Healthy Food : Spinach

Why it’s good for you: Spinach is chock-full of nutrients, including iron, calcium and vitamin A, which keeps the eyes and skin healthy. Spinach also packs folate, which helps the body form healthy red blood cells and prevents birth defects during pregnancy.
How to eat it: In your salads, sandwiches and omelets
Serving size: 1 cup fresh or ½ cup cooked
Calories: 7–21

Recipe: Dr. Janet’s Spinach, Apple and Walnut Salad
Yield: 4 servings
Salad
Ingredients
6 cups organic baby spinach leaves
1 green apple, cored and thinly sliced
1 ripe pear, cored and thinly sliced
½ cup chopped walnuts
4 teaspoons Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Method Of Cooking
Preheat a toaster oven to 350ºF. Spread walnuts on an aluminum-foil-covered baking pan. Toast walnuts in toaster oven for approximately 3 minutes, shaking pan occasionally to prevent scorching. Place spinach, apple slices and walnuts in a bowl and toss. Serve in salad bowls and sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon Gorgonzola cheese and 1 tablespoon dressing (see below).

Dressing
Ingredients
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Juice from 1 lemon
Dash pepper
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
¼ cup 100% pure maple syrup
¼ cup canola oil

Method Of Cooking
In a food processor, blend all ingredients except oil. Slowly pour oil into food processor, pulsing until well blended. Chill until ready to servve salad.

Nutrition per serving (¼ of the salad plus 1 tablespoon of salad dressing):
Calories: 208
Fat: 15 g
Sodium: 155 mg
Carbohydrates: 21 g
Dietary fiber: 5 g
Sugars: 11 g
Protein: 4 g

Recipe excerpted from Cholesterol Down by Janet Bond Brill, Ph.D., R.D., LDN (Three Rivers Press, December 2006). To learn more about this book, visit DrJanet.com

More Than Just Survival

Quality ingredients, extensive preparation, beautiful presentation, gourmet food is considered the best of the best. More than just the average meal, it is exclusive around the world.
Food is a passion of millions of people around the world. Most people you speak to will tell you to a varying degree how much they love food. It's the basis of our survival, and it's one of the few survival basics that we can actually enjoy, rather than just consume. Over the centuries, humans have made the most of this basic need, developing techniques to prepare food in ever more pleasing ways. The art of cooking for some is a career, or even an obsession.
There's a big difference between a cook and a gourmet cook. A person who cooks average, readily available food simply for consumption could be considered a cook. On the other hand, someone who goes to great length to prepare unique, high quality foods in a visually appealing way is considered a gourmet. Gourmet recipe is worldwide considered the best, and almost always is reserved for the very rich. The reason is that gourmet foods require a great deal of skill to prepare. Only gourmet chefs understand the art of gourmet delicacy preparation. High quality ingredients are also part of the gourmet food requirements. Rare ingredients from exotic locations are part of the reason for the high price.
People usually perceive gourmet recipes as a status symbol. The high price tag and effort that goes into presentation make it a sign of quality. When people want to celebrate a special occasion or make an impression gourmet food says they want to share the best. It is associated with fine dining, so a gourmet restaurant often has a dress code that requires everyone in attendance to maintain a certain standard of class.
Becoming a gourmet cook is seen as the highest level of culinary experience. Gourmet chefs go through rigorous training to learn skills required to prepare gourmet meals. They must learn the art of recognizing quality ingredients. With thousands of unique gourmet foods, they have to learn how different foods can mix together, and learn to recognize them by taste to effectively combine foods for appetizing dishes. Gourmet chefs also have to learn how to prepare foods to perfection. Proper preparation is crucial to cooking successful gourmet food. One of the key requirements of gourmet food is presentation. Perhaps one of the most important talents of a gourmet chef is presenting their dishes in a creative and attractive way. Many believe this is not so much a skill as a talent. To succeed as a gourmet chef, mastery of ingredients, preparation, cooking to perfection, and presenting a visually appealing dish is crucial.
Food is more than just a survival need. There are millions of possibilities for appetizing dishes. Gourmet recipes take food to optimum quality and beauty. Gourmet food is perceived to be the best quality, attracting high prices and a superior reputation. The art of preparing gourmet food takes a great deal of training and not a little talent. Gourmet food is considered a symbol of status, typically reserved for the very rich or special occasions. If you want to treat yourself to the best of a basic survival need, give gourmet food a try.

Source : http://ezinearticles.com

Introducing More Whole Grain Foods in Your Diet

When choosing to eat wheat or grain enriched food, whole grain is much healthier than refined grains. Whole grains have been tested to show that consuming it can lower the risk of heart disease and other diseases.
Whole grain by definition includes all the edible parts of a grain. This consists of the bran, endosperm, and germ, which all have their respective minerals and nutrients. However, refined grains don't have a lot of these components, which causes it to lose most of its nutrients.
Whole grains are rather easy to come by. They are included in oatmeal, brown rice, popcorn, barley, and even wild rice. Be careful not to be tricked by false or tricky labeling on packages. Some products may claim to be the healthy wheat variety but are not whole grain. Avoid deceptive products such as these as they don't provide you with all the nutrients and minerals, but try to claim that they're as healthy.
When buying products at the market, doctors recommend that you buy bread that has the word "whole" in it. Bread that is labeled as "refined" or "enriched" is not the same and will not provide the same vitamins.
However, some products are still "whole" products even though they are not labeled as such. These include oats, bulgur, and brown rice.
In order to get enough whole grains in your diet, you should follow a few of the following guidelines. Every little bit helps in getting you healthier. Eat whole wheat bread instead of normal white bread. Eat popcorn instead of potato chips. Eat oatmeal instead of sugar enriched cereal.
As you can see, eating healthier is not difficult. Simple changes in deciding what you eat all go a long way. The benefits you feel from eating whole grain foods will also go a long way in making you feel stronger and healthier. They provide you with the minerals and nutrients your body needs to function at an optimal level.
Once you get in the habit of eating healthier, it will become second nature to you in a few months. And once you start feeling healthier, you won't want to go back

Source : http://ezinearticles.com

Does Food Technology Affect Food Quality?

When we visit a supermarket, we look for healthful, nutritious food that tastes good and is free of contaminates or disease organisms. Food science and technology make that possible in what is one of the word's largest and most important economic activities.

Significance

1. Innovative techniques have made it possible to offer foods in which purity and safety are combined with good nutrition and taste appeal. Also, each element of the process of getting food to the consumer has its base in technology.

Nutrigenomics

2. Advanced genetic technologies (nutrigenomics) combine the sciences of plant genetics and nutrition, with the goal of developing food that improves human disease resistance.

Function

3. Researchers already have been able to increase the antioxidants in some vegetables---work that continues. Plant genetics is a major player in the worldwide effort to improve food quality and productivity.

Rheology

4. The study of cell deformation, strength and structure (rheology) has resulted in upgrades in the way produce is harvested, stored and transported to market in peak condition. It has brought change in the design of harvesting, handling (transportation) and storage methods that do not physically damage produce.

Effects

5. The end result of the technological change is bruise-free and high-quality fruits and vegetables waiting on your grocer's shelf.

Source : http://www.ehow.com

Take it with a grain of iodised salt

A study conducted by the New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) shows that if you choose to add salt to your food, it pays to make it the iodised variety.

The study, which evaluated the level of iodine in 20 salt products available for retail sale – six iodised salt products and 14 non-iodised sea, rock, and low-sodium salt products – showed that iodised products contained about 30 times more iodine than non-iodised products.

While iodine content in the iodised products on average ranged from 32-64 milligrams per kilogram of salt, in the non-iodised products it ranged from 1-5 milligrams per kilogram of salt.

NZFSA senior nutrition manager, David Roberts says there are obvious risks from a diet high in salt, as eating too much puts your blood pressure in danger of going up, which can lift your risk of heart disease and stroke.
“However, this study shows that if you like to add a little salt to your food during cooking, you might as well get some nutritional benefit by choosing an iodised salt and increasing the iodine in your diet.”

Iodine is an essential nutrient for growth and development, but research from the 1990s has identified mild-to-moderate iodine deficiency in adults, pregnant women, and children in New Zealand.

“Iodine can’t be made in the body so we need to get it from the food we eat,” David says. “It supports normal growth and development in children and helps to maintain the body’s metabolic rate.”

Iodine deficiency in New Zealand is being addressed through a variety of measures, including requiring bakers to use iodised salt in most bread since September last year.

Other sources of iodine include reduced or low-fat milk and milk products, eggs, and seafood. Foods that contain seaweed, such as sushi and seameal custard, are also sources.

In the area of salt reduction, NZFSA is working with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and other stakeholders to minimise New Zealanders exposure to total sodium in the food supply as there is strong evidence that the general population would benefit from reducing sodium consumption. Salt is thought to be the principal source of sodium in the food supply.

A daily upper level of intake for sodium is about two grams per day (or 2300 milligrams per day) from all sources, and less if you already have high blood pressure. The New Zealand Total Diet Study, which NZFSA conducted in 2003/04, estimated that most people had much greater intakes than the daily upper level of intake. Sodium is being measured again in the 2009 New Zealand Total Diet Study to see if levels in foods have changed.

Processed foods generally have much higher concentrations of sodium than unprocessed foods. Key processed food sources of sodium in the New Zealand diet include breads, takeaways, dairy products, cereals and pasta, biscuits, cake, and meat products.

Source : http://www.foodtechnology.co.nz

5 Simple Steps To Cook Healthy Nutritious Food

Every night when you go home, you have to make a decision about what to have for dinner. For the most part, we would like to eat nutritious food, but many of us didn’t grow up learning how to cook healthy meals. If you’re watching your health, eating out is not the best option, so most people look in their cookbooks for recipes. This isn’t always the best solution, because recipes lie. But, if you know the right way, it’s very easy to cook nutritious food every night of the week.
This is the process that many people go through:
1. You come home from work, and have to start planning dinner.
2. You’ve already cooked the 5 things you know how to cook this week.
3. You need more ideas,
4. You look through the pantry, consider calling for pizza…

It’s not only exhausting, but you have to re-educate yourself every single night. It’s not going to get you the results you want or deserve for yourself and your family. If you’re looking to cook more nutritious food at home, save time and have endless cooking ideas, you’re in the right place.

There are 5 simple steps to cooking with fresh ingredients.

Step 1: Get Fresh Ingredients

• The first step for using fresh, seasonal ingredients is to actually GET some.
• This could be the most difficult step for many of you that are used to the huge mega-mart grocery store.

There are alternatives. My eyes were opened to more alternatives during my trip to Paris, France. The food culture in Paris is so much different from where I live in the US. There were very few corporate “chain” restaurants there.

Many of the restaurants were small, 10 table places where there were three people on staff, the chef, the maitre d’ and the dish washer. They had their service each night and went home. Each time I asked why their food tasted so good, they all had the same answer. And, not a single person bragged about their recipes.

Instead, I was told that I needed fresh, simple ingredients. I discovered that I needed to examine where my food is coming from. This doesn’t mean simply the store where you shop, but what is the country of origin for your food. Think about how you feel about your money going to another country when there are farmers in your community that need your help. Now think about how long ago that vegetable was harvested in the far away country, and what happened to it during its travels.

It might be inconvenient to drive past dozens of mega-marts to find a farmers market. But you may find that there’s a local produce roadside stand near you that you’ve avoided. In my case, I signed up for “The Produce Box” which delivers fresh community supported agriculture to my doorstep. Fresh is important because fruits and vegetables degrade as soon as they’re picked.

• Nutrients are lost
• They become visually unappealing
• Harder to cook successfully
• Loss of flavor!

Step 2: Select the freshest ingredients when you shop
Be aware of what you’re choosing, even if you shop at the local produce stand or farmers market. Some items may still be fresher than others and the most nutritious, healthy food is the freshest. You have to be even more aware if you shop at the local mega grocery.
In understanding how to cook healthy, you need to be able to understand the difference between fresh food and food that has been ripened artificially or is not ripe at all. Do you know how to tell a fresh orange or grapefruit? Did you know that color is NOT an indicator of freshness in peaches?

Step 3: Storing Fresh Ingredients
For maximum shelf life, nutritional preservation and budget savings, there are three issues in storing fresh ingredients:

1. Moisture
2. Air circulation
3. Temperature

Not everything can be thrown in to the drawer in the refrigerator and preserve their freshness. In fact, some things will suffocate in a plastic bag. Other produce will need to be wrapped tightly to retain moisture. Other items will need to be kept cold, while others will degrade under the cold.

Step 4: Master a few basic cooking techniques
At the very least, master the following techniques:

1. Understanding the transfer of heat
2. Saute method
3. Know how to make sassy sauces

But there are so many more. All of the basic methods in cooking are covered in my live cooking classes. Giving you the tools to understand these basic methods is what makes my approach to teaching cooking so unique and why people rave about my Web Cooking Classes. Web Cooking Classes empowers you with a thorough understanding of basic methods which allows you to cook and create without a reliance on recipes. Pure freedom!

Step 5: Finishing the Process with Fresh Herbs
This is the number one question I get during my live cooking classes:
Q: “Which herbs to use and how much to use?”
A: “Use the ones you like.”

Seriously! Use your nose to see what it reminds you of, use the ones that you like and use as much as you like.

You want to know my number one herb secret? Herbs go last! Fresh herbs should not be cooked. In fact, just the heat of the finished dish is enough to release the aromas of fresh herbs.

These are the secrets that chefs know about how to cook healthy which are so easy to incorporate into your every day cooking. You can cook nutritious food that you want to eat for your health and for how wonderful it tastes.

Source : http://www.articledashboard.com

Why Going Vegan Is Good For Your Health

It has been proven that going vegan is good for your health, in addition to taking a personal stand for animal rights. As long as a person follows a healthy and balanced vegan diet, the health benefits and major disease prevention will make a difference in living a longer and happier life. vegan diets are full of nutritional benefits with reduced saturated fats and cholesterol levels while providing carbohydrates, fiber, magnesium, potassium, folate, antioxidants, Vitamin C and E, protein and phytochemicals to the human body.
?Each fruit and vegetable has a purpose in keeping us healthy, a specific job so to speak, which applies to how the body works to its highest potential. A huge example is by preventing cardiovascular disease. vegan diets reduce the risk of heart disease, help prevent heart attacks and strokes, reduce high blood pressure, and eliminate dietary cholesterol from meat and meat products. Whole grains and nuts are the key foods for the health of the heart and blood pressure - in addition to eliminating all dairy products and meat while simultaneously adding fresh fruits and vegetables.


The fast growing problem of Type 2 diabetes is easily controlled by a low-fat vegan diet, a healthy diet that does not require counting calories or fat grams due to a perfectly balanced diet of fruits and vegetables. The diabetic will lose more weight and lower their sugar levels faster than any other diet because it focuses on the type of food, instead of the quantity of calorie-restricted diet food. Altogether, the person who has Type 2 diabetes will develop a healthier weight, lower cholesterol and lower blood pressure.

Another growing problem in American society is lack of energy. This could be due to the lack of enriched breakfast cereals, cooked beans, baked potatoes with skin, enriched pasta and fresh fruit and vegetables in their diet, needed to adequately provide and store the body's iron in the liver and long bones - where the red blood cells are made. Supplementary iron supplements prescribed from a physician are most absorbable in the fumarate or sulfate forms, less in the gluconate. Foods that inhibit the body from absorbing iron are spinach, rhubarb, sweet potato, soy products, bran and whole grains. People with an iron deficiency should eat oranges, orange juice, cantaloupe, strawberries, grapefruit, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, tomatoes of all types, potatoes, green and red peppers, or white wine. A healthy vegan diet may be just the thing needed to boost a person's energy levels

Of less importance but just as noticeable in why going vegan is good for your health is the ability to live a longer and healthier life; reduced body odor; less intense PMS; reduction of bad breath; healthier skin with fewer blemishes; alleviation of allergy symptoms; and fewer migraines. There is simply a feeling of contentment and feeling good when the body is healthy and not overweight. A diet of five or six smaller meals of vegetables and fruits allows the body to easily absorb what it needs without packing on the extra pounds that are harmful to the entire body. Why going vegan is good for your health can be supported by a multitude of reasons, but they all center on our desire to achieve good health and longevity.

Source : http://www.articledashboard.com

History of Chocolate

A journey through the history of chocolate reveals that this mysterious food has woven its story throughout multiple cultures and continents impacting civilizations culturally, socially, economically and spiritually. A study of the history of chocolate begins by going back in time to the realm of the Maya Indians and the Olmec Civilizations of Central America.
The word cacao was found in the Olmec vocabulary nearly 3,000 years ago. The hot, humid, but shady climate of the tropical rain forests of this region was perfect for growing cacao plants. The Maya felt the cacao tree was owned by the gods and the pods were offered as a gift from the gods to man. The cacao pod became the symbol of fertility and life in the Mayan culture.
Later, in the 18th century, a Swedish botanist named Linnaeus, called the cacao tree the obroma cacao, which means "drink of the gods". It was the Mayan people that did indeed make a drink from the cacao pods. This drink was considered a "royal" brew enjoyed by the noblemen and kings and was often used in sacred rituals. Hot chili peppers were added to flavor it or maize was often added to change its texture.

In 1502, Columbus, on his 4th and final voyage to the Caribbean, was given a sack of cacao seeds as a form of payment. He was unsure of the worth of the seeds, so the Aztecs made him a drink from the pods to show him its potential. They felt this drink was a source of energy, spiritual wisdom, and enhanced sexual powers. They used it to fortify their warriors when in battle. Although Columbus did not personally care for it, he accepted the seeds in payment, being curious as to its value upon returning to Spain.
Years later, when Cortes arrived in the New World, he noted that the Aztecs used the cacao beans as their treasury and kept huge storehouses of the seeds. Cortes was offered a cacao plantation and a royal welcome from the Aztec ruler Montezuma, when he mistakenly thought Cortes was the reincarnation of a former god and king. This was the beginning of the downfall of the Aztec Empire, but helped Cortes realize that this crop had tremendous potential led him to establish cacao plantations throughout the Caribbean.
When Columbus and Cortes returned to Spain the bitter cacao drink of the Aztec culture was introduced to Europe and there it was sweetened to make it more in tune to the European tastes. It became a drink of the elite and wealthy. Within ten years, chocolate was enjoyed throughout the courts in the French aristocracy. Chocolate became known throughout the countries of Europe and in the middle of the 17th century chocolate appeared in England. There it was highly taxed continuing its reputation as a luxury to be enjoyed only by those privileged enough to afford it.
Cacao was primarily only for drinking until 1828. Chocolate was prepared as a drink by grinding up the beans into a thin paste and adding spices and sweetening and then adding something to soak up the cocoa butter, which would float to the surface.
Coenraad J. Van Houten, a Dutch chemist in that year invented a press which would release the cocoa butter from the bean, leaving the dryer cake that could be ground up into a powder similar to the fat-free cocoa powder we enjoy today.
Twenty years later European companies used the presses made by Van Houten to produce the first eating chocolate. By taking what was left after separating the cocoa powder from the butter, the industry saw that they could melt the cocoa butter and combine it with a blend of ground cacao beans and sugar, mix this into a paste and mold it. Edible chocolate was the final product. Chocolate appeared on the market in the United States around the turn of the twentieth century and now nearly one hundred years later is still in harmony with all who love it's unique, rich taste.

You Need to Dig Deep for a Fresh Clam Recipe

One of my favorite clam recipes is baked stuffed clams. But, to get the freshest clams, you have to go clam digging first, and then you need to open the 300 clams that you dug up.

Heading out in a small boat to find a secluded low-tide spot that no one else knows about and spend the afternoon clam digging is a fond childhood memory of mine. I grew up on Long Island, NY and as a kid, I could walk along the shore, dig my toes into the sand and find clams to bring home.

I decided to revisit this childhood memory. It’s a beautiful day. I’ve even brought my dogs, who want to get into the act, even if they think clam digging is a game to find very hard tennis balls.

Once we’ve collected all our clams, my head begins to swim with clam recipes. In the end, I know that one of the recipes I will have to cook is baked stuffed clams as it’s my absolute favorite. However, to even start making baked stuffed clams, the fresh clams need to be opened.

There is a specific technique to opening fresh clams and a certain tool to be able to do it correctly and safely. First, it’s wise to wear gloves, because the clam shells can be sharp, but also because the knife can slip under the pressure you exert to open them and you can easily cut yourself.

The key to opening fresh clams is not to cut through the belly of the clam as this makes the clam unappetizing for clam recipes. The proper technique is to cut the two muscles on either side of the shell to expose the clam meat in tact.

Clam digging is done, 300 clams are opened, baked stuffed clams are a must…but there are so many more clam recipes to choose from!

Source : http://www.articlecity.com

Chocolate Covered Fruit and Desserts Make Gift Giving Deliciously Fun

Add a little creativity and inspiration to your gift giving with chocolate covered fruit, nuts, and other delicious treats that will delight and impress recipients of every age.

Whether birthdays, anniversaries, or holiday celebrations, chocolate has always been the perfect gift idea. And, while a box of the typical assorted is always appreciated, why not enhance the fun with a few intriguing chocolate covered pieces or artfully arranged baskets and bouquets?

Chocolate is more than just a sweet treat. The many types and flavors lend to its versatility and make it the main ingredient in sauces, drinks, desserts, and natural remedies. Chocolate has proven itself to be a necessary part of any celebration, and with endless options and combinations, you are sure to find something that will please everyone on your gift giving list.

Delight your sweetheart on Valentine's Day with a delectable chocolate covered apple rolled in pink, red, and white candy hearts, or a basket of chocolate dipped Oreo cookies topped with sugar coated Jujube hearts or Hershey's Hugs.

Celebrate a wedding by covering cookies in white or dark chocolate and decorating them to look like little wedding gowns and tuxedos. Or send an extra special gift to the wedding couple by having chocolate covered strawberries and a bottle of chilled champagne sent to their honeymoon suite. This thoughtful and romantic idea will be remembered for years to come.

Chocolate can make holiday gift giving easy. Thrill family and friends with an elegant box of chocolate covered peppermint sticks. Dip one end in white and the other in milk or dark, dust with icing sugar and complete with a festive bow or sprig of greenery. Every chocolate lover appreciates a tasty chocolate bark made with a mix of dried fruit and nuts and sprinkled with shaved coconut.

Chocolate dipped figs look like little mini Christmas decorations, and when covered with a mix of white and dark and placed in a pretty box or hung on a small tree, they make the ideal gift for teachers or colleagues. Capture a little winter wonderland by building tasty snowballs with white chocolate covered shortbread rolled in coconut.

Create a beautiful Mother's Day bouquet with chocolate covered cookies and chewy candies, or tantalize Dad's taste buds with a yummy mix of popcorn, fruit, and nuts tossed with his favorite type of chocolate. Turn a simple coffee mug into an unforgettable gift by packing it full of chocolate covered coffee or espresso beans and pairing it with a chocolate dipped spoon.

Need a thank you favor for a baby shower? Create little faces by covering large pretzel twists with chocolate and using mini M&Ms as eyes, or give guests individually boxed chocolate covered mini cheesecakes with “It's a Girl”, “It's a Boy”, or simply “Thank You” written on top.

Looking for an interesting birthday gift for the person who has everything? How about chocolate covered potato chips or colorfully decorated chocolate dipped pretzel twists and rods? For the true chocolate addict on your list, give a box of decadent chocolate covered brownies – after all, who can resist chocolate covered chocolate. Yum!

Need an exciting and unique kids gift or party favor? Chocolate dipped marshmallows decorated with funny faces or made to look like insects and animals are sure to be a tasty hit.

One of the most popular gifts for every occasion are chocolate covered fortune cookies. They are available in a wide variety of options including birthday, friendship, and romantic messages. These small tokens can deliver big notes of love, thanks, and appreciation.

From chocolate covered mango and guava to the more popular strawberries and cherries, from dipped sponge candy to chewy chocolate Jujubes and marshmallows, or from the salty sweet mix of pretzels and popcorn to the irresistible chocolate coated cookies and brownies, chocolate can be combined with virtually anything to create an interesting and fun gift idea. Wrap in an elegant box, arrange in a bouquet, tie with a ribbon, fill a tasteful tin, or accent a wrapped package – no matter how it is displayed or for what occasion it is given, chocolate covered fruit and dessert is the perfectly delicious gift giving choice.

Source : http://www.articlecity.com

Serving A Great High Protein, Low Carb Meal

If you are looking for great recipes to serve on your dinner party or if you are thinking of starting to live a healthier life for you and the family by eating responsibly, then try using a menu with high protein and low carb foods. By the time the foods are served on the table, your family may not even realize that they're eating healthier foods, because the foods still taste delicious.

Knowing what ingredients to have on your meal is the first important step in creating a good plan - this involves knowing what carbohydrates you should avoid. Carbohydrates that you will want to avoid include white rice, crackers, jam and pasta. They simply are not compatible for your high protein low carb diet.

Start the meal off with some nice salad; any type of salad will do. Mix the salad with many vegetables and top it off with some cheese and fruit. Don't go overboard with the salad dressing - keep it light or simply rely on some vinaigrette to add some flavor to the salad. Another thing to keep in mind is to serve only salad and vegetables that you know your family like having - that way it will be an enjoyable meal for the whole member of the family.

For the main course, meats - as a source of protein - are required to be part of the meal. There are many meats you can use, from chicken, fish, to even pork and beef - as they are high in protein and will be a good addition to your meal. From all the meats, fish is probably the best one for your high protein low carb meals. Serve your family tuna, salmon, or other fish that you know your family likes. Keep in mind though to serve the meats in moderate portion - not anything too big or large. And instead of frying them, try the healthier route of either boiling or baking them. Frying the meats will only add unwanted fats.

In addition to the meats, have some vegetable on the side. Asparagus would make a delicious meal even better. You can steam them and add flavor with a lemon. Though serving the meal with whole grain rice isn't encouraged, as long as you keep the portion in moderation you will do just fine.

Dessert can be healthy and delicious as well. Making fruit smoothies for the family can be easily done by blending together a mix of skim milk, fruit and ice.

Source :  http://www.articlecity.com

Youngsters's Cookery

As you have noticed, food preparation isn't simply for adults. You can always get your kids inquisitive about obtaining them concerned in making ready little dishes or desserts. Unfortunately, most of the parents continuously feel that their children are too young to handle the kitchen works. Really, most of accidents aren't caused by the kids, however the carelessness of the parents. Moreover, you'll be shocked how accountable and capable they can be within the kitchen. Cooking is that it will give an vital maths lesson when it involves calculating cupfuls and tablespoons that are found in recipes. It is a nice approach to show concerning weights, measurements and fractions. These can you kids a head start in the mathematics when he hits on the junior school. Moreover, you'll wish to think about adding some scientific part whereas you are educating them on cooking. You'll embody queries like "A sugar cube on hot water or cold water dissolves faster?" What you'll be able to teach your kids in the kitchen is limitless, however the trick is to always keep things fascinating and fun.
You may be surprise; the kids truly like to eat raw foods. They're terribly healthy and contain a heap of necessary vitamin for the kids development. You'll be able to notice the complete raw food youngsters recipe within the cookbook or on the internet. Sometimes it's as straightforward as laundry peeling and slicing. Though you have to actually take care when comes to teaching them a way to handle a knife and slicer. If you can forever realize some new children recipes being shared on the forum, there are 2 community forum that enables mothers to share their childrens recipes and tips on how to induce their toddler to be fascinated by cooking.
By having our kids facilitate us in the kitchen, they will learn a number of the necessary skills to reach life. Someday, they'll become the most effective chefs within the world.
I hope that you'll be able to have a good time in the kitchen along with your very little one!

Source : http://www.goarticles.com

Quick Meals for Busy People

Here are some ideas for quick meals which will only take 20 minutes or less to be served to your dear ones. One of the major causes of obesity worldwide is the hectic schedules of people. With less time to prepare healthy meals, people are choosing processed and junk food instead. If you want to remain healthy throughout and still have a great meal, read on to discover great ideas for quick meals.
One of the interesting quick meals for kids is hot dog hash. You will need 6 hot dogs, 6 peeled and cubed potatoes, a medium-sized onion and a dash each of salt, pepper and garlic powder. Simply boil the potatoes, slice the hot dogs, then fry everything you had together until it turns golden brown. Within two minutes, you will have a meal your children will appreciate.
If you're thinking that quick meals can't be gourmet, wait until you find out about Spaghetti with Feta and Black Olives. You will need a tablespoon of olive oil, a teaspoon of minced garlic, a can of black olives, half a package of feta cheese, 2 c cooked linguini and one-fourth teaspoon thyme. Pour the oil into a bowl and heat it in your microwave for a minute. Add garlic, stir it, and then heat it for another minute. Do the same with the olives. After that, add the feta and thyme to the mixture. Finally add the cooked pasta and microwave the whole mixture for a minute.
However, if it's a homemade burger that you want, you can have a Bacon, Onion and Cheese Stuffed burger made in less than 20 minutes. Mix one and a half pounds ground beef, a minced clove of garlic, a teaspoon of hot sauce, salt and pepper. Meanwhile, fry four strips of bacon until crisp. Next, sauté half an onion for five minutes or until tender. Once done, take the bacon and onions, and then mix them with a cup of grated cheddar cheese. Finally, add the mixture to the center of your burger patty then add another patty on top before grilling them for four minutes.
So, there you have three quick meals which you can make in less than 20 minutes. Plus, none of these quick meals will be less nutritious than what you usually consume.

PopCorn History

It's sad but true, that what the ancients referred to as corn was, in most cases, not corn at all. In all probabilities, the term corn was applied like a blanket reference towards the cereal in use by the civilization. In real life, it applied to signify probably the most applied grain of a specific region. Accordingly, inside Egyptian reference, the old bearded Lady Pharaoh possibly applied barley and we feel she had corn. In most pyramids ended up you will find references to popped corn, the mistake is in this manner, for the ancient Egyptians ate barley a lot more than corn, utilized it far more and also preserved it more, specially for the afterlife goodies of their dead. So inside the ancient Egyptian as well as some biblical references, pop corn could possibly be said to mean pop the barley.

Even in later times, corn was wheat in England, and oats in Scotland and Ireland. It absolutely was only in American cultural reference that corn took on so a great deal significance. Even in America, it absolutely was maize that was cultivated in most widespread manner and named `corn', a name it retains to date.
It's an interesting fact that the earliest use on the grain of corn was popping, and it ought to are already a self ignition action to begin with. Later, as fire became central towards concept of coking, corn need to have popped quicker and far better. The oldest evidence of Popped corn comes from The Bat Cave of West Central New Mexico. These ears are already dated to getting about four thousand years old, if not older. So we have evidence that popped maize and cultivated corn was indeed, American by origin. In ancient times, grain was popped by heating sand in the pit and stirring in kernels of corn when it had been very hot. This kept the kernels inside tassel and tasted fine as well.
This American connection was maintained and within the fifteenth and sixteenth century, the Aztec Indians employed the ear of corn too as popped corn in different cultural contexts, ceremonies and also dances. They were, curiously enough, also applied as ornamentation.
The `civilized' world, though, caught its initial glimpse in the popped corn only inside the fifteenth century, when Cortes invaded Mexico and met up using the Aztecs. Apart from food they applied popped corn as decoration for ceremonial headdresses, necklaces and ornaments on statues of their gods, including Tlaloc, the god of rain and fertility. The God of Fishermen was also worshipped with what the Aztecs termed the "hailstones given towards god of water', which ended up really popped corn. The Spaniards saw these small white flowerlike things and understood that this was parched corn, the type that spews open its contents when heated. The Aztecs referred to as it momochitl. This was the fantastic grandfather of our own buttered and peppered variety.

The Peruvan Indians also knew the art of popping corn, and Cobo, wrote of them within the sixteenth century that "They toast a specific sort of corn until it bursts. They call it pisancalla, and they use it being a confection."
Using a history as illustrious as this inside the American continent, how could it be lengthy prior to the true maize burst upon the scene in all its glory? By the eighteen hundreds, the cultivation of maize became widespread within the continent along with the uses in the grain became even much more favorite. In half a century, popcorn became a hot favorite with all the young and old alike and far more and additional techniques of imparting it much more taste were definitely dug up. Fairs, parks and expositions can be deserted devoid of a popcorn counter. No outing could well be complete with out a big helping of popcorn. Mechanized procedures of popping now came into use plus the demand pushed up the number of new inventions for this purpose.

Till the Wonderful Depression, street vendors would set up shop wherever there was a reasonable crowd, pushing their steam or gas powered poppers via crowds.
C Cretors and Organization of Chicago introduced the 1st mobile popcorn machine towards the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. It had been an instant hit, using the convenience of "moving it about to any location exactly where the operator could well be likely to do a fine business". It could possibly be "drawn readily by a boy or by a little pony to any picnic ground, fair, political rally, etc. and to numerous other places exactly where a excellent organization may be done for a day or two." The era from the popcorn vendor had arrived.

Throughout the Good Depression on the nineteenth Century, with quite small dollars in circulation, popcorn was 1 in the last few luxuries that the average American could afford. Binging about the extravagant five or ten cent pack of popcorn was all most of them had being content with. Like a result, even as the bigger, much better restaurants failed, popcorn company thrived, although at a very much lower monetary level. The situation was comic in some instances and downright ridiculous in others. Some rags to riches stories as well had been based about the popcorn magic, like one particular Oklahoma Banker who lost everything when his bank failed, so he bought a popcorn machine in the store near a theatre. In the couple of years, he had adequate funds energy to purchase back three on the farms he'd lost; such was the energy on the small popped corn.

The fortunes of this well-liked snack seemed for being connected with those from the entertainment industry. So when the television became much more favorite than movies within the 1950s, popcorn consumption once more hit lows, because less persons ended up visiting cinema theatres, and additional were definitely lounging at home, in front of their Television sets. The next logical business enterprise step was to offer popcorn at home, so it could possibly be eaten with Television watching, just as it utilized being eaten with movie watching. This new relationship that was forged once again gave an impetus to popcorn consumption.
In the course of the Planet War II, Percy Spencer of Raytheon Manufacturing Corporation was searching at mass production of magnetrons, which ended up getting applied to generate microwaves, utilised within the War. He wanted this engineering being harnessed for uses in civil life, to continue the utility of Raytheon engineering even after the war was over. Popping corns was one particular from the most essential experiments he carried out with this tool as well as the end result was microwave cooking engineering. Thereafter the going was easy...popcorn was but a pop away even at home, and might be enjoyed which has a very good Television show just as which has a fantastic movie. And microwave popcorn, producing its appearance from the 1940s, was the in thing. Because then it has been by far the most common form of popcorn sales and accounts for enormous monetary figures each year. The end result is that Americans consume about 17 billion quarts of popcorn each and every year these days. We genuinely have come a extended way from the barley pops of Tutankhamen!!!!!

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Why Is Food So Important?

It is a biologically known fact, that right since the first living organism breathed for the first time billions of years ago, it needed food. Food is something without which growth, development and evolution would have been impossible. Every living thing on the face of the earth, irrespective of plants and animals, need nutrition to survive, grow and reproduce. All the living things on earth are therefore, dependent on each other for survival in some way or the other and that is what we call the ecosystem.
The food chain in nature includes both plants and animals who are a part of it and even the tiniest ecosystem has a food chain for itself. Food recipes are not only important for our survival but when humans are concerned, there are many other importance. Thus, find out why is food important from the paragraphs mentioned below.

Why is Food Important for Survival?
As mentioned above, without food, there is no survival. Therefore, the answer for why is food important is that, when you consume some mode of food and nutrition, the body functions in a particular manner. Without a catalyst, there is no product that is formed and for all living things like plants, animals and humans, food is the catalyst. Hence, when you consume food, nutrition is provided to the body for the production of energy and in turn, the body is functional. The food pyramid gives us an idea of why is food important and how, in a very pictorial and clear manner. This is a very biological and medical purpose of food as you need it for the cycle of life. Charles Darwin also supported the importance of food through the theory of "survival of the fittest".
Why is Food Important to the Human Body?
The cycle of life consists of birth, growth, development, reproduction and then death. For an individual to go from birth to death, there is a constant necessity for nutrition and catalyst which is provided by the food which is consumed. The human body is one of the most complicated creation of nature as every pathway related to it is designed very uniquely. These pathways work together to function all the major human body systems and in turn keep the body fit. There is also a need to know why is food safety important, as we cannot consume spoiled and perished food as the fuel for our bodies. Hence, if you have wondered, why is it important to eat healthy food, it is so that these pathways which control the systems work in the proper manner. The basic point of this explanation can be compared to the functioning of a vehicle which works best with good amount and quality of fuel, and breaks down when there are problems in its working.

Why is Food Important to Culture?
Apart from only keeping the body fit and healthy, food has other commercial importance too. Have you ever though why is food important in certain religions and culture all over the world? That is because these cultures are well known for their peculiar tastes and methods of cooking. Chinese, Italian, Thai, Indian, European, Mexican, etc. are just a few examples of the cuisines found across the world. All these cultures are mostly known because of their association to a particular style of food and coking. When food is associated to culture, it symbolizes the evolution of the culture through food as well. Hence, people of these cultures cherish their food and spices which gives them a unique identity of their own.
These were some varying facts about why is food important in many different ways. So now if reading this has got you hungry, we would definitely advise you to fill your tummy with some of your favorite foods.

Note: Respect food and don't waste it, there are many who are less fortunate. So, when you are throwing food in the bin, think about them once before throwing!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Fabio_Jesus