Taste will also tell you what compounds are found in a plant/vegetable … bitter means it will stimulate the liver, for example. The vitality of the plant will depend upon where and how it was grown, the quality of the soil it was grown in and the amendments used to produce a market product.
We can learn the meanings of color and what compounds to expect in plants of certain colors.  A good start is the color orange. Orange is a clue that the plant has carotenes. An example is beta-carotene, an anti-oxidant critical for healthy skin, found in the carrot. Two carrots provide about 4,050 retinol equivalents – roughly four times the RDA for vitamin A, however, unlike vitamin A, the beta carotenes in carrots do not cause toxicity.
Say you are having troubles with your kidneys.  Symptoms would include changing eyesight, itchy ears, skin problems and general irritability. What could you include in your diet to help?  Most people know that cranberry juice is good. So are celery, parsley, ginger and asparagus. Eating these foods and drinking pure fresh water will go a long way to improving your overall health. Remember, the body is naturally self-healing … we simply need to provide the right nourishment to allow the healing to take place.
Diet plays a critical role in giving your body what it needs to restore function. There is a good film out on dvd called “forks over knives” detailing several case studies and educating folks that surgery (knives) can be avoided by changing what you eat (forks). It also explains what is in the foods we eat and in drinks too.
For more information and registration, visit www.polkcountyfarms.org.
– article submitted by June Ellen Bradley