Artichokes: this amazing vegetables has great nutritional benefits for health

Artichokes and radicchio and asparagus benefits (help the liver detox)
Well it is the New Year and many people have embarked in many detox programmes to clean their body from the toxins from the alcohol and or sugary and rich food that many of us have eaten over the Holidays. Well instead of giving you a detox diet I am going to talk about two very good foods that help the liver detox while you are detoxing. Remember if you do detox do take supplements a complete multivitamin as well as extra vitamin C to help the liver detoxing what you are detoxing and probiotics to help the intestinal tract to eliminate well and plenty of water to help the kidney clear toxins. The advice is to drink till your urine is clear and not yellow (apart when you a multivitamin with B2 which will turn your urine a bit yellow and if you eat asparagus which will do the same).
Globe Artichokes and Jerusalem artichoke the health benefit of this wonderful vegetable
Globe artichoke is grown on a thistle like plant and it is the edible flower of the artichoke plant. The Latin name is Cyanara scolymus and in Italy we have liquor or after meals bitter liquor that have been used for as long as I remember for digestion, especially after a very heavy meal or a serious of meals such as wedding and other events. The globe artichoke as its own bitter taste and flavour. Starting from the outer leaves. In Italy you eat them by scraping them with your teeth in inside of the leave and eat the tender leaves when you get to the centre of it. The choke which is the inside of the artichoke is eaten whole. Globe artichokes come from Greece, where the Romans regarded them as a special vegetable and were valued at a high price. In the 15th century they were grown in Florence and from there taken to France where it is still at this date a culinary delicacy. From there it was brought to Spain and then US in California in the late 19th century (Murray, 2005).
The most reason of the Globe artichoke being so nutritionally good is to do with liver and digestive system. It is so good that now has been stated as a medicinal vegetable from the Food agency and therefore as a supplement considered as such. Globe artichoke is a good source of fibre (Jerusalem artichoke too), full of magnesium, chromium, a good source of vitamin C, folic acid, biotic and manganese. Others b vitamins such as B2, B3, B6 and vitamin A and potassium. One medium sized globe artichoke contains also about 4.2 g of protein, no cholesterol (it might lower it instead), and 11.2 grams of carbohydrate and 5.4 g of fibre which is almost the recommended grams for fibre (6. G plus a day). It is soluble and insoluble fibre, the soluble ones are processed by the friendly bacteria which repair and keep your intestinal tract well and healthy and the non-soluble one helps with the elimination system. The fresher the artichokes are the better as inulin which is the food for the friendly bacteria is broken down the longer the artichoke is stored. From now to April time is the time for this vegetable, while the Jerusalem one as a root vegetable can be longer. The Jerusalem one has got the same benefit but more on the intestinal tract and a bit less on the liver front of it. The bitter taste of the Globe artichoke is due to the active ingredient called caffeoylquinic acid such as the cynarin. The bitter ingredient is mainly found in the leaves of the Globe artichoke and a bit less on the choke of the vegetable. The extract of the artichoke usually comes from the leaves. The extract has shown liver protective properties as well as regenerating effects. It promotes the bile and fat flow to and from the liver. Bile is responsible for the breakdown of fat into tiny particles, so that they can be absorbed into the body in the right amount and eliminated what we do not need. The other active ingredients do have a decongesting effect of the liver and helps reduce cholesterol if eaten often or taken as a supplement regularly, especially for people who have a low liver function or too much to detox.
Cooking tips
The best way to cook the globe artickoke is in a little bit of water with inside the artichoke a bit of garlic and flat parsley, salt and spices for taste is optional. In the oven with a bit of water still or grilled if you have that option.

Reference:

M. Murray and J. Pizzorno, L Pizzorno (2005). Healing foods. Atria Books; New York.