10 Vegetables Herbs you can regrow from waste

Some foods are easy to regrow at home from leftover scraps, and some of them can even be grown right on your kitchen counter.
Onions, garlic and fresh herbs are staples in a lot of dishes, and they may be inexpensive, but when you use them on a daily basis it can add up.
Here are 10 vegetables and herbs you can buy once and regrow forever.

#1. Garlic
When garlic starts to sprout, the little green shoots are too bitter to cook with. Rather than throwing away sprouted cloves, you can put them in a glass with a little water and grow garlic sprouts. The sprouts have a much milder flavor than garlic cloves and are great in salads, pasta and as a garnish.

#2. Carrot Greens
The ends of carrots you usually chop off and throw away will grow carrot greens if you put them in a dish with a little water. Set the dish in a well-lit windowsill and you'll have carrot tops to use as a garnish or in salads

#3. Basil
Put a few basil clippings with 4-inch stems in a glass of water and place it in a spot with direct sunlight. When the roots are about 2 inches long, you can plant them in pots to grow a full basil plant.

#4Leeks
Leeks are awesome for soups, and it turns out they're easy to keep around because they grow in water just as easily as green onions. Just take the base of your leeks, cover them in water, and leave them in the window with some sun for a few days. You should start seeing them sprout right away, and within a week or so you'll be able to trim off parts to use in recipes.

#5. Lettuce
If you have a stem from a head of romaine lettuce that's still intact, place the stump in a bowl with about ½ inch of water and put it on a windowsill. You'll start to see new leaves in about 2 weeks, and they'll be full grown in 3 to 4.

#6. Bok Choy
Just like romaine lettuce, bok choy can be regrown by placing the root end in water in a well-lit area. In a week or two, you can transplant it to a pot with soil and grow a full new head.

#7. Onions
Plant the discarded root end from an onion in a pot or directly in the soil outside to regrow. You can harvest it early and get fresh green onions or wait until the bulb is fully developed.

#8. Ginger
Like onions, ginger root can be planted in soil to regrow, but the process is a lot more lengthy. It can take a few months for it to sprout, and you should be able to harvest a fully grown bulb in 8 to 10 months.

#9. Mushrooms
Plant mushroom stalks in soil with some compost or used coffee grounds and keep them in a moist environment, preferably where it will be cool at night. They can be tricky to grow, and within a few days the stems will either start to sprout new heads or rot.

#10 POTATOES
Taking potatoes from produce back to growing is a great way to keep more waste out of the garbage. You can grow any variety of potato you like, it should just make sure the scrap has ‘eyes’ growing on it. With a potato that has a strong presence of eyes you can chop it up into 2 inch square pieces. Make sure each piece has 1 – 2 eyes. After you’ve cut your potato into pieces leave them out in room temperature for a couple of days. Leaving the pieces out allow the cut surface area to dry out and become callous which will prevent the pieces from rotting in the ground.

#Bonus Fennel
Fennel has a strong enough taste that it's pretty rare you'll need more than just a small cutting from one. If you'd like to keep one around all the time, it's worth just regrowing one you have. Just take the bulb, put it in a cup, and fill it up with water so the bulb's covered. Stick that jar in the sun and within a few days it'll start sprouting up. Replace the water every couple of days and trim off a bit of fennel when you need it.


Source: http://nurserylive.com/10-vegetables-herbs-you-can-regrow-from-waste

The Traditional Cheese Course

Looking for a change-of-pace with your dinner parties?  The French cheese course is ideal for adding new textures and depth to a culinary experience.  For the adventurous in spirit, it’s a chance to sample a few more of the near-endless varieties of fine cheeses that one can obtain.  It’s also a chance to pair that perfect port or dessert wine with the offerings you’ve chosen.

The cheese course is typically consumed after the main course and before or after a dessert.  Consider serving your first cheese course on a simple platter or board with just three or four well-selected cheeses.  Cheeses should be chosen for variety and contrast with one another as well as being interesting experiences in-and-of themselves.

To help you choose your first cheese, consider these categories:

Soft cheeses.

Cheese such as Brie, one of the world’s most popular cheeses, and Camembert, a cheese often considered the essential French cheese, are sturdy go-to choices as soft cheeses.  A soft cheese can be considered an excellent building block for a first cheese platter.

Semi-soft cheeses.

Semi-soft cheese have a texture which is only slightly firmer than soft cheeses.  These cheeses have a relatively high moisture content with a typically longer shelf life than soft cheeses.  Cremont, a mixed-milk cheese, and Raclette with its salty, nutty taste and silky texture are good examples.

Hard cheeses.

Consider a sharply smoked cheddar or Mimolette, traditionally produced around the city of Lille, France for this category.  Hard cheeses can play very nicely against the texture of soft cheeses.

Les Bleus.

Sometimes considered too adventurous for many palates, it’s worth considering that blue cheeses range in pungency and saltiness.  For your first cheese platter, a great strategy is to go with a creamier, less salty blue such as Saint Agur.  That said, a pungent blue can pair wonderfully with other fare on your cheese platter, such as apple slices, hazelnuts, walnuts or figs.

Chèvres.

Cheese made from goat’s milk, the higher proportion of medium-chain fatty acids leads to a tarter flavour than cow’s milk cheeses.  Some great varieties of chèvres can be found locally these days.  A classic French chèvres is Sainte-Maire.

Young Cheeses.

Fromage frais and fromage blanc are two types of fresh or young cheeses.  Basically, these are non-aged cheeses made with whole or skim milk and cream.  Such young cheeses have the consistency of a cream cheese but with fewer calories and less cholesterol.  These are mild cheeses.

When you’ve decided upon the cheeses you’ll be offering the fun really begins, creating accompaniments for the cheeses and presenting them in an inviting manner.  Separate knives should be supplied for the cheeses as flavours of neighbouring fromage are easily absorbed.

Keep in mind that cheese should be served as near to its original form as possible to preserve its integrity.  The most flavourful part of a slice of wheeled cheese is its nose or the center of the wheel, so keep this in mind when slicing portions of such cheeses.  Cylindrical cheese should be cut into rounds or discs and pyramid-shaped cheeses should be cut into one slice and then cut again into halves.

Bread is traditionally served with a cheese platter to help cleanse the palate and here you have an opportunity to compliment textures and flavours once again.  Bread can be chewy and sweet and rustically rough, for example.  Figs, honey, fruit, hazelnuts and walnuts make great accompaniments and look delightful on the cheese board.  Adding a fruit compote is an excellent idea and will delight your guests.  Let your creativity really be your guide when assembling your first cheese platter and use tradition as your lifeline whenever unsure.

Keeping the rinds on cheeses is a matter of preference.  If you feel a rind is too hard to digest then feel free to remove it, washed rinds are indeed inedible.  If you’re unsure, keep the rind on.

Labelling the cheeses on the platter in an attractive format is always appreciated by guests.  If possible, provide the region the cheese is from as well.  A well-presented cheese platter can spark informative discussions of what your guests are tasting and genuinely add to the experience.  

Seek out your local gourmet shops, bakeries, supermarket deli sections, fromageries or charcuteries and plunge right in.  A well-planned cheese course may be the evening’s standout attraction.

For those wishing to shop online, Amazon.com offers a J.A. Henckel's 5-Piece Cheese Set currently at a special price.  You can even order a cheese sampler from them such as iGourmet's Favorite's 4-Cheese Sampler which is an assortment of four cheeses: Mountain Gorgonzola, Extra Aged Gouda, Gruyere and Vermont Cheddar.  They have an 8-Cheese Sampler as well.  Amazon.com also offers a wide selection of fruit compotes such as Wildly Delicious Compotes for Cheese - Apple Fig & Walnut.       

 

           

How to Slice an Onion

 

 

The proper way to slice an onion.

Health Benefits of Cloves

Cloves are native to the Moluccas, formerly known as the Spice Islands of Indonesia. They have been consumed in Asia for more than 2,000 years. Arab traders brought cloves to Europe around the 4th century, although they did not come into widespread use until the Middle Ages when they became prized for their pungent flavor that served to mask the taste of poorly preserved foods. 

While for a long time, they were cultivated almost exclusively in Indonesia, today the leading clove-producing region is Zanzibar in Eastern Africa. In addition to these two regions, cloves are also grown commercially in the West Indies, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, India, Pemba and Brazil.

Health Benefits of cloves

This powerful plant can be used in myriad ways to heal the body. Along with other vitamins and minerals like vitamins C, K, and calcium, cloves can treat multiple diseases which are caused by a deficiency in nutrient dense foods – from cardiovascular problems, depression, and even cancer.

1) The active principles in the clove are known to have antioxidant, anti-septic, local anesthetic, anti-inflammatory, rubefacient (warming and soothing), carminative and anti-flatulent properties. The super spice also contains health benefiting essential oils such as eugenol. It is a phenyl-propanoids class of chemical compound, which gives pleasant, sweet aromatic fragrances to the clove-bud. 

2) Clove oil contains a chemical that may decrease pain. People use the oils, dried flower buds, leaves, and stems to make medicine.

3) Eugenol has local anesthetic and antiseptic properties, hence; useful in dental care essentials as well as in treatment procedures. Clove is applied directly to the gums (used topically) for toothache, for pain control during dental work, and for a complication of tooth extraction called “dry socket.”

4) The active principles in the clove may increase gut motility as well as improve the digestion power by increasing gastro-intestinal enzyme secretions. Thus, helps relieve indigestion and constipation problems.

5) Clove oil is also applied to the skin as a counterirritant for pain and for mouth and throat inflammation. 

6) Clove is used for upset stomach and as an expectorant. Expectorants make it easier to cough up phlegm. Clove oil is used for diarrhea, hernia, and bad breath. Clove and clove oil are used for intestinal gas, nausea, and vomiting.

7) The spice also contains a good amount of minerals like potassium, manganese, iron, selenium and magnesium. Potassium is an important electrolyte of cell and body fluids that helps control heart rate and blood pressure. Manganese is used by the body as a co-factor for the antioxidant enzyme,superoxide dismutase.

8) In combination with other ingredients, clove is also applied to the skin as part of a multi-ingredient product used to keep men from reaching orgasm too early (premature ejaculation).

9) In manufacturing, clove is used in toothpaste, soaps, cosmetics, perfumes, and cigarettes. Clove cigarettes, also called kreteks, generally contain 60% to 80% tobacco and 20% to 40% ground clove. Eugenol, one of the chemicals in clove, acts like menthol to reduce the harshness of tobacco smoke.

10) Further, the spice buds contain very good amounts of vitamin A and beta-carotene levels. These compounds are known to have antioxidant properties. Vitamin A is also required by the body for maintaining healthy mucus membranes and skin in addition to essential for vision. Consumption of natural foods rich in flavonoids helps to protect the body from lung and oral cavity cancers.

11) Additionally, this spice is a good source of vitamin-K, vitamin-B6 (pyridoxine), thiamin (vitamin B-1),vitamin-C and riboflavin. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps the body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful oxygen-free radicals.

12) Eugenol also has been found to reduce blood sugar levels in diabetics, but further detailed studies required to establish its benefits.

13) It is a good remedy for treating morning sickness. Take around ten grains of cloves, mix them with tamarind and palm sugar and make it into a nice mixture using water. Drink this solution twice a day as an effective treatment.

14) Common cold can be treated effectively by drinking a lukewarm mixture made with ten drops of clove oil and honey. Drink it twice or thrice a day.

15) The essential volatile oils functions as a rubefacient, meaning that it irritates the skin and expands the blood vessels, increasing the flow of blood to make the skin feel warmer, making it a popular home remedy for arthritis and sore muscles, used either as a poultice or in hot baths.

16) Cloves and clove oil when taken together can provide relief from Nausea.

17) Clove is mixed with water and used in the preparation of tea to overcome flatulence.

18) Clove is also an aphrodisiac and its fragrance eliminates exhaustion and fatigue related thoughts. It thus soothes the senses and relieves stress in the body. Mix cloves with basil, mint and cardamom in water to make a flavoured tea. Take this along with honey to provide you relief from stress.

19) It is also thought to have natural anti-parasite (kills intestinal worms) function.

 20) In foods and beverages, clove is used as a flavoring. Its seasoning capabilities make it very easy to blend in many dishes, beverages and desserts. It helps to provide strong flavour and aroma to the food.

Health Benefits of Mint

Health Benefits Of Mint:

1) Relieves Indigestion 
Mint is said to be a very good remedy for upset stomach and other associated signs like vomiting, nausea, excess gas, acid indigestion and bloating. Mint is packed with antioxidants and phytonurients that do wonders for your stomach. The menthol present in Mint helps the enzymes necessary for digestion and helps the process along, by acting on the smooth muscles of the stomach. These muscles when activated work more efficiently relieving indigestion. It is also known to calm stomach cramps, help beat acidity and gets rid of flatulence.

2) Potential anti cancer agent
Mint has a potent phytochemical that can prevent various types of cancers. Called perillyl alcohol, In animal research studies this phytonutrient has been shown to stop the growth of pancreatic, mammary, and liver tumors. It has also been shown to protect against cancer formation in the colon, skin, and lungs. Its benefits in this particular area are still under the scanner when it comes to humans.

3) Gives you smooth glowing skin
The strong antioxidants present in mint leaves, gives your skin a natural glow and re-hydrate dull and dry skin. Mint has a high content of salicylic acid which helps prevent pimples, blemishes and even helps get rid of blackheads. Juice from Mint leaves act as anti-pruritic agent and has the ability to soothe and calm an itchy or infected skin. 

Also the high content of salicylic acid, which is found naturally in mint, is an active ingredient used in many skin care products, it plays a helpful role in treating acne inflammations. The acid loosens up dead skin cells, allowing them to shed easier, thus preventing your pores from clogging up and resulting in fewer pimples and clearer skin.

Mint oil, however, has served as a natural astringent, and people have used it to treat pimples, wounds and rashes for a long time. You can even use it to help heal bites from mosquitoes, wasps and bees. Because mint contains vitamin A, it may strengthen skin tissue and help reduce oily skin.

4) Helps fight oral infection.
Mint leaves are packed with anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. That is why they are so great to for your oral health. It kills bacteria in the mouth preventing tooth decay, beats bad breath and keeps your tongue and teeth clean naturally. Just chew on a few leaves on mint regularly to keep dental diseases at bay.

5) Helps relieve the pain associated with menstrual cramps
Since mint leaves purify the blood and have an anti-spasmodic effect on the soothe muscles of our body, it is a great remedy to relieve the pain of menstrual cramps. It also relieves nausea associated with the condition. Just brew a hot cup of mint tea and sip it several times through the day. It will make you feel calmer and soother your uterus too. 

6) Helps in Irritable Bowel Syndrome
According to Ayurveda practitioners, it is also very beneficial for patients suffering from IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). It helps the muscles in the stomach relax and promotes overall digestion. Drink a cup of pudina tea after every meal by either boiling the leaves along with a few green tea leaves or on their own for maximum benefits. 

7) Boost Immmunity
Mint leaves are packed with nutrients such as calcium, phosphorous, vitamin C, D, E and small amounts of vitamin B complex. All these compounds put together improves the body’s immune system, keeping it safe from infections and inflammation.

8) Beats stress and depression
In aromatherapy mint extract is used to beat stress and rejuvenate the mind. Breathing in the fumes of mint helps relax the body and calm the mind, freeing it of stress. It releases a small amount of serotonin in the brain that also helps beat depression. If you are feeling low, add a little mint leaves or mint extract to your bath water, or use mint extract on a vaporizer to get some relief.

9) Helps relieve cough and respiratory disorders
The strong aroma of mint is very effective in clearing up congestion of the nose, throat, bronchi and lungs, which gives relief for respiratory disorders that often result from asthma and the common cold. As mint cools and soothes the throat, nose and other respiratory channels, it relieves the irritation which causes chronic coughing. Mint has a very strong aroma which helps open up the airways and allows relaxed breathing. It is also an expectorant and helps the expulsion of phlegm, allowing the patient recover faster. Its anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties help relieve inflammation along the respiratory tract. 

10) Helps in Asthama
In case of asthmatic patients, put one drop of mint extract in warm water and inhale the fumes through the mouth and push out the steam through your nose. This way mint extract passes through your throat and nose relieving both the areas. According to Ayurvedic doctors, simply planting a mint plant outside the window of an asthma patient will help keep the diseases at bay.

Besides these major health benefits mint is widely used for industrial purposes like ice-cream and chocolates and chewing gums, beverages, cosmetics, medicines, inhalers and breath fresheners, it is also used as a condiment and a decorative item in culinary preparation around the world. Drinks and foods containing mint cool you off in the summer, and it is often included in summer cocktails for a refreshing burst of flavor. 

Health Benefits of Drinking Coconut Water

Everyone’s heard about coconut milk, but can you name the benefits of coconut water? Did you know that coconut water is the purest liquid second only to water itself?  It’s chock full of electrolytes, calcium, potassium, magnesium; everything that is good for you!
Coconut water is the liquid that is taken from unripe coconuts. If coconuts get ripe the liquid that is inside will harden and become a part of the white flesh of the coconut, which is used to make coconut milk. So, picking the coconut while it is unripe will ensure that the body gets all the benefits of coconut water.

Health benefits of coconut water:
Coconut water is very beneficial after a bout of diarrhoea, as it replaces fluid loss. It is rich in amino acids, enzymes, dietary fibre, vitamin C and minerals such as potassium, magnesium and manganese; at the same time it is low in cholesterol and chlorides. This fluid is ideal to maintain body fluids when a person gets dehydrated. 

Coconut water contains a good amount of electrolyte potassium, thus it can replenish the electrolyte composition in body fluids. Coconut water was used as a “universal donor”, making it identical to human blood plasma. It was used in the Pacific War to save thousands of lives through Coconut IV’s, and emergency plasma transfusions.

A study published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine suggested that coconut water can be successfully used as a short term intravenous hydration fluid for hydration and resuscitation of critically ill patients in the remote regions of the world where medical resources are not available. Other health benefits are as under.

Quick energy boost
Abundant in vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, Coconut Water makes a wonderful energy drink. In particular, coconut water has less sugar and sodium content compared to most sports drinks, while packing more Potassium, Calcium, and Chloride, which makes it a better choice to rehydrate, replenish and boost the body's energy levels after any strenuous activity or workout. 

Weight Loss
Coconut water is a natural electrolyte and isotonic beverage which help increase the body's metabolism. Therefore, it can greatly benefit people who are struggling with weight issues. Drinking coconut water helps a person to lose weight as it is low in fat and it keeps a person feeling full. It also reduces food cravings.

Useful in aging spots, wrinkles, and other skin problems
Researchers have found that Cytokinins help regulate the cell growth and their divisions. Coconut Water contains these cytokinins and lauric acid which can minimize the aging of skin cells, balance PH levels, and keep the connective tissues strong and hydrated. Therefore, simply applying ccoconut water onto affected skin areas every night before going to bed may help with acne, age spots, wrinkles, stretch marks, cellulite, and eczema. Within two to three weeks, it clears up the skin.

Cardiovascular health
Coconut water promotes health as it is rich in potassium and it also helps to reduce the risk of hypertension and strokes. According to researchers, individuals with high blood pressure usually have low potassium levels. Therefore, drinking coconut water on a regular basis can be quite effective at regulating blood pressure. 

There are several animal studies suggesting coconut water can lower cholesterol and blood pressure, but this research is too preliminary to make claims about it’. But they do agree that coconut water may be a healthier option as compared with other beverages. Similarly, some recent studies have found that coconut water can help increase HDL (good) cholesterol, which makes it a wonderful natural treatment for maintaining good cardiovascular health.

Dehydration
Rich in Potassium and other minerals, Coconut Water helps to regulate our internal fluids and replenish and rehydrate the body. It has been used to treat dehydration caused by dysentery, cholera, diarrhea and stomach flu, and the electrolyte balance and plasma in coconut water has been found to be similar to that of human blood. 

Therefore, drinking one cup of Coconut Water twice daily during digestive tract abnormalities, hot temperatures, and after strenuous workouts can help rehydrate the body quickly.

Good in diabetes 
It is good for diabetics as it is good in nutrients required by diabetics to keep their sugar levels in control.

Anti viral
If you are suffering from flu or herpes due to some type of viral attack on your body, drinking coconut water is very beneficial as it has anti viral and anti bacterial properties.

Reduces the risk of kidney stones 
Due to the minerals, potassium and magnesium, present in coconut water the risk of kidney stones is greatly reduced.

Carrot Juice Benefits and Nutritional Facts

Carrot juice is an excellent nutritional health drink for dieters, providing you with array of benefits and rich supply of essential vitamins and minerals and that too without being accompanied by all of the calories that a health shake might give you. Pure carrot juice is a very low calorie juice to drink, one ounce of beverage yields just 10 calories usually. 

You can dramatically increase the calories by blending the juice with rolled oats, cereal, or boiled rice if you are an athlete and need more calories you can blend it with fruit yogurt, milk, ice cream, or a protein powder supplement.

Pure carrot juice in an eight ounce serving can provide up to 6% percent of your daily recommended intake level of calcium. It is very important to receive a healthy level of calcium in your daily diet. 

Bones and teeth are dependent on calcium for growth and formation, especially the skeletal structure and development of children. Calcium absorption should also be accompanied by vitamin D, which helps aid your body's intake of the mineral. Like potassium, calcium is important for neuro-transmition, and muscle movement and contraction. 

Vitamin A is very crucial for expectant mothers and the unborn fetus. Although vitamin A is very important for your body, eight ounces of carrot juice can contain as much as 800% of your daily recommended dosage of vitamin A. Vitamin A is essential and necessary for tissue growth, especially within the bones. 

Vitamin A is also very important in maintaining good vision. The old myth that eating carrots will help you see better is true, as vitamin A deficiencies can lead to vision problems such as night blindness. it is also important to maintain moderate levels of vitamin A intake, as too much can lead to liver toxicity, and other health problems.

 
Potassium deficiencies are very bad for your body, with such effects as Hypokalemia, acne, muscle spasms, dry skin, and elevated cholesterol levels. Carrots juiced with celery or turnips can provide your body with a large intake level of potassium. 

Carrot juice is an excellent drinkable source of potassium. Potassium is very important in helping to maintain a healthy electrolyte balance and fluid level in the cells of your body. It's also necessary in muscle movement, such as contraction, as well as neurotransmission. 

Carrot juice is also an excellent source of vitamin C. An eight ounce glass of pure carrot juice can provide your body with up to 35% of your daily recommended dosage of vitamin C. Vitamin C has a wide variety of uses throughout our entire body, such as collagen production of the mucous membranes, skin, bones, and teeth. Vitamin C is also a very crucial antioxidant.

 Health Benefits

Carrots are popular for its famous ingredient carotene's, it is an awesome anti-oxidant that has powerful healing virtues for many diseases. Drinking a glass of carrot juice daily will do much more for you than many bottles of supplement and tablets. Here are some disorders that can be helped by drinking carrot juice regularly: 

Acidosis: The vital organic alkaline elements in carrots help balance the blood acidity and blood sugar. 

Acne: Its powerful cleansing properties are effective in detoxifying the liver, thus overall effective for acne which are caused by toxicity of the blood.

Anemia: Carrot's molecules are closest to human's hemoglobin molecules, making it very beneficial in blood-building. 

Atherosclerosis: The highly cleansing power of this miracle juice scrubs away even the old build-up of arterial deposits, reducing the risks of heart diseases and stroke.

Asthma: The anti-oxidants effectively protects the respiratory system from infections and free-radical attacks.

Cancer: Studies show that adding one carrot per day in our diet significantly reduces cancer risks.

Cholesterol: Pectin in carrots lowers the serum cholesterol levels.

Congestion: Carrot juice is very effective in dispelling mucus from the ear, nose and throat area, easing nasal congestion, sinusitis, phlegm and mucus in the throat and other similar disorders.

Constipation: Take five parts of carrot juice with one part of spinach juice regularly to regulate chronic constipation problems. 

Emphysema: If you smoke or are exposed to second-hand smoke, taking carrot juice regularly may well save your life.

Eyes: Beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin are some of the finest nourishment that help keep the optic system in tip-top condition, with special protection against astigmatism, macular degeneration and cataracts.

Fertility: One of the reasons for fertility is lack of nutrients and enzymes in your dietary. Carrot juice taken regularly, is able to nourish your body back to fertility.

Inflammations: Its anti-inflammatory effect greatly helps reduce arthritis, rheumatism, gout and other inflammations.

Immune systems: It does wonders for boosting the immune system by increasing the production and performance of white blood cells; building resistant to various kinds of infections.

Breast feeding mothers: Carrot juice helps enhance the quality and quantity of a mother's breast milk.

Pregnancy: Drinking carrot juice regularly during pregnancy, especially during the last few months, will reduce the chances of jaundice in baby. No, you won't get an orange baby!

Skin problems: The high quality vitamin C and other rich nutrients in carrot juice efficiently nourish the skin, preventing dry skin, psoriasis and other skin blemishes.

Thread worms: One small cup of carrot juice in the morning taken daily for a week can help clear up thread worms in children.

Ulcers: The abundance of nutrient present in carrots helps nourish cells that have been starved of nutrients which result in ulcers.

Water retention: Carrot juice is diuretic and helps to eliminate excess fluids from the body, reducing water retention, especially for women during their monthly menstruation cycle and in pregnant women.

Amazing Benefits of Coconut Oil

Coconut oil can provide benefits to your skin, can relieve stress, can boost your immune system, improve your heart health, help in kidney problems, maintain your cholesterol level, help in weight loss, regulates your blood pressure, helps in HIV and diabetes, improves your digestion and can regulate you metabolism. 

These overall health benefits are due to antimicrobial, antibacterial, anti-fungal and strong antioxidant properties of coconut oil which contains lauric, capric and caprylic MCFA's (Medium Chain Fatty Acids).  MCFA's doesn't require any bile or pancreatic enzymes for digestion and are directly sent to the liver for digestion providing instant energy to your body. 

More than 90% of coconut oil is saturated fat, but don't panic most of them are medium chain triglycerides which assimilate well in body's system a completely different form of saturated fat. Lauric acid is the main content contributing upto 40% of the composition other contents include capric acid, caprylic acid, myristic acid and palmitic acid.

If you are still concerned about saturated fats and believe that coconut oil can cause heart problems, you are wrong in fact if you search through medical literature and medical research studies you will find that coconut oil, in one form or another, was used in hospital IV solutions, it was added to infant formula, and used in anti-candida medications. You will also learn that it was recommended for those with digestive concerns, such as premature infants and cystic fibrosis patients, and that it could help prevent a wide variety of health problems ranging from cancer and diabetes to influenza and AIDS. This is the reality. 

The statement you see time and time again that "coconut oil is a saturated fat and causes heart disease" is false. The statement is never backed by scientific evidence by its authors. You can find the same statement circulating in all the so called health books, magazines and articles, the authors just repeated the statement on and on, which some one else had said to them earlier.

What the hell is the truth?
Once coconut oil was very popular in west also but lost its popularity because of false propaganda earlier. In 1950s it was observed that some saturated fats may tend to raise blood cholesterol. Since high cholesterol levels were considered a risk factor for heart disease doctors were recommending that we reduce our saturated fat intake. 

The vegetable oil industry used this idea very aggressively in order to influence people to use vegetable oil in place of saturated fats. Since the tropical oils (coconut and palm) were highly saturated they were viewed as being unhealthy and even causing heart disease, even though no study had ever shown it.   

Up until the mid-1980s coconut oil was commonly used in many foods. The anti-saturated fat campaigns sponsored by the soybean industry and misguided special interest groups succeeded in frightening the public away from using coconut oil and food manufacturers and restaurants eventually replaced it with hydrogenated soybean oil. By 1990 coconut had virtually disappeared from American and European diets.

So, as a result we'd be seeing less heart related problems, but the truth is that, Heart related problems increased drastically since peoples in west eliminated coconut oil from their diets. 

In fact there were no heart specialists and cardiology doesn't even existed before 1940's. As peoples neglected coconut oil and other saturated fats from there diets and all the so called health experts convinced peoples to eat a low fat diet whole grain diet low in saturated fats, in result we got a new medical field cardiology and heart experts are grown up everywhere like mushrooms and today "coronary heart disease and related heart problems are the no. 1 cause of deaths in USA and western culture" 

However coconut oil is used in India and other tropical countries like Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand extensively. Peoples in these countries have a less sedentary lifestyle and live in difficult conditions but they have less instances of heart disease and an even lower rate for cancer. So, some saturated fats are necessary for our body cell functions and growth some fats like coconut oil which contain high amounts of lauric acid which is converted in to monolaurin by our body which fights with bacteria and viruses that cause disease. 

Lets have a look at some of the remarkable health benefits coconut oil can provide you.    
Health benefits of Coconut Oil

1. Unique combination of nutrients.
Coconut oil contains a lot of MCFA's (medium chain fatty acids) which have powerful medicinal properties. These medium chain triglycerides go directly to the liver where they are used as a source of energy or converted in to ketone bodies which have therapeutic effects on some of the health disorders, that's why "The peoples who eat a lot of coconut products are the healthiest peoples on the planet".

2. Hair care
Coconut oil contains best natural nutrients to take care of your hairs. Coconut oil is used extensively in Indian sub-continent for hair care. Peoples here apply coconut oil tropically, coconut oil is an excellent conditioner, it provides better protection to hair against dandruff, lice, lice eggs and hygral damage. Coconut oil provides essential proteins required for good nourishment and regrowth of damaged hairs.

3. Help in Heart Health
Coconut oil is good for you heart health. It contains about 50% of lauric acid which helps to reduces bad cholesterol and high blood pressure providing support in your heart health.

4. Skin care
Coconut oil is used as a base ingredient in various types of skin care and anti aging products due to its strong antioxidant properties. Coconut oil is an excellent moisturizer for your skin. When applied tropically it prevents dryness and flaking without any side effects. It also delays wrinkle formations and sagging of skin and helps in anti aging solutions. It also helps in treating various skin infections like posariasis, dermititis and eczema etc.

5. Immunity booster
Coconut oil strengthens your immune system as it contains strong antioxidants and nutrients which have antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties. Almost 50% of coconut oil is lauric acid, your body converts lauric acid into monolaurin which research has supported as an effective way to deal with viruses and bacteria that cause diseases like herpes, influenza, cytomegalovirus, and even HIV. Coconut oil helps in fighting harmful bacteria and increases your immunity.

6. Helps in weight loss

Coconut oil can help you lose weight in long run. It contains medium chain triglycerides which have a different effect on your body. It increases metabolic rate of your body by increasing energy expenditure. To lose weight you have to expend more calories than you consume right. Also, the MCFA's in coconut oil can significantly reduce your appetite making you feel fuller and consume less calories. 

7. Helps in proper digestion.
The saturated fats present in coconut oil have antimicrobial properties and help in dealing with various bacteria, fungi, and parasites that can cause indigestion. It helps to improve the digestion system by facilitating proper absorption of vitamins and minerals from food. It helps in IBS.

8. Helps to cure candida

Coconut oil has been shown to provide relief from candida, it relives inflammation caused by candida and helps to recover from symptoms of candida. Candida, also known as Systemic Candidiasis, is a tragic disease caused from excessive and uncontrolled growth of yeast called Candida Albicans in the stomach. This yeast is more or less present in everyone’s stomach, but it doesn’t manifest any adverse effects since its growth is controlled by the beneficial bacteria which also resides in our stomach.

9. Liver health

The presence of medium chain triglycerides and fatty acids helps in preventing liver diseases because those substances are easily converted into energy when they reach the liver, thus reducing the work load of the liver and also preventing accumulation of fat.

10. Stress relief

Coconut oil is very soothing and hence it helps in removing stress. Applying coconut oil to the head, followed by a gentle massage, helps to eliminate mental fatigue.

11. Diabetes

Coconut oil helps in controlling blood sugar, and improves the secretion of insulin. It also promotes the effective utilization of blood glucose, thereby preventing and treating diabetes.

12. Kidney

Coconut oil helps in preventing kidney and gall bladder diseases. It also helps to dissolve kidney stones.

13. Dental care

Believe it or not, a spoonful of coconut oil can clean your teeth more thoroughly than rushing, flossing, and gargling with antiseptic mouthwash. In addition, it will help prevent tooth decay better than fluoride, without the toxic side effects.

Just put a spoonful of coconut oil into your mouth and swish it around for a period of 15 to 20 minutes. The coconut oil is “worked” in the mouth by pushing, pulling, and sucking it through the teeth. As you work the oil, it sucks up bacteria, toxins, pus, and mucous. Don’t swallow it! When you are finished pulling, spit it into the trash. (This is called oil pulling)

14. HIV and cancer

It is believed that coconut oil plays an instrumental role in reducing a person’s viral susceptibility for HIV and cancer patients. Preliminary research has shown an indication of this effect of coconut oil on reducing the viral load of HIV patients.

Finally, Good for over all health 

Coconut oil is often used by athletes, body builders and by those who are dieting. The reason behind this being that coconut oil contains less calories than other oils, its fat content is easily converted into energy, and it does not lead to accumulation of fat in the heart and arteries. Coconut oil helps boost energy and endurance, and generally enhances the performance of athletes.

1 in every 3 persons in the world is using coconut oil. If you haven't started yet, you can use coconut oil in many different ways like in cooking, as skin lotion, massage oil, try in smooties and snacks. 

Where to buy  
It is easily available in all grocery store all over the world. But if can't find one you can always buy online. 

Peeling a Head of Garlic – Martha Stewart’s Cooking School

10 Amazing Benefits of Pink (Himalayan) Salt

By Amanda Ennett

Imagine everyone sitting down for a big family feast. The best china set gently upon silk cloth, crystals brimming with fresh apple-cinnamon-ginger juice. An array of baked, steamed and sautéed vegetables decorate the table. Suddenly Grandma reaches for the salt, startled she rears back and exclaims, “Why is the salt PINK?!”

                     

Origins

The Himalayan mountain range stretches across Asia passing through China, Nepal, Myanmar, Pakistan, Bhutan, Afghanistan, and India. Most people associate the Himalayans with Mount Everest, the highest peak on this planet, but here is something new to think about- salt.

Once upon a time (a couple of hundreds of millions of years ago) crystallized sea salt beds, now deep within the Himalayans, were covered by lava. Aside from being kept it in a pristine environment that has been surrounded by snow and ice year round, the lava is thought to have protected the salt from modern-day pollution leading to the belief that Himalayan Pink salt is the purest salt to be found on earth. It is now hand-mined from the mountains and brought to the culinary market.

Why Pink? 

The many hues of pink, red and white are an indication of this salt’s rich and varying mineral and energy-rich iron content.

Benefits

In the same manner that vitamins and minerals are perfectly packaged in fruits and vegetables, because this salt was formed naturally the minerals within the sodium work in synergy.

(Synergy is the interaction of multiple elements in a system to produce an effect different from or greater than the sum of their individual effects.)

Iodine- Natural salts are rich in iodine, so it doesn’t need to be artificially added in.

Less sodium consumed per serving- Himalayan salt is made of the same components as table salt but since the crystal structure is larger than refined salt, and by volume- this salt therefore has LESS sodium per 1/4 t. serving- because the sea salt crystals or flakes take up less room on a teaspoon than highly refined tiny table salt grains.

Packs a hearty 80+ minerals and elements- Himalayan salts are mineral packed crystals which formed naturally within the earth made up of 85.62% sodium chloride and 14.38% other trace minerals including: sulphate, magnesium, calcium, potassium, bicarbonate, bromide, borate, strontium, and fluoride (in descending order of quantity).

Because of these minerals Himalayan pink salt can:

• Create an electrolyte balance
• Increases hydration
• Regulate water content both inside and outside of cells
• Balance pH (alkaline/acidity) and help to reduce acid reflux
• Prevent muscle cramping
• Aid in proper metabolism functioning
• Strengthen bones
• Lower blood pressure
• Help the intestines absorb nutrients
• Prevent goiters
• Improve circulation
• Dissolve and eliminate sediment to remove toxins

It is even said to support libido, reduce the signs of aging, and detoxify the body from heavy metals.

Pink Salt vs. Sea Salt

Even though pink salts come from the mountains, they are technically sea salts as well. All salt comes from a salted body of water—namely, an ocean or salt-water lake. However, Himalayan salt is said to be the purest form of sea salt.

Why Table Salt is Inferior

Commercial refined salt is not only stripped of all its minerals, besides sodium and chloride, but is also chemically cleaned, bleached and heated at unnecessary high temperatures.

In addition, it is treated with anti-caking agents which prevent salt from mixing with water in the salt container. These agents also prevent dissolving within our system leading to build up and then deposit in organs and tissue, causing severe health problems.

Finally, the iodine that is added into salt is usually synthetic which is difficult for your body to process properly. Shockingly under U.S. law, up to 2% of table salt can be additives.

The Many Uses of Pink Salt

Cooking and curing- use pre-ground salt or grinders like any other salt.

Salt Slabs- used as serving platters, the slabs will impart an enhanced salt taste and mineral content. Chilled: decorate with fruits, sushi, vegetables or cheese. Frozen: present cold desserts and even sorbets. Heated: use the slabs to sear vegetables, shrimp, fish fillets or thinly sliced beef or even to fry an egg. The dense salt blocks conduct heat beautifully with near perfect heat distribution.

Best of all, Himalayan salt is naturally anti-microbial, so clean up requires just a quick scrub or rinse.

Decoration- use the salts in containers, as décor crystals and sprinkled on food for presentation.

Bathing- throw in the tub for a detoxifying Himalayan salt bath. The replenishing nutrients stimulate circulation and soothe sore muscles. Naturally rich in 80+ nourishing and skin-replenishing minerals, bathing with pink bath salt is a healing and therapeutic experience for mind and body.

Potpourri Holders and Essential Oil Diffusers- many on-line sites sell beautiful home décor featuring the pink salt as crystal rocks.

Air purification- crystal rock lamps for air purification are also found and sold on-line.

Hopefully now you will not be as shocked as Grandma when you reach for the salt shaker and find pink crystals staring back at you!

If you eat meat, brining should be in your bag of tools. Brining makes meat very juice and succulent! Here’s is an extremely simple recipe for it.

Basic low sodium brine for pork and poultry. (Brine will work for up to 8 lbs. of protein.)

Ingredients

• 1 gallon water
• 3 ounces sea salt
• 3 ounces sugar (optional)
• 1 Tbsp. citrus zest (lemon, lime or orange – optional)

Instructions

• Add the salt, sugar and other aromatics to a pot and bring the water to a simmer until the salt and sugar have dissolved.
• Remove the pot from the heat and chill before using the brine.
• Let your protein brine for 6 hours.
• Drain the protein, and let it rest and air dry in fridge for 2 hours.
• Roast, broil or grill as you would!

Source: Amanda Ennett - FitLife.tv

How a Hotdog is Made

Hot dogs: you either love them or hate them! But have you ever wondered how hot dogs are made, and what is really in their composition? Do you know that they include pig snouts and chicken feet?

The Art of Food

 

Beautifully-plated meals have certainly always been appreciated for the care and attention given to them, but does the beauty of a presentation somehow affect your palate?   According to recent research, how you present the meals you create could indeed greatly affect how flavourful those meals are perceived to be.

Researchers recently conducted a study where diners were presented the same meal in two different arrangements on two different nights.  Subjects reported that they liked the food on the plate more when it was presented in a way that was judged to be more attractive.  This relationship between the attractiveness of a meal presentation and how well it played on the taste buds was confirmed for all food items that were served except for vegetables.  Despite the resiliency that vegetables showed to a nip here and a tuck there, researchers concluded that their study could be used to increase the overall acceptance of healthy foods.

So next time you’re serving healthy fare to family or guests add a little flair to the presentation and tell us how your research went.

 

Source: www.sciencedirect.com