Health & Beauty. delivery number 16: The Lettuce.

blessed-girl (70)in #nature • 6 years ago

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Every day I will publish a fruit, vegetable or vegetable, highlighting its properties and benefits for health and beauty. In this way we will know more about the natural benefits that we can count on daily if we know more about the fruits, vegetables that we consume or that we see in the market and that we have not yet tested. In today's delivery I will talk about ...

The lettuce plant, scientific name Lactuca sativa, belongs to the family Astaraceae. Its scientific name comes from Latin, probably due to the fact that its roots, when cut, secrete a white sap similar to milk.

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Lowers cholesterol:

The abundance of beta-carotene, which is a powerful antioxidant, along with vitamin C, is very useful for controlling bad cholesterol in the blood.

Antitumor:

The flavonoids contained in lettuce help prevent certain types of cancer such as lung and mouth cancer.

Free radicals:

Studies on lettuce have shown that this vegetable has a good content of antioxidants whose main property is to counteract the activity of free radicals that we know are very dangerous for human health.

Alzheimer's:

Lettuce contains a good percentage of vitamin K, which plays an important role in bone metabolism. Vitamin K also seems to have beneficial properties against Alzheimer's patients by limiting neuronal damage.

Macular degeneration:

It contains zeaxanthin, an important carotenoid that has protective properties for the eyes. This substance offers some protection against the ocular disease typical of old age.

Eye care:

It can be used for the preparation of eye drops against conjunctivitis and tired eyes. In this sense, 60 grams of leaves are boiled in half a liter of water for 6 minutes, adding a few drops of olive oil. Once the solution has cooled, it is necessary to make the compresses in the eyes with a gauze.

Heart health:

It contains a good amount of minerals useful for the correct functioning of our body. Vitamin B9 helps prevent heart problems. It has the ability to reduce the levels of homocysteine in the blood, an amino acid that increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Potassium regulates the frequency of the heartbeat and controls blood pressure, at the same time it is also an important component of cells and body fluids. It contains quercetin that reduces blood pressure, regulates cholesterol levels, improves blood vessel elasticity and blood flow.

Anti-anemic:

Lettuce has beneficial properties for people suffering from anemia, due to its good content of iron and copper that are involved in the production of red blood cells.

Digestive properties:

The presence of fibers in the lettuce, is an additional aid for the digestive process.

Insomnia:

The leaves also have a mild sedative effect, so their intake has useful properties in case of insomnia. To facilitate sleep you can eat this salad dressed with olive oil or, to improve its effect, you can prepare a decoction with lettuce leaves. Drink a decoction glass in the morning and one at night before going to bed. The component responsible for the relaxing effect is lactin.

Diuretic properties:

It is an excellent diuretic, stimulates the elimination of urine and its use is recommended in cases of diseases such as obesity, kidney pain, high blood pressure, kidney stones and inflammation of the bladder.

Strengthens the immune system:

The lettuce also has the presence of pro-vitamin A that strengthens the immune system and vision.

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Deodorant:

Lettuce can also be used as a deodorant for the body, especially for the feet and armpits. For this, it is necessary to extract its juice (it can be stored in the refrigerator) and pass it on to interested parties after having washed them with water.

Weightloss:

Lettuce has few calories, so it is very suitable for those who want to lose weight. At the same time, it has a good phytonutrient content useful for health and can prevent some diseases.

Anti-aging:

The vitamins and antioxidants contained in lettuce make it a valuable ally against cellular aging and for the reduction of oxidation responsible for some forms of cancer.

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The best way is to eat it raw, in salads. However you can also eat cooked (but better with short cooking and limited use of water). The best cooked lettuce provides the use of the steam cooking method. The cooked lettuce can enrich soups, it can be boiled or steamed. The steam method is recommended because the micronutrients tend to disperse in the cooking water. This is the reason why the decoction is a good strategy to take full advantage of the properties of this vegetable.

How to prepare the decoction of the lettuce:

A decoction of lettuce is prepared by boiling, for 5 minutes, half a strain of lettuce in ¼ liter of water. After the waiting time, filter, let cool what is necessary and drink the liquid.

Lettuce leaves are very permeable to chemical treatments, herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers are stopped in the edible parts of the plant. These are not toxic percentages, but they are enough to expose us to the consumption of unhealthy substances.