Onions Health Benefits
Posted by in Vegetables on June 29, 2011
Though onions have a pungent smell and a tendency to bring tears to our eyes, onion is one of the most popular vegetables in the world! There are various types of onions like red onions, green onions, purple onions etc. Are onions good for you? Well, of course they are! Along with satisfying your taste buds, one more very important aspect of onions is that, there are many health benefits of onions. They help in curing a number of diseases and also reducing the possibility of diseases like cancer.
What Do Onions Contain?
Onion contains almost all the nutrients that are required by the body. The water content in onion is almost 80%. The nutrients found in onions are carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Minerals like phosphorous, zinc and potassium are present in onions as well. Onion also contains calcium and vitamins.
Onions Health Benefits
The list of number of diseases onions can cure, or at least, prevent is quite long. Onions can help to prevent a number of ailments, ranging from asthma to sinus infections. Following are a few diseases which can be avoided, or cured using onions.
Prevention of Asthma: If you are suffering from asthma, onions are definitely good for you. For a simple home remedy on preventing an asthma attack, add half a tablespoon of onion juice with half a tablespoon of honey, and have the mixture three to four times daily. This mixture will help keep future asthma attacks at bay.
Preventing Osteoporosis: You may be surprised to know that one of the onions health benefits is prevention of osteoporosis. Recent research in Switzerland shows that onion contains a peptide called GCP which is said to prevent osteoporosis. So if you want to keep this dreaded bone disease at bay, eat onions!
Reducing Diabetes: Reducing symptoms of diabetes is one of the health benefits of onions. Onions have the ability to reduce blood sugar levels. Allyl propyl disulfide and diallyl disulfide in the onions are believed to lower blood sugar levels. They also help to increase the production of insulin. Consume onions with garlic to enhance the effect of onions for prevention of diabetes. Read the rest of this entry »
Hydroponic Lettuce
Posted by in Vegetables on June 29, 2011
The hydroponic way of vegetable production is gaining a lot of popularity these days. This method enables the growth of any terrestrial plant with the use of minerals and nutrients in only water and no soil! If this is your first time in the field of hydroponic gardening, then there can be no better choice than hydroponic lettuce growing! The reason why I say this is because, whenever we try a technique for the first time, it is more likely to make some mistakes, unintentionally of course! Not all vegetables have the capacity to take the beat. For example, if you end up making even the slightest mistake while growing strawberries the hydroponic way, you might not be able to reap any benefits from your efforts. However, in the case of hydroponic lettuce production, you can afford to make mistakes and still end up reaping the benefits of your efforts!
How to Grow Hydroponic Lettuce
Growing hydroponic lettuce is one of the easiest and almost effortless jobs to do. Once you have successfully taken care of the initial arrangements, all you have to do is wait for the lettuce to beautifully grow under your care and supervision. In fact, growing lettuce in the hydroponic way gives you a better yield with more then 40% larger the size if the normal lettuce grown in the soil. This is because the roots of the lettuce are able to absorb the hydroponic nutrients directly from the water solution, whereas in the soil, it had to absorb the nutrients which were already absorbed by the soil. If you plant the hydroponic lettuce, as in seeds of the lettuce at every 4 weeks gap, then you will have your own supply of homegrown lettuce seeds all throughout the year. Here is what you need to do in order to grow hydroponic lettuce.
Step #1: Get a good set of Oasis Root Cubes, depending upon how much of lettuce you want to grow. Place one lettuce seed in each root cube and leave the cubes in a dish of water for 2 weeks, allowing the seeds to sprout. Keep a check on the water so that it doesn’t try up.
Step #2: Get an opaque plastic container with a lid. The capacity of the container should not be more 5 gallon and it should have a tight fitting lid as well. It is important for the container to be opaque so that it limits algae growth. Reading through this article on homemade hydroponics would also be useful for your preparation.
Step #3: Get some planting cones made of plastic and place them evenly on the lid while giving enough space in between two seeds. The reason why you should take care of the space is because lettuce leafs tend to grow huge in size. Therefore, if the planting cones are placed too near, the lettuce plants may become overcrowded and overshadow other leaves preventing the plants from absorbing enough light.
Step #4: Trace the outlines of the planting cones on the lid and cut the outlines carefully. Once the outlines have been cut from the lid, place the plastic cones through these holes. Ideally, you should have at least 4-6 plastic cones fit on the lid. Read the rest of this entry »