The inclusion of herbs into your diet is an easy way to enhance your nutrition and promote better health. So today, I thought I would share some of the health benefits of the miraculous herb, stinging nettles!
I’ve been consuming nettles on a regular basis for the past 3 or 4 years, and will definitely continue to do so. It’s good stuff!
Stinging Nettles: 7 Healthful Reasons to Add then to Your Diet
1. Excellent Source of Silica. Silica is an important and necessary mineral for healthy hair, skin, and nails. It’s also essential for building strong beautiful teeth and bones.
2. High in Chlorophyll. This is the pigment that gives nettles their green color (and other plants too). Chlorophyll is a powerful blood purifier, so consuming chlorophyll rich foods is a great way to aid the body in cleansing and detoxification. Which is especially important in the toxic world that we live in today.
3. High in Magnesium. High levels of chlorophyll also means high levels of magnesium. Magnesium is an extremely important and necessary mineral for optimal health and wellbeing. Magnesium is required for more than 300 biochemical processes in the body!
4. A Natural Diuretic. Diuretics help the body flush out unwanted toxins by stimulating urination. This is also helpful for weight loss.
5. Weight Loss. Nettle leaves help support a healthy functioning thyroid, which in turn promotes weight loss by speeding up the metabolism and burning fat. As mentioned above, the diuretic component of nettles also makes them useful for losing weight.
6. Immune Boosting. Nettles are high in vitamin C and plant sterols, which help build the immune system.
7. Rich Source of Iron. Iron is a blood builder. It is a mineral that is essential for the formation of our red blood cells.
- CAUTION
- Make sure you research how to harvest and handle fresh stinging nettles if you would like to use it in this way. The fresh herb will “sting” you if you touch it! You don’t need to worry about this if they have been dried.
Ways to Add Stinging Nettles to Your Diet Include:
For most people, nettles should be pretty easy to add into the diet. They have a subtle flavor that combines well with other foods and spices.
Make a Tea. This is one of the ways I get my daily dose of nettles! You can drink it as is or use it as a liquid base for things like smoothies, salad dressings, soups, homemade lemonade, etc. To Make Nettle Tea: Steep 1 teaspoon dried nettle leaves in 1 cup of hot water for 10-15 minutes. Strain and enjoy!
Powdered Nettles. This is a very easy and convenient way to reap the benefits of nettles. You can stuff empty capsules with nettle powder or add it to your liquids and foods. I like to add nettle powder to salad dressings, smoothies, and dips like hummus and guacamole.
Fresh Nettle Juice. I haven’t tried this yet, but look forward to it. My mother-in-law has stinging nettle plants, so maybe I’ll make it a point to make fresh nettle juice this year!
I hope you found this post helpful!
Best of Health,
Shahné
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