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Why you should open your kitchen door to protect your health
6th March 2009
• The TV programme that could protect your health
• Medicine you can plant right NOW
If I was the paranoid type, I'd really be worried by
now...
I'd check my office for hidden bugging devices
(although it's such a mess a man could stand in there
holding a microphone and I probably wouldn't see
him)...
I'd check my mail to see if it had been steamed open
and resealed, and I'd ask Lara if she'd been speaking to
any strangers recently...
Because last week something happened that convinced
me that someone's breaking into my house and stealing
our Good Life ideas...
The TV programme that could protect your health
If you didn't manage to see this show the first time
round, you can watch it here...
BBC's Grow Your Own Drugs
The show's called grow your own drugs, and its
philosophy is simple...
You can protect your health and fight all sorts of illness
just by making use of your garden.
This is something we've covered a lot in The Good Life
Letter, but to see the same ideas broadcast on the BBC
was really refreshing because they can get their
message across to millions of people.
And because this programme is on mainstream TV, the
masses are more likely to trust it and hopefully act on it.
Still, I don't really need to tell YOU how good fresh
fruit and vegetables are. If you read The Good Life
Letter you'll need no persuading of the benefits of
eating plenty of both.
But growing your own...? Personally, I need a bit of
persuading to get out in the garden and start weeding
and planting, especially when it's still a bit fresh and the
rugby season's in full flow.
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Still, watching this programme has given me the kick up
the backside I need to get out there and start working on
this year's crop of natural medicine.
After all, there's nothing better than fresh organic
produce that hasn't clocked up 1000 air miles... and if
you grow it yourself you can be sure you're ticking all
three boxes.
So read the following guide, and get planting...
Medicine you can plant right NOW
Now we've edged into March, there's a whole range of
'natural medicines' you can start growing...
- Tomatoes... tomatoes are loaded with lycopene, a
caratenoid which has been linked with prevention
of certain cancers, such as prostate cancers.
And that's just the start of the mighty tomato's
protective powers... a study in Israel showed that a
good dose of tomato can help lower blood pressure
reduce the risk of heart disease. This study looked
at patients who were being treated for hypertension,
but weren't reacting well with the drugs. Instead,
they were given doses of tomato extract. |
The result...?
A significant lowering of blood pressure after just
four weeks.
You can start potting the seeds right now.
- Beetroots... beetroot contains a powerful little
substance called betaine, which acts like a really
old-fashioned cleaning lady and sweeps out
homocysteine with ruthless efficiency (You can
almost picture Mrs Betaine running a finger along
an artery, checking it's clean).
Homocysteine in a nasty little amino acid that's
been linked with heart disease if it's produced too
keenly. So getting betaine into your system will
help make sure homocysteine doesn't build up.
Beetroot juice is also said to 'awaken' your body's
natural antioxidant functions - so get planting
today.
These can go direct into the soil, and March is the
perfect month to do it.
- Carrots... oh boy, where do I start? Carrots have a
ton of goodies in them - calcium, iron, essential
carbs, proteins, vitamins B1, B2, B6, C and K,
niacin, potassium... my typing hand is struggling to
keep up. (Actually, it's my typing finger - that's the
extent for my typing skills).
Carrots can help fight erectile dysfunction, fatigue,
diabetes, stroke, eye problems and
inflammation...all the way down to less serious
problems like itching, coughing and dandruff.
So make room in your garden bed for them, and get
digging!
There are lots of other vegetables that are ready to plant
now... turnips, lettuces, radishes, spring onions,
cabbages, leeks and brussel sprouts to name but a few.
But as I'm going on the assumption that your garden
isn't Hyde Park, I though I'd stick to three veggies that
don't take up a ton of room.
Honestly, seeing this programme has given me the
nudge I need to get out in the garden over the weekend
and get to work. Of course, there's all the weeding to do
before I can start on the good stuff.
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By the way, if you'd like to see the remedies from the
first episode of Grow Your Own Drugs, they're listed here:
Natural Garden Remedies
Look out for an important offer on Sunday
That's it from me for today. I'll be back on Sunday -
and let me tell you right now, the next letter is going to
be great.
I'm really excited about it to tell you the truth, because
I've been working behind the scenes for quite a while to
tell you about this.
I think you're going to love what I've got for you on
Sunday - so make sure you take an hour out of your
strict gardening regime and join me on Sunday!
Happy gardening and good health! |
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