I love to partake of a serving of half boiled okras. This versatile vegetable is cheap and is available all year round. It contains nutrients such as vitamins A, B6, C, folic acid, calcium, iron, potassium, and magnesium. A serving of a half cup of half boiled okras provide the body with soluble fiber that helps in lowering cholesterol. This reduces the risk of heart disease. It has insoluble fiber that helps to keep a healthy intestinal tract to prevent colon and rectal cancer.

The superior fiber found in okra helps stabilize blood sugar. It curbs the rate at which sugar is absorbed from the intestinal tract. The mucilage present in okra not only binds cholesterol but also bile acid carrying toxins dumped into it by the filtering liver. Toxins which cause numerous health problems are eliminated.

Unlike harsh wheat bran which irritate or injure the intestinal tract, the mucilage and smooth characteristic of the okra soothes and facilitates elimination more comfortably. The fiber in okra, as well as flax and psyllium are among the best fibers for feeding the good bacteria known as the probiotics.

Eat okra regularly. This vegetable is easily cooked and does not need elaborate preparation. Just half boil it and dip it in your favorite sauce. It has no adverse side affects, is full of nutrients, and it is economically within the reach of everyone.

There are over 2,500 varieties of marine plants in the vast oceans which cover two-thirds of our planet. Giant seaweed known as kelp grow to over 200 feet tall and are capable of growing a foot a day. Seaweed has many uses and was even harvested in the First World War for the production of explosives. It is commonly used as a stabilizer, thickener and binder for ice cream, chocolate milk, aspirin and many other products. It is used worldwide as a fertilizer.

Seaweed is best known for its high amounts of iodine, containing 62,000 mcg. of iodine per hundred grams of seaweed, compared to 7,000 mcg. of iodine per 100 g. of iodized salt. In this aquatic underwater jungle, there are highly nutritious plants that have been harvested and used for thousands of years as an important staple in the diet.

Twenty-five percent of all food consumed in Japan is made up of seaweed. Unlike land vegetables, sea plants are the last frontier of food that has been unchanged by man’s industrialized, destructive growing methods. The growth of seaweed is not affected by drought, pesticides or disease and does not require planting, weeding or fertilizing. A global garden, perfectly tended by the hand of God.

Off the coast of California, large barges mechanically harvest the giant kelp. It is dried, then ground into a fine olive, green powder for human consumption. The majority of this nutrient-rich food is marketed for livestock feed. There is a tremendous future for sea farming because of the vast unlimited acreage of kelp beds in the oceans. One acre can yield 60 tons of seaweed.

Seaweed is sold in a variety of ways. In a powder form, it can be added as a nutritious salt substitute to salads, soups, tomato juice, fruit juices and even baked potatoes. The high mineral content in seaweed is a result of its ability to absorb and utilize the suspended wealth of minerals in the ocean water.

Replace your salt shaker and begin to explore the varied products found in your local health food store that come from this rich resource of nutrients. An all-time favorite is nori sheets. The texture is like paper and can be used as a wrap for avocado and raw vegetable fillings.

A tip – Any form of dried kelp or seaweed can be ground in the coffee grinder as a fine powder making a nutritious, wonderful substitute for salt. Try this: Cut Wakame with scissors, grind, then add double the amount of Good Tasting Yeast.

Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred.

-Proverbs 15:17

What is the value of cooked vegetables? First of all, there can be a great pleasure in sitting down to a hot bowl of soup or a bowl full of steaming hot carrots, potatoes and corn on the cob. Secondly, cooked vegetables are an excellent source of soft bulk. The enzymes are dead, the minerals and vitamins have been compromised through cooking, but vegetables are filled with fiber and, when cooked, they become soft, making them excellent in absorbing but reducing the scouring effect that raw vegetables would have.

Eating some cooked vegetables with a mostly raw diet will ensure a clean colon. The challenge in cooking vegetables is not to baptize them in toxic fat. Remember to chew the vegetables well because 50% of starch digestion takes place in the mouth.

STEAMING VEGETABLES

A steamer with a built-in timer is the best way to cook vegetables. Most people when boiling their vegetables, throw away the best part – the cooking water. Steaming vegetables conserves the maximum amount of nutrients by subjecting the vegetables to the least amount of heat. Cut your vegetables into small pieces for quicker steaming.

45 Minutes – beets, carrots, turnips, squash and artichokes

25 Minutes – sweet potatoes, broccoli stalks, green beans, peas, parsnips and celery

15 Minutes – garlic and cabbage, sweet peppers, cauliflower, onions and asparagus stalks

7 Minutes – mushrooms, broccoli tips, asparagus tips, and zucchini

Stuffed Peppers with Tuna
• 5 large green bell peppers
• 1 tin of tuna chunks
• 1 cup cooked potatoes cut in small cubes
• 1 small can of evaporated milk
• ½ cup of bread crumbs
• ¼ cup of grated cheese
• 1 table spoon of butter
• 1 table spoon of flour
• ½ table spoon of ground pepper

The recipe below is an healthy alternative to chips, popcorn and all the things you would usually provide your guests with at a house party, small gathering or just simply evening session in front of the telly.

Boil some water with a bit of salt. Cut the tops of the peppers and cut out the seeds from inside. Drop the peppers to boiling water for a moment, then drain and leave for a second. Drain tuna chunks, form big pieces and add the diced before potatoes.

Melt the butter in a saucepan; add flour, salt and pepper. Stir until it gets smooth, then successively add milk. Stir well until it blends and remove from the hob.

Mix both of the mixtures that you have early created and start filling peppers with it. Put the bread crumbs and grated cheese on the top. Heat in the oven for 15 – 20 minutes at the temperature of 180°C