Bell peppers are juicy, crunchy, and very tasty foods, which are the most used as decorative motifs and ornaments. Native to South America, bell peppers go in a big array of colors: red, orange, yellow, purple and green colors, and sometimes they are called “sweet peppers”. Botanically, bell peppers should be considered fruit, but it is common to call them vegetables even though their taste is quite sweet. Health benefits of bell peppers have been known for centuries.

Bell peppers are among the most nutritious veggies, they provide us with excellent natural vitamins and acids, as well as antioxidants, which play a key role for our good health and longevity. 100 g of bell peppers have 25-27 calories, and the nutrients include Vitamins A, C, B1, B6, E, tryptophan, folate, molybdenum, copper, manganese, potassium and other essential microelements. It is interesting that according to the results of scientific studies, red bell peppers have significantly higher nutritional value than green ones.

Health benefits of bell peppers include such important powers of these veggies as lowering the risks of heart disease and cancer, stipulated by a high content of lycopene, beta-carotene, antioxidants and other very potent phytonutrients. Regular consumption of bell peppers is linked to lower levels of cholesterol and lower chances of clot formation. In addition, high content of vitamin A is proven to reduce the risks of lung inflammation, emphysema and other lung problems.

It is reported that high doses of vitamin C which can be found in bell peppers can protect the elderly against osteoarthritis and other types of rheumatoid arthritis, as well as against macular degeneration and bad vision. Bell peppers are very delicious and sweet veggies which can be consumed fresh or in veggie salads, but also they can be added to various vegetable stews and appetizers. When choosing bell peppers, look for the ones with firm texture and bright colors, undamaged and bright skin

Needless to say, how serious the problem of increasing occurrence of breast cancer is for today’s public health. Millions of women around the world have to fight against it and do everything possible in order not to lose this hard war. Latest studies suggest that regular consumption of the following natural foods is linked to lower chances of breast cancer in every modern woman.

1. Spinach. Studies suggest that eating just two servings of spinach a week can lower the risks of breast cancer up to 50%.

2. Garlic. Anti-cancer properties of garlic were proven by a number of researches in the world’s best scientific labs.

3. Tomatoes. This natural food is rich in lycopene, which can protect women against breast cancer and men against prostate cancer.

4. Grapes. Fresh concord grapes possess excellent cancer fighting properties. Therefore, consume fresh grapes instead of red wine.

5. Dark cherries. The studies showed that sore cherries have a natural compound which lowers the occurrence of breast cancer in rats.

green tea

6. Green tea. No need to add anything: greed tea is one of the best sources of natural antioxidants.

7. Flaxseed. This natural product is very rich in lignin precursors, which according to the finding of scientific researches, inhibit breast cancer.

8. Broccoli, cauliflower and other cruciferous veggies. These veggies are rich in a phytonutrient called indole – 3 carbinol, which can lower the levels of a female hormone responsible for breast cancer formation.

9. Oranges, carrots and other orange color fruit and veggies. These natural foods are known for their high content of beta carotene, known for its properties to lower the chances of breast cancer.

Early summer is just the perfect season for strawberries, the berries with beautiful look and amazing taste. Known as common ingredients of jams, bakeries, desserts, jellies, syrups, ice-creams and so on, strawberries have a variety of therapeutic properties, and even using frozen berries can help you enjoy strawberries health benefits year round. Below, there are some facts about strawberries and their therapeutic powers.

1. Strawberries are considered to be among the best sources of vitamin C: 100 g of the berries have 120 mg of this vitamin. Also, strawberries are rich in such nutrients and microelements as potassium, iodine, manganese, magnesium, copper, vitamins B group, as well as omega 3 fatty acids, antioxidants and dietary fiber.

2. Nutritionists recommend adding strawberries to daily diet of the people, who have anemia as these berries can strengthen capillaries and enrich our blood.

3. Strawberries have excellent diuretic and diaphoretic properties, they can assist in treating such ailments as hypertension, atherosclerosis and so on.

4. Strawberries health benefits include also positive effects on our appetite and digestion, stimulating the function of kidneys and respiratory system. Besides, strawberries are among the best known thirst quenchers.

5. Consuming strawberries on a regular basis can help improve mental abilities, protect against macular degeneration and assist in effective weight loss management.

6. Increased content of vitamin C adds to strawberries health benefits such important properties as prevention of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Filled with antioxidants and detoxifiers, strawberries stimulate toxin removal, prevent muscle degeneration, reduce swelling and joint pains.

7. Besides, abundance of antioxidants in strawberries allows those who regularly consume this delicious herbal remedy to enjoy all the benefits, starting from cancer prevention and ending up with rejuvenating the body and improving brain function.

8. Strawberries are rich in an organic acid which assists in neutralizing harmful toxins produced after smoking tobacco. Therefore, keen smokers can protect themselves by eating strawberries regularly.

Watercress is a leaf vegetable which we can find in our markets and grocery stores, but it grabs our attention quite rarely. Unfortunately, this is one of the most underestimated veggies, which has very high nutritional value. Like his healthy, nutritious and commonly used relatives, broccoli and cabbage, it has numerous health benefits and known as one of the oldest green vegetables used since the times of Egyptian Pharaohs. Watercress has a wide variety of culinary applications and can be added to soups and salads, used for sandwiches and so on.

This herb is very low in calorie and rich in iron, iodine, sulfur, zinc, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, Vitamins C and A, folic acid and other phytonutrients. It can improve the function of your thyroid gland and can be used for its expectorant and diuretic properties. Researches showed that watercress health benefits include also its anti-cancer powers as this herb has a high content of antioxidants. The specialists say that regular consumption of this herbal remedy is linked to lower risks of lung and breast cancer.

Watercress has very strong antibiotic powers and can be called a natural antibiotic. Remember that in order to enjoy these health benefits of watercress, it is important to consume freshly harvested herb as the majority of the elements can be found in watercress juice. The juice of this plant is also very effective toxin removal remedy, and it is recommended for treatment of such ailments as asthma, cold and bronchitis. For this purpose, watercress juice should be taken in the amount of 2-3 tablespoons a day.

One of the most important health benefits of watercress is the one of preventing various heart problems, as heart disease or coronary artery disease. This property is attributed to a high content of leutin and zeaxanthin, natural carotenoids that prevent arterial plague formation. In addition, these two carotenoids help preserving our vision and preventing the occurrence of such diseases as cataract and macular vision degeneration.

It is hardly possible to mention all watercress health benefits on this only webpage. This herbal remedy can normalize blood pressure and lower cholesterol levels in your blood, slow down aging, improve your mental function and memory. It is very rich in calcium and is useful for our dental health and bone strength. As an excellent source of fiber, watercress can fix the function of your digestive system and regulate bile flow. Please, give it a good thought when you see this miraculous veggie in the market, and do not miss your chance to improve and strengthen your health.

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus), a fruit that belongs to the same family as zucchini, watermelon and pumpkins. Cucumbers originate from India and since ancient times these fruit were taken as a desert, that is why in modern Pakistan and other Eastern countries cucumbers are served among the fruit like apples, peaches, melons and others. However, in the West cucumber is, undoubtedly, a king of salads and one of the best thirst quenchers in summer. There are slicing varieties of cucumbers which we eat fresh and put to our veggie salads, and special pickling varieties, which are usually smaller.

Many believe that cucumber is nothing but water and all it can do just refresh and quench the thirst. However, cucumbers are very nutritious and valuable fruit. 100 g of cucumber has 70 calories, 80 mg of potassium, 27 mg of phosphorus, 32 mg of calcium, 17 mg of carbohydrates, 1.8 mg of iron, as well as vitamin C, vitamin A, niacin and B group vitamins, molybdenum, magnesium, tryptophan, dietary fiber and so on. Due to this rich nutritional content, health benefits of cucumbers are numerous!

In particular, cucumbers are very good sources of iodine, which assists in improving our memory, blood vessels and the function of our thyroid glad. Calcium serves for improving the quality of our hair and nails, sulfur and silica have positive effects on our teeth and dental health, and potassium stimulates liquid removal from the body, as well as helps to normalize blood pressure. Also, cucumber is rich in enzymes, which help in digesting proteins. One more of important health benefits of cucumber is its being very effective as a weight loss aid.

Many specialists recommend cucumber juice therapy to treat such problems as diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. Drinking a glass of cucumber juice a  day, you can stimulate your metabolism, cleanse your liver, lower the risks of pancreatic disease, strengthen your dental health and nervous system. Finally, fresh cucumber juice can be used externally to moisturize and soother your skin. To enjoy this therapeutic effects, you should make juice from the cucumbers which are not peeled.

Mandarins are among the most delicious and useful fruits with a great variety of health benefits. World’s leading specialists and scientists carry on studying unique therapeutic properties and health benefits of mandarin fruits. In particular, the specialists from South Korea recently found out that regular consumption of mandarin juice is linked to lower risks of having liver cancer and liver diseases, as well as to more effective weight management.

The experiments involved more that 60 Korean secondary school students who suffer from overweight. 30 of them undergo a special treatment which included exercising and regular consumption of mandarin juice, and other 30 students were only doing physical exercises. As a result, after 60 days of the treatment, the children from the first group managed to demonstrate better results as to weight reduction.

To support the findings, the specialists continued the experiments with rats. For several weeks the rodents were receiving small doses of mandarin extracts, and in two months they managed to reduce their mass in average for 45%. At that, their body fat decreased for 57%. The experiments continued and the specialists found out that mandarin juice is a good natural remedy for liver problems.  Therefore, more and more of wonderful health benefits of mandarin fruit are being discovered.

These findings actually confirmed the results of an earlier study by the scientists at Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Japan, which also pointed on possible positive effects of mandarin fruit consumption on our liver function. Specialists are sure that this interesting information will contribute in popularization of fresh mandarin juice consumption and assist in lowering the number of people with overweight. Moreover, the specialists are now working on creating a new natural therapeutic drink which would include the extracts of mandarin fruit and other herbal remedies. This new drink will help everyone to lose weight in a natural way and be more healthy.

Winter is a great season to eat persimmon fruit and enjoy persimmon fruit benefits. This beautiful juicy orange color fruit originates from the Far East and has a great resemblance to tomatoes. Persimmon fruit is very highly regarded in China, and in Japan it is considered to be a national fruit. For the last 100 years, the popularity of persimmon fruit has been growing in Europe and in the US, and nowadays, great plantations of persimmon trees are cultivated in sunny California, providing the country with this sweet and delicious healthy natural remedy rich in various minerals, vitamins and anti-oxidants.

Just like carrots, apricots and other orange color fruit, persimmon fruits are considered to be great sources of beta-carotene, fiber and vitamins C and A. According to a study carried out in Israel, persimmon fruit has higher content of very important minerals and nutrients, such as p-coumaric acids, ascorbic acid, phenols, insoluble dietary fiber, phosphorus, calcium and others, than many other fruits, including apples.  100 g of the fruit has about 60-65 kcal and persimmon fruit is widely used in modern culinary for making various pies, cakes, ice creams and other desserts.

One of the most important health benefits of persimmon fruit is anti-cancer properties, due to a high content of beta carotene and vitamin A. This fruit can lower the risks of lung cancer and is recommended to be consumed by chronic smokers. Eating just 100 g of persimmon fruit a day is linked to stronger cardio-vascular health and reduced risks of atherosclerosis. Being an excellent source of iron, persimmon fruit can be very useful to those people who suffer from anaemia. Due to a high content of iodine, regular consumption of this fruit assists in improving the function of thyroid gland, and this is one of the most valuable persimmon fruit benefits.

In traditional Chinese medicine, persimmon fruit products were used to treat such problems as asthma, hiccups, lung infections, hemorrhoids, diarrhea and many others. Certainly, to enjoy all health benefits of persimmon fruit, it is recommended to consume fresh fruits. You can use this fruit as an ingredient for you morning smoothie, or add slices of it to your light vegetable or fruit salad, as well as eat the slices of persimmon fruit with your cereal, oatmeal, pancakes or low fat yogurt. Avoid eating immature persimmon fruit as they do not taste delicious, and also remember that people who suffer from obesity and diabetes are not recommended to eat much of this natural superfood.

According to the findings of a research leaded by Prof. Michael Aviram of the Technion’s Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and the Rambam Medical Center (Israel), eating 100 g of Medjool dates a day is linked to numerous wonderful health benefits which we frequently neglect. The scientists say that such fruits as Hallawi and Medjool dates are very useful to our health. These fruits grow in warm regions of the world and are very sweet, but they do not rise the levels of blood sugar and can improve our blood triglyceride levels.

In other words, Aviram’s team proved that if consumed on a regular basis, dates protect arteries, keep them clear and prevent cloth formation, this way lower the risks of atherosclerosis and heart attack. The tests lasted for 4 week, and after eating 3.75 oz of Hallawi dates every day, the participants demonstrated 15% rise of their blood triglyceride levels and more than 30% lower fat oxidation in the blood. “Oxidation is central to the deposition of cholesterol into the artery wall,” Aviram comments, “Once it is deposited, it can cause blockage of the blood supply to the heart or brain, a phenomenon that causes heart attack or stroke.”

The results of this interesting study were published the last autumn in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Finding out and proving that dates protect arteries and lower the risks of heart attack is not the first achievement of  Prof. Aviram. This scientist spent decades for studying health benefits and properties of various natural superfoods, and he was the first to discover therapeutic effects of such popular natural remedies as olive oil, pomegranate, onions, as well as the benefits of red grapes and red wine consumption. His new idea is creating a type of white wine which would have all the benefits and properties of red wine.

Walnuts are a known natural food for excellent function or our brain, and main benefits of walnuts are focused on this property. For example, according to a recent study carried out by a group of American scientists, daily consumption of walnuts is linked to improved memory in women. This property takes source from a high content of fatty acids, polyphenols and other antioxidants in walnuts, which assists in stimulating brain activity and improving its function. At that, the specialists are convinced that eating walnuts on a regular basis can also lead to improved mental abilities and coordination.

However, in addition to these important benefits, a group of scientists at the University of Harvard studied the effects of walnuts on people with various cardio-vascular problems. It turned out that walnuts can lower the risks of having a stroke or a heart disease, as well as protect against other possible diseases of cardio-vascular nature. These properties are also attributed to a high content of antioxidants, vitamin E and fatty acids. Finally, the experts point on a great potential of walnuts or walnut products to be a new generation remedy to lower the levels of bad cholesterol in our blood.

The main problem that the specialists point on is: in order to enjoy all the benefits of walnuts, a person should consume 7-9 walnuts a day. This dose is quite high in calories (is equal to two table spoons of vegetable oil) and is simply not recommended to many of us. In other words, consuming such amounts of walnuts on a regular basis can be dangerous for many people. That is why the scientists are now working on creating an effective walnut supplement or other natural product containing walnut extract, which would be not harmful to the most of people and give us an opportunity to enjoy the benefits of walnuts for our good health and longevity.

Writing a small article about medicinal uses of garlic is quite a difficult task because this herbal remedy has such a vast variety of therapeutic properties and benefits which can be covered and discussed only in a 500-page book. Presently, health benefits of garlic (Allium sativum) are pretty well explored and studied. Garlic is one of the oldest known medicinal herbs, which is mentioned in famous Ebers Papyrus, a medical encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt (dated back to 1500 BC) as a key ingredient of 22 most important natural remedies of that epoch. In ancient Roman and German national epic, garlic consumption was associated with courage, bravery and good health. It seems that people of those epochs were quite tolerant to garlic odor!

It is a known fact that garlic can frighten away not only vampires and evil spirits, but also such terrible things as cancer, hypertension, high cholesterol and heart disease, colds, etc. Excellent antibacterial, anti-fungal and antiviral properties of garlic can be attributed to the high content of allicin, the key medicinal element of this herbal remedy. One of the most important garlic health benefits is its property to prevent and treat such common aliments as cold and bronchitis. In New York or Mumbai, in London or Capetown – all around the world people know that taking one or two cloves of garlic on the onset of colds, coughs or throat irritations will help to avoid serious consequences linked to this diseases.

Anti-cancer properties of garlic became a subject of hundreds of studies and researches. It was discovered that a combination of two components of garlic, s-allycystein and diallye disulphide have a property to inhibit tumors. That is how this herbal remedy can stop or at least slow down cancerous cells development, as well as prevent cancer by improving our immune system. Two more elements containing in garlic, namely selenium and ajoene, also play a role in protecting us against cancer by removing heavy metals from our body and stimulating other types of detoxification.  Garlic is considered to be especially effective for lowering the risks of having stomach, breast, prostate, colon and skin cancer.

Lowering the risks of having heart disease, helping to control our blood pressure (by thinning our blood) and lower blood cholesterol levels are other key health benefits of garlic consumption on a regular basis. Therefore, eating garlic is essential for those who are concerned about their cardio-vascular health. Another property of garlic to lower sugar levels in our blood makes it an effective natural remedy for type 2 diabetes treatment and prevention. Antibacterial action of garlic can be used to calm down toothache and cure various skin problems, as well as to prevent tuberculosis and food poisoning. The specialists say that consuming 2 cloves of fresh garlic a day can protect you from developing such conditions as ulcers, vaginal yeast infections, bladder infections and so on.

Finally, garlic is considered to be one of the oldest known natural aphrodisiacs which has excellent natural powers to improve blood circulation and help men to fight  impotence. In addition, garlic is also very useful to all pregnant women since, according to the results of a recent study at a London hospital, it can aid in weight gaining for babies decreasing their chances to be born with low weight. At the same time, many specialists point on the fact that for all the above mentioned therapeutic purposes it is better to use fresh natural garlic rather than supplements (though supplements can help to avoid unpleasant garlic odor).

As you can see, garlic is a really wonderful herbal remedy for many diseases and ailments, but we must be careful with its dosages. If you have consumed excessive amounts of garlic, this can cause skin reactions, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and other unwanted side-effects. Do not forget to consult your therapist or other health care specialist if you want to start using garlic as a remedy or a part of your individual health care program. Remember that garlic is very useful, so do not be afraid to add more of garlic seasoning to the meals you cook, and let you and your family enjoy the full variety of valuable garlic health benefits!