When I was a girl growing up on the island of Jamaica where my siblings and I were raised by our grandmother, eating healthy was never a stressful concern for us or anyone there for that matter as it is here in the USA today. Why? Because quite a few of us grew everything we needed to eat in our backyards. For instance, my grandmother, Millie, who was an avid church-goer and made her transition on home to the heavenlies some 8 years ago was quite the expert and professional at cultivating crops and much to her advantage too because that's how she made her living, right from her veranda, with a scale hanging in the front right corner that weighed her goods for the town's people who were frequent customers of hers. And because she conducted her business with much compassion, empathy, and integrity, her loyal customers made it possible for her to make an abundantly healthy source of income from it all - a self made, quite frugal and humble millionaire to be exact!
More importantly, my sisters, brothers, and I were the ones in charge of cultivating the crops: water them, prune them, replanting them, and harvest them in preparation for sale alongside my grandmother's assistance and directions. The crops my grandmother grew and produced were quite a wide range: from lemon to lime to grapefruit and oranges, coconut, breadfruit, banana, ackee, corn, cotton, okra, peas and peppers of all sorts, pumpkin and watermelon, guinep, cherries, skallion, thyme, fever grass, mint leaf, cerasee (a potent blood cleanser), pimento seeds, mangoes, to dasheen (a type of yam from the turnip family), turnip, irish potatoes and sweet potatoes, carrot, cassava aka yucca, yams of all sorts, and even ganja aka cannabis that grew wild among the crops - perhaps that was a force of nature or that of my uncle's clever doing. He certainly had a field day with that one - making teas from it for its many healing benefits. Afterall, it is an herb that God - our Creator provided and that's been long used on the islands for treating many ailments, such as alzheimers, memory enhancement, spiritual attunement, and now discovered here in the USA as means to treat cancer too. Anyhoo, moving right along, we had just about everything you could think of and that you'd need to supply your daily bread.
Each day, we had a freshly prepared breakfast, lunch, dinner, and supper right from the garden! My grandmother prepared various dishes and teas from all of those all natural fruits, veggies, and herbs also known as organics here in the USA. We didn't have no worries about eating pesticide or hormone filled foods that were polluted or toxic - thus, harmful to the body. Even the meats that she cooked, whether fish, chicken, pork, or beef were freshly bought from the designated butcher, Mr. Greene from around the lane, as we called it or fresh fish that came right off the fisherman's boat or ship from the bay area known as Old Harbour Bay, or fresh bread hot out of the oven from the bakery just up the road and in walking distance from where we lived!
However, my grandmother's favorite foods to prepare were ground foods, that are also known here in America as `root` foods - the kind that grew from under the the dirt and that you had to uproot from it too, with its root attached, namely so, yams of all sorts, turnips, dasheen, carrots, potatoes, etc. She was such a big fan of boiling those in a big stainless steel pot, with cassava or cornmeal mixed dumplings and that were served with a meat or veggie combo of some sort, like ackee and saltfish (Jamaica's National Dish) for example. She considered those the most healthy and that would make for a strong and firm and youthful body. She used to say, "Pay attention to how well anchored and sturdy and deeply rooted they are. It's a symbol or clue for what they will do for your body". Smart lady! I believe I got that sort of sixth sense eye for details and problem solving from her. She really taught us well. As for me, paying attention to details through keen observation was one of my many take away from all that she taught us.
Hence, why I'd like to help you get back to your roots with some root veggies and herbs that are available here in the USA too. They will serve up much nourishment for the body and give you the strength and stamina needed to get through each day and beyond.. Tip: they can be prepared by boiling, sauteing, roasting, served raw, baked, stir fried, and/or steaming and seasoning them to your liking. You can make soups, stews, homemade fries, some sturdy enough to shred using a vegetable peeler and make as pasta, served mashed or pureed, chips, or slaw. They may not be the most good looking of the foods out there, but they are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients and pack intriguing flavors that may fancy your taste buds! See attached chart list for some of the more popular type of root foods that you can explore and serve up some delicious dishes from it all!
In addition, here are some noteworthy information about `ground or root` foods:
Best wishes and love to your health and well-being!
Enjoy!
xoxo ~ San
source: Experience Life Magazine; November 2014 issue; article: "Back To Your Roots", pages: 44-47
More importantly, my sisters, brothers, and I were the ones in charge of cultivating the crops: water them, prune them, replanting them, and harvest them in preparation for sale alongside my grandmother's assistance and directions. The crops my grandmother grew and produced were quite a wide range: from lemon to lime to grapefruit and oranges, coconut, breadfruit, banana, ackee, corn, cotton, okra, peas and peppers of all sorts, pumpkin and watermelon, guinep, cherries, skallion, thyme, fever grass, mint leaf, cerasee (a potent blood cleanser), pimento seeds, mangoes, to dasheen (a type of yam from the turnip family), turnip, irish potatoes and sweet potatoes, carrot, cassava aka yucca, yams of all sorts, and even ganja aka cannabis that grew wild among the crops - perhaps that was a force of nature or that of my uncle's clever doing. He certainly had a field day with that one - making teas from it for its many healing benefits. Afterall, it is an herb that God - our Creator provided and that's been long used on the islands for treating many ailments, such as alzheimers, memory enhancement, spiritual attunement, and now discovered here in the USA as means to treat cancer too. Anyhoo, moving right along, we had just about everything you could think of and that you'd need to supply your daily bread.
Each day, we had a freshly prepared breakfast, lunch, dinner, and supper right from the garden! My grandmother prepared various dishes and teas from all of those all natural fruits, veggies, and herbs also known as organics here in the USA. We didn't have no worries about eating pesticide or hormone filled foods that were polluted or toxic - thus, harmful to the body. Even the meats that she cooked, whether fish, chicken, pork, or beef were freshly bought from the designated butcher, Mr. Greene from around the lane, as we called it or fresh fish that came right off the fisherman's boat or ship from the bay area known as Old Harbour Bay, or fresh bread hot out of the oven from the bakery just up the road and in walking distance from where we lived!
However, my grandmother's favorite foods to prepare were ground foods, that are also known here in America as `root` foods - the kind that grew from under the the dirt and that you had to uproot from it too, with its root attached, namely so, yams of all sorts, turnips, dasheen, carrots, potatoes, etc. She was such a big fan of boiling those in a big stainless steel pot, with cassava or cornmeal mixed dumplings and that were served with a meat or veggie combo of some sort, like ackee and saltfish (Jamaica's National Dish) for example. She considered those the most healthy and that would make for a strong and firm and youthful body. She used to say, "Pay attention to how well anchored and sturdy and deeply rooted they are. It's a symbol or clue for what they will do for your body". Smart lady! I believe I got that sort of sixth sense eye for details and problem solving from her. She really taught us well. As for me, paying attention to details through keen observation was one of my many take away from all that she taught us.
Hence, why I'd like to help you get back to your roots with some root veggies and herbs that are available here in the USA too. They will serve up much nourishment for the body and give you the strength and stamina needed to get through each day and beyond.. Tip: they can be prepared by boiling, sauteing, roasting, served raw, baked, stir fried, and/or steaming and seasoning them to your liking. You can make soups, stews, homemade fries, some sturdy enough to shred using a vegetable peeler and make as pasta, served mashed or pureed, chips, or slaw. They may not be the most good looking of the foods out there, but they are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients and pack intriguing flavors that may fancy your taste buds! See attached chart list for some of the more popular type of root foods that you can explore and serve up some delicious dishes from it all!
- Root vegetables are high in fiber, which helps reduce excess serum cholesterol. Parsnips contain nearbly double the amount of fiber found in carrots.
- Rich in a range of vitamins -- especially vitamins A, C, and K -- root vegetables also contain a host of minerals drawn from the soil (given the soil is not toxic or polluted), including potassium, calcium, iron, iodine, and phosphorus.
- Root veggies are antioxidant powerhouses. Turnips, for example, contain antioxidants in the form of sulfuric compounds called glucosinolates.
- And some root veggies have a high glycemic index -- parsnips, in particular -- and should be eaten in moderation to avoid blood-sugar spikes. Adding fats like butter, olive oil, and coconut oil helps reduce glycemic load.
Best wishes and love to your health and well-being!
Enjoy!
xoxo ~ San
source: Experience Life Magazine; November 2014 issue; article: "Back To Your Roots", pages: 44-47
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