Nutritious Basket of Vegetables Heals Many Health Issues
There are a plethora of health benefits associated with both traditional and exotic vegetables.
Examples of traditional veggies include amaranth, pigweed, black jack, stinging nettle, and cowpeas. Examples of exotic vegetables include, parsley, baby corns, asparagus, lettuce, and broccoli.
These vegetables can be eaten when fresh or dried for future use or preserved in the fridge. This happens mostly in countries experiencing harsh winters.
In Kenya, we don’t experience winter but a prolonged rainy season and so vegetables don’t withstand the soil water logging. So, we have the summer period which is extremely hot. We practice the drying method, crush the vegetables into powder form and put into good storage containers. They are available in urban super stores in our country.
Benefits of Vegetables
Let’s get into discussion about traditional vegetables or “poverty food” as people nicknamed them. Vegetables’ health benefits are plentiful for human beings, environmental and animals.
1. Friendly to Environment
They are adapted to local climates and soil conditions, making them more resistant to pests and diseases and reducing the need for fertilizers and pesticides.
2: Greenery Appeal
The canopy formation while the vegetables grow in the field looks very attractive, cool and green.
3: Food for Livestock
Vegetables are important for livestock, fed either via free grazing, chopped into pieces or preserved as hay or spillage for future use.
A real example:
Vegetables keep chicken busy by pecking and this prevents them from cannibalism. Other livestock fed with vegetables are cattle, donkey, rabbits, horse and goats.
4: Conserve Water and Soil in Fields
They are good cover crops and acts like mulch. Others like cowpeas are legumes and help in fixing nitrogen in the soil.
5: Source of Income
Vegetables are sold in local grocery and supermarkets.
Customers prefer buying then in bulk because they are organically grown.
6: Long-Term Storage
Traditional vegetables can be stored for long time when sun dried unlike the exotic vegetables.
Cabbage can be stored in Western countries in the supermarket but they are too expensive for poor families to afford.
Nutritious Benefits of Traditional Vegetables
1. Digestive health benefits.
2. Maintains weak eye sight.
3. Cholesterol balancing levels.
4. Enhances youthful skin.
5. High vitamin levels such as amaranth.
6. Detoxification.
7. Cuts and wound healing, e.g. black jack
Take-Aways and GSGF
Therefore, I believe GSGF can embrace traditional (indigenous) vegetables to help diversify food on the table.
GSGF can also place traditional vegetables in school groceries and supermarkets, and increase the status and important of crops.
GSGF can promote learning institutions and communities by gardening.
Those living in apartments can plant in pots or percolated bags.
This enables every child or student to demonstrate his/ her ability in vegetable growing.
Balconies and compounds should be utilized fully.
I am taking time to write for GSFG foundation because I am so passionate about the Earth, farms and how to equip students with skills and knowledge in climate change.
This blog on vegetables aligns with GSGF’s endeavors and also innovative initiatives and entrepreneurship for kids program education (MASHAV) in Israel.
This highlights to our upcoming agriculture students and youth WHAT, WHO, WHERE and WHEN to belong and be friendly to the environment.
I conclude by saying.
“YOU CAN’T WORK AGAINST NATURE. HISTORY HAS PROVEN THIS. YOU HAVE TO WORK IN HARMONY WITH NATURE.”
By Henk De Beer – agriculturalist specialist.
Why GSGF?
My donation to GSGF Foundation is for the students. Moreover, vegetative nutritional benefits play a crucial role on Earth. EG green fields, farms, market garden and stunning views proving a nursing environment.
