There was once a time when almost everyone in America raised at least some of their own food. Times have changed, we live in a fast-paced culture of people who claim to be far too busy to grow something of their own that they can just as easily find at the nearby grocer.
However, there are certainly some pluses to growing your own food and especially foods that promote weight loss and boost metabolism. Here are three powerful plants with health promoting properties that are easy to grow – even if you don’t have a green thumb!
Stevia
Although stevia, a member of the aster family is a tropical herb, it is quite adaptable and grows well anywhere where the temperature stays above 40 degrees F. Wait to plant young plants in the north until the soil warms to about 60 degrees F. In warmer climates, stevia will last for several seasons.
Stevia looks fantastic in containers and also grows well indoors. Stevia is a natural sweetener and its leaves contain “stevioside”, a substance that is over 300 times sweeter than sugar. Leaves can be dried naturally and ground, making them perfect for cooking or canning, or the leaves can be eaten and cooked as a vegetable.
This calorie-free herb does not influence blood sugar at all. Research has also noted the stevia used in place of sugar may reduce the incidence of tooth decay. Stevia is easiest to grow from plants and requires full sun to partial shade.
Cayenne Peppers
Cayenne peppers are one of the most powerful herbs in the whole world. Continued medical research validates the vast medicinal benefit of this pretty plant. Not only do these colorful peppers rev up metabolism, but they can also stop a heart attack within 30 seconds.
Cayenne helps feed vital elements into the cell structure of capillaries, arteries and veins while regulating blood pressure. Cayenne also cleans out the arterial walls and rids the body of bad cholesterol and triglycerides.Other notable medicinal benefits include its anti flu properties, migraine headache prevention, detoxification properties and joint and pain relief properties.
Growing cayenne peppers is incredibly easy. Adding just a few of these to your weekly meals can make a tremendous difference in your health. Pepper plants grow to be about two to three feet tall and make excellent container plants. They thrive in rich organic soil and need plenty of sun. If you live in a extremely hot climate, shade the plants from the hottest afternoon sun. Do not plant cayenne peppers near sweet peppers due to the possibility of cross pollination.
Garlic
Garlic is not only valuable but incredibly versatile. This aromatic herb is as popular in the kitchen as it is in the medicine cabinet. Garlic promotes the well-being of the immune system and the heart while maintaining healthy blood circulation. Garlic is a potent detoxifier and works effectively against a number of fungi, viruses and bacteria. In addition, research has demonstrated that garlic lowers blood pressure, lowers bad cholesterol and inhibits cancer.
Garlic bulbs or cloves are planted in the mid fall and are ready the following summer, when at least two-thirds of the leaves begin to turn brown. Garlic requires about an inch of water each week during the growing season and prefers full sun and organic soil. Once garlic is harvested, it can bundled and hung to dry in a shaded and covered location.
You can literally break off a clove from a whole bulb of fresh garlic that you have already purchased, and push it down about 2 inches in the soil with your finger. Give it a few weeks and you’ll see a few shoots! The shoots also make excellent chive-like additions to any meal, except with a potent garlic punch!
What are you going to plant this season?
– The Alternative Daily
