#Instead he was an ingredient for anti-world soup

[nyxiotart]

The spider and the therapy cat

Bonding with Mo? Having a stare-off? Who knows!

Haven't posted actual content in a while, and I was bored, so I just drew this with my finger

[dira333]

You deserve to be cared for - MSBY Edition

Meian is by no means a master chef, but he prides himself on being resourceful. So when he figures out that you're allergic to certain ingredients, there's never a moment where you don't have anything to eat.

He's not yet ready to admit it, but it's the way your eyes always find him, trusting that he'll have you covered. The way your eyes light up when you get your very own piece of cake or whatever snack he's prepared for today's team-building exercise.

He still remembers well how you shrunk in on yourself that one time you had nothing to eat. He's not going to let that happen again.

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Sakusa has always been serious about hygiene. But there's a reason why he has switched all of his disinfectant gels for another brand, why his fabric softener now comes unscented.

It's the way you always step closer to him now when the team gathers, how you have no fear of resting your head on his shoulder during bus rides, or how you pull on his sleeve asking for a handkerchief instead of anyone else.

It's a small thing, really. But it's never too small for you.

Now he only needs to be brave enough to offer you his jacket the next time it gets cold.

But he'll manage, he's sure. Because it's you, after all.

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Atsumu gets a lot of shit for being selfish and egocentric. He doesn't bother correcting them. It's not worth the effort, he thinks.

Let them think what they want to think, he tells you when you ask about it. Because you know the truth.

He might not always be home on time for dinner, but he has no problem triple-checking if that new skincare is really suitable for your skin or paying extra to make sure those new earrings he got for you won't make your skin react.

He wears in your new shoes - and he looks fabulous in heels - because he would never let you get blisters if he can help it and more than once have you tested your make-up on him before trying it out on yourself.

So if the world thinks he's selfish, he'll let the world think what it wants. As long as you're cared for, safe and sound, he can be as selfish as he wants.

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Hinata often forgets that he's lactose intolerant. More than once you've had to find a nearby toilet and hunker down with a book while he suffered. But he never forgets that you can't eat gluten. And he won't let anyone forget either.

"What about cross-contamination?" Is a sentence he's said so often, Sakusa has threatened to tattoo it onto him.

He's more than willing to try the first bite of your meal - though you suspect it's not just out of concern for you, he's still very much a growing boy - to check if it's really gluten-free and even though he's got a lot to learn in the kitchen, his gluten-free soup is a delight.

And yes, he had to give up beer for you and that sucks sometimes, but he'd rather not have beer at all than to come home and not be able to kiss you. He has his priorities straight after all.

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Bokuto has become a walking encyclopedia. At least that's what he seems to be trying to achieve. Today he's listed off all kinds of fruits that are suitable for an anti-inflammatory diet and he was only wrong once.

He's not trying to mansplain it to you, he swears. He's just showing you that he cares. That although memorizing stuff sometimes comes hard to him, he wants to make sure to never forget. After all, if switching one fruit out can help you manage your symptoms better, it's all worth it in the end, right?

And he's learning still. That sometimes, it's okay to eat what you've been craving for days, even though it might hurt you a little bit. That sometimes the pain will tie you to your bed even though you've been consistent with your diet all month. That sometimes all he has to do is lay down with you and kiss you, not because he can kiss it better, but because everything is a little easier when you get to kiss him.

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for @natoreo - Requests are still open

[tipsycad147]

All About Fennel | The Health Benefits Of Fennel Seed & More

Written by Sass Ayres

Fennel is a largely uncharted vegetable, especially here in the United States. It’s a food and medicine plant with its roots in the Mediterranean, but like many plants, fennel went where the people went. And now, it’s widespread across the planet from Italy to California to Australia. It has even become considered an invasive weed in some areas around the world. Lucky for us, the health benefits of fennel seed (and the vegetable itself) are plenty.

HERE YOU’LL FIND: Meet Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) How to Cook with Fennel Science-Backed Health Benefits of Fennel Seed

Meet Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare)

Botanical Background

Fennel is a flowering plant species in the carrot or parsley family. Its other close relatives include celery, dill, and cilantro.

Fennel loves unsettled environments. In the U.S., it’s easy to find fennel growing abundantly and wild along highways, in pastures, and other disturbed areas of land, especially in places close to the oceans.

It’s a Mediterranean plant that loves cool weather. Fennel doesn’t like it too hot or too cold. Its peak growing season is in fall and winter (if winters are mild). Summers are typically too hot for fennel, but you can usually find fennel in grocery stores year-round, and at farmer’s markets when it’s in season.

Fennel is also widely cultivated around the world. The most popular cultivar is known as Florence fennel and is different from wild varieties in that it has a more pronounced edible bulb.

Its infamous edible bulb grows much like celery does. A fennel bulb is white or pale green with several stalks growing from it. It’s inflated near the base with the stalks all nestled tightly into one another, just like celery.

Fennel has fine, feathery leaves. From the stalks grow very finely feathered green leaves (like dill) and tight clusters of tiny yellow flowers from with fennel seeds eventually form.

The leaves and seeds are strongly flavored. They have a taste reminiscent of anise or licorice and are understandably popular culinary ingredients.

How To Cook With Fennel

As a food, some dislike fennel, some love it, and others, if they’ve heard of it all it, aren’t exactly sure what it is.

Surprisingly, fennel is an incredibly versatile ingredient! Its stalks, leaves, and seeds add a delightful crunch and flavor to many foods from soups and stews to salads, slaws, pastas, roasted meats, and more. Its stalks can be used as you would use celery and its leaves can be used as a garnish like you might use dill or parsley.

Many cultures of India and the Middle East use fennel seed in cooking, as an essential ingredient in many different spice mixtures, and also as an after-dinner digestive and breath freshener. In Italy, fennel is the main spice used in Italian sausages.

The Nutritional Benefits of Fennel

Fennel is an excellent source of vitamin C, and also contains high amounts of dietary fiber, potassium, manganese, copper, molybdenum, and folate. It is a good source of calcium, magnesium, iron, and niacin. The overall nutrient and phytochemical makeup of fennel make it a good anti-inflammatory and antioxidant food.

Fennel Recipes You’ll Love

Simple Saffron & Garlic Braised Fennel ✺ Caramelized Fennel & Herbed Polenta Candied Fennel Seeds ✺ Fennel Seed & Orange Blossom Tea Cookies Fennel, Earl Grey, & Grapefruit Mocktail

The Health Benefits of Fennel Seed

At the end of three or four hundred years, it began to be perceived that [fennel] had never cured anyone.

I’ve always wondered how specific plants earned their place in ancient myths, how those myths carried through history, and how, at some point, things got caught up in and either denounced or legitimized by modern-day science and keepers of history.

Many of today’s food and medicine plants have some sort of long-ago use as cures for madness. Other plants were hung over doorways to ward off evil spirits. In Greek mythology, a fennel frond was used to hand information in the form of fiery coal down to humanity from Mount Olympus.

We’ve been using plants as medicine, tools, and sanctuary for thousands of years, and fennel is no exception.

Fennel Seed Medicine Through (a Colourful!) History

In the late 1880’s, Alphonse Karr tried to bury the popularity of fennel and its multitude of uses. Perhaps he was right on some accounts, as fennel was used for everything from warding off ghosts by being placed in keyholes on Midsummer’s Eve, to healing bites from rabid dogs, to serving as an anecdote to poisonous mushrooms and snake bites.

In fact, one day, Pliny the Elder (AD 24-79), the Roman author of Naturalis Historia (The Natural History), watched snakes eating and rubbing their bodies up against fennel plants. And with that simple observations, he came to the conclusion that they did so to help improve their eyesight after shedding their skins.

He was so inspired by this observation that he proceeded to claim fennel as an effective remedy for 22 different illnesses! There was nothing that fennel couldn’t fix!

Above the lower plants it towers, The Fennel with its yellow flowers; And in an earlier age than ours Was gifted with the wondrous powers Lost vision to restore.

On church-sanctioned fasting days, fennel seed was also used to help suppress appetite. Parishioners would carry around fennel seeds knotted up in handkerchiefs to chew on throughout the day to help keep their hunger at bay.

Fennel is also one of the 3 main herbs used to make absinthe, a notorious distilled spirit originally intended for use as a medicine.

Nonetheless, in spite of its colorful history, fennel remains to be a powerful medicine and today, is still considered by many to be one of the best herbs for settling an upset stomach.

The Medicinal Uses of Fennel Seed Today

Today, the seed of fennel is the part most often used for medicine. While the health benefits of fennel seed are many, its benefitical effects on digestion steal the show.

It’s incredibly beneficial for indigestion, bloating and/or gas, and coughs.

Nursing mother’s still use fennel as an ingredient in DIY gripe water, an herb-infused tea that may include apple cider vinegar used to relieve colic and other gastrointestinal discomforts in children.

Due to its sweet like liquorice flavour, fennel is great medicine for children. It can be used to help with their stomachaches, constipation, and coughs.

As an anti-spasmodic, fennel is effective against stomach cramping associated with poor digestion.

And as an aromatic carminative, fennel is also effective against nausea.

For more plant magic & herbal wellness in your life, be sure to follow along on ➡️ Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter, & snag my herbal 📚 eBooks Nourishing Herbal Gifts & Holiday Pies from the (Un)Bakery. 🌿 And please don’t forget to tag me in your snaps 📸 @_botanyculture_. I love to see all the plant magic you make happen!

Fennel 101

Species Foeniculum vulgare Family Apiaceae (carrot or parsley Family) Part(s) Used leaf & bulb, flower, seeds, pollen, essential oil Origin Mediterranean When to Harvest leaf & stalk: depends on when planted, typically spring & fall seeds: late summer/early fall As a Medicine Think digestive health! antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, carminative, demulcent, expectorant, galactagogue, nervine, tonic As a Food excellent source of vitamin C, molybdenum, dietary fiber, potassium, manganese, copper, & folate; good source of calcium, magnesium, iron, & niacin Cautions The essential oil of fennel seed can be contraindicated during pregnancy due to the emmenagogue effect & phytoestrogen activity. Always check with your qualified health care practitioner. Other Uses none found Look Alikes poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) – has white flowers instead of yellow and does not smell of anise or liquorice

https://www.botanyculture.com/meet-the-plants-fennel/-

[sunspherebook]

Chicken is NOT Chicken

One Ingredient Food Challenge

                     By Martha Rose Woodward

  You might be shocked to learn the chicken you are buying from the fast food restaurants is not mostly chicken; it contains soybeans and other fillers. Apple juice is not made from mostly apples, but from beet juice. Do you know what is in your food? Possibly not. 

  To make sure you are only eating the foods you want to eat, there is a new trend going around in the field of nutrition. It’s simple. When you shop for food ONLY buy food that has one ingredient.

  This plan was developed by Andrew Olson and in no way does it stop cooks from combining foods into delicious recipes such as vegetable soup, casseroles, and even pizzas.

 Olson says his plan focuses on WHOLE foods, not foods that have been processed such as flour or cereal.

 Although Olson stresses a plant-based diet, one ingredient foods can also include most meats and seafood. For example, cod is one ingredient; fish sticks is not.

 Many people who have adapted this style of eating report they have lost weight and feel better without necessarily being on a diet. Sarah from Nebraska says, “We do not feel deprived. We simply believe planning our meals based on real foods is better for our children.” Sarah says she found the plan while clicking around on YouTube and thought it sounded like a much better way of shopping for her family of 10 children.

  “Think about it,” she said. “A potato has one ingredient and 100 calories we can prepare in numerous healthy ways, but potato chips have over 12 ingredients and 220 calories for l.5 ounces or a small, lunch-size bag. Various kinds of oils, rice flour, citric acid, food colorings, and even yeast are added to the potato to form chips. Who even knows what these ingredients do in our bodies? None sound like real food, and the nutritional values are just not there.”

 Mike from Colorado said his 3 teenage boys have stopped asking for sugar-based, snack foods since they are getting better nutrition from the foods his family prepares. “Our sons eat plenty,” he said. “They fill up on scrambled eggs and bacon instead of sugary cereals.”

 Mike said he has noticed a reduction in the money his family is spending at the grocery store, too. “It does not take a rocket scientist to see that feeding children who are growing with hearty meals of baked, sweet potatoes and meatloaf made from 100% beef has got to be better for them than eating fast foods containing lots of mystery ingredients used to prevent spoilage.”

  Olson said if he could convince Americans to change only one thing to their daily food intake, he’d have every person to eat more cruciferous vegetables. Those are the vegetables such as cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, kale, arugula, spinach, chard, mustard greens, collard greens, and turnip greens.

 Another tip he’d suggest is to add turmeric to your daily routine. “Use more yellow mustard or take pills,” he said.  “All mustards are rich in turmeric, a spice that is a potent natural anti-inflammatory and antiseptic agent that can be used for disinfecting cuts and burns.”

 I know for a fact that if you happen to get stung by a bee or wasp, quickly rubbing yellow mustard on the spot will take away the pain. I also take a spoon full of yellow mustard as if were a dose of medicine when I get spasms or “charley horses” in my legs. Soaking your feet in water with Epsom salts will also help with these spasms.

In case you are not aware of it, your government allows food manufactures to sell foods such as candy bars and canned soups containing specific percentages of dead bugs and/or rat poop.

According to On-line Health, the worst foods to eat are:

1.     Sugary drinks. Added sugar is one of the worst ingredients in the modern diet.

2.     Most pizzas. Pizza is one of the world's most popular junk foods.

3.     White bread, 4. Most fruit juices, 5. Sweetened breakfast cereals, 6. Fried, grilled, or battered food, 7. Pastries, cookies, and cakes, 8. French fries and potato chips.

  All in all, we need to do a better of job of monitoring what is in the foods we eat. In my opinion, a huge percentage of what is sold as “food” is more often as not just a mixture of chemicals made to taste like food.

[secret-diary-of-an-fa]

The End of Year Awards Are Back... and This Time, It’s Personal!

And so we approach the end of 2020, the year that never really began. On paper, at least, it looked incredibly promising. There were lots of great movies slated to come out; culture seemed slightly less paucity-riddled and pointless than usual; good things were in the air. Then COVID happened, and basically fucked everything. Actually, that’s not quite true: my personal year has been fucking spectacular. I’m in a long-term relationship with a gorgeous woman for the first time in forever- no more abrupt trysts and stolen moments for yer humble narrator: I’ve got a sumptuously plus-size lady-friend who actually wants to spend substantial amounts of time me (and has knockers you could sled down, were you so inclined). I also started a Youtube channel where I upload performances of magic tricks I’ve designed and a few people seem to quite like it. Oh, and I’ve written four novels, with a fifth well on its way to completion. Unfortunately, that’s my life, not the life of our civilisation and culture as a whole. The fact that bugger all happened in that makes this end-of-year round-up a little hard to write. With that in mind, I’m going to hand out the gongs for 2020, but I’m also going to do my usual dodge of giving end-of-year awards to things that I discovered in 2020, even if they came out the year, decade or century before. It’s not like any right-minded person gives a hoot about my opinion anyway. Right then, everyone clear on the rules? Then let’s roll up our sleeves and plunge elbow deep into the fetid trough of our decaying society to ferret out the best and worst of the Things That Humans Have Done Recently.

The ‘I Like It Because It Confused Thick People’ Award for Best High-Concept Sci-Fi Movie... … Goes to the sterling Tenet, a spy film that used entropy inversion and symmetric, opposite-direction timelines within the same physical space the way most spy films use hacking and guns. Christopher Nolan films are always intricately constructed and meticulously-executed, but this one must have had Japanese Master Puzzle-Box Makers crying into their breakfast cereal. Is breakfast cereal a thing in Japan? I honestly I have no idea. For some reason, all I can imagine is a sort of dry kedgeree where all the ingredients that aren’t rice have been removed. But I digress. For all its intricacy, Tenet is actually really easy to follow once you’ve grasped the basic premise that there’s a machine that lets people move backwards through time, and that this makes them appear to move in reverse to the rest of the world while they perceive the rest of the world as moving in reverse. Nolan maintains a mastery of cinematic visual language that makes even the most abstruse concept easy to wrap your head around. Nonetheless, following Tenet’s release, dumb people took to the Internet on mass to complain that the film was confusing and stupid, never once realising that their inability to conceptualise time in non-linear ways was their own failing, not Nolan’s. I find that refreshing. It’s nice to see a sci-fi film that’s actually made for smart-cookie sci-fi fans and doesn’t give a hoot if it alienate thickos.

The Award for Most Inexplicably Compelling Web Comic… … Goes to Questionable Content. I originally started reading Questionable Content because I’d heard that the female lead and love interest was a plus size lassie and that shit’s my jam. However, the art style makes everyone look like a skinny indie-type, regardless of their actual, in-universe size, so it doesn’t do much to titillate my Fat Admiring Titillation Centres. And yet, I’m over five hundred ‘episodes’ in and still reading. The thing is, I couldn’t tell you why for the life of me. Maybe it’s the hope that the art style will evolve to the point where the people look like actual human beings with different body types (but then, why would I care unless I was invested for some other reason). Maybe it’s the fact that when I get one of the many, many obscure band or pop culture references, I feel a little buzz of kinship with the writer. Maybe it’s the fact that it takes place in a universe where robots and superheroes are things that regularly happen, yet most of the strips are just normal people chatting shit in a coffee shop and the slice-of-life narrative/sci-fi setting appeals to my sense of juxtaposition. I don’t know, but I find it really compelling to the extent that I’ve pissed away entire days reading it. I have a horrible feeling that it’s a short step from this to really angsty hentai. If I start singing the praises of that, somebody please shoot me in the crotch.

The ‘Forest Gump Debating Peter Andre’ Award For Most Sustained or Elongated Instance of Stupidity… … Goes to Donald Trump. I was tempted just to award this gong to his entire presidency, but that wasn’t just stupid: it was also venal, corrupt, horrifying and punctuated by terrible moments of low cunning. So, instead, this award goes to his ‘soup’ rant. For those of you who missed it, the former President of the United States spent a really, really long time (in the run-up to the election) wittering on about protestors throwing cans of soup at police. What was dumb and weird about it was that he appeared to be extolling the virtues of soup as a siege weapon, going into really specific detail about how it was better than a brick because it could be thrown with more force, finishing with the utterance that protestors would just argue that “this is just soup for my family” if they were caught with the cans… which is phrased wrong in such a subtle and inhuman way it’s hard to imagine that anyone actually ever said it, at least in those words. I have no idea if protestors in America were throwing soup cans at police (which would be entirely justified considering how many innocent people American police have murdered in cold blood quite recently) or if this was a fantasy dreamed up by the former president in the cloudcuckooland that is his diseased little brain. Either way, the connected rant was balls deep in dumb.

The Most Disturbing Unintentional Impression of Vincent Price Award… … Goes to the narrator from One Step Beyond, a Twilight Zone-esque anthology of weirdness that purports to be based on true events and has to be seen to be believed. The stories are oft-disturbing instances of spooky-inflected human drama and can occasionally be quite disconcerting… until they’re book-ended by a dude who sounds like Vincent Price reading a children’s book in a really earnest voice. It’s weird and no, it didn’t hit our screens in Space Year 2020, it dates back to Ye Olden Times of the 1950s or 60s, when men were men, women were women and technincolour was a distant dream that could get you strung up for witchcraft. Nonetheless, I only encountered it this year, so it’s getting its prize. I warned you I was going to pull this shit, but you foolish fools didn’t listen.

The ‘It’s Not Gay If I Don’t Clench’ Award for Cognitive Dissonance… … Goes to Amazon Prime, the content-making branch of evil, tax-dodging, anti-monopoly-law-breaking megalith Amazon. You see, while Big Daddy Amazon is off being incredibly sinister and worrying, like a shifty vampire hanging off the economy’s throat, the creative people at Amazon Prime are busy making or acquiring some of the flat-out best TV ever committed to a streaming-service, from the extra-weird slice of fun-pie that is The Tick, to the entertainingly horrifying cultural dissection of The Boys to the utterly unique Carnival Row, to the superbly adapted American Gods. It’s a bit like discovering that Geoffrey Dahlmer single-handedly created a body of artistic work to rival Vincent Van Gogh’s when he wasn’t pouring acid onto the brains of emotionally vulnerable young adults. It gives me a headache.

The Clint Eastwood Award for Most Effective Older Gentlemen… … Goes to Joe Biden, for unseating dipshit in chief Donald Trump with the casual badassery of a Wild West gunslinger shooting a baddy (probably played by Leonardo Di Caprio) in the balls. I mean, he’s not the best Prez America could ask for but a) as a Brit I don’t have to care and b) anyone who ousts Trump gets mad props from me.

The ‘It’s a Pity Everything Else is Shit Now’ Award for Best New Ongoing Series… … Goes to my own Youtube series, Victor The Magician, in which I claim to be a reality-hopping, interdimensional wizard on an endless quest to… perform magic, basically. I’ll admit that the quality is super-variable (Youtube algorithms and their constant demand for fresh content be a harsh mistress, etc., etc.). However, when I’m good, I’m really good. If you’re looking for a punch-line other than the fact that this whole bit is a self-promoting plug, it’s this: my Youtube series really was the best thing to come out this year. Not because I’m great or anything, just by default. A promising year really did turn into a cultural wasteland the moment COVIDius Rex reared its scaly head.

The Zombie Ian Curtis Award for Most Crushing Disappointment… … Goes to Rick and Morty Series 4. As I think I’ve said before, it was still good, but it just didn’t reach the dizzy heights of nihilistic lunacy achieved in series 1-3. I think the problem is that the audience is meant to learn something from Rick’s poor choices, even if he doesn’t, because the creators saw the amazing success of Bojack Horseman and decided they wanted a slice of that sweet, tangy deconstructionist pie. It worked up to a point in the climax of Series 3, but having made their point, the showrunners probably should have moved onto a different point. They forgot that the appeal of Rick Sanchez is his combination of ‘entertaining car-crash of a human being’ and ‘unstoppable superbeing’. Push him through an arc and you risk breaking the thing that makes him and the show so endlessly watchable. Rick, unlike Bojack, just wasn’t built for heavy introspection. Also, the team hired on new writers who were less than familiar with the characters, setting and subtext, and that’s always an invitation to disaster.

The Special Sir Mixalot Award for Posteriority… ...Goes to… my girlfriend and glamorous assistant, Mystic Miss Terri, who’s arse is gorgeous and majestic.

The ‘Are They STILL Making That?’ Award for a Show You Forgot Existed And is Now Back… … Goes to Supernatural, which never technically went away and whose final series is apparently being broadcast on one of the 4 channels (though who knows which one, any more), It’s kind of nice to realise it’s still out there and be reminded that there are still people who care deeply about what happens to it. It’s like when you remember ‘oh yeah, [insert cute animal here] actually exists and isn’t just an internet meme. That’s nice’. Also, it’s good to see Jared Padelacki working steadily. It can’t be easy to find acting gigs when most producers just want to shoot you and mount your antlers over a fireplace.

The Irritating Magician Award for Something That Just Won’t Fuck Off… ...Goes to this blog entry, which is three pages long in Word. Good grief. Bye y’all! See you next year, assuming that the last few days of 2020 don’t culminate in a civilisation-destroying attack by giant space-ants. If that seems worryingly specific, let’s just say that- as Leonard Cohen would say “I’ve seen the future and, brother, it is murder”… by giant space-ants.

[princegastronome]

The Pseudoscience of Summerhill Pyramid Winery

A few days ago, I wrote and posted a review of Summerhill Pyramid Winery in Southern Kelowna.  They posted a rebuttal, so I am compiling the exchange here.

First, to talking points of the actual review of Summerhill Pyramid and their restaurant, Sunset Bistro.

The man behind Summerhill, Stephen Cipe—considering himself a spiritual visionary at "Canada's most visited winery”—attributes the winery’s success to the unique process of utilizing the sacred geometry of their signature pyramid, designed as a perfect scaled replica of the larger one in Giza, to instill their wine with the same positive essense naturally occurring in all life forms.  Lacking any ferrous components and placed to face True North, this platonic solid rests on a region devoid of interference energy and is placed on dirt compacted to 100%.  This results in the pyramid acting as an interface between positive and negative space-time, a bridge between matter and anti-matter, and becoming the gate through which two realities meet and interact.  This is related to Einstein’s theory of relativity, specifically his predictions on the existence tachyons (faster-than-light particles).  Time and space are distorted within the pyramid and would most likely explain how the builders of the great pyramids in Egypt were able to employ negative space-time to levitate huge stones and build the pyramids in the first place.  And somehow this also make wine taste better.

This is an example of data mining pseudoscientific sources and combining them with numerology and astrology along with long debunked theories that serious science left behind a very long time ago in hopes of selling overpriced alcoholic beverages already fighting dubious claims about their benefits.  Here’s the uncomplicated truth about humans, we evolved as pattern recognition machines, finding answers in chaos.  Our desperation to explain everything when we knew almost nothing gave rise to the mythologies of antiquity.  Summerhill attempts to weave confirmation bias, ignorance, and good old-fashioned quackery into a soup of utter nonsense to justify their business.  

You don’t even have to search long to find verified evidence debunking every single point made on Summerhill’s website.  The data they “cite” isn’t even accurate—they list dimensions of the Giza pyramid to justify numerology, but then list incorrect numbers.  There’s no doubt the pyramids at Egypt, and other locations are amazing historical monuments.  And the designers were intelligent in constructing them.  But they didn’t employ magic—they used their brains to solve problems.  They are tombs to narcissistic despots, and anything more than that is just a plot point in Stargate.

Summerhill is bonkers, and not the adorable crazy like Perry in The Fisher King.  I’m talking homeopathy, dowsing, phrenology, Pythagoras bonkers.

I’m serious; Pythagoras was crazy, flat out nuts.  He was afraid of beans, hated the square root of two, and had a guy killed over a disagreement about a triangle.  So best avoid that lest you start believing in sacred geometries, ley-lines, or astrology, basically everything in the Rifts role-playing game.

As for Sunset Bistro...

I admire restaurants that pull ingredients from their neighborhoods, and Sunset Bistro claims theirs are sourced from their own biodynamic gardens and wildlife preserves, another concept worthy of…wait, what?  

What was that?  

“Biodynamic”?  

I must admit not hearing that one before.  I had better do some—DARN IT!  It’s more pseudoscience! Using planetary locations and lunar cycles to determine sowing cycles?  It quite literally uses magic.  

I’m trying my best to tolerate organic farming despite the overwhelming evidence pointing to its dangerous side-effects including nutrient leaching, soil conservation, and the massive increase in land use required to produce food over its safe GMO alternatives, substitutions credited for saving hundreds of millions of lives in regions cursed with overpopulation and untillable land.  But no, you’re right, don’t trust Norman Borlaug, the father of the Green Revolution; instead, embrace geomancy.  I can accomplish the same effect with a traditional organic farm and a deck of Magic: The Gathering cards.  

Seriously, folks, you have to read up on the field preparations for this lunacy...hmm…lunacy…madness brought on by the moon.  And before you start with the defense of biodynamics, remember they were invented by someone claiming to be a clairvoyant that taught that a disease may be part of a patient's "karma" and that interfering with said illness would be unwise because treating only the physical body would require the patient to compensate in a future life.    

And you must grind quartz crystal that’s buried in a cow horn through the summer to aid in plant growth.  

If I ever walk into the restaurant again, I’ll bellow at the top of my lungs, “When single shines the triple sun.  What was sundered and undone shall be whole.  The two made one by Gelfling hand or else by none!” before leaving.  If you got the Rifts joke, that one should be easy.  

They made good food.  I just wished they had sacrificed a goat to Demeter using the old ways in order to secure a higher quality crop.  Probably would have made the difference.

This morning, Summerhill’s founder replied.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Science is good and I applaud you for caring about truth. Narrative is also good. Science can tell us “how”, but can never answer the question “why”. There will always be a central mystery in life that we answer with story. Sacred geometry is a good story. It is a story about beauty, harmony and perfection in nature. We do not sermonize, and we never claim that our pyramid ‘makes wine taste better,’ only that it acts as a clarifier. There is a wonderful feeling in the pyramid chamber, which we invite all of our guests to experience. We honour our wine by cellaring it there. Summerhill has been awarded the trophy for Best Sparkling Wine at the IWSC in London, England, and another for Canadian Producer of the Year. We have also just been awarded the highest scoring wine at France’s 2017 Chardonnay du Monde competition with 750 entries from 38 countries. It is no accident that our wines are so often at the top of the podium. Is it the organic viticulture and winemaking? The time in the pyramid? Our team’s experience and expertise? In the end, the reason is the love that we put into everything that we do. I am sorry to read that you believe our love and care for the earth and our nurturing of the human spirit, imagination, and feeling of connectedness is ‘spiritually bankrupt’, as you term it. I invite you and welcome you with open arms to be with me at our model of man and nature. Come and walk around our biodynamic vineyard to experience the biodiversity and feel the living soil. Come in the pyramid with me and have a real experience. The precision chamber is a uniquely conducive place for meditation. We’ll drink good wine together and tell good stories. With love and gratitude, Stephen Cipes Founder/Proprietor, Summerhill Pyramid

And I responded.

Science is not just “good”, it’s mandatory to understanding the world. It’s the first step in personal enlightenment, and we are obligated not to ignore it.  It’s how we protect ourselves from false hope and charlatans.  The flaw in your reasoning is directly connected to your statement that “Science can tell us “how,” but can never answer the question “why”.”

Your statement is the impasse pseudoscientific believers subscribe to denounce how actual science works.  Yes, science can supply the “how” within a range of error to be acceptable by peer-reviewed sources.  That’s how it works.  It can also supply us with reliably predictable estimations to “when,” “who,” “where,” and positively “why,” and a “why” to many of the important questions.  Some remain, and always will.  The issue I have is that you’re supplying answers you could not possibly possess, and then manipulate scientific terms you don’t fully understand to make your page sound more scientific when it is nothing of the sort.  This is confirmation bias.  It is an insult to the scientific process to use those terms in your selling points.  

Yes, there are questions science cannot yet answer.  That’s how science works…people can turn to spirituality if they find gaps.  But ignorant people claim more gaps than there really are, and then possess the hubris to fill those gaps with answers lacking any evidence, or better, ones flying in the face of answers already discovered.  If it’s belief, then it remains belief, but I will not subscribe to bottling that belief and selling it as snake oil.  

When you attempt to employ scientific terminology and claim scientific methods, you’re insulting the actual scientific community.  Sacred solids, numerology, and astrology have no place in science.  And as for your biodynamic gardens, I’ve enough issues with the ignorance around organic farming, but then to professes a system developed by a self-proclaimed clairvoyant that taught that a disease might be part of a patient's "karma" and that interfering with said illness would be unwise because treating only the physical body would require the patient to compensate in a future life.  Grinding quartz in a cow horn and burying it to improve a harvest?  Utilizing lunar cycles?  

 If you wish to employ these practices, you are always free to do so, but the people—paying customers—deserve to know that nothing you boast is backed by scientific scrutiny.  There is no evidence that it works (and no, trophies don’t count).  It flies in the face of commons sense, and is considered pseudoscience by the scientific consensus.  The information is available out there, and I invite people to do their own research.

 I’ll keep people updated

(Pssst. By the way, I don’t think they noticed a pyramid is not a platonic solid)

[newstfionline]

Things are so bad in Venezuela that people are rationing toothpaste

By Rachelle Krygier, Washington Post, July 10, 2017

GUARENAS, Venezuela--Five years ago, when Hugo Chávez was president and Venezuela was a much different place, Ana Margarita Rangel could still afford to go to the movies and the beach, or to buy the ingredients she needed to bake cakes.

Even three years ago, when the country’s economy was beginning a severe contraction, Rangel earned enough for an occasional treat such as soda or ice cream.

Now she spends everything she earns to fend off hunger. Her shoes are tattered and torn, but she cannot afford new ones. A tube of toothpaste costs half a week’s wages.

“I’ve always loved brushing my teeth before going to sleep. I mean, that’s the rule, right?” said Rangel, who lives in a hillside slum 25 miles west of Caracas, the capital, and works in a cosmetics factory down in the suburban city of Guarenas.

“Now I have to choose,” she said. “So I do it only in the mornings.”

Rangel earns minimum wage, as does 32 percent of Venezuela’s workforce, according to the most recent official numbers available, released in 2015. That used to mean something in the country with the world’s largest oil reserves and a socialist government, led by Chávez, that presented itself as a champion of Venezuelan workers.

But 700 percent annual inflation and chronic shortages of food and medicine have changed the meaning of Venezuela’s “minimum” in profoundly painful ways.

“I remember the times when, like they say around here, we were millionaires and we didn’t know it,” Rangel said.

Venezuela’s intensifying economic and political crisis has brought thousands of anti-government protesters into the streets over the past three months, and at least 75 people have died in the unrest. A large number of Venezuelans are spending everything they earn to avoid starving.

The minimum wage is enough to buy just one-quarter of the food needed by a family of five in one month, according to calculations by the Center of Documentation and Analysis for Workers, an independent advocacy group.

On July 1, President Nicolás Maduro raised the monthly minimum wage for the third time this year, to about 250,000 “strong bolivars’” worth of cash and food stamps--a 20 percent increase.

With Venezuela’s currency rapidly losing value, the new minimum wage is enough for only about six pounds of milk powder or five cartons of eggs. At the country’s informal exchange rate, the raise brings the average worker’s income to roughly $33 per month. That is far below the minimum monthly wage in neighboring Colombia--about $250--or even Haiti, where it is $135.

The government sets price caps on some basic food items, such as pasta, rice and flour. But those items can usually be obtained only by standing in lines for hours or by signing up to receive a subsidized monthly grocery box from the government with enough to feed a family of five for about a week.

Since 2014, the proportion of Venezuelan families in poverty has soared from 48 percent to 82 percent, according to a study published this year by the country’s leading universities. Fifty-two percent of families live in extreme poverty, according to the survey, and about 31 percent survive on two meals per day at most. Households that depend on breadwinners earning up to twice the minimum wage are in the latter group.

“With Chávez, we were doing much better,” said Romer Sarabia, 44, a security guard at a government health clinic in a town 35 miles south of Caracas. On payday, he said, he used to take his family out for soup. “And I would buy candy for the children.”

Every two weeks, Sarabia goes to an informal market near his home and buys about two pounds of sugar, a pound of milk powder and nine pounds of broken-grain rice that smells of bird food and is typically used as chicken feed. He seasons it with bones or scrap meat.

His three children and wife supplement that with whatever they are able to grow in the nearby fields--mostly plantains, yucca and mangoes--unless neighbors steal the crops.

“What’s going to happen with us if we continue like this for another year?” he said, looking at his wife, who nodded and smiled weakly.

Rangel, the cosmetics-factory worker, considers herself lucky, because she pools her income with the earnings of her three sons. But even with four adults making minimum wage, the refrigerator is almost always empty.

The family has eliminated beef, chicken, salad and fruit from its diet. Instead, Rangel and her sons eat rice, beans, yucca, plantains, sardines and sometimes eggs. “We used to be able to have juice with our meals,” Rangel said. “I miss it so much.”

“And chocolate! We can’t even afford to buy a little cup of coffee on our way to work,” she said.

In Rangel’s neighborhood, it is not uncommon to find people like Rainer Figueroa, a 30-year-old with sleepy eyes who has lost a significant amount of weight. Figueroa has shed 24 pounds in the past six months, he said, because his minimum wage is only enough for him to eat small portions of food twice a day. The rest of the groceries are for his wife and three children.

Figueroa said he stopped playing soccer this year. “I can’t afford to burn calories or wear out my sneakers,” he said.

Figueroa works at a diaper factory that has stopped producing diapers. With shortages of raw materials and imports falling, many Venezuelan plants are operating at half-capacity or less, a situation many economists blame on government mismanagement of prices and currency rates.

Since taking office in 2013 after Chávez’s death, Maduro has decreed 16 increases to the minimum wage. But the purchasing power afforded by the raises in pay is wiped out almost as soon as the ink dries on Maduro’s orders.

In the past three years, the country’s economy has contracted by 24.5 percent, including 11 percent in 2016, according to the independent data firm Ecoanalítica.

“Wage raises make it all worse, because if you don’t take productivity into account, you’ll just generate more inflation,” said Asdrúbal Oliveros, director of Ecoanalítica. “This year, people’s purchasing power is headed to go down by 40 percent.”

Every weekday, Rangel wakes at 4 a.m. to take two buses from the slum to the factory. When she comes home around 2 p.m., she doesn’t do much. “I don’t spend my afternoons cooking anymore, because I don’t have meat to season or vegetables to cut,” she said.

Gone are the days when her neighbors would get together for barbecues and dance parties.

She said she doesn’t even like meeting with her friends anymore. “We always end up talking about all those things we can’t get anymore,” she said, her eyes welling up with tears.

[digestinol]

Travel and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

It seems that many believe that once the pandemic is over, everyone is going to want to travel….somewhere! Doesn't matter where, as long as its somewhere new, and somewhere away from home! And we couldn't agree anymore...We've been hibernating for months, so a nice, little vacation, even if it’s a 3 day weekend will do us all very good. And even if you suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) or any other digestive disease, you should also make a point to let nothing stop you from getting away and have some fun with family and friends too.  That is as long as it is safe to do so. 

On one of our last articles, we shared with you 10 best kept secrets for traveling with IBS. Today, we'll add 10 more, to give you even more ideas and more confidence that you can also have that great vacation with peace of mind. 

1. No cheating prior to your trip 

It’s your brother's birthday and he made spicy chicken wings for his party. Even if you are craving some of these, you should have brought your own meal, because you know that in just a week you are going to an amazing travel destination. 

With that being said, don't cheat and mess up your healthy diet. The last thing that you'll want is to have flare ups right before the trip and no one wants to leave town in the middle of a flare-up. 

2. Cooking while traveling? I thought I was on vacation! 

While staying at a beautiful hotel is nice, nothing is going to bring you more peace of mind, than booking a suite with a small kitchen. Imagine the convenience of making your favorite home-cooked meals, which you know will do your body so good.

It’s invaluable to say the least, especially if you are on a strict diet.

You can still try new restaurants, but we suggest making your own meals as much as you can for your body's most ultimate comfort.

Cook 4 portions a day, so that you have for 2 days and put them in the freezer. Also, it might be convenient to bring some tupperware if you want your food on the go, while visiting the town.

If suites are not available at the hotel, try different options, like vacation homes, Air B&B, etc.

Not only may the rooms might be bigger and cozier, you would possibly have your own room, instead of sharing, but you'll also have a washer and dryer too. 

3. Parla Italiano? 

If you are traveling overseas, not everyone knows or speaks english and we can't expect them to do so either.

Knowing how to ask for the bathroom or what you can’t eat and being able to explain it in any language is the key to comfortable travel with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Be prepared to learn a little bit of the language from the country you'll be visiting.

Key phrases like these can be very helpful: 

• Where is the closest bathroom?

• Left or Right?

• How far is the bathroom?

• Please, no onions on my meal

• Please, no spicy

• Do you sell bottled water?

• Thank you 

You can write these down on recipe cards and take them along with you on your trip to show the waiters.

Also, do some research into the local food (and how they call it) before you leave, to get an idea of what you can and cannot eat. 

4. Be App Friendly 

Don't be afraid of using apps. They can make your life so much easier and stress free!

Get an app for your smartphone or tablet that helps locate bathrooms around the world, including free ones like Sit or Squat (the app designates clean bathrooms as “sit” and less-clean ones as “squat”) or Toilet Finder, which lists more than 70,000 public restrooms. 

To make it even more convenient, there's also translation apps, which immediately convert what you want to say in the language of your choice. Not only can you use these with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) related troubles, but for just about anything, like figuring out when the next train comes or where can you buy an umbrella, etc? 

5. Don’t ignore symptoms 

One of our clients told us she was in Mexico and needed to use the restroom right away.

She was right in front of a little coffee shop, which had a sign that said: "Restroom only for Clients".

She had 3 water bottles in her purse, but she thought outside the box and purchased another bottle from the coffee shop, which gave her immediate access to their restroom.

When you feel your Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) acting up, don’t just ignore it, do something about it so you can continue with your daily itinerary just fine. You may have to adjust your diet and take the day a bit slower. 

In some cases, even if your friends stay out in the town and want to explore more, you may have to come back to the hotel to stay closer to a bathroom and even take a little nap to recuperate. But understand this is a much better option for you, so you can enjoy the rest of the days ahead. A little sacrifice can go a long way. 

6. No tempting, please! 

When traveling, it’s easy to be tempted to try different desserts and local foods, even wine and coffee, but do yourself a favor and even if your friends are tempting you, be firm and stick to your daily healthy diet. It’s not worth feeling miserable all day or night, or even worse, running to the bathroom every 20 minutes. You have to be smart and learn to say no, when needed.

Some people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) may get away with 1 or 2 bites, but if you are in doubt, is better to stay away than being sorry later. 

7. New Bathroom Rules 

Did you know that in many countries, using the restroom is not complimentary? Always carry enough change in your purse, just in case, as many bathrooms are by pay-for-entry only. 

8. Be creative at lunch and dinner time 

Your family made reservations at this very popular restaurant, but you read the menu and know there's nothing for you to eat there. Be creative and make your own meal instead. You can look at the sides or ask your waiter for something basic, like rice and steamed vegetables. Most restaurants can also provide you with grilled chicken or a simple salad with your favorite toppings. Maybe you can add a soup of the day, but don't be shy to ask about the exact ingredients it may contain. 

This is where the phone translator app comes in very handy!  Also, if there are certain restaurants on the list of must visit locations while traveling, google online for their menus before you leave. It will save you time and hassle, and you can know right away what you'll have. Recipe cards are also helpful for writing the restaurant's name and the meal of your choice. 

9. Prepare for a possible flare-up on the road 

Don't forget to pack your medicine for your trip. These are just as important as taking your passport with you. 

Pack laxatives if you suffer from constipation. It’s also helpful to pack medicine that you know it does your body good for headaches, flu, fever, etc... It will save you a lot of time and you'll worry less if you have them handy in your suitcase or purse already. 

10. Good books for company 

In the event you are not feeling well and you have to miss a tour, don't blame yourself or get upset. This will only aggravate your symptoms and you don't need any more flare ups. Think positive and enjoy a day all to yourself in bed or balcony. 

A good book or magazine will be an ideal companion to keep you busy while being alone in your hotel room. Enjoy a warm bath and if you are feeling like walking a bit, go explore your beautiful hotel. Check out the pool area, gardens, lobby, etc...You can take very nice photos too, at your hotel. Many times, travelers are so busy while on tours that they barely spend time in their hotel and they miss its unique architecture and landscapes.  It will also be a good idea to check out your hotel restaurants and their menu to see what you'll enjoy for lunch or dinner later on. 

Digestinol 

Digestinol is an all-natural supplement that helps support and promote digestive health as well as support your immune system. Its biggest benefit is the ability to target and reduce inflammation within your digestive system. Inflammation along your digestive system is one of the main reasons for pain/discomfort associated with digestive disorders. It can help with both constipation as well as diarrhea, because it gets your body back to normal so the amount of fluid in your colon is regulated the way it should be. 

What is Digestinol?

Our product contains AMP (Aloe Mucilaginous Polysaccharides) which is an all-natural molecule found in the aloe vera plant. It is known to enhance the body’s immune system due to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties. We have a 97-98% success rate reported from people who take Digestinol as directed for 90 days or longer. 

If you are not interested in prescription medications to treat your condition and prefer a more natural approach, Digestinol makes all-natural capsules that contain a very specific form of Aloe Polysaccharides to target the inflammation along your digestive tract. 

These capsules also provide your body with the nutrients that it is lacking in order to take back control of itself. Digestinol isn't just Aloe Vera powder, Aloe Vera (contains Aloein) which irritates your digestive system and can cause diarrhea. Digestinol undertakes very specific additional steps in order to remove the Aloein during their extraction process to focus on only the beneficial portions of the Aloe Leaf, the long chain Aloe Mucilaginous Polysaccharide molecules. 

Since Digestinol is 100% all-natural it doesn't bring along the side effects that other chemically based prescription medications have. We tell our customers to think of Digestinol as an all-natural digestive system specific vitamin that reduces inflammation and provides your body with specific nutrients that allow it to take back control of itself. 

Our Digestinol capsules will also help to balance the good and bad bacteria levels in your body allowing it to regain control of its normal operations.

 For more information, visit us at www.Digestinol.com or:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/Digestinol

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/digestinol-research-ba1651116

Tumblr – http://digestinol.tumblr.com

Digestinol Blog – http://digestinol-blog-digestinol.com

Instagram - @Digestinol

Twitter - @Digestinol1

[gastrocenternj]

Gastritis Friendly Restaurants: What Are My Options

Living with gastritis can be difficult. For people with acute gastritis, they only have to wait a couple of days or weeks before resuming normal eating patterns. This isn’t the case for patients suffering from chronic gastritis. 

Can I still eat out with chronic gastritis? Of course. The key is knowing your trigger foods and understanding which delicious cuisines are gastritis-friendly. Various tools on the internet, such as apps, can be used to find diet-specific restaurants. Eating out with gastritis may be more challenging, but it doesn’t have to be impossible. 

Understanding Gastritis

Gastritis is a condition wherein the stomach lining is inflamed. Both lifestyle choices and physiological factors can contribute to the development of gastritis. These include: 

Bacterial infection: The bacteria Helicobacter Pylori (H. pylori) is responsible for inflammations along the stomach lining and small intestine. This bacteria is the most common cause of ulcers and gastritis. 

Caused by medication overuse: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) interferes with the mucosal production, which makes the stomach more susceptible to damage caused by gastric acid and pepsin. 

Alcohol abuse: Consistent alcohol use can erode parts of the stomach lining, leading to irritation and inflammation. 

Autoimmune response: Autoimmune gastritis is a rare condition. This type of gastritis occurs when the immune system targets parietal cells found in the stomach and attacks them. 

Food and Gastritis: How Are They Related

Certain eating patterns, or a lack thereof, may increase a person’s risk of developing gastritis. A study published in the International Scholarly Research Notices suggests that individuals who practice irregular meal timing over a long period of time have an increased risk of developing gastritis. 

The body secretes digestive juices according to regular meal timing. When no food is present during the digestive period, the stomach lining becomes more vulnerable to infections. Over the course of time, H.pylori can exist in the interim between food digestion and juice secretion, and develop in the host’s body for many years. 

Continuous consumption of certain foods may irritate the stomach lining, leading to gastritis. Note that the effects of food are variable and dependent on a person’s tolerance for these kinds of foods. 

Alcohol is one of the known triggers of gastritis. The presence of alcohol encourages the stomach to produce more acid. When done continuously, the stomach lining may erode, causing inflammation. Spicy and sour foods are believed to have the same effect on the stomach. 

Contrary to popular belief, food alone can’t treat gastritis. However, dietary modifications are prescribed to help alleviate the symptoms of chronic gastritis. Patients who take a more conscientious approach to eating report significant improvements to gastritis symptoms. 

Can Eating Out Trigger Gastritis? 

Acute gastritis is a common complaint among travelers. During vacations, people tend to eat out frequently, consuming large amounts of alcohol alongside fatty and oily foods — foods that may not be a part of their daily meals. 

As a result, the digestive system reacts to the overwhelming amount of unhealthy food by ramping up its digestive power in order to meet the body’s constant supply of food. The real reason behind acute gastritis among travels isn’t eating out, but the consistent consumption of unhealthy foods in restaurants. 

In truth, eating out doesn’t have to lead to gastritis. Consuming unhealthy foods in moderation is one way to prevent gastritis from occurring when on vacation. Splitting meals and desserts, swapping out carbohydrates for vegetables, and drinking water instead of sugar-heavy drinks are just some ways to keep the digestive system balanced during travel.

Eating the Right Foods

Patients suffering from gastritis don’t have to skip dinner invites indefinitely. Below are approved foods for individuals with gastritis, and are easily available in restaurants:

1. Yogurt

A study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that consuming yogurt containing Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium helps treat H.pylori in patients with gastritis. Researchers studied patients infected with H.pylori who were undergoing triple therapy (a treatment involving two antibiotics and one proton pump inhibitor). 

86% of patients in a group were able to fight off their H.pylori infection. On the other hand, there was only a 71% reduction of H.pylori infection in the group that didn’t involve routine yogurt consumption. Filling your gut with healthy bacteria helps fight off other bacterial invasions, making the stomach lining less susceptible to gastritis. 

2. Fermented Milk 

A study published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology illustrates how fermented milk can increase the production of the gastric mucus gel layer in mice. This gel layer reduces the vulnerability of the stomach, specifically against gastritis caused by acetyl-salicylic acid. 

3. Sauerkraut 

Another type of fermented food, sauerkraut, can also be helpful in managing gastritis. Lactobacillus plantarum, the dominant bacteria species in sauerkraut, shows anti-Helicobacter properties. Incorporating sauerkraut in a patient’s diet can help prevent H.pylori activity from spreading. 

4. Broccoli

Broccoli, along with brussels sprouts, contains a nutrient called sulforaphane. Studies prove that these two vegetables contain an interactive strain that can fight off H.pylori infection, including those that are resistant to antibiotic treatment. These two vegetables can also be incorporated in diets of patients with stomach tumors caused by benzo a pyrene. 

5. Garlic 

Garlic has always been known for its antibacterial properties. They provide an extensive antibiotic spectrum, powerful enough to combat H. pylori. A study confirms that the regular consumption of allium vegetables (the group of foods including shallots, leeks, scallions, and chives) shows a much lower incidence rate of H.pylori. 

Aside from curing the common diarrhea, garlic is also effective in treating bacteria that have become immune to antibiotics. Toxin production can be prevented altogether with garlic alone.  

6. Apple Cider Vinegar

Long-term use of NSAIDs can lead to gastrointestinal imbalance. Drinking apple cider vinegar, the liquid derived from pressed apples, can reverse the damage from NSAID abuse by restoring balance into the gastrointestinal system. 

The malic acid present in apple cider vinegar alters the acidity in the body. By stabilizing pH levels, beneficial bacteria are able to thrive and protect the body once again.

Cuisines Recommended for Gastritis Patients

Indian Cuisine

Indian food uses numerous spices and ingredients that are known to help fight inflammation. These include ginger, turmeric, cumin, and curry. Indian cuisine also uses yogurt, which is useful in reintroducing good bacteria in the gut. However, indian cuisine can also go heavy on red chilies. Make sure you request your dishes to be less spicy, or just avoid spicy dishes altogether. 

What to try: Matar paneer, chicken curry, tikka masala, saag paneer

Greek Cuisine

Mediterranean cuisine is famous for using fresh ingredients, from leafy vegetables to whole grains. Mediterranean cuisine can be high on fats due to olive oil use so make sure to eat dishes that heavily feature olive oil and butter in moderation. Traditional greek cuisine is served as small plates, similar to tapas in Spain, which are meant to be shared with friends. Smaller plate sizes encourage groups to split up their food instead of eating large amounts of one dish. 

What to try: Hummus, avgolemono, baked sardines, spanakorizo, tabouli

Chinese Cuisine

Chinese cuisine is incredibly variable thanks to the many culinary-rich provinces in China. Not all Chinese food has to be spicy and oily. Steamed dumplings, warm wonton soup, and stir-fried rice are all chinese specialties that won’t upset the stomach. These dishes feature copious amounts of garlic and ginger, as well as vegetables like bok choy and broccoli. Similar to Indian foods, make sure to steer clear of dishes that incorporate large amounts of spices and acid, like the hot and sour soup. 

What to try: Meat with garlic sauce, steamed veggies in oyster sauce, egg drop soup, xiao long bao

Vietnamese Cuisine

Vietnamese cuisine is one of the cleanest, freshest cuisines in the world. Instead of oil, soups are made out of broth. Their spices are composed primarily of cilantro, mint, and basil, which aid in digestion and help ward off inflammation. Vietnamese food is generally lower in calories because of their technique: instead of using oil and frying for flavor and texture, Vietnamese cuisine relies on herbs for natural, “clean” flavor. 

What to try: Goi cuon, pho, goi ngo sen, steamed fish, banh mi

Specialty Restaurants for Gastritis Sufferers: Do They Exist?

Finding the right restaurant when dining with someone suffering from gastritis can seem impossible.. Thankfully, there are applications available to help gastritis patients find a suitable dining place. Yelp and OpenTable may provide some insight on a restaurant’s menu, but it’s apps like FindMyMacros that really make a difference.

FindMyMacros allows users to discover meals based on nutritional value. The data is collected from other users who log information based on their previous dining experience. With apps like this, people with gastritis can filter through dishes and restaurants that may trigger stomach discomfort. 

Apps like these are crucial in locating specialty restaurants that can accommodate special diets. An example of which is The Warren, a gastropub in New York City that offers food friendly enough for patients suffering from gastroenterologists. 

The restaurant is owned by gastroenterologist Dr. Prem Chattoo. In an interview, he mentions that spicy condiments are limited in his menu in order to prevent gastric flare-ups. Although indulgent foods like poutine are present on the menu, Dr. Chattoo gives a healthier twist to hearty dishes by presenting them in smaller plates instead of traditionally big servings. 

Tips On Eating Out With Gastritis

1. Keep a food diary: Different foods produce varying reactions in different people. Knowing which specific foods cause gastric flare up can help you in the long-run. Take note of foods that irritate your stomach and avoid those in the future. 

2. Eat smaller meals: Instead of ordering big meals, consider ordering smaller plates to avoid eating too much in one sitting. You can also share food with your friends to make sure you don’t upset your stomach by eating too much. 

Eating less more frequently is the secret to managing gastritis. By regulating your food intake, you’re able to control your stomach’s acid production, which can help prevent gastric flare-ups. 

3. Avoid alcohol: Whether your gastritis is caused by alcohol, NSAIDs, or H.pylori, it’s crucial to avoid alcohol altogether. Alcohol encourages stomach lining irritation and erosion, leading to worse symptoms of gastritis. 

4. Use antacids when eating: If you want to be able to enjoy your food while being completely symptom-free, take an antacid before and after meals. This helps keep acid production in check so you can enjoy a night out with friends and family. 

5. Stay away from spicy and sour food: As discussed, even the healthiest cuisines use spices and acids to some degree. Navigate around the menu to ensure that you avoid these ingredients. Various alternatives are available without having to sacrifice taste. 

6. Look up a restaurant’s menu in advance: The best way to prepare for a restaurant is to anticipate the food in advance. Do your research and look up menu items to pre-select your options. If you’re concerned about a specific dish, you can call the restaurant, learn about the ingredients, and ask for possible alternatives. 

Find Better Ways to Manage Your Gastritis

At the Gastro Center NJ, we believe that your gastrointestinal problems shouldn’t dictate your lifestyle. We’re here to help you understand gastritis and the state of your gastrointestinal health.

Book an appointment with us today and let’s start finding solutions together. 

The post Gastritis Friendly Restaurants: What Are My Options appeared first on Gastro Center NJ.

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[healthbolt-blog]

New Post has been published on Health bolt

New Post has been published on http://www.healthbolt.net/cooking/what-is-the-most-healthy-cooking-oil-to-use/

What Is The Most Healthy Cooking Oil To Use

Contents

Higher smoke point

Expert nutrition advice

Include healthy fats

Saucepan cooking. drain

It’s also one of the healthiest oils to use when baking. “As a dressing it’s great … and the healthfulness of a vegetable oil depends on its source and what it’s used for. Most vegetable oils on the …

Quite possibly the most well-known and frequently used of cooking oils … heart-healthy fats, and links to cancer prevention …

Castor oil is a type of vegetable oil. It comes from the pressed beans … Castor oil also has emollient properties known to help improve your skin’s texture and healthy appearance. To use castor oil …

Use these oils instead of solid fats (including butter, shortening, lard and hard stick margarine) and tropical oils (including palm and coconut oil), which can have a lot of saturated fat. Here’s an alphabetical list of common cooking oils that contain more of …

The most important factor in determining an oil’s resistance to oxidation and rancidification, both at high and low heat, is the relative degree of saturation of the fatty acids in it.

Have you ever been confused about which vegetable oils are healthiest? Or which ones to use … Peanut Oil: Unrefined peanut oil has a higher smoke point than most unrefined oils and great flavor. (I …

Yesterday, we introduced you to healthy cooking methods where we mentioned that the best cooking practice is to try and cut down on the amount of cooking oil you use, altogether … formation of it in …

Healthy Way To Cook Asparagus In Oven Healthy Food You Can Cook In The Microwave Get healthy with a subscription to Healthy food guide magazine. delicious healthy recipes and expert nutrition advice will be delivered to your door every month! Healthy Cooking Magazine Recipes How To Cook Red Potatoes Healthy About Potatoes. Whether mashed, baked or roasted, people often consider potatoes as comfort food. It is an important food staple and the number one vegetable crop in the world. Red potatoes are coated with olive oil and a package of onion soup mix before roasting in a hot oven for one hour. These meatballs are healthy and made with ground … All you do is add some chopped red potatoes to your greased slow cooker. … Garnishes: These include healthy fats from chopped tree nuts … A few ideas: hard-boiled eggs, cubed and roasted sweet potat… These red-skinned mashed potatoes are just the creamiest. They are always a hit with company. Just a warning: they are addictive! healthy thai cooking We’re all healthy and strong. There’s so much food we want to eat when we get out. We want to go straight home. And we beg th… healthy cooking classes Near Me That demographic is 48,000 and climbing in neighborhoods near … mats, cooking classes, healthy eating classes. "My favorite thing about this place is every room you go in has windows that look outsi… Find the best Healthy Cooking Classes near you on Yelp – see all Healthy Cooking Classes open now. Explore other popular event planning & Services near you from over 7 million businesses with over 142 million reviews and opinions from Yelpers. I teach two different types of cooking classes. A large(30 person) demonstration class where three courses are taught and served along with a paired wine. The other class is a hands-on cooking class of 10 people where the students get to actually make the meal. He tried to kill me,” she said with a chuckle. For nearly two decades, Walsh Jennings has traveled from her home in the South … Hone your cooking skills by taking a few fun and informative cooking classes. Since the Kitchen Witch closed in Encinitas in 2010 I (Phillis Carey) have moved my classes to a lovely new location–The … Healthy Ways To Cook Hamburger How To cook frozen spinach healthy Let these 30+ healthy spinach recipes show you how to make delicious spinach dishes that just about everyone will simply adore. From fresh spinach recipes to frozen spinach recipes, this recipe collection will have you eating this humble green nonstop. … cook frozen spinach according to package directions. frozen spinach adapts well to both microwave and saucepan cooking. drain the cooked spinach in a colander to remove the excess cooking liquid; if desired, use the vitamin-packed liquid for tomorrow’s soup or protein shake. Apr 22, 2015  · Easy instructions on how to cook spinach the easy way, the natural way. This is the recipe for the best cooked spinach. It’s cooked with a minimum of ingredients,

and they have some of the best anti-inflammatory properties of any cooking oils. It does have a less neutral flavor than avoc…

Best Heart Healthy Cooking Oil Blends or combinations of these oils, often sold under the name “vegetable oil,” and cooking sprays made from these oils are also good choices. Some specialty oils, like avocado, grapeseed, rice bran and sesame, can be healthy choices but may cost a …

Healthy Food You Can Cook In The Microwave Get healthy with a subscription to Healthy Food Guide magazine. Delicious healthy recipes and expert nutrition advice will be delivered to your door every month! Healthy Cooking Magazine Recipes How To Cook Red Potatoes Healthy About Potatoes. Whether mashed, baked or roasted, people often consider potatoes as comfort food. It is an important food staple and the number one vegetable crop in the world. Red potatoes are coated with olive oil and a package of onion soup mix before roasting in a hot oven for one hour. These meatballs are healthy and made with ground … All you do is add some chopped red potatoes to your greased slow cooker. … Garnishes: These include healthy fats from chopped tree nuts … A few ideas: hard-boiled eggs, cubed and roasted sweet potat… These red-skinned mashed potatoes are just the creamiest. They are always a hit with company. Just a warning: they are addictive! healthy thai cooking We’re all healthy and strong. There’s so much food we want to eat when we get out. We want to go straight home. And we beg th… healthy cooking classes Near Me That demographic is 48,000 and climbing in neighborhoods near … mats, cooking classes, healthy eating classes. "My favorite thing about this place is every room you go in has windows that look outsi… Find the best Healthy Cooking Classes near you on Yelp – see all Healthy Cooking Classes open now. Explore other popular event planning & Services near you from over 7 million businesses with over 142 million reviews and opinions from Yelpers. I teach two different types of cooking classes. A large(30 person) demonstration class where three courses are taught and served along with a paired wine. The other class is a hands-on cooking class of 10 people where the students get to actually make the meal. He tried to kill me,” she said with a chuckle. For nearly two decades, Walsh Jennings has traveled from her home in the South … Hone your cooking skills by taking a few fun and informative cooking classes. Since the Kitchen Witch closed in Encinitas in 2010 I (Phillis Carey) have moved my classes to a lovely new location–The … Healthy Ways To Cook Hamburger How To cook frozen spinach healthy Let these 30+ healthy spinach recipes show you how to make delicious spinach dishes that just about everyone will simply adore. From fresh spinach recipes to frozen spinach recipes, this recipe collection will have you eating this humble green nonstop. … cook frozen spinach according to package directions. frozen spinach adapts well to both microwave and saucepan cooking. Drain the cooked spinach in a colander to remove the excess cooking liquid; if desired, use the vitamin-packed liquid for tomorrow’s soup or protein shake. Apr 22, 2015  · Easy instructions on how to cook spinach the easy way, the natural way. This is the recipe for the best cooked spinach. It’s cooked with a minimum of ingredients, with the addition of just olive oil, garlic, Healthy Cooking Magazine Food that just wasn’t healthy." Morseau, a member of the Tribal Council of … Give us your email and we will give you our we… Dates are the new healthy ingredient showing up in energy bars and low-fat sweet recipes. Judy suggests enjoying the gourmet … Find healthy, delicious recipes and menu ideas from our test kitchen cooks and nutrition experts at EatingWell magazine. Learn how to make healthier food choices every day. Looking for healthy eating recipes? Find delicious recipes for eating healthy including low carb recipes, low fat recipes, gluten-free recipes, diabetic recipes and more recipes for special diets. The judges for the Rapid Fire Challenge are Maria Loi, Chef, Greek Food Ambassador, Author, Healthy Lifestyle Expert … The event is sponsored by Total Foodservice Magazine and supported by Meatless … Healthy Food You Can Cook In The Microwave Get healthy with a subscription to Healthy food guide magazine. delicious healthy recipes and expert nutrition advice will be delivered to your door every month! Healthy cooking magazine recipes How To Cook Red Potatoes Healthy About Potatoes. Whether mashed, baked or roasted, people often consider potatoes as comfort food. It is an important food staple and the number one vegetable crop in the world. Red potatoes are coated with olive oil and a package of onion soup mix before roasting in a hot oven for one hour. These meatballs are healthy and made with ground … All you do is add some chopped red potatoes to your greased slow cooker. … Garnishes: These include healthy fats from chopped tree nuts … A few ideas: hard-boiled eggs, cubed and roasted sweet potat… These red-skinned mashed potatoes are just the creamiest. They are always a hit with company. Just a warning: they are addictive! healthy thai cooking We’re all healthy and strong. There’s so much food we want to eat when we get out. We want to go straight home. And we beg th… healthy cooking classes Near Me That demographic is 48,000 and climbing in neighborhoods near … mats, cooking classes, healthy eating classes. "My favorite thing about this place is every room you go in has windows that look outsi… Find the best Healthy Cooking Classes near you on Yelp – see all Healthy Cooking Classes open now. Explore other popular event planning & Services near you from over 7 million businesses with over 142 million reviews and opinions from Yelpers. I teach two different types of cooking classes. A large(30 person) demonstration class where three courses are taught and served along with a paired wine. The other class is a hands-on cooking class of 10 people where the students get to actually make the meal. He tried to kill me,” she said with a chuckle. For nearly two decades, Walsh Jennings has traveled from her home in the South … Hone your cooking skills by taking a few fun and informative cooking classes. Since the Kitchen Witch closed in Encinitas in 2010 I (Phillis Carey) have moved my

[sherristockman]

Try This Comforting Keto-Friendly Cabbage and Bacon Soup Recipe none Recipe by Pete Evans I’m sure that many of you have already read my latest book, “Fat for Fuel” — if you haven’t yet, I encourage you to pick up your copy now, as it is one of the most important health books you will read in your life — and you’re determined to incorporate the ketogenic diet into your lifestyle. Now the challenge is: How can you make sure that the meals you prepare are keto-friendly? Well, you don’t have to worry — we’ve made it easy for you! I’m excited to announce that renowned Australian chef and restauranteur Pete Evans and I are releasing the “Fat for Fuel Ketogenic Cookbook: Recipes and Ketogenic Keys to Health from a World-Class Doctor and an Internationally Renowned Chef” November 14. This fantastic resource offers a wide array of delectable recipes — from appetizers to main courses to snacks and sweet treats — that all follow the principles of the ketogenic diet. I am thrilled to have Pete onboard this project, not only because of his amazing palate and creativity in the kitchen, but also because his dedication to eating healthy, fat-burning foods is on par with my principles of achieving nutritional ketosis in order to reach optimal wellness. To give you a taste of what our cookbook will offer, Pete has shared one of his healthy recipes below. It combines the freshness of leafy greens with the rich taste of bacon, plus spices, to make a comforting and hearty soup that you can sip when the weather turns chilly. Try it today! Ingredients: 2 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil 1 onion, chopped 1/2 pound silverbeet, leafy green part and stems separated, trimmed and chopped 1/2 pound green cabbage, shredded 1/4 pound rindless bacon 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric 6 cups organic chicken broth Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 large handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves Procedure: 1. Melt 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for five minutes, or until softened. Stir in the garlic, silverbeet stems and cabbage and cook for five minutes, or until softened. 2. Melt the remaining oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat, add the bacon and cook until lightly golden, about four minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and drain on a paper towel. 3. Chop the bacon into 1-inch pieces and stir into the cooked cabbage mixture, then add the turmeric and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. 4. Stir in the leafy green part of the silverbeet and cook for another five minutes until wilted. Season with salt and pepper. To finish, stir in the parsley leaves and serve. This recipe makes four to six servings. Don’t Underestimate the Health Benefits of Cabbage Many people simply pass by and ignore cabbage when they see it in the produce section, not knowing that it actually offers a barrage of benefits. This humble cruciferous vegetable comes loaded with powerful antioxidants like vitamins A and C, as well as phytonutrients sulforaphane, lutein, zeaxanthin and thiocyanates. These nutrients not only stimulate detoxifying enzymes, but they also provide protective effects against certain cancers like breast, colon and prostate. You can also help reduce inflammation by adding cabbage to your meals, as it offers a wealth of anti-inflammatory nutrients like anthocyanins. You can also get your fair share of B vitamins, including folate, B6, B1 and B5. These B vitamins not only help boost your energy levels, but also help slow shrinkage in brain regions that are impacted by Alzheimer's disease by as much as sevenfold. Another wonderful thing about cabbage is that it offers variety; red, green and Savoy are some examples that you can enjoy, each with its own wealth of nutrients. Although best eaten raw, such as in coleslaw, it wouldn’t hurt to add cabbage to your cooked meals every once in a while. If you’re an avid gardener, you can also try growing cabbage at home. This vegetable has a long growing season and can thrive in both warm and cold-weather climates. Check out my article “All About Growing Cabbage” for more helpful tips. [ECF1] Have You Heard of ‘Silverbeets’ Before? You’ll probably answer “no,” but you’ll be surprised to know that silverbeet is actually just another name for Swiss chard. While not as popular as other greens like spinach and broccoli, this leafy vegetable offers its own array of benefits, thanks to its impressive nutrient profile. It’s a good source of vitamin C that help fight free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS), as well as phytonutrients that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Silverbeet offers vitamins K and A, and antioxidants like alpha carotene, beta carotene, zeaxanthin and astaxanthin. And just like cabbage, it’s rich in B vitamins like folate, B6, thiamin, niacin and pantothenic acid.[ECF2] [i] Can Bacon Actually Be Healthy for You? While it’s true that most processed meats like hotdogs, sausages and salami can wreak havoc on your well-being, I believe that the devil’s in the details. Bacon, for example, can be potentially healthy but only if it is prepared properly and the meat is acquired from high-quality sources. Bacon from pasture raised pigs provides good amounts of healthy saturated and monounsaturated fat, mainly oleic acid, which is also found in olive oil.[ii] It also offers palmitoleic acid, which has antimicrobial properties, phosphatidylcholine that possesses antioxidant activity superior to vitamin E and fat-soluble vitamin D. However, do not buy processed bacon sold in supermarkets or groceries, as that is likely loaded with health-harming preservatives. Instead, I advise getting bacon that has been prepared using time-tested traditional methods, so you can ensure that no unhealthy additives are added to the meat. See if your local farmer who raises pastured pigs offers this type of meat. [ECF3] About Pete Evans Pete Evans is an internationally renowned chef who has joined forces with Dr. Mercola to create a healthy cookbook that’s loaded with delicious, unique Keto recipes, ideal for people who want to switch to a ketogenic diet. The “Fat for Fuel Ketogenic Cookbook” will be released November 14. Pete has had numerous noteworthy contributions to the culinary world. He has not only cooked for the general public, but he’s also cooked a royal banquet for the Prince and Princess of Denmark, a private dinner for Martha Stewart, and even represented his hometown at the gala GʼDay USA dinner for 600 in New York City. Pete’s career has moved from the kitchen into the lounge room with many TV appearances including Lifestyle Channel’s “Home show,” “Postcards from Home,” “FISH,” “My Kitchen Rules” and “Moveable Feast.”[RS4]

[maaliwalli]

ANCIENT FUTURE FOODS : Can looking back, save our future?

 Simrit Malhi on why the current food trend might actually be centuries old.

You shop at the local farmers market — mostly seasonal and always in the organic section. Heck, you even know the name of most of the people that grow your produce. Thumbs up for effort, but darling, your habits are so 2000.

Enter 2017. Michelin star restaurants serve insects on sticks and the hottest food trend of the year (after unicorn milkshakes) is… the humble millet.

From Africa, the Americas to the Asian 'rice belt' that runs through India, Thailand and on to Korea – our planet was once abundant with various millets. Discovered and grown by sheepherders of the vast Mongolian steppe some 7,500 years ago, they grew millets because of their short growing season: only 45 days. They helped spread the seed all the way through Asia, Russia and everywhere in between. Even Japan, which has been subsisting on rice since 400 BC, grows millet and occasionally mixes the two to make the rice 'fuller'.

The Holy Triad of Corn, Wheat and Rice, that has ruled plates around the world since the advent of Industrial Farming, today contributes to more than half of all calories consumed by humans worldwide. In the US, corn now uses more land and water than any other crop, and the chemicals used to sustain it have resulted in the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico.

In contrast, foxtail millet thrives with 4 inches or less of annual rainfall. Take teff, an Ethiopian grain that is hardier, more drought-tolerant and more nutritious than wheat. It can be grown in both water-logged and water-stress conditions. No need for any chemicals, either.

Even better, because millets literally drink up water (even once ingested), you need much less quantities than say, rice. In fact, to avoid dehydration, use millets in porridge, curries and soups as far as possible and eat dishes made with millet flour in moderation. Luckily our modern plating systems seem tailor made for millets' necessity for small portions. And in the end, the nutty complexity of millet will always win over the one-dimensional sweetness of the Triad.

As Michael Pollan, humanity's Defender of Food made clear, traditional food is best for our bodies. It might be the right time to start eating like the ancestors on whose shoulders our DNA rests.

As a farmer, ecologist and mom, I find the world of global food trends and 'buzzwords' inherently interesting. The 'vegetable of the year' (cauliflower, but now increasingly, celery) can dictate what farmers grow, how much water is used and ultimately, what reaches our tables. Unlike almost every other kind of large-scale market, consuming and producing food consciously, seems to go hand in hand with being 'trendy'. I assume we owe this to the top chefs of the world — arrogant enough to educate the masses instead of being a slave to them. For only in the world of food, can the most on-point trend of the year be something as intimate as gut health (predicted by none other than the New York Times).

Fermented foods is an essential Ancient-Future food — indigenous, tribal and medicinal, everyone in our country probably eats something fermented everyday. The airiness of a dhokla, the just-right sourness in a jalebi, or the pungency of mesu (one of the few to feature in India's Ark of Taste) all owe their beauty to fermentation processes that are centuries old.

Like the millet, fermenting your food seems to be an elegant solution to all kinds of problems —  the live microbes are a blessing for our gut, aiding digestion, increasing immunity and staving off disease; and because you don't have to cook most fermented foods, you save on fuel and reduce the production of endogenous toxins. It also helps that it is genuinely more delicious, adding texture and aroma where there was none. And, oh yes, it is the ultimate fast food!

"Although fermentation takes time, it’s not active time," says Sandor Katz — thefermentation guru. "Having a jar of sauerkraut fermenting in your kitchen will take you ten minutes: Chop up the vegetables and salt them. And then for weeks you have this really nutrition-packed embellishment that you can put on your meals on the run." Seriously, it’s that easy — noodles, broth and kimchi have saved me many a young-mom breakdown.

Indians looking for something more funky, have a long history of bacilli and ingredients to dive into. Take just vinegars, for example, we have kachampuli, used in the legendary Coorgi pandi curry, sugarcane sirka used in Gujarat and Punjab, and the ubiquitous coconut vinegar from Goa; but honestly, you can make vinegar out of anything vaguely sweet. Jamun vinegar is making a huge 'super food' comeback in the country now but I don't know of any restaurant using it… yet.

Fermenting comes into good use in that other food trend of the year 'root to fruit'. Riffing off 'nose to tail', where every part of the animal was used,  'root to fruit' also ties up with being seasonal. It is almost impossible, for instance, to use nasturtium flowers or beetroot greens that are more than a couple of days old.

An old stronghold of our culture is to use as many parts of the produce as you can — you will know this if you've ever grown your own. For example, banana peel thoran and cauliflower danthal sabzi (that both use the stems and leaves); nothing is ever thrown away, not even the peel. Predictably, it’s all super healthy and tasty — fruit and vegetable skins are loaded with anti-oxidants and fibre; and the varied flavours within the same profile are a blessing for the modern chef. Stem pestos and blanchedeverything with olive oil, garlic and salt are now du jour . Nitin Tiwari, at Razzberry Rhinocerous, even created an extensive 'root to fruit' menu exclusively for his cocktails.

Internationally, Alex Atala is South America's most important chef right now and the original champion of the Ancient Future Food. Literally wading through vast Amazonian forests in Brazil to give a voice to Indigenous food cultures and peoples' rights. His company Instituto Ata, is devoted to the research and promotion of Brazilian indigenous ingredients, which he does through his two Michelin starred restaurant, D.O.M. in Sao Paulo. It aims to "enhance, protect biodiversity and expand the portfolio of local produce for chefs and consumers".

Remember this: the food on your plate starts with a handful of seeds and an idea in a farmer's head. And it is up to us to provide those ideas. Our chefs and us need to make the most of what’s left of our traditional foods.

Back home in Mumbai, Prateek Sandhu at Masque creates seasonal menus with the best of what India farms — and he ferments too! (His rye sourdough is unbelievable). Floyd Cardoz of Bombay Canteen is fiercely protective of India's terroir, eschewing zucchini and broccoli for lotus stems and gourds; and New York based Michelin-starred chef Vikas Khanna is already working on his next book — based on at least 40 different types of millets.

It is time to change up systems and move from the Industrial Era of Food to a new, more inclusive system — which brings not only tradition and the future together, but also the poor and rich, the rural and the urban, and the global with the local. This is the only system that can have a mutually beneficial answer to farmers, the environment, and the consumer, with our ever-sophisticated food habits.

As published on www.goyajournal.in

[health1information]

Crazy for crucifers: 13 cruciferous vegetables overflowing vegetables

Crazy for crucifers: 13 cruciferous vegetables overflowing vegetables

Kale has been the "He" plant for years. Now, his cousins ​​- Brussels sprouts and cauliflower - are receiving in a top of the poster more and more restaurant menus. The members of this botanical family, collectively referred to as cruciferous vegetables, enjoy excess culinary worship in the United States.

Cultivated for centuries, mainly in Asia and Europe, the Brassica plant (which belong to the most cruciferous vegetables), has a surprising variety. Most American adults consume far less than 2 ½ cups of vegetables a day recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015. So what is a serving of cruciferous vegetables? According to the US Department of Agriculture (which classifies these vegetables in the "dark green" or "other" subgroups) if raw hardwood and a portion is served 2 cups; For cooked green, one part is a cup. Non-leafy, such as turnip and radish, the cruciferous vegetable portion is a cut is whether cooked or raw.

Cruciferous vegetables are a nutritional source of many key nutrients. They are a good source of dietary fiber and contain vitamins K, C and E, folic acid, minerals such as potassium and calcium, and various carotenoids. He conducted extensive research into the potential impact on cruciferous various cancers. Although evidence shows that a number of nutrients and phytochemicals in the cruciferous family may have anti-cancer effects, much of the research has focused on the abundant glucosinolates containing sulfur.

In addition to causing the sulphurous odor was released by some cruciferous during cooking, glucosinolates break down into compounds that can reduce inflammation and the impact of carcinogenic activity in the body. Although some epidemiological studies suggest that a diet containing abundant cruciferous vegetables may help reduce the risk of certain cancers, recent research does not show any consistent or strong association. It conducts further research including studies on the impact of genetics in the body's ability to use potentially beneficial in these anti-cancer compounds of the plant.

Rocket leaves

Also called "rocket", the rocket is available both as a mature green and a form of "baby" - both are well known pepper flavor vegetables. Find it in many mixtures with green salad alone or with clear and sharp leaves and stems to blow up.

Bok choy

Cultivated in China for thousands of years, means bok choy "white vegetable". The two dark green leaves and white stems of this calcium-rich plant are edible. Although they are usually associated with fries and soups, bok choy can add a crunchy texture and fresh flavor to salads.

broccoli

The two stems and flowers of this plant are edible and nutritious. Concentrates the broccoli cooking some of their beneficial substances (carotenoids, for example) but also significantly decreases glucosinolates. Reduce microwave losses or steam broccoli instead

Brussels sprouts

A good source of dietary fiber and folic acid, Brussels sprouts have a slightly bitter taste. Reduce this bitterness by roasting or grilling, adding sweetness and a drizzle of maple syrup or sauté in a little oil or butter.

cabbage

Three types of cabbage are usually available: pale green texture, purple-red and wavy savoy. Cabbage napa - also called Chinese cabbage - is another common variety. Eat raw or cooked or fermented forms of sauerkraut or Korean kimchi, which offer probiotic benefits.

cauliflower

Known as curdled milk, cauliflower head has hundreds of immature white flowers bound to a single stem. In addition to the famous white cauliflower, the current market includes light green varieties Broccoflower (a cross between broccoli and cauliflower) to purple, orange and cauliflower Romanesco chartreuse.

Kale

Nutrients superstar Kale is king of vitamin K - 1 cup of this cooked cruciferio has the highest level of vitamin among all foods. When buying, choose clusters of dark and avoid yellow or brown leaves.

Chou-rave

Beneath the pale violet or white exterior of this green vegetable is crisp, juicy and slightly scented white flesh. Cabbage bulbs can be eaten raw or cooked, and edible leaves are usually sauteed or steamed. Is considered to be native to France, is popular in kohlrabi Germany and India, where it is a common ingredient in curries.

mustard

Pepper mustard leaves are an excellent source of vitamins A, C and K. Given its strong flavor, cooked mustard leaves can be preferred to raw. Braise or saute with a little olive oil, chicken broth and garlic; Mix the steamed vegetables with a little sesame oil, salt and pepper; Add to curries and soups.

radish

While many consumers are familiar with red garden radishes, white daikon radish, which is common in Asia, and Spanish black radish, they are also part of the family. Radishes can be eaten raw for crunchy crunch salads, vegetable dishes and sandwiches and you can grill a side dish or in soups and stews.

Rapinis

Known in the Diverse World (including broccoli, turnip, broccoli and Italian rape), this leaf flower plant does not ripen into a large size. Although often called Arabic or rapini, rapini is not a type of broccoli and is different from Broccolini; In fact, rapini knows much more bitter than the Broccolini.

rutabaga

Larger than a turnip, rutabaga thinks that is the result of a botanical cross of wild cabbage and turnip. The rutabaga meat is pale yellow, and the outside of the root can be white, violet or yellow. Usually waxed to prevent drying, you can roast, grind or cut into pieces to replace the potatoes in soups and stews.

turnip

Old and resistant turnips are available in a range of shapes and colors from the root. If possible, buy turnips with leaves still attached, then take off at home for two nutritious vegetables in one. In recipes, change the roots of turnips for potatoes and vegetables instead of using spinach or mustard.

Dietitian from Blogger http://ift.tt/2prmrAg via IFTTT

[tinydetectivestudent-posts]

Crazy for crucifers: 13 cruciferous vegetables overflowing vegetables

Crazy for crucifers: 13 cruciferous vegetables overflowing vegetables

Kale has been the "He" plant for years. Now, his cousins ​​- Brussels sprouts and cauliflower - are receiving in a top of the poster more and more restaurant menus. The members of this botanical family, collectively referred to as cruciferous vegetables, enjoy excess culinary worship in the United States.

Cultivated for centuries, mainly in Asia and Europe, the Brassica plant (which belong to the most cruciferous vegetables), has a surprising variety. Most American adults consume far less than 2 ½ cups of vegetables a day recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015. So what is a serving of cruciferous vegetables? According to the US Department of Agriculture (which classifies these vegetables in the "dark green" or "other" subgroups) if raw hardwood and a portion is served 2 cups; For cooked green, one part is a cup. Non-leafy, such as turnip and radish, the cruciferous vegetable portion is a cut is whether cooked or raw.

Cruciferous vegetables are a nutritional source of many key nutrients. They are a good source of dietary fiber and contain vitamins K, C and E, folic acid, minerals such as potassium and calcium, and various carotenoids. He conducted extensive research into the potential impact on cruciferous various cancers. Although evidence shows that a number of nutrients and phytochemicals in the cruciferous family may have anti-cancer effects, much of the research has focused on the abundant glucosinolates containing sulfur.

In addition to causing the sulphurous odor was released by some cruciferous during cooking, glucosinolates break down into compounds that can reduce inflammation and the impact of carcinogenic activity in the body. Although some epidemiological studies suggest that a diet containing abundant cruciferous vegetables may help reduce the risk of certain cancers, recent research does not show any consistent or strong association. It conducts further research including studies on the impact of genetics in the body's ability to use potentially beneficial in these anti-cancer compounds of the plant.

Rocket leaves

Also called "rocket", the rocket is available both as a mature green and a form of "baby" - both are well known pepper flavor vegetables. Find it in many mixtures with green salad alone or with clear and sharp leaves and stems to blow up.

Bok choy

Cultivated in China for thousands of years, means bok choy "white vegetable". The two dark green leaves and white stems of this calcium-rich plant are edible. Although they are usually associated with fries and soups, bok choy can add a crunchy texture and fresh flavor to salads.

broccoli

The two stems and flowers of this plant are edible and nutritious. Concentrates the broccoli cooking some of their beneficial substances (carotenoids, for example) but also significantly decreases glucosinolates. Reduce microwave losses or steam broccoli instead

Brussels sprouts

A good source of dietary fiber and folic acid, Brussels sprouts have a slightly bitter taste. Reduce this bitterness by roasting or grilling, adding sweetness and a drizzle of maple syrup or sauté in a little oil or butter.

cabbage

Three types of cabbage are usually available: pale green texture, purple-red and wavy savoy. Cabbage napa - also called Chinese cabbage - is another common variety. Eat raw or cooked or fermented forms of sauerkraut or Korean kimchi, which offer probiotic benefits.

cauliflower

Known as curdled milk, cauliflower head has hundreds of immature white flowers bound to a single stem. In addition to the famous white cauliflower, the current market includes light green varieties Broccoflower (a cross between broccoli and cauliflower) to purple, orange and cauliflower Romanesco chartreuse.

Kale

Nutrients superstar Kale is king of vitamin K - 1 cup of this cooked cruciferio has the highest level of vitamin among all foods. When buying, choose clusters of dark and avoid yellow or brown leaves.

Chou-rave

Beneath the pale violet or white exterior of this green vegetable is crisp, juicy and slightly scented white flesh. Cabbage bulbs can be eaten raw or cooked, and edible leaves are usually sauteed or steamed. Is considered to be native to France, is popular in kohlrabi Germany and India, where it is a common ingredient in curries.

mustard

Pepper mustard leaves are an excellent source of vitamins A, C and K. Given its strong flavor, cooked mustard leaves can be preferred to raw. Braise or saute with a little olive oil, chicken broth and garlic; Mix the steamed vegetables with a little sesame oil, salt and pepper; Add to curries and soups.

radish

While many consumers are familiar with red garden radishes, white daikon radish, which is common in Asia, and Spanish black radish, they are also part of the family. Radishes can be eaten raw for crunchy crunch salads, vegetable dishes and sandwiches and you can grill a side dish or in soups and stews.

Rapinis

Known in the Diverse World (including broccoli, turnip, broccoli and Italian rape), this leaf flower plant does not ripen into a large size. Although often called Arabic or rapini, rapini is not a type of broccoli and is different from Broccolini; In fact, rapini knows much more bitter than the Broccolini.

rutabaga

Larger than a turnip, rutabaga thinks that is the result of a botanical cross of wild cabbage and turnip. The rutabaga meat is pale yellow, and the outside of the root can be white, violet or yellow. Usually waxed to prevent drying, you can roast, grind or cut into pieces to replace the potatoes in soups and stews.

turnip

Old and resistant turnips are available in a range of shapes and colors from the root. If possible, buy turnips with leaves still attached, then take off at home for two nutritious vegetables in one. In recipes, change the roots of turnips for potatoes and vegetables instead of using spinach or mustard.

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