How to eat for cheap, five foods for $5
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How to eat for cheap, five foods for $5
Posted using ShareThis
I love risotto, it's a great side dish and you can make it any flavor you want. Creamy and delicious it's a great side dish for anything. There are some great risotto recipes at AllRecipes.com.
This movie looks as if it will provide an interesting view of modern food production. Unfortunately it's not showing in my area. Looks like it's playing in Houston, hopefully there are a lot of opportunities for folks all over the country to see it.
Go to the official site to see if it's playing near you.
You can also go to the Whole Foods Blog to read their take on the movie and their food process.
I believe this is an important issue. Our processed food and the way we eat is making most of us sick. It's not healthy for us, our kids or our future. We need to care more about what we eat and make a choice to eat for health.
Aromatherapy article
Care2.com is running a contest to support your local farmer's market. The winning market will receive $5,000 but there are other prizes as well. Support your farmer's market and give them a vote today!
My friend Tracy recently mentioned that she is growing basil in her back yard garden and would like to eventually make pesto. Pesto is a delicious way to add flavor to a wide number of dishes, it's not just for pasta. It can be used for a fabulous sandwich spread for tomato or tomato and mozzarella sandwiches. It's wonderful to use on chicken and thinned down it is a great dressing for a cold bean salad.
Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is an annual herb with a very strong flavor; originally from Asia it is now most common in Italian cuisine. Basil comes in a number of different "flavors" so in additional the sweet basil that we are used to you can also get cinnamon, lemon, Genovese (which has sort of a clove flavor), licorice basil and a wide number of others. Basil is a very useful herb with high levels of vitamin K as well as calcium, iron and vitamin A. If you plan to grow it all summer to harvest in the fall for pesto you can increase your yield by pinching the flower stems. This will prevent the flowers and seeds from forming and keeps the essential oils from drying up.
Vinegar has been around for thousands of years and it’s used in many different cultures - primarily as a condiment or to preserve other foods. Made by fermentation, vinegar is made up of acetic acid; natural vinegars may also contain additional acids such as citric acid. In addition to the vinegars that we are most familiar with, such as distilled, apple cider, balsamic or various wine vinegars, there are other types that include coconut, date, beer, and honey.
Household uses of vinegar can include a wide variety of things. Just a few of the ways to make use of this wonderful ingredient that has no harmful fragrances or chemicals include:
In terms of your health vinegar has a number of different uses both topically and internally. One of my favorites is to use it as a fruit and veggie wash; according to an article from NPR a solution of three-parts water to one-part vinegar removed 98% of the bacteria from the outside of the fruit being tested.
There are also an impressive number of health uses for vinegar. There are numerous studies and reviews that have shown how vinegar can improve our overall health when consumed regularly. A 2016 review on the therapeutic effects of vinegar states that many areas of the body can benefit from it. Healthy uses of vinegar include:
The Journal of Food Science also did a review of various benefits of vinegar. They found that the bioactive substances found in various vinegars can defend against oxidative stress. These antioxidants may reduce the effects of various degenerative illnesses such as accelerated aging, cancer, and brain disorders. Kurosu is a Japanese rice vinegar that has been shown to inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells in the colon, lung, breast, bladder, and prostate. One study even concluded, “ACV can have powerful anti-microbial effects directly on resistant E. coli and MRSA. These in vitro results highlight the antimicrobial capacity of ACV. ACV could form the core ingredient of a contemporary pharmacological antimicrobial against MRSA and rE. coli.”
Frequently vinegars are enhanced by adding herbs to them. The healing effects of the herbs combine with the benefits of the vinegar. For example, tarragon is noted for helping with digestion and vinegar, being high in acetic acid, helps the body to absorb minerals.
Infusing garlic, ginger root, rosemary, and thyme to vinegar can be one way to make a great immune boosting tonic.
There is also the use of hibiscus vinegar which may help with allergy symptoms. Edible hibiscus (and not all of them are) is very high in quercetin which has beneficial properties for those dealing with allergies. To protect your tooth enamel, it is best to dilute vinegars with water when drinking them as a tonic.
There are many vinegar folk remedies that have been used for a variety of benefits as mentioned above. Fortunately vinegar is easily available and not a pharmaceutical. The use of food to improve our overall health is always a great investment with little to no side effects.
Sources
Budak, N.H., Aykin, E., Seydim, A.C., Greene, A.K. and Guzel-Seydim, Z.B. (2014), Functional Properties of Vinegar. Journal of Food Science, 79: R757-R764. https://doi.org/10.1111/1750-3841.12434
Samad, Anuar et al. "Therapeutic Effects Of Vinegar: A Review". Current Opinion In Food Science, vol 8, 2016, pp. 56-61. Elsevier BV, doi:10.1016/j.cofs.2016.03.001.
"NPR Cookie Consent And Choices". Npr.Org, 2022, https://www.npr.org/2007/09/20/14540742/what-does-it-take-to-clean-fresh-food.
Yagnik, Darshna et al. "Antibacterial Apple Cider Vinegar Eradicates Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus And Resistant Escherichia Coli". Scientific Reports, vol 11, no. 1, 2021. Springer Science And Business Media LLC, doi:10.1038/s41598-020-78407-x.
We all know the common advice about keeping healthy. Eat right, exercise and get enough sleep. Many of us think that exercise means vigorous physical activity. Although that is a great way to get in shape and stay fit it is not always possible.
Some people have health conditions that prevent them from being able to engage in activities such as aerobics, tennis, jogging, or team sports. These conditions include severe arthritic conditions, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia, low blood pressure problems such as Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) and others. Unfortunately many people afflicted with conditions that prevent them from being as physically active as they are used to may think that there is nothing they can do to stay active. This leads to weight gain, loss of muscle tone and can even affect other body systems.
It doesn't have to be that way. If you are unable to engage in heavy physical exercise, if even long distance walking is beyond you or yoga triggers your low blood pressure, there are things you can do to stay healthy. The first is to realize that pushing yourself to exhaustion is not going to help. If you can walk for five minutes a day that's where you start. If you can do a few Tai Chi poses start there. It takes time to build your body back up. And your new activity level may be reduced from what you are used to, but remember, any movement that you can do is helpful for your body.
Here are a few links to some websites with information on different types of gentle exercise that you may be able to do to keep your body moving. You may need to engage in these activities with a fitness professional who can guide you and monitor your progress on your journey to health. As with any health condition please consult a healthcare practitioner before you engage in new types of physical activity.
photo courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tai_Chi,_Cannon_Beach.jpg
A client came to me for an appointment because she was surprised at a recent physical to discover that she had high cholesterol. She's only 31 and works very hard to provide a clean diet for herself and her family, eating organic foods, and not eating a lot of processed foods. It never entered her mind that she might have high cholesterol.
In our conversation, I shared with her some simple yet effective ways to start making heart-healthy changes to her diet. While this isn't an exhaustive list, it highlights the top five foods to incorporate for better heart health.
These dietary changes should ideally accompany other lifestyle adjustments like quitting smoking, avoiding trans-fatty acids, and introducing regular exercise into your routine.
Even just a 15 minute walk a day if that's all you can do to start. I'm a fan of using the free app Charity Miles which makes a donation to your favorite charity for each mile you walk, run, or bike. The donations are from ads so there's no cost to you. It's a win for everyone.
Here are some heart-healthy foods to add to your diet:
Flax Seed: Rich in fiber and omega-3 fatty acids, flax seeds can help reduce total and LDL cholesterol. Their nutty flavor makes them a perfect addition to baked goods, cereals, or smoothies.
Oat Bran: High in soluble fiber, oat bran is effective in lowering LDL cholesterol. It can be enjoyed as a cereal or used in baking muffins, cookies, or bread.
Cold Water Fish: Foods like salmon, sardines, tuna, rainbow trout, and herring are excellent sources of heart-healthy omega-3 oils and provide quality protein.
Garlic: Known to lower total cholesterol and triglycerides while boosting HDL cholesterol, garlic also helps reduce platelet aggregation. You can learn more about the benefits of garlic in my dedicated article here.
Foods high in Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10): Spinach is high in Co-Q10, which is important for heart (and muscle) health, as well as lutein, an antioxidant which can help reduce hardening of the arteries, spinach is a wonderful food to add to the diet. Spinach is also high in folate which is effective in reducing homocysteine in the blood and magnesium which is helpful for reducing blood pressure.
Although more greens in the diet are always a good thing, spinach isn't actually one of the highest sources of Coenzyme Q10. This can be found in beef, beef liver, seafood, poultry, avocado, nuts and seeds, lentils, and cruciferous vegetables.
Remember, being heart-healthy isn't just about what you eat; it's also about staying active. Regular physical activity, like walking, jogging, or running, is crucial for weight control, cardiac health, stress reduction, and overall mood enhancement.
If you're curious about how far you're walking or running and don't have a pedometer, consider using the Charity Miles app to track your distance while also contributing to a good cause.
I am not a doctor. The information on this website should not be considered medical advice and is not intended to treat, diagnose, prevent or cure any conditions, physical or otherwise. Information provided on this website has not been reviewed or approved by any federal, state, or local agency or healthcare group. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not represent any particular individual or professional group. © 2006-2024 Mira Dessy & The Ingredient Guru. All rights reserved.