Four secrets of the humble Zucchini

Every year we plan what we're going to put in the garden (or pots) when we're planning what to grow my and my wife always wants one particular plant in, she always makes sure that at least one Zucchini (or Courgette as we sometimes know them) plant goes in. "They're so easy to cook with" I'm usually told and she's right. We'll be exploring some of that later in this lens but today I discovered another reason for having them in the garden.

Actually it's four reasons for having them in and they are amazing. It's amazing that Go companies have tried to keep hidden d would design such an amazing little plant that could have these four reasons for us to grow them.

There's a conspiracy you should know about!

In this hub we'll look at those reasons and the conspiracy. Four things that the big pharmaceutical companies don't want us to know because if you did then it would seriously affect their bottom line for the worse and your health for the better! For a fraction of the cost of the dietary supplements they want us to buy we can achieve the great health benefits we all want (and cut our medical bills)

There are four secrets about the humble courgette that the big pharmaceuticals capitalize on but don't want us to know about.

We'll also explore how to grow these wonderful vegetables on a budget and even when you have limited space.

What the big pharmaceuticals aren't telling us

The 'humble' Zucchini or courgette (as I will call it from now on) i one of the unsung heroes of the vegetable kingdom. It's such a plain looking plant but in the last few days I've begun to realize that this plain looking member of the squash family is actually a major superfood with four secret ingredients.

They are

(1) Folate

(2) Vitamin C

(3) Beta Ceratene (Vitamin A or Retinol)

(4) Low Fat

And all from a plain looking vegetable!

Folate

the average courgette will provide 1/6th of an adult's daily needs. Folate is the natural form of Folic acid and is essential for many things including repairing our natural DNA. It works as a natural repair mechanism helping our bodies to repair themselves. Folic acid is the synthetic form of Folate that the pharmeceuticals put into their dietary suppliment tablets but the natural form is better for us.

Folate is also essential for the production of healthy red blood cells.

The body doesn't produce Folate and needs to get it from our diet and the courgette is ideal for this.

A strange thing is that if the body gets the natural Folate it will make just what it needs and flush the remainder from your system, but if it gets the synthetic form then it can't actually flush it out and stores it. This can actually cause long term problems and things such as sleep disorders>

Vitamin C

The average courgette has just under half of an adult’s daily dose of vitamin C. Vitamin C is vital for our health in many ways and helps the skin healthy.

The body can’t manufacture or store vitamin C and it’s one of the things that we need daily. Lack of it can lead to infections, skin problems and the latest research has shown that it can be linked to some cancers.

And here the humble courgette can give you a huge boost, nearly half what the body requires.

Beta Ceratene

What? I hear you say. Beta Ceratene is the natural pre-cursor to vitamin A or Retinol. The body can't produce vitamin A. It can take it, but too much vitamin A (you get it from products like liver) can give you problems.

However, when the body takes beta ceratene it naturally converts it into vitamin A. But it only converts what it needs and allows the body to flush out the rest thus preventing future problems.

Beta ceratene is important for healthy skin, it also helps vision in dim light and it helps keep the mucus linings in the bronchial tubes lubricated! Those are just a few of the things it's involved in, and (unlike the synthetic vitamin A of the tablet or dietary suppliment form) what the body doesn't need it simply allows to pass through (vitamin A is stored by the body in the form of fat)

Low fat

With only 15 calories for the whole vegetable the courgette is one of the lowest fat foods around. All those good vitamins yet you almost burn more energy getting to them than you get from the food itself, it's a dietary wonder food.

Actually i've been calling the courgette a vegetable but technically it isn't. It's a fruit because it contains seeds.

How can we capitalize on all this

Knowing all this stuff may be good, but what use is it if we can't use the information for ourselves. Well the courgette is actually one of the easiest foods to grow and is perfect in many ways for those with only a limited space.

We've grown them almost every year that we've had a garden (this year the wife told me off for only putting one plant in when she thought we needed two)

courgettes do really well when grown in a veggie patch and also when grown in pots. they're very forgiving if you get the care a little wrong, provided you give them plenty of water. For the rest of the lens we're going to explore a little how to grow them.

Some people learn by reading. But most of us learn by a combination of both so get your pens and paper ready and watch these videos. Better still bookmark this site and return as often as you need to.

Knowing what's good for us is only half the battle. We also need to act on it. Here are some great ideas for healthy food

Courgettes can be used in just about any dish you want to. Everything from salads to casseroles and even savoury cheescake. Have a go at growing them and let me know how you got on.