidic and can corrode the enamel of teeth.

4. Fresh garlic

It makes quite a difference whether you eat fresh or dried garlic. The fresher the garlic, the less intense the smell. Garlic powder smells the worst, but dried garlic also gives off quite an odor. You probably think you’re using fresh garlic when you buy it at the supermarket. That’s not the case: that is dried garlic from China, which is often 1 or 2 years old! Garlic is also grown in the Netherlands. You can often buy this fresh garlic at the market or at the greengrocer’s. You can recognize it by the green stem attached to the bulb. It’s worth the effort, because this fresh variety smells a lot less than the dried ones!

5. Large pieces of garlic

It doesn’t really matter how many cloves of garlic you put in your food, it’s how you cut and prepare garlic that counts. The more you damage garlic, the more intense the smell. Whole cooked cloves hardly smell at all, coarsely cut more, finely rubbed the most. Here’s the thing: the cells of garlic contain the odorless sulfur substance alliin and the inactive enzyme alliinase. When garlic is cut or pressed, the cells break down. The alliinase then becomes active and forms the substance allicin with the released alliin. This is a sulfur substance that smells foul. The more cells that are broken, the worse the smell. If you do not want to smell out of your mouth, make sure you do not cut garlic too fine! And another tip: don’t use the inner part of the garlic clove; it smells the most.

6. Baking or stewing

Whether garlic is raw, baked or stewed makes a big difference to the smell in your mouth. Raw garlic gives off a strong garlic stench, baked somewhat less so, and long stewed (whole) cloves almost none. In short: stewing large, fresh pieces of garlic for a long time gives the least smell.

7. Milk

There are signs that drinking milk (especially full-fat, fatty milk) will relieve the garlic smell. However, milk has a major drawback: it can itself be the cause of bad breath! The dismantling of milk proteins from dairy products such as cheese, milk and yogurt in the mouth releases bacteria that can cause bad breath. So not the best tip.

8. Oxygen

Bacteria in the mouth can convert the sulfur compounds from garlic into a foul odor. To prevent this and eliminate the bacteria, it is best to use a mouthwash that contains active oxygen (sodium chlorite). This has an antibacterial and salivary stimulating effect, so that the mouth remains moist and bacteria cannot multiply so easily; after all, bacteria do not like oxygen. Rinsing with a mouthwash that contains active oxygen releases oxygen molecules that these bacteria can’t tolerate and die off.

9. Good oral hygiene

Although foul garlic smell mainly comes from your skin and lungs, it is important to keep your mouth clean. After all, garlic residue can linger there too. Moreover, you feel more comfortable with a clean mouth. So brush well, but don’t forget the tongue! There are many bacteria on the surface that can make things worse. Scrape it off!

10. Stainless steel

You may have heard that to remove the smell of garlic from your hands, you can rub them on stainless steel. There are special “soaps” for that, but you can also rub your hands over a stainless steel sink or faucet. This is how it works: the odorants are likely to stick to the surface. Also, allicin, a sulfur-containing odorant in garlic, appears to bind to the stainless steel surface via iron oxide. If the compounds stick to the stainless steel surface, they will most likely be broken down into odorless, water-soluble compounds.

To start licking the sink now is going a bit far. But there are tongue cleaners made of stainless steel. A metal surface is nice anyway because it prevents bacteria from living on the tongue cleaner itself. But because this tongue scraper is made of stainless steel, it can therefore also remove garlic breath extra effectively.

Garlic is incredibly nutritious and contains very few calories. It contains Vitamin B6, Vitamin C and manganese, among other things. A little bit of everything we need. Garlic is known to boost the function of the immune system. In addition, garlic can have a beneficial effect on blood pressure and can help with healthy cholesterol levels. Garlic contains antioxidants that may help prevent Alzheimer’s and dementia. In addition to its physical and mental benefits, it is, of course, a great seasoning for most of us! Want to know more about what garlic can do for us? Then read on soon!

What exactly is garlic?

Any idea how garlic grows? Garlic (Allium sativum) is a plant in the narcissus family and belongs to the same genus (Allium) as onion, leek and chives. The entire “head” is called the garlic bulb and each segment is called a clove. Garlic is a bulbous crop and grows in well-drained soil and in full sun in many parts of the world. The papyrus Ebers in Egypt mentioned garlic 3500 years ago. Workers building the pyramids were fed garlic because it was said to give strength. In addition, garlic was already prescribed as medicine in ancient Greece. “Let your food be your medicine and let your medicine be your food.” These are famous words of the physician of ancient Greece, Hippocrates. He was one of the doctors who prescribed garlic to treat medical conditions.

The working properties of garlic

Do you love garlic and can’t get enough? Garlic contains allicin, a substance with powerful medicinal properties. The thing that causes the beneficial health effect is the sulfur compounds that are formed when a clove is chopped, pressed or chewed. This sulfur compound is also responsible for the garlic smell. Garlic is very good for several things in the human body. Keep in mind that you need a high dosage for desired effect. Only an occasional clove through your food would not be enough. A clove of garlic contains 2% manganese, 2% vitamin B6 and 1% vitamin C of the RDA! Great right? To have such a delicious addition to your dish and to supplement the vitamins and minerals!

Garlic as a supplement?

After reading this, are you planning to use garlic as a supplement? Adding garlic to a varied, balanced diet can help you. For example, you can do this with Kyolic aged Japanese garlic, which you take one of every day. It is a Japanese naturally aged garlic. Its high quality is determined by the raw materials selected with utmost care and by the classic method of cultivation and ripening. After harvesting, Kyolic is aged for 20 months, bringing out the best in the garlic. You can take these tablets during or immediately after a meal. However, it is important to consult a doctor first if you are pregnant, lactating or taking medication.

Fresh garlic or garlic powder?

Garlic, of course, comes in a variety of forms. Fresh garlic has a mild fresh taste and is easily digestible. In addition, the day after you eat garlic you will not notice it. This is not the case with garlic powder. It has a much stronger smell because it is much more concentrated. The dried variety also does not contain the active compound like fresh garlic. Garlic powder is of course easy to use, yet fresh garlic is healthier. With fresh garlic, you also get rid of the strong smell faster. So… What do you choose?

Adding garlic to your diet?

Now that you know the benefits garlic can bring you, you can hardly find a reason not to eat garlic, you can combine garlic in countless ways in your diet. Fresh garlic is the tastiest and most effective. The active ingredient allicin is only formed when garlic is chopped or pressed. So you will always have to crush the garlic raw. Boiling garlic first and then crushing it is useless for its effectiveness. You can make a delicious dressing of garlic by crushing it with a garlic press and adding a little olive oil. Delicious on salads or in wok dishes. Not a fan of garlic, but still want to enjoy the positive effects of garlic? Then you can go for a garlic supplement.