Farm Fresh

All the vegetables are locally grown (organic). It goes without saying that a healthy mind can only be found in a healthy body. There is also a saying which appears simple but is in fact deep in meaning, “YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT”.
“When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When diet is correct, medicine is of no need.” -Ancient Earthian Ayurvedic Proverb
As we approach the Holy Month of Ramadhan, we would like to start highlighting some fruits and vegetables mentioned in the Holy Quran and their associated benefits.
Bananas are also mentioned in the Qur’an as one of the fruits of Paradise:
Amid thornless lote-trees, and banana-trees (with fruits), one above another. And extended shade, and water flowing constantly, and abundant fruit, neither intercepted nor forbidden. (Surat al-Waqi’a: 28-33)
As with all other blessings, the bananas enjoyed by believers in Paradise will be far more perfect than any bananas we can imagine in this world. After all, the bananas will never become rotten and will have a taste and smell that we cannot now imagine. However, in this world too, Allah has created a fruit very similar to that of Paradise and has placed it at our disposal.
Bananas, a very nutritive fruit, consists of water (75%), protein (1.3%), and fats (0.6%). Each banana also contains carbohydrates and a considerable amount of potassium. Besides helping to cure many diseases, bananas are especially recommended for fever, digestive system disorders, cramps, and muscle slackness. The vast amount of potassium that it contains (0,24%) facilitates the excretion of waste products from the body.15
Bananas decrease blood pressure and are used to treat allergies. Their potassium functions together with sodium, promotes cell and muscle development, and regulates the body’s water equilibrium and heartbeat. Any change in the sodium-potassium balance causes various disorders in the nervous and muscular systems. This is why a person must maintain his or her body’s potassium equilibrium. Besides, since a potassium deficiency leads to edema and decreases the amount of sugar circulating in the blood, it is essential to maintain this balance.16
Bananas, which are rich in vitamin B6, also play a significant role in triggering the chemical reactions of proteins and amino acids, and are instrumental in keeping the brain’s functioning normal. They promote red cell production, keep the chemical balance among bodily fluids, help energy production, and provide endurance against stress. Their carbohydrates function as helper enzymes in the metabolic processing of fats and proteins. In addition, bananas cure anemic diseases (a deficiency in the number of red blood cells or in their hemoglobin content), are instrumental in developing cells and muscles, maintain the body’s liquid balance, and cure heart diseases. On the other hand, a deficiency in one’s vitamin B6 may result in fatigue, affect one’s
ability to concentrate, and result in irritability, insomnia, anemia, kidney calculi, skin diseases, and so on.17
The Creator of mankind has created this beneficial fruit and drawn our attention to its benefits. Allah states that He has given people everything that they desire and need, and has warned them not to be among the ungrateful:
He has given you everything you have asked Him for. If you tried to number Allah’s blessings, you could never count them. Man is indeed wrongdoing, ungrateful. (Surat Ibrahim: 34) Grapes
By means of it We produce gardens of dates and grapes for you, in which there are many fruits for you and from which you eat. (Surat al-Mu’minun: 19)
Grapes, which are highly nutritive and rich in vitamins and metallic substances, are an important food. About 20-25% of their content is sugar, which quickly enters the bloodstream. Therefore it is good for those who make physical and mental efforts, for it removes physical and mental weariness and fights anemia. The plentiful amount of iron and sugar contained within each grape also fosters blood production and acts as a natural medicine for liver, kidney, and digestive system diseases. They stimulate the kidneys and help them excrete such waste matters as urea. By discharging the body’s excess water, grapes lower high blood pressure.18 Patients with stomach ulcers, gastritis, joint inflammations, small intestines inflammation, rheumatism, tumid liver or spleen, as well as those who have been poisoned, are recommended to drink grape juice.19 Grapes also strengthen the heart’s muscles, are instrumental in treating bronchitis and coughing, and enhance the skin’s beauty by purifying the blood.20 Since it increases the secretion of milk, nursing mothers are advised to drink grape juice. Some chemicals found in grapes even decrease the probability of skin cancer.21 Pomegranates
He produces gardens, both cultivated and wild, and palm-trees and crops of diverse kinds, and olives and pomegranates, both similar and dissimilar. Eat of their fruits when they bear fruit, pay their due on the day of their harvest, and do not be profligate. He does not love the profligate. (Surat al-An’am: 141)
Pomegranates, another fruit mentioned in the Qur’an, contain a plentiful supply of potassium as well as such minerals as phosphorus, calcium, iron, and sodium, and vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, and C. Acting together with sodium, potassium regulates the body’s water equilibrium and ensures that the heart beats normally. By maintaining the body’s potassium-sodium balance, it also helps the nervous and muscular senses to function regularly, prevents edema, and decreases the amount of sugar circulating in the blood. Pomegranates revive tired muscles and enable them to move easily, and also strengthen the heart.
(To Be continued)