Archive for May, 2010

The Complete Cookbook For those with Special Dietary Needs, Organic Lovers and Vegetarians

Posted in Vegetables on May 19th, 2010 by admin – Comments Off

It is true that more and more people are finding themselves allergic to gluten and it makes it even harder if they are diabetic.And the need to limit sugar intake and block gluten in their diet becomes esential, Which in reality limits your choices on varieties of food you can eat and is annoying most of the times.

First, let’s talk about how gluten affects people that are allergic to it. As you know, gluten is a protein component that is found in foods like barley, flour, and other grains. Because these grains are a normal part of our everyday diet, it’s very difficult to avoid gluten and it’s made harder by the fact that many people do not eat at home.

People that develop sensitivity to gluten face serious health consequences. Minor symptoms may include mood swings, sensitivity to light, loss of concentration, and stomach pain. Some of the major effects can be nerve damage, difficulty breathing and damage to the intestines.

What makes gluten problems so hard to diagnose is that the symptoms usually mimic depression. The person may feel low in energy, moody, depressed, and deflated. People close to you may sometimes ask you why you are not your usual self. Are you born with Gluten sensitivity, no really not. It can start affecting you out of nowhere so a gluten allergy is the last thing that people suspect.

Once you find out that you are sensitive to gluten, you may want to start on a gluten free diet as well as a dairy free diet. You have to think about what kind of ingredients may include gluten in the foods that you eat. Gluten is used in a lot of processed foods but simple foods like bagels, ketchup, and rye bread can also have gluten in it.

It becomes easier for you to identify foods that cause problems if you prepare a check list. Start planning about replacing your diet with new foods as you go through the checklist. After all, you may find that most of your diet consists of gluten foods and you will have nothing to eat.

You should start eliminating foods with gluten one by one in the beginning. you should replace your meals one by one until it is completely gluten free by doing some research. There are foods that do not contain gluten in it like potatoes, rice and corn so you can start there.

The best way to come up with a list of foods that are gluten free is to buy a gluten free diet cookbook. To help you succeed in the transition to a dairy free and gluten free diet, look for a cookbook that has recipes for meat-eaters, organic food eaters and vegans.

You may also want to look for a cookbook with recipes with a low glycemic index if you have a problem with diabetes. To allow you to change your diet without limiting yourself from delicious foods and meals, the best thing would be to buy a cookbook. So I urge you to take the leap and buy a cookbook as soon as possible.

Experience the smooth transition to a gluten free diet, Please visit http://www.glutenfreedietinfo.com

Article Source: articlestreet

The Top Three Summer Vegetables To Grow With Organic Garden Fertilizer

Posted in Vegetables on May 12th, 2010 by admin – Comments Off

Reaping the rewards from a well-tended garden can be as fulfilling as it is, well, filling. With a little research and organic garden fertilizer, you can successfully raise crops that thrive on hot, summer days. Keep reading for the top three summer vegetables to add to your garden—and starter tips to get them growing. The first step: bring your seedlings to life in starter pots. Gestation periods vary, but plan on transplanting sprouts from pots to plots after a month.

Tomatoes

Ok, so technically, these ruby reds are fruit. Ripened on a vine, they’re both sweet and savory when ready for consumption. These treats fall under the nightshade family. – The earlier you put these seedlings to their soil bed, the sweeter they’ll be. – To expedite your first batch, prep the soil with tomato fertilizer. Keep the plot warm by covering it with a dark tarp a few weeks before digging in to plant. – Like Julia Child’s famous words on cooking mushrooms, the same advice applies to growing tomatoes: don’t crowd them! Planting them too closely together could stunt their growth. – Pick a spot where they’ll bathe in direct light—and keep them as moist as possible with regular watering.

Cucumber

A favorite among vegetable garden veterans, this crisp, green varietal belongs to the squash and melon family. Another heat fanatic, cucumbers flourish in muggy weather. – When working in organic garden fertilizer on your cucumber beds, choose one with a mildly acidic pH—this varietal loves a pH balance between 5.5 and 7. – Give seedlings their proper space to bloom with about eight inches between plants. – One of the most aqueous veggies in the bunch, cucumbers thirst for water! Up your dose to an inch of H2O a week—especially when baby buds start growing. – Be careful not to drown them, though. Too much liquid dilutes the soil’s nutrients.

Eggplant

Thriving on red-hot rays, these oblong veggies commonly sprout in deep purple varieties—and are notoriously easy to grow. Eggplants join tomatoes as members of the nightshade family. – Before burying seedlings in your plot, make sure you work-in organic garden fertilizer rich in calcium. – Much like us, eggplants love warm beds—be sure you the soil is at least 60 degrees before roots dive underground. – Sprinkle your sproutlings with an inch of water per week, so crop stays humid. – Topping off crevices with mulch traps the soil’s heat and wards off creeping weeds.

Start now, and you’ll be enjoying homegrown produce all summer long. But be warned: A little care goes a long way. With some of that organic garden fertilizer magic, you’ll soon have your hands (and kitchen) so full of fresh goods, you might just qualify for a vendor’s booth at your local farmer’s market. That, or you’ll be eating greens for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

http://www.banyanorganics.com/ is the leading online organic growers’ superstore. When it comes to buying organic garden fertilizer, organic liquid fertilizer, organic lawn fertilizer, or tomato fertilizer, look no further than BanyanOrganics.com. Visit our blog at http://banyanorganics.blogspot.com/

Article Source: articlestreet

7 Tips for Getting Your RDA of Fruits and Vegetables

Posted in Vegetables on May 4th, 2010 by admin – Comments Off

If you’re like most people, you probably groan at the thought of trying to eat the recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables. With our frenzied lifestyles, it just seems easier to grab what’s quick instead of healthy.

By following these fun and easy tips, however, you will soon find yourself closer to consuming the recommended five to 13 servings of healthy, vitamin-packed, fiber-rich, tasty fruits and vegetables every day.

Tip 1: Grate an apple into pancake, waffle or muffin mix before cooking. If you don’t like the idea of apple chunks in your food, serve fresh apple slices as an accompanyment to your favorite breakfast food.

Tip 2: Substitute a serving of fresh or frozen raspberries, blueberries, blackberries or strawberries in your ice cream or frozen yogurt dessert. Nutrient-packed berries add color, flavor and texture. (Bet you won’t even miss the hot fudge, caramel and whipped cream!)

Tip 3: Add grated or chopped vegetables such as carrots, zucchinis, peppers (green, red or yellow), mushrooms or onions to your main dish as you are preparing it. This tip works especially well in spaghetti sauce, meatloaf, tacos, soups and stews.

Tip 4: For a quick snack, ditch the candy bars, potato chips and other vending machine fare. Instead, grab a handful of dried fruit, a cupful of berries, a bunch of grapes, some baby carrots or sliced raw vegetables. Pre-pack single servings of your favorite fruits and vegetables in small zipper lock baggies for quick snacks on-the-go. And, don’t forget bananas, which are pre-wrapped by Mother Nature!

Tip 5: Eat at least one service of a green vegetable every day (preferably dark green and leafy). Some suggestions: lettuce, chard, kale, spinach, asparagus, broccoli, cucumbers and cabbage.

Tip 6: When dining out ask for an extra serving of vegetables (preferably raw or steamed). Oh, and while you’re at it, leave out the fried sides!

Tip 7: Exchange the customary late afternoon caffeine fix for a glass of cold 100% vegetable or fruit juice. A healthy sidenote: Many variies of fresh juice now contain added calcium for healthy bones.

Overwhelmed by the thought of consuming five to 13 servings of fruits and vegetables every day? Don’t be. A serving isn’t as much as you might think. For example:

* One serving of fresh or frozen fruit or vegetables equals 1/2 cup
* One serving of lettuce equals 1 cup
* One serving of fruit juice equals 6 ounces

Try to consume two to five servings of fruit each day and three to seven servings of vegetables. With just a little planning and effort, you’ll be on your way to 12-a-day in no time at all!

Patty Harder is the founder of 5 Minute Self-Help and the author of Less-Stressed NOW! Your Complete Guide to Managing Stress, Beating the Blues, and Waking Up Happier Every Day. To learn more, visit http://www.5MinuteSelfHelp.com.

Article Source: articlestreet

An Apple a Day Keeps the Pounds at Bay: the Best Fruit and Vegetables For Weight-Loss

Posted in Vegetables on May 2nd, 2010 by admin – Comments Off

Apples promote weight loss, strengthen your immune system, aid in preventing cancer, lower cholesterol, prevent tooth decay, improve liver and lung function, are low in calories and taste great. So eat an apple everyday. Bored? Hungry? Tired? Eat an apple!

The point of this one is to add more fruits and vegetables to your diet if you want to lose weight. You can eat fruits and vegetables all day long and not get fat.

You should eat more fruits and vegetables than anything else when trying to lose weight. Make sure the fruits and vegetables you are eating are 100% organic. Fruits and vegetables grown conventionally are sprayed with herbicides and pesticides. When you eat these fruits and vegetables these poisonous toxins then go directly into your body. These toxins are then stored in your body fat making it harder for you to lose weight! So be sure to eat organic and don’t spoil your weight-loss efforts by putting toxins in.

Vegetables are low in fat, low in calories, provide us with fiber and give us extra energy. All these features help control weight effectively. Being low in calories enables us to eat lots of vegetables without consuming excess energy; the high fiber content also helps fill the stomach faster, limiting the total amount of food consumed. The vitamins in vegetables supply the body with the nutrients necessary to boost energy production within the muscle cells. This gives us a natural feeling of vitality and the energy to become more active, which in turn helps us to burn more calories every day.

Vegetables are also low in sodium so they help reduce water weight. Sodium is present in most processed foods, causing the body to retain water and hold onto extra weight. Eating more vegetables and less sodium helps control your weight more effectively.

The best fruits and vegetables (for weight loss) to integrate into your diet are:

Grapefruit: Helps to detoxify your liver, and the enzymes in it help you burn more fat.

Apples: Works as an appetite suppressant and helps maintain consistent blood sugar levels.

Carrots: Contain large amounts of beta-carotene, soluble fiber and vitamin A. Try making carrot ginger soup. It is delicious, filling and great for your body.

Lemons: Detoxifies the liver, aids in digestion and helps flush out toxins. Try adding lemon to your water every time you drink.
Blackberries: Low in calories, the insoluble fiber helps digestion and which helps eliminate toxins faster.
Bananas: With vitamin B and carbohydrates, bananas provide an extra energy boost. Great snack to have before a work-out!

Melody Biggar is author of “Natural Sexy Skinny: An Organic, All-Natural Weight-Loss System.” To learn more weight-loss secrets and get your free weight-loss e-course visit http://www.naturalsexyskinny.com.

Article Source: articlestreet