GORDON RAMSAY RECIPES

Whether in a salad with oranges and black olives or baked au gratin, it is difficult not to love this vegetable. Do you know that besides being very good, it is also very good for your health?

Fennel is one of the most appreciated and versatile vegetables of winter, also loved by who it is diet for his purifying virtues, beloved by those who have digestive difficulties (especially when cooked) for its digestibility. The properties of fennelHowever, they do not end here.

Digestive and depurative

Rich in mineral salts and vitamins, fennels are particularly known for theirs digestive properties – especially if eaten raw at the end of a meal – e cleansing for liver and blood. Thanks to'anethole, one of the essential oils they contain, fennels have the ability to counteract the formation of intestinal gas and alleviate contractions and abdominal cramps, aerophagia and flatulence. This property of the fennel, defined carminativeIs well known. This vegetable is actually a friend of all gastro-intestinal system. Her anti-inflammatory virtues they also act on the colon.
Among the characteristics of fennel that also stands out antioxidant, due to C vitamin (which, inter alia, it also protects our skin) and ai flavonoids, that they strengthen the immune system and fight free radicals, especially at the joint level, preventing annoying pains. For this reason it is also recommended for those suffering from gout, an inflammation of the joints.

Brain's friend

This vegetable does not cease to amaze: lower blood pressure thanks to the presence of potassium. Always thanks to this mineral, defined as an electrolyte – that is, which facilitates the transmission of nerve impulses and which is also a vasodilator – increases the oxygenation of the brain. In short, fennel makes you more intelligent, or almost.
Certainly among the properties of fennel is that of being anti anemic. The grumol (and even more the seeds) contains a good amount of iron and substances that stimulate the production of hemoglobin. Fennels are also particularly useful for adjust cholesterol levels, thanks to the amount of fibers contained.
Between the less known fennel properties there is that on female hormones. The fennel contain high doses of phytoestrogens – ie substances similar to the estrogen hormones produced by the body – that can regulate (or not!) The menstrual cycle.

Raw or cooked: how are they preserved?

Consume the fennel, the way you prefer, it's like eat a whole pharmacy, they should never be missing at home. If you have a way to do stock of fennel from the garden, also because this vegetable must be harvested before the frosts, keep them in a cool place, like a cellar, for three to four weeks. In fridgeinstead, you can keep the raw fennels for a about week.
THE cooked fennel – steamed, baked, pan, boiled, au gratin – last in the fridge a maximum of two to three days, then they will start to blacken.

We discover all the nutrients, properties and differences in use between the juice and the whole consumed citrus

Colorful and full of freshness. Oranges undoubtedly represent a charge of vitality in the cold winter season and, among citrus fruits, are those that they enjoy wide popularity not only for their taste, but also for the great ductility offered in the kitchen and the properties that elevate them as a symbol of well-being and healthy nutrition. Let's find out all the properties of oranges together.

Nutrients

From a nutritional point of view, oranges are particularly rich in water (this component represents more than 85%): for 100 g, in addition to having a caloric content (34 kcal), they bring in a dowry 7.8 g of carbohydrates of mostly sugars, 1.6 g of fibers, 0.7 g of proteins and 0.2 g of lipids. Assumed to whole fruit or as juice, oranges are anyway rich in vitamins from groups A, B and C. Attention to the preparation of the classic juice: in this juncture, in fact, the fibers are completely absent.

Better the juice …

Just on the orange juice must focus with particular attention: to avoid the risk of losing antioxidants and vitamins, you must consume the drink immediately after the "squeezing". It is important to underline how useful it is to assume it not only for the contrast to free radicals and therefore to aging, but also for the excellent nutritional value and the extremely low fat content.

… or the whole fruit?

As far as the whole fruit is concerned, the presence of fibers plays a very important role at the intestinal level: they contribute to contain the absorption of sugars present in the same orange, of the carbohydrates and of the fats eventually assumed to meal together with this citrus. In case of diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, the fibers of the whole fruit allow to maintain a low glycemic index. On the contrary, the absence of fibers that characterizes the orange juice, allows to have immediately available a solid amount of sugar (therefore energy). Reason for which, the juice is a drink particularly suitable for sportsmen that, during physical exertion, they need to supply the organism with a certain speed.

One orange a day

Ultimately, how many oranges a day can you consume? As in all things, we must not exaggerate! Bearing in mind that, as a weight, 200 g is approached, we recommend the intake of a maximum of three oranges a day distributed between meals: this threshold is dictated by the fact that, despite being extremely rich in water and nutrients, the sugars present, if taken in excess, can cause an accumulation of lipids and, therefore, make us fat.

Tag: properties

Properties of fennel – Italian Cuisine – Italian Cuisine