Natural food is pure and clean food. Today, “organic” and “natural” are very common on food labels, but the terms could be quite confusing. According to the experts, there are, though, specific meanings for each term 1 . I don’t really know much about that, but as a nutritionist, and someone who left the busy life in the big city and moved to a little town in order to grow my own food, I can only say that the natural, home-grown herbs, vegetables, and fruits are fresher, more delicious, and more nutritious than conventionally farmed herbs, fruits, and vegetables – it’s a totally different experience!
Growing your own, natural food has numerous health benefits: it helps you eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, and you decide whatever you should use, or what kinds of pesticides and fertilizers come in contact with the food your grow.
You will be surprised by how much fun gardening can actually bring, and the pride you take in sharing healthy, natural food cultivated by your own efforts…well, my doctor husband always finds time to help me. We both enjoy gardening! We have divided some duties, and that works great! Well…sometimes even our Your Health Tube – contributors, Claudio and Andrea, are helping us and that’s kind of a relaxing, especially after spending time in the office or in front of the computer.
So, in order to encourage you to eat, grow, or buy natural foodstuffs – in this article I will present you some of my favorite treats for this season that you can prepare at home. You probably have some of them in your garden now – or, you can buy some because they are seasonal and cheap this time of the year. However, it is always great for your health to have the opportunity and try to eat more natural and organic foods.
3 Healthy Seasonal Recipes
So, here are some of my favorite, simple natural food recipes from this season:
- Raw Tomato Soup
It’s a delicious soup – very easy to make (and I am a big fun of easy), plus it is truly beneficial for your health! Tomato as a main ingredient has numerous health benefits and can prevent and treat many diseases (more about health benefits of tomato: LINK). The smell of fresh tomato from the garden – no words to explain! It may not look perfect as those in the supermarket, but its juicy taste and aroma are priceless!
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Servings: 1
Ingredients:
- 2 big/3-4 medium tomatoes
- A few basil leaves
- ½ teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon Himalayan salt (to taste)
Instructions:
Wash the tomatoes and chopped them on a few pieces. Place them into a blender along with the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Serve in a soup bowl with some pieces of twice-baked bread, and enjoy!
Tip: You can serve a glass and drink as a tomato smoothie, as well. In that case, you may exclude the olive oil.
Facts About Natural Food
Natural food is often assumed to be a food that is minimally processed, or don’t contain any food additives, or don’t contain certain additives as antibiotics, food colors, hormones, flavorings, or sweeteners that weren’t originally in the food. Actually, about 63% of the people when surveyed showed an inclination for foods labeled “natural” compared to the unmarked counterparts, in accordance with the common belief (or 86% of surveyed consumers) that the word “natural” point out that the food doesn’t contain artificial ingredients. However, the International Food and Agriculture Organization’s Codex Alimentarius does have certain standards for “organic foods” but doesn’t recognize the term “natural”. Basically, almost all foodstuffs are resulting from the natural products of animals and plants.
Natural food has widely used the term in marketing and food labeling with various definitions, most of which are imprecise. This term is often assumed to indicate food which is minimally processed and whose ingredients are natural products (in the chemist’s sense of that word). However, the lack of standards in many jurisdictions means that this term pledges nothing. There are certain countries where ‘natural food’ is a defined and enforced term. In some other countries, as the U.S it’s not enforced.
- Cucumber – Yogurt Salad
Cucumbers are ready for harvesting! And if you have a real natural yogurt (made from goat milk, just like my grandmother does) – then, you cannot wait to pick some from the garden!
In the past few years, there were many different opinions between the scientists about the consumption of goat milk and yogurt – however, my experience showed that goat milk can treat many health ailments and reduce the risk of cancer. According to a study of about 15,000 Americans who consumed at least one glass of goat milk per day regularly for about 6 years, they had a 0.24 mg/dL lower serum UA level than people who did not 2 . This alteration was calculated as being accounted for by the goat milk, not anything else.
Moreover, people who ate all sorts of cheese, (that performed a little better than milk) and yogurt, (nearly the same) also experienced lower uric acid levels – and these were not low-fat products.
So, you can buy Greek yogurt from the grocery store, or buy a bottle of fresh homemade yogurt from a farmer that you know (in order to make sure that you buy a clean and well-made product).
See the image for this recipe – that’s a natural yogurt that may nonna makes, so you may slightly spot the difference.
This salad can be a tasty and healthy accompaniment to the main course of fish or chicken meat, or simply an ideal breakfast choice along with bruschetta. There are many variations of this salad that originates from Greece. The most popular are known as Tzatziki.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
- 1 large cucumber, peeled
- 2 cups natural, homemade or Greek yogurt
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan salt
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 little leaves of fresh parsley (chopped)
- A squeeze of fresh lemon juice (optional)
Instructions:
Peel the cucumber and slice in half lengthwise. Then, remove the seeds and grate it. Put the grated cucumber in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix with a spoon and you are ready to eat!
- Chokeberry (Aronia) Morning Juice
Chokeberry is one of the healthiest berries and its juice is quite expensive to buy. So, pick chokeberries from your garden, buy some frozen or fresh from the local farmer’s market, and prepare yourself a nice morning juice. It will provide you all the essential vitamins and minerals, and keep your energized and fresh through the day.
Preparation time: 5-7 minutes
Servings: 2
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of fresh/frozen chokeberries
- 2 cups of water
- 1 tablespoon of honey/2 tablespoons of brown sugar (optional)
Instructions:
Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth, then strain in order to remove the seeds. Serve into glasses. Enjoy!
Tip: You can make this recipe by using blackberries (that you can also find this season). Check out the amazing benefits of blackberries plus find out how to prepare a delicious, homemade blackberry fruit yogurt: http://yourhealthtube.com/stay-vital-age-blackberries-got-answer/
Conclusion:
Much of the food we consume has traveled hundreds, even thousands of kilometers to reach us. Furthermore, the refrigerated storage and the carbon emissions from transport are a major contributor to climate change.
Creating a food garden in your local community or at home is a significant and effective way to decrease your impact on the environment. Plus, it will also give you the experience of pleasure that comes from raising your own natural food – there is nothing like raiding the veggie patch for your night’s dinner. You will also enjoy the taste of truly fresh and pesticide-free food.
Growing your own natural food is good for your health – it can reduce stress and treat depression. Eating natural and organic food can prevent cancer, diabetes, and many other diseases), it’s great for our planet – and it could save you cash! If you don’t have the opportunity to grow your own food try to buy more organic and natural food from the local farmers 3 .
