Posts Tagged ‘cooking’

Physical Activity & Losing Weight

Friday, July 30th, 2010

If there is an Olympic event for being overweight, then Australia all around could well be the gold champion!

A 2008 Report entitled “Australia’s Future Fat Bomb” identified that 26% of Australians are clinically obese (Body Mass Index >30 i.e. significantly obese.) The US came a little behind at 25%. The Record also showed that 7 out of 10 middle-aged guys, and 6 out of 10 middle-aged women are obese (i.e. BMI >25.) This truly is an epidemic!

According to the Report Summary… “Fortunately, weight reduction can be achieved through lifestyle changes for example increased physical activity and dietary modifications.”

This message is getting spread out to the community, in federal government health programs, on Television, from the media and it is now ingrained inside the really fabric of Australian society. But we’re nevertheless getting fatter!

Even worse, in the event you really verify the medically researched evidence you uncover that “exercise more, eat excellent things, remove the bad stuff” solutions don’t function. It is may appear unbelievable, but that’s what the research shows.

Very first of all, moving more, aka physical exercise, just isn’t a excellent pounds reduction technique. That may seem incredible to many folks, but this is not theory. The authoritative Cochrane Collaboration summary of the research on”weight reduction with exercise is damning. It says workout is excellent for several things, including living longer and feeling physically and psychologically far better, but it only offers an average of 1 kilogram of weight loss. I’ve never had a patient ask me to assist them shed a ‘mere’ one kilogram - and however they still turn to exercise.

Secondly, basically cutting back on what you eat or avoiding certain foods, i.e. dieting, is flawed as well. Dieting succeeds long term for much less than 10% of the population. For most people, dieting is more likely to trigger weight Gain inside the long-run. Any pounds lost appears to come back more than time, and with a small bit additional. That is the so-called yo-yo dieting impact. Research right after research on everything from surgery, to pills, to well-known diet plan programs, exhibits the exact same anti-gravity pattern. Weight that goes down, much more often than not basically comes back up. That was my encounter as a loved ones medical doctor.

What I came to understand is the fact that this ‘good advice’, and all my medical advice, was incorrect. However even for people who believe they’ve tried and failed at seemingly every method there is details about why you haven’t succeeded, and what you can do as an alternative.

Contributor and medical practitioner in Adelaide, Dr Martin Russell examines his approach to healthy weight at his website.

Surely There Can’t Be Drugs In Your Drinking Water?

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

You live in the US. Surely if you live in the US you couldn’t be drinking drugs when you drink a glass of tap water? Could you?

Lets start with a quote from the Ralph Nader Institute. “U.S. drinking water contains more than 2,100 toxic chemicals that can cause cancer.”

Now what does toxic chemicals mean? Does it mean drugs? Either way it doesn’t matter, it’s scary. But there is plenty of evidence of drugs in our drinking water. Especially antibiotics.

We start in’99 with Ashley Mulroy, a West Virginia high school student who decided to do a high school project on contaminated water. For 10 weeks she took water samples from the Ohio river. And had them tested for 3 antibiotics, penicillin, tetracycline and vancomycin. She found them in all samples.

So she decided to test tap water for antibiotics, and got the same result.

Now why not consider a quote from the Environmental Health Perspectives website. “Roughly 100 pharmaceuticals have now been identified in rivers, lakes, and coastal waters throughout Europe and the United States.”

Why not have a look now at a quote from the website of MSNBC. “Traces of 56 human and veterinary pharmaceuticals or their byproducts ” like the active ingredients in medicines for pain, infection, high cholesterol, asthma, epilepsy, mental illness and heart problems ” have been detected in Philadelphias drinking water.”

USA today has said: “A vast array of pharmaceuticals ” including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones ” have been found in the drinking water supplies of at least 41 million Americans, an Associated Press investigation shows.”

Municipal standards for drinking water require that germs be removed from drinking water before it is safe for general use, however there are no standards for removal of drugs, and no requirement that drugs are either tested for, or removed.

So reading all those quotes you can see the point. There are drugs in our drinking water. But what are the risks of drinking unfiltered water that has drugs in it?

Who knows the risks, I don’t?

There is no clear evidence either way, however it seems clear that the presence of drugs in drinking water in the US makes us all a part of a huge experiment on the effects of drinking small quantities of pharmaceuticals over an extended period of time.

What can you do to protect yourself and your family from any risks to your health by drinking water contaminated by drugs? Drink pure water.

Is bottled water clean pure drinking water? No, much of it is no cleaner than tap water and some is tap water.

But there are well recognized ways to purify your drinking water of drugs as well as those other “2100 toxic chemicals” that the Ralph Nader Institute tells us may be in that glass of tap water you’re about to drink now, or to cook with, or shower with.

The best water filters in the world will remove up to 99.99% of nasty “toxic chemicals” like antibiotics, or lead, or pesticides, or heavy metals, or chlorine or others that you may be drinking now. Make sure you’re using the best water filter that money can buy, so you’re safe from drinking antibiotics and more.

Find out more about the best drinking water filters on my website.

Visit Peters website to find out more about the best drinking water filters. And about high quality water purifiers as well.

Want the Best Juicing Experience of Your Life?

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

Being healthy is an enjoyable job if you keep your Breville BJE510XL Ikon 900-Watt Variable-Speed Juice Extractor ready on the kitchen counter.

If you keep your body properly nourished, or just wish you could, an essential kitchen machine that you will not want to do without is a juice extractor. There are shelves full of bottled juice drinks, and even though they probably provide many good points as opposed to sodas or powdered drinks, the best way to receive the many health benefits of fruit and vegetable cocktails is by consuming them fresh.

The Breville BJE510XL Ikon Juice Extractor is a unique fruit juice extractor which may become your primary helper for the purpose of staying healthy and allowing your household to experience the health benefits of fresh juice. Aside from the machine, you furthermore get the manufacturer’s manual along with a handy juice recipe book once you get the Breville Juice Fountain.

This appliance is easy to make juice with and is made from simple parts which you would find easy to construct. The biggest part is the component that holds the motor; after that you’ll find a small screen for separating the flesh and seeds; and finally a holding canister and a plunger that shoves the fruit into the extractor. That final piece is essential because you will not be forced to worry about accidentally maiming your fingertips or knuckles by pushing fruit into the extractor.

The pair of canisters on the side of your juice fountain are for the extracted juice and the pulp. You can employ a plastic bag to collect the pulp inside the canister making it faster to clean afterwards.

One thing that you might not love when using your Breville juice fountain is the noise it makes when you turn it on. It sounds like an airplane coming in to land. Additionally, the extracted juice cylinder holds barely enough juice for one tall glass. As a result, when you would like to provide juice for the rest of your household, you should begin juicing some time before everyone gets up for breakfast.

The Breville juice fountain can also be used for many vegetables. You will find ideas about which fruits and vegetables can be the easiest for juicing in addition to the instruction manual. For some foods that make foam when juiced, the Breville Juicer includes a skimmer lid that takes off the surfeit of foam from your juice before you serve it.

Cleansing the Breville juice fountain is a bit time consuming, much like cleansing a food processor. This is because there are a collection of distinct parts, and the fruit or vegetable seeds become smashed against the grater blades or the mesh screen. Fortunately, the product engineers seem to have considered that, so they included a free perfectly sized brush for scrubbing the mesh. Still, washing this juicer is without a doube the most complicated step involved in juicing.

Keep in mind, the positive results of keeping a Breville BJE510XL Ikon in your home far outweigh the drawbacks. The juice which this extractor produces is delicious and incredibly healthy. You will notice that the pulp remaining in the egress container is nominal which tells you that this juicer really performs efficiently.

Take a look at Aaron Benjamin’s site to see reviews and find nice bargains on Breville BJE510XL Ikon, and start a healthy lifestyle for yourself and the ones around you.

Hawaiian Macaroni Salad in 30 Minutes

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

Have you ever traveled to Hawaii and tasted their delicious Macaroni Salad? This is a must at every luau and is surprisingly easy to make at your home in the mainland. All you need is a handful of ingredients and most of these ingredients you probably already have at home. If not, you can easily just make a quick trip to the grocery store and pick them up.

You probably already have all of the ingredients you need to make Hawaiian Macaroni Salad. And, if you have 30 minutes of time, you can make it very quickly for your family to enjoy. Don’t sweat it though if you don’t have all the ingredients. A 10 minute trip to the grocery store is all you need to pick up any missing ingredients and once you get home, you can turn on your favorite sitcom and by the time it’s over, you’ll have delicious Hawaiian Macaroni Salad for your family.

The first thing you’ll need to do is go to the grocery store (maybe, because you might already have all the ingredients at home).

Second, boil some water and cook the macaroni until tender. The softness of your macaroni is vital for making this delicious salad.

Third step, add grated carrots, mayonnaise, and milk till well coated. Salt & Pepper to taste. Use more mayonnaise if needed or if desired.

Fourthly, cover and put into the refrigerator to chill. You can serve later on in the day, so it’s a time saver since you can make it in the morning.

Lastly, here is a great tip: get creative and consider adding ham, peas, boiled eggs or tuna! Don’t limit yourself to recipes…feel free to add what you like to any recipe!

Give this recipe a shot and I promise you won’t be disappointed. Even those that dislike mayo, love Hawaiian Macaroni Salad. You’ll be happy you tried this recipe and it’ll become your ‘Go To Recipe’ when having a summer party.

About the Author:

The Benefits Of Cooking With Mediterranean Food Seasoning

Thursday, July 2nd, 2009

As in any type of cooking in Mediterranean cuisine people use seasoning, Mediterranean seasoning actually. Mediterranean cuisine is the food of the areas around the Mediterranean Sea, obviously. The fact is that the Mediterranean cuisine contains foods from varied cultures. Given the geography of the Mediterranean, these nation-states have influenced each other in time and the cooking process evolved into sharing common rules. Flexibility and a broad range of ingredients and many regional varitions characterised the Mediterranean cuisine. The area inclined to favor goats and sheep rearing.

Although presently much of the fish is shipped from the outside since the fisheries of the Mediterranean sea are no longer what they used to be, fish dishes are still very common. In many of the standard Mediterranean dish recipes, seafood is still dominant. It is quite clear that certain kinds of fruits and meats or vegetables, which is the case in Mediterranean cuisine, demand for specific and typical seasoning, and in this case Mediterranean seasoning. Pita bread, barbecue or grilled meats, falafel and hummus are among the Mediterranean foods which usually demand a special seasonings which are found in the area around Mediterranean seasoning evidently.

Talking of Mediterranean seasoning you must know though not necessarily a flavorer, that olive oi is made in the Mediterranean countries like Greece, Turkey, Italy, Portugal and Spain among others. Garlic is a representation of a vital ingredient in the Mediterranean seasoning, which is employed a lot throughout in the Mediterranean cuisine. Adding to the peculiar taste of food are garlic and olive oil which are employed in the Mediterranean seasoning and cuisine in general. Besides, it is unanimously believed that the ingredients in this kind of cooking and in Mediterranean seasoning, and we have in mind particularly the olive oil, are a major contributor to the longevity and good health state of the Mediterranean people.

In case you are interested in making Mediterranean dishes you will certainly need Mediterranean seasoning for them, or you will not get real Mediterranean food. You may easily buy various commodities which are labeled Mediterranean seasoning from stores around the country, notwithstanding, my suggestion is for you to try to prepare your own Mediterranean seasoning because it is not challenging at all.

To receive a good Mediterranean seasoning you only require the right ingredients and a true Mediterranean seasoning recipe, like the one below. I call this combo Mediterranean seasoning. How much you utilise does not matter, all you require to do is to mix the ingredients in the following proportions in a bowl, whisk, and then pour into a shaker. Place it in a container and then put in the refrigerator, there it is when you need to utilize it for a cursory dusting on a grilled meat, or for a marinade:one part cinammon, 1 part coriander, one part cumin, 1 part dried mint, and then 1 part Italian seasoning or oregano; Besides, put 1 part onion powder and one part garlic powder.

About the Author:

The Basics Of Making Gourmet Olive Oil

Sunday, May 17th, 2009

For many many years, going back to the ancient Greeks and Romans, people have used presses to extract olive oil from the olive, the press is used to separate the olive oil and vegetation water from the solid body of the olive. Once these two have been separated, a decanter is used to separate the oil from the water. In able to gain a fine olive oil, there is a process that must be used before the olive is pressed.

First of all the olives must be ground into paste by using millstones, ancient, heavy rocks, they can also be called ground stones. To make sure that the olives are fully ground into a paste, that the fruit enzymes gather enough flavors and aromas and to make sure that the olive drops form into larger drops, the olives must remain under the millstones or approximately forty minutes.

Once this process is over and the olives are converted into a paste, the past is spread onto fiber disks. Once fully and evenly spread onto the disks the paste is placed into the press machine. The press will then apply the necessary pressure needed to compact the past and percolate the oil forms and the water in the paste. Water is placed in the sides of the press to simplify the process of percolation.

When the pressing is finished the oil and water must be separated to achieve a pure olive oil. With the traditional process both the oil and the water a put into a decanter but there is another process that is a lot quicker than the decanter. The faster process is one called vertical centrifuge and is used to complete the whole process of oil and water separation a lot faster.

After the olive oil has been made and before restarting the process to make more, the materials used must be cleaned expertly to avoid any contamination to future oils caused by fermented paste from the olives that can get stuck on the disks and ground stones. Once cleaned the disk and ground stones undergo another examination to make sure that all excess pastes and oils have been removed.

There are both advantages and disadvantages when using this method of extraction to make olive oil. The advantages are that there is a better grinding of the olives and due to less water usage; the oil is pomaced a lot easier. The difficult cleaning process, a wider time between the harvest and the pressing of the olives and the amount of manual labor are some of the disadvantages.

About the Author:

Your Life and Turmeric - Super Combination

Saturday, March 21st, 2009

The inquest of healing herbs and useful concoctions has been in vogue from the earliest centuries. But in actuality you do not have to look far. Just peep in your kitchen and grab the element of wonders called turmeric. Though its healing properties have been acknowledged even before the 18th century, it has become a distinguished herb of today which is used to treat diseases and maladies.

Ever wondered what gives turmeric its healing properties? Curcumin, a chemical component and an active agent in turmeric gives the turmeric its yellowish hue and is also famous for its anti inflammatory properties. Moreover, it has also shown its benefits in creating antibodies and fighting HIV bacteria and various other cancers.

Turmeric also assists in liver disorders. It aids the liver in bile secretion thus protecting it from radiation and other injurious chemicals. It can also treat hyperacidity, indigestion, high cholesterol and blockage of arteries. Regular use of turmeric can be life-saving for people who have a weak immune system and likely to catch fatal diseases quickly. Turmeric is commonly used in India and other eastern countries, to spice up foods and sauces.

Turmeric also has medicinal and antiseptic properties where acne and wounds are concerned. To treat acne, you can simply crush a handful of neem leaves and mix them with a tsp of turmeric, applying the paste on acne spots. Coconut oil can also be used if neem leaves are not available. A paste of coconut oil and turmeric can be prepared and applied on acne spots to be kept overnight. Two to three days of application is guaranteed to show desirable results.

Wounds can also be healed swiftly by applying turmeric on them. It works by remodeling the injured skin and guards it from outside infections. Frequent application of turmeric on the skin helps it to maintain its glow and shine and ensures that the skin’s surface remains smooth and shiny. Multiple skin disorders can also be healed by the continual use of turmeric.

Turmeric’s benefits extend even to the blood of the body. If taken regularly in the form of juice, it purifies the blood. It is also a natural detoxifier and can even act as a painkiller. It even helps with Alzheimers disease to a positive extent. Not only that, curcumin is also responsible for the reduction of plaque, tissue inflammation and memory loss.

Arthritis can be alleviated with turmeric as it inhibits the enzyme which is responsible for inflammation, puffiness and throbbing. It also normalizes the sugar levels and is very beneficial for diabetes patients.

Turmeric has countless benefits. Making it an integral part of your diet by utilizing it as a spice to season your food will safeguard your health and ensure your well-being. It is a very economical medicine suited to heal your maladies.

About the Author: