Healthy for Life
By Julie Asbach
HTF Columnist
Happy April and Happy Easter everybody! The months seem to be zipping on by! It’s been very interesting the wide variety of comments I’ve heard from people regarding having no snow. Most people are glad we are having an actual spring. There are a few of you wishing there was still snow for all those wonderful winter activities. I know my bones and muscles are ecstatic without the snow and the cold. Still, it is a good time to get outside and do some walking, hiking or bike riding. Spring is usually one of the shortest seasons here, although last summer might have captured that title.
Living on the lake has been truly incredible for watching the change of seasons this year. Outside today I heard this odd noise coming from the lake. Then I realized it was the lake cracking and wallowing to break free of the ice. I thought to myself, life can be like the lake - struggling to rid itself of barriers which keep it from flowing smoothly. That is why spring and Easter, my favorite holiday (a time for new beginnings), is an awesome time to clean out your mind, body, relationships, home or office, or anything else that may require some re-vamping! This will open your senses and allow you to motivate yourself to achieve higher aspirations and goals. Let’s go people, there goes another second!
P.S. By the time you read this, I’m positive all the ice will be gone on the lake! If you have any health topics, health success stories or a family recipe for a health cure, please email me at juls11@ peoplepc.com or drop it off at Hometown Focus. Thanks for your support!
Home Remedies & Recipes: Radish
A brief background on the radish. It comes from the Brassicaceae family known as Raphanus Sativus. Raphanus in Greek means quickly appearing, which is due to the fact that the radish has rapid germination which takes 3 to 7 to days and reaches maturity in 3 to 4 weeks. It makes an excellent choice for gardens, and especially for kids who eagerly like to watch their gardens grow. The radish was domesticated in Europe during pre-Roman times.
It comes in many varieties, some for seeds and oilseeds for oil production. They come in many colors such as red, pink, white, gray-black and yellow. They have different names such as Easter Egg, which is a mix of varieties with different skin colors, April Cross, Champion, Plum-Purple, and Cherry- Bell, which is most common in the supermarkets in North America. The portion eaten on the radish is the napiform taproot, although the entire plant is edible. The top can be used as a leaf vegetable. Glucosinolates and the enzyme myrosinese formed with allyl isothiocyanates give them their spicy flavor, which is also in mustard, horseradish and wasabi.
Seasonal prime times for eating the radish are April through June, and October through January.
The health benefits of the radish are numerous. It contains vitamin A, B-complex and C. It makes an excellent diuretic; is good for colds and flu; helps respiratory infections, whooping cough, coughs, gallbladder and liver problems; gallstones and kidney stones; stimulates the appetite; and helps combat arthritis, constipation, and intestinal parasites.
To Use: Mostly it is eaten in the raw form, but can also be steamed. It is used mostly in salads or can be eaten by itself if you are up for the hotness! The Chinese use it medicinally in juice form to aid with digestion, get rid of mucus, and ease headaches. To help cure laryngitis they mix radish juice with ginger juice. For sinusitis, mix the juice of 6 radishes, one cucumber and one apple. This juice is also a good cleanser for the liver and the gallbladder. Sources: Balch & Balch Prescription for Cooking, Wikipedia/ Radish.com
