Atkins Diet Yes or No

As of now, January 2005, more than half of all north Americans are struggling with obesity. The “quick fix” for “fat” for the last 40+ years, becoming ever more popular, has become the Atkins Diet. The Atkins Diet was first popularized in the U. S. Air Force during the 1960’s.

The Atkins Diet is very simple --- restrict your carbohydrate intake. And guess what? It actually works. But Dr. Atkins, after the initial few years of his popularized diet, began to make modifications and refinements to the original basic diet. And several other people have taken the basic Atkins Diet, modified it just a little, and come up with a new and very workable diet.

The first thing you must understand is that, across the entire human spectrum, each of us is very different from one another in the chemical makeup of our body. Thus, each of us, individually, should have our own highly personalized, custom built diet, created by a dietician using a chemical makeup assessment, usually a $200 hair analysis, of our particular body type and individual nutritional needs. So far as I know, this technology and this type dietary assessment is still available only through certain holistic health practitioners and it is becoming more and more expensive. As an example, it typically costs now between $200 and $300, whereas in the mid-1970’s it cost between $100 and $150.

There are three major misconceptions to the Atkins diet. The first common myth is many people believe this means don’t worry about the amount of calories or fat you eat so long as its not carbs. The second common myth is many people believe all carbohydrates are equally bad. The third common myth is that the Atkins “Lo-Carb” diet is actually a “Hi-Protein” diet. All of these, however, are enormous misconceptions.

The first myth: many dieters who use this program believe that calories and fat do not matter when eating low carb food, but in some cases this has proven to be fatal. Depending upon your particular body chemistry, when eating high fat food your cholesterol could climb and climb, leading to a heart attack or stroke. Also, it has now been proven that the older we become the less our body is able to metabolize the “high fat” portion of the Atkins “lo carb” diet, leading to additional dietary and health problems.

The second myth: The Atkins Diet is actually a “Lo-Carb” diet, not a “No-Carb” diet. What should be cut out are breads, rice and potatoes. Fresh fruits and vegetables should not be cut back and many should be somewhat increased. Finally, after the first month you can “safely” add breads and potatos --- in limited quantities. One friend of mine eats 1 bite of breads/toasts, etc., served with his meals, such as garlic breads. One bite and not a morsel more.

The third myth: Mention the Atkins Diet and most people’s reaction is “Oh, yes, the ‘high protein’ diet.” Not true at all --- it’s a “Low Carb” diet – protein intake remains unchanged. Some carbs only, not all, are restricted (versus eliminated completely); fats, particularly in older people, need to be restricted; protein should be kept to 4-6 ounce portions per meal, the lower values for breakfast and lunch. What you need to increase is your intake of high-fiber foods such as celery, etc.

The reason why the Atkins Diet works is because your body metabolizes its stored fat (carbohydrates) in order to burn --- digest --- the protein, fiber and fat you are eating. The Atkins Dieters tend to leave out several food groups, including fruit and vegetables, since they are “high carb food”, and then tend to grab a steak instead, which has very low carbohydrates.

This is ridiculous. Why? Because the elimination of carbohydrates and the reduction of the fresh fruits and vegetables actually throws your health into a major imbalance. Overloading your unbalanced diet by an excess of protein intake (adding that steak, above) to “increase the volume” to a satisfying level merely exacerbates this imbalance.

The true danger of the Atkins Diet, however, lies in the fact that, for people who already have health challenges, the Atkins Diet actually worsens some conditions and creates other health challenges that did not exist before the Atkins Diet. The worst of these is Gout. If you have a tendency to suffer gout, no matter how well controlled you have it, a strict Atkins Diet will create a severe gout condition and gout attack for you. If you merely had the tendency for gout with no active gout, the Atkins Diet will precipitate an actual condition of gout in your body. A severe case of gout requires medical intervention to correct as well as long-term dietary control and change. The long-term danger of gout is an increased tendency for heart attack and stroke. See Native’s Gift for one proven help for gout.

If your body type and chemical makeup is suitable for the Atkins Diet then by all means use it. Remember that there are several similar alternatives out there which may be more suitable than a strict Atkins, to include some of Dr. Atkins own later work and recommendations. If you have health challenges, to include a tendency for gout or actually suffer from gout, or have diabetes or any of several other disorders, the Atkins diet is definitely something you need to avoid.

And not just the Atkins Diet. Any and all diets which highly restrict or eliminate one of the essential food groups we all need to maintain optimal health is equally bad. Stop the insanity and use a REAL diet --- the only proven diet which will work for virtually everyone.

What is it? Its actually two things: A food diet and exercise – yes, simple exercise, like walking a mile a day. A completely balanced, restricted calorie, diet containing a little bit of everything. Eat three meals a day, get your sweets, carbs, veggies, fruits, juices, protein and keep it to 1200 calories a day. Eat your breakfast and go out and walk the dog – if you don’t have one, take your neighbor’s. Give this diet a year of your life, weigh yourself every Monday and keep track of your weight, see where you are with it…..and make the change for the rest of your life. When you get to your target weight you may increase the diet to 1600 calories a day.

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by: Loring Windblad

Loring Windblad has studied nutrition and exercise for more than 40 years, is a published author and freelance writer. His latest business endeavor is at http://www.organicgreens.us.
info@organicgreens.us

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Beauty Sleep

Beauty Sleep
The health and beauty of a good night's sleep

by Cathy GatsonSleeping is a necessity, not a luxury. A good night's sleep is just as crucial to maintaining wellness as is a healthy diet and proper exercise.

The Importance of SleepSleep is a restorative process. While we're sleeping, our brain is cycling through the 3 stages of sleep: light, deep and REM. Sleep restores, rejuvenates and energizes the body and brain. Our immune systems are recharged, cells grow and repair themselves, and our bodies conserve energy.

Dangers of Sleep DeprivationUnfortunately, to many sleep is not valued. In this "open all night" society we now live in, four out of ten Americans are trading much-needed sleep hours for longer hours at the office, gym, club and other activities which seem more important or interesting. What they may not realize is that lack of sleep takes a toll on our mental and physical well being. Studies performed by the National Sleep Foundation show that even minimal sleep loss has a profoundly detrimental impact on mood, cognition, performance, productivity, communication skills, accident rates and general health. For optimal functioning throughout the day, the average adult needs between seven to nine hours sleep a night. According to the NSF, the American adult population functions on about six and a half hours of sleep per night.

Don't Sleep?For some, lack of sleep is not a choice, but a condition. Millions of Americans suffer from insomnia. According to the NSF, a third of Americans are using over the counter or prescription sleep aids at night. If you suffer from insomnia, here are a few tips to help you get some shut eye:· Pray before bedtime. The bible tells us to "Cast your burden upon the Lord. Don't go to bed with a heavy load. Give it to God. Remember Joy comes in the morning"· Avoid caffeinated food and beverages like coffee, teas, soft drinks and chocolate 3 to 4 hours before bedtime. · Exercise regularly, but complete your workout at least three hours before bedtime. Keep your body calm.· Make sure your mattress is the right one for you. Flip your mattress over periodically. · Develop a bedtime ritual. Taking a warm bath 90 minutes before bedtime will relax your body and usually make you feel sleepy.· Make sure your bedroom is quiet and comfortable. · Have a cup of warm milk.· Play relaxing music.· Go to bed and wake up the same time every day. When your sleep cycle has a regular rhythm you will feel better.

Be a Sleeping BeautyA friend of mine once told me that a woman should present herself to her husband at bedtime like a present. Interesting…so I polled a few colleagues and found overall most husbands prefer their wives to be lingerie clad at bedtime. Nude came in a very close second and pajamas were considered very un-sexy. Wives preferred their hubbys wear only boxers to bed. Whatever your sleepwear preference, bedtime is the opportunity to prepare your mind and body for the rest it deserves. Here are a few more tips to help you sleep pretty:· Always remove your makeup and cleanse your face thoroughly before bed (Oil of Olay Foaming Face Wash for Sensitive Skin). Going to bed without washing your face not only leads to mascara-stained sheets (Andrea Eye Q's eye makeup remover pads $3.50+ voted best by Allure Magazines 1999) but the dirt picked up during the day can clog pores and lead to acne. · Brush and floss your teeth. · Vaseline works wonders on rough spots while you sleep. Try it on feet, elbows, and knees and dab a little on your lips too.· There are several night creams on the market now claiming to be more effective if applied at bedtime, here are a few to try: Lancome - Primoridale Intense Night Cream $41.50, Murad Perfecting Night Cream $41.50. If these prices are more than you normally spend then L'Oreal Age Perfect Night Cream and Oil of Olay ProVital night creams are available at Wal-Mart and Target. Prices range from $14 - $15.· If you wrap your hair in a scarf at bedtime, remember to wash it regularly. · Wear your fancy nighties to bed. Don't save them for a special occasion. You are a special occasion. · After your bath or shower ritual slather on a lotion that relaxes you and helps you fall asleep like Origins Night-a-mins moisture lotion or Calm to Your Senses Body Souflee.· Marilyn Monroe is said to only have worn Chanel No.5 to bed but if you prefer something a little lighter then Issey Miyake's L'Eau D'Issey Soothing Night Fragrance is a good pick.

Here's wishing you brighter days and more restful nights!

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By: Cathy Gatson

Cathy Gatson is a freelance writer and owner/operator of a hair and body salon located in Northern California.

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What You Need To Know To Lose Weight Without Dieting

If your commitment to eat right, exercise, and lose weight always seems to lose its steam, you are not alone! Weight problems are not just about what you are eating, but why you are eating in the first place.

To see what I mean, ask yourself these questions. Do you think about food and eating more than you think you should? Do you feel guilty when you eat certain foods? Do you have trouble passing up tempting food even if you aren’t hungry? Do you often eat when you are bored, stressed, lonely, or angry? Do you eat differently in private than you do in public? Do you fluctuate between dieting and eating too much?

If you answered yes to most of these questions, you have probably discovered that dieting hasn’t really solved the problem. To help you understand why, lets take a look at three different eating styles: Over Eating, Restrictive Eating, and Instinctive Eating.

In “Over Eating” people eat because it is mealtime or because something looks good - whether they are hungry or not. They may also eat to distract themselves or cope with stress and emotions. They may reward, comfort, or entertain themselves with food. Their weight tends to go up and down depending on whether they are off or on their diet.

In “Restrictive Eating,” a person controls his or her weight by dieting. They decide when, what, and how much to eat based on the rules of the latest diet they are following. Since diet rules are always changing, they sometimes feel confused about what they should eat. They think of food as either “good” or “bad”—and they think of themselves as good or bad, depending on what they ate.

Now think about someone who doesn’t struggle with his or her weight. If you are having trouble thinking of someone like that, think of a baby or a young child. I call this “Instinctive Eating.” These people just seem to know when, what, and how much food they need. When their body needs fuel, they get hungry, triggering an urge to eat. They simply stop eating when their hunger is satisfied. Most of them really like to eat and seem to be able to eat whatever they want. However they will turn down even delicious food if they aren’t hungry.

You might believe that a person who eats instinctively has been blessed with willpower and a great metabolism. But the truth is, we were all born Instinctive Eaters. Its just that many of us “unlearned” our natural ability to know how much to eat. The good news is that you can relearn those skills if you are willing. I did! Here are some important steps to get you started.

1. Let go of the idea that there is a perfect diet that will finally solve your problems. The answer lies within you.

2. Whenever you have an urge to eat, instead of focusing on the food, first ask yourself, “Am I hungry?” Remember that hunger is a physical feeling. It is not the same thing as appetite, cravings, or the desire to eat.

3. If you are hungry, remember that there are no “good” or “bad” foods. You are less likely to overeat certain foods if you know that you can have them again when you really want them.

4. Stop eating when the hunger is gone but before you feel full, even if there is food left. Give up your membership to the Clean Plate Club!

5. If you are not hungry, ask yourself if something in your environment triggered your urge to eat and what you could do to reduce the trigger or distract yourself from it. For instance, could you put the candy dish out of sight or do something else for a while until you are actually hungry?

6. If there was an emotional trigger, ask yourself what you could do to better cope with that emotion. For instance, if stress triggered your urge to eat, could you try a relaxation exercise instead?

7. Don’t expect yourself to be perfect—it is not possible or even necessary.

By relearning to eat instinctively, you will see that eating to satisfy hunger is pleasurable and that it is good to eat foods that you enjoy. You will find that meeting your other needs in appropriate ways will bring balance and joy to your life. By learning these important skills, you will reach a healthier weight and a healthier lifestyle—without dieting!

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By: Michelle May M.D.

Michelle May, M.D. is a practicing Board Certified Family Physician with expertise in the cognitive-behavioral aspects of weight management. She is the author of Am I Hungry? What To Do When Diets Don’t Work in collaboration with a Registered Dietitian and Psychologist. Visit her website http://www.AmIHungry.com for more ideas on managing weight without dieting.

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The Dr. Phil Diet Explained

Dr. Phil McGraw once published a book entitled "The Ultimate Weight Solution: Seven Keys to Weight Loss Freedom" in which he introduced the world to his new diet, the "Shape Up Plan". This popular diet (allegedly top 10 in the USA) is based on 7 main foundations, namely:-

• Right thinking for self control
• Healing feelings as the key to emotional control
• No fail environment
• Mastery over food and impulse eating
• High-response cost / high-yield nutrition
• Intentional exercise
• The circle of support

Dr Phil is a realist - he reminds us that dieting is never easy. but then again, nothing worth having ever is! The Shape Up Plan is a balanced approach to weight control. You will essentially be eating high fiber foods such as complex carbohydrates, whole grains, fruits and vegetables plus lean protein and "good" fats.

Dr Phil explains that you need to focus on eating only "high-response-cost, high-yield foods." - a perfect example would be sunflower seeds - your body needs to do a lot of work to process these kinds of food before the calories in them actually become available to you. This is in direct contrast to "low-response-cost, low-yield foods" like burgers or tacos which are easy to eat and digest. Dr Phil believes that the extra steps the body needs to take to process these good foods mean that they are leass likely to be converted to fat. Unlike some diets, you can eat most things in moderation. This is because Dr Phil believes restrictive diets don't work - banned food make dieters unhappy, and they tend to become obsessive about them leading to sudden binges, and dropping of the diet. Instead, Dr Phil recommends you watch portion sizes, eat mostly foods that are high in nutrients and fiber, stay away from salts and fats, and choose foods that involve some work when eaten (such as broccoli, peanuts and fish).

Food to avoid include avoid fast food, and any easily consumed food - the phrase he likes is to avoid eating anything that will turn you into a human "wood chipper." For this reason, you shouldn't buy cookies and potato chips. Instead you should stock up on vegetables and other healthy foods bought from a list. A full list of good and bad foods is available at ww.supadiet.com.
Like a lot of sensible diets, the Shape Up Plan incorporates exercise. Dr Phil suggests the standard 3 times per week, for at least 20 minutes a time. Following the Doctor's recommendations can lead to weightloss of between one and two pounds per week - slow steady loss, of course, being easier to maintain than loss acheived via 'crash diets'. Once you hit the target weight you want, the rules slacken considerably, although you still need to remember the 7 keys to success, and base your eating habits on them.

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by: Helen Laxton

Helen writes diet articles and tips for free site ww.supadiet.com the web's easiest weightloss center.

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Making Incredible Sauces at Home

My 5 Step Method for Preparing Professional Quality Brown Sauces

As a home cook, one of the hardest things for me to accomplish when first starting out was making a rich velvety brown sauce to serve on steak, lamb, veal, pork, or even chicken. I could put together a pretty good pan sauce using the dripping after sautéing or roasting a piece of meat but it never quite had that incredible intensity that I experience when dining out at a great restaurant.

It wasn’t until I spent some time reading about sauce making and speaking with a few chef friends that I learned it isn’t so much the “how to” but the “ingredients” that make the difference. Using my 5-step method to making a great brown sauce is easy if you have all the necessary ingredients and I will give you some great resources for find them.

What is a Sauce?

According to Food Lover’s Companion, a sauce is “a thickened, flavored liquid designed to accompany food in order to enhance and bring out its flavor.” Now that can cover a lot of territory.

It goes on to say, “In the days before refrigeration, however, sauces were more often used to smother the taste of foods that had begun to go bad.” I’m sure we have all had experiences that have proven this true even in the days of refrigeration……Think back to your high school cafeteria.

But in the 19th century, the French created an intricate process for making sauces that is still being taught in cooking schools all over the world. This process involves numerous steps and if you have the time, I highly recommend James Peterson's, "Sauces" and Raymond Sokolov's "The Saucier's Apprentice". They are entirely devoted to just this subject.

Why is it so difficult to make great sauces at home?

As Chef Alton Brown says in his cookbook, I’m Just Here For The Food, “By and large, most home cooks don’t do sauce…and that’s too bad. Traditional sauces are indeed scary.”

The process just to prepare the key ingredients that go into a sauce takes a lot of time. It starts by making a stock with roasted beef and/or veal bones, reducing them for at least 12 hours, continuously skimming the pot,straining the liquid to remove the bones, reducing some more, adding a roux (a mixture of flour and water used as a thickening agent) and you now have a nice brown sauce or sauce espagnole.

A professional chef will then reduce this brown sauce further to make a demi glace, the mother of all sauces. These guys spend a lot of time in cooking school learning how to do this and take great pride in the sauces they can make with it. These stock reductions are the foundation to hundreds of classic sauces being served in fine restaurants.

Why can’t I just use a bouillon cube?

Unless you want to ruin an expensive cut of meat by covering it with a salty, corn syrup reduction, I would stay away from bouillon cubes or any of those cheap packets of instant sauces you see in your local supermarket. Just look at the ingredients to see if what’s inside is real or simply processed. You can’t build a sound house without a strong foundation. The same is true when making sauces.

What’s a home cook to do?

Since making a great sauce at home depends of finding a good stock reduction or demi glace, I would like to offer you the following resources.

Make it yourself. A great experience but one most of us will not take on.

• Make friends with the chef at your favorite upper end restaurant and see if he or she will share some of their brown gold with you. Be prepared to beg or pay through the nose to get them to part with this stuff. Not likely, but worth a try.
  

• Hire a personal chef to make it for you. You may end up having to subscribe to years worth of dinners, which isn’t all that bad, but you will have your demi.
  

• Buy it a high-end gourmet store. If you really search hard, you may be able to find stock reductions in the refrigerator section of some really high end stores. You won’t get much, but you don’t need a lot and it won’t be cheap.
  

• Williams-Sonoma is now selling their own stock reductions. I have not had that much experience with them but they usually sell high quality items.
  

• Find demi glace and stock reductions that are used in high-end restaurants and are available to home cooks. More Than Gourmet makes the best products I know of that fit that description. You can learn all about these products at http://www.gatewaygourmet.com
  

My Quick & Easy 5 Step Method

Quick Look

• Sauté a shallot in butter
• Deglaze pan with wine
• Add demi glace
• Reduce
• Season with salt & pepper
  

More Details

1. Sauté a chopped shallot or small onion in one ounce of butter (1/4 stick) for 1-2 minutes until translucent.
2. Deglaze with 1/2-cup red wine and reduce to an essence (approximately one tablespoon of remaining liquid). Be sure to remove the pan from the heat before deglazing.
3. Add 8 ounces of demi-glace.
4. Reduce the sauce until it is thick enough to coat a spoon.
5. Season with freshly ground pepper to taste.
   

   One last item that is optional but often used by professional chefs is a pat of butter. It adds a bit more flavor and shine to the finished sauce.
   

   Alternatives
   

   At this point you have a delicious sauce that you can serve or use as a base and layer in more flavors by adding additional ingredients including fresh herbs and spices, fruits, chutneys, relish, or cream.
   

   If you are adding mushrooms or other ingredients that need to cook a bit, add them to the pan right after you add the wine and let them cook while the wine is reducing.

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by: Reluctant Gourmet

G. Stephen Jones created the Reluctant Gourmet back in 1997 as a hobby to assist other novice cooks who may find the art of cooking a little daunting. As an ex-Wall Street broker and Stay-at-Home Dad, I try to explore cooking from a different perspective. Visit http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/ for more tips, tools, techniques, recipes and my new eCookbook, Chicken Marsala Perfected.
Copyright © 2005 G. Stephen Jones, The Reluctant Gourmet™ All rights reserved.

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4 Problems You Can Cure With Food

Here are 4 problems that you can cure with food (but, not by eating it).

1) Disinfect a Wound

Pour a dab of honey on a cut before covering it with a bandage. Honey has powerful anti-bacterial properties. One New Zealand study found that honey was capable of destroying almost all strains of the most common wound-infecting bacteria. Another equally good option, turmeric.

2) Repair Dry Skin

Try rubbing a small amount of sesame or corn oil over dry skin on your hands or feet, to add moisture and seal it into the area.

3) Treat Poison Ivy

Got itching? Get milk. Soaking a kerchief in cold milk and then holding it on your skin will dry out the rash of poison ivy and help ease the itch.

4) Soothe a Sunburn

To stop the itch and burn, mix together a bit of dry oatmeal and cool water. Make it slightly slushier than if you were going to eat it, and spread the mixture carefully on your sunburned skin. This will relieve the pain and help reduce swelling.

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by: Alicia Caldelas

Educational guide to vitamins, minerals, amino acids and herbs for a healthier life - http://www.vitaminsdiary.com/

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Helen's Rustic Mash Potato Recipe

This is a Rustic Mash Potato - makes enough for 4 dinner portions.

Take 6 large baked potatos

Scrub and wash well

Take a baking tray and rub lightly with butter and then put a light dusting of cracked sea salt over the whole tray

Roll the baked potatos in the tray, then place in a pre heated oven at 220 degrees

Half way through cooking roll the potatos over

They should take 1hour and 45 minutes and you should be able to put a knife easily though a potato

Once cooked take the potato out of the oven and leave to cool for 10 mins. Cut them in half and scrape the potato into a large mixing bowl

While the potatos are cooling, heat half a pack of butter at half meltin point add 1/4 pint of milk to the butter. Take off the heat once the butter has melted into the milk.

Add the milk and butter mixture gradually to the potato mix. You should stop adding the mixure once the potato is smooth

Finish by adding salt and pepper to taste.

Some additional incredients to spice up your mash:

black pitted olives cut into 4 pieces

Spring Onions or leeks - these should be gently heated in butter untill soft

Grated cheese - Gryere or a chedder if grated should simply melt into the mix

Enjoy!

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by: Helen Porter

Helen Porter is one of the new generation of dynamic younger chefs who believe that cooking should always be fun. Her free recipes can be found at www.HelensRecipes.com enjoy!

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Spinach Salad with Strawberries

This Spinach Salad may be prepared before the serving, but the dressing for this Spinach Salad with Strawberries may be prepared few hours before serving.

Take a large salad bowl and sprinkle sesame seeds of spinach in the bowl. Add some strawberries to the salad. After you have done this, combine the dressing ingredients provided below and shake well in a screw-top jar and chill.

This is a very simple Spinach Salad to prepare with Strawberries. After you have parepared the dressing pour chilled dressing over the mixture of spinach salad and strawberry in bowl and toss to distribute well.

The ingredients for Spinach Salad with Strawberries.

• Take1/2 teaspoon Toasted sesame seeds
• 2-3 cus of fresh strawberries, hulled and halved if large
• About 6 cups of Fresh Spinach torn leaves
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 1.5 tablespoons sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon Onion powder
• 2 tablespoons of Red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Dried dill weed
• 1/8 teaspoon Garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon Dry mustard
  

  Enjoy this Spinach Salad on your table.

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by: Armen Hareyan

Armen Hareyan is the publisher of http://www.eMaxHealth.com, publishing health articles and information for consumers. Find more Health Recipes and articles on Food at http://www.emaxhealth.com/15/index.html

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Flavored Coffee Beans & Coffee Flavoring Syrups

Many a coffee aficionado would turn up their nose at the thought of adding flavorings to their beloved black beverage. But, if you're not an aficionado, and you didn't pay exorbitant amounts of money for single-estate specialty coffee beans, then why not indulge in trying some of the fine coffee flavoring syrups, or flavored coffee beans available today? To help you make the most of coffee flavorings, here is a summary of the things you should know before buying.

**Coffee Flavoring Syrups**

Generally sweet, and always indulgent, coffee flavorings such as vanilla, hazelnut or amoretto can be found bottled in the form of coffee syrups. Added after the coffee is brewed, the advantage of using these syrups over using pre-flavored coffee beans is that your grinding and brewing equipment does not become tainted by flavor extracts on the beans.

About the only rule when using syrups to make flavored coffee is "don't overdo it". Remember, the flavor should complement your favorite drink, rather than overwhelm it.

Here are some general guidelines to help you buy only the best coffee syrups:

Brix - the word 'brix' is used to describe the solids content of a syrup. The higher the brix, the higher the concentration of sugar and flavoring in the liquid. Many high-quality coffee syrups have a brix between 60 and 70 - that is, 60-70% solids. Higher concentration syrups will cost more initially, but you use less so they will last longer.

Flavor vs. Sugar - even though a brix of 62 indicates a high quality syrup, you can't be sure of how much of the solids content is sugar and how much is flavor without checking the label and/or taste-testing the syrup. Some manufacturers promote their syrups as adding 'flavor without sweetness'. Your personal preference will dictate whether you prefer the sweetness. If you normally take sugar, you might find you do not need to add sugar if the syrup is quite sweet. Be aware of very thick, sticky syrups - these may be disguising a poor flavor extract with an overdose of sugar.

Sweetener - you will find most syrups are flavored with cane-sugar. Other popular sweeteners include fruit-juice and corn sugar. Syrups that use other than cane-sugar are generally not as sweet - something you may or may not prefer. In any case, look for the "all-natural" statement on the label if you want to avoid artificial sweeteners.

Preservatives - some syrups are preservative-free. The flavor may benefit from this - just remember that the shelf-life of these syrups will be shorter than those with added preservatives. Sugar Free or Low Carb - due to consumer demand, some companies are producing sugar-free coffee syrups. To be an informed consumer, you should check the label to determine whether these are unsweetened or artificially-sweetened and purchase according to your personal preference.

Purpose - most syrups are general purpose, but some syrups will be labelled as baking, dessert or drink flavorings. They will vary in thickness, sweetness and flavoring depending on their purpose.

Once you get your syrup home, why not try:

Combining syrups to create unique flavors

Using syrups as dessert toppings

Adding syrups to smoothies

Adding syrups to soda water

Using syrups as a glaze for meat or vegetables (fruit-flavored syrups are nice for this)

Adding syrups to a salad dressing or vinaigrette

** Flavored Coffee Beans **

From caramel, to pumpkin pie, gingerbread, cinnamon or butterscotch, there are an abundance of pre-flavored coffee beans to sample and enjoy. Beans are generally flavored using essential oils, plant derivatives and other aromatic flavorings. The flavors are mixed with warm beans straight out of the roaster to ensure as much flavor as possible is absorbed by the bean. Most flavoring is 3% w/w (weight to weight) which is 1/2oz of flavoring to 1lb of coffee.

Here are some tips to help you buy only the best flavored coffee beans:

You can tell the freshness of flavored beans by their appearance. Freshly flavored beans will appear glossy - very oily and wet.

Be sure you are buying from a reputable coffee roaster to ensure your beans and flavorings are of a high quality. Some roasters may be adding flavor to low-quality beans thinking that their low-quality will be disguised by the flavoring. (This is usually not very successful - a bit like trying to cover up bad dessert with sugary syrup.)

Here are some reasons why you might prefer to try pre flavored coffee beans over coffee syrups:

Aroma - the combination of the aromatic flavoring and the aroma of the bean itself can be quite exquisite. About 76 percent of taste is experienced through the nose, so the aroma makes for much of the flavored coffee experience. Consider it a kind of coffee aromatherapy.

Sugar-Free / Low-Carb - most pre flavored coffee beans are flavored without using sugar. Even so, if sugar is contained in the flavoring, the amount of sugar in the final product is negligible. Being sugar-free also gives you the freedom to use sweetener of your choice.

** Making Your Own Flavored Coffee **

An inexpensive and more body-friendly (i.e. no sugar, no preservatives, no artificial anythings) way of adding natural flavor to your beans is to fill an airtight container with freshly roasted, whole beans. To the container, try adding any one or more of the following:

Whole vanilla bean(s)

Cinnamon Stick(s)

Cloves and Nutmeg (use sparingly)

Cardamom

Citrus Peel (lemon or orange)

Mint Leaves

Alternatively, a simple sprinkle of cinnamon, or a dash of liqueur (Amaretto, Irish Creme) after your coffee is brewed can add the hint of flavor you've been craving.

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By Shona Lynch

Here's where you can get all the FREE information you need about coffee, coffee makers and machines and brewing: http://www.coffee-makers-cafe.com

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Dog Stew

Food is a substance that holds cultures together. Common foods unify and define countries and regions. However, a food that one group considers a delicacy, another group may find offensive. The French have long been called "frogs" because of their taste for the amphibians. The English once were sneered upon as "beefsteak" because of their trend-setting use of cattle, and in the Philippines at least one tribe is nicknamed "dogeaters."

The name Dogeaters has not been confined to the Philippines, however.

The summer 1988 Seoul Olympics focused the world's attention on South Korea. One aspect of Korean cuisine the government preferred not to have spotlighted was the use of dog meat. A dog stew, called Poshintang, is commonly available in restaurants in Seoul and the rest of the country. As an ingredient, dog is not as ubiquitous as beef is in the U.S.; it is considered to be something of a delicacy. Traditionally, it has been a seasonal favorite, most popular in the summer. Dogmeat is also purported to be effective as a male stimulant, increasing sexual stamina, even though there is no scientific literature to support this claim.

Even before the Olympics, there was concern that foreign visitors to Seoul might be offended by restaurants offering dog meat. The Ministry of Health and Welfare ordered measures to prevent such a conflict. In 1986, a ban was placed on the sale of dog meat as an "unseemly" food. The practical result was that most restaurants in city limits replaced signs offering dog meat with smaller, less conspicuous versions, or they renamed the dish to "health stew." This did not prevent criticism. "How can a nation that will cheerfully eat its best friend be relied upon to host a small dinner party, let alone the Olympic Games?" 1

In spite of this kind of pressure, dog meat sales continue. There are plans to open two dog slaughterhouses on Chejun Island, 450 km south of Seoul.2 One entrepreneur has opened a chain of dog meat restaurants. China Trading, the company behind the new restaurant chain, estimates there are now about 20,000 dog meat restaurnats throughout the country. It says one restaurant can rack up sales of 10 million won (about US$6020) a day during peak dog eating season from April to July." 3

In the U.S., the estimated number of animals euthanized ranges from 6-150 million per year. If half of the number is composed of dogs, that leaves a lot of potential meat to be exported. Legally, the only barrier would be the Animal Welfare Act, a federal law that covers any "live or dead dog, cat, nonhuman primate, guinea pig, hamster, rabbit, or any other warm-blooded animal which is being used, or is intended for use for research, teaching, testing, experimentation or exhibition purposes. The USDA interprets the act to exclude birds, rats, and mice bred for research, and horses and other farm animals, such as livestock and poultry, used or intended for use as food or fiber." It is conceivable that dogs raised as livestock would be excluded as well, once it is established that they are being raised as food.

Another rule governing the trade of livestock is the "Twenty- Eight Hour Law" which simply outlines minimum guidelines for the care of animals as they are transported to market. There are certain feed, space, and water requirements if the transit time exceeds a twenty-eight hour period. If the dogs were slaughtered in the U.S., that would eliminate concerns about these regulations. Shipping meat instead of live animals also avoids the problems associated with the quarantine of live animals.

Even though the dog meat market does not seem to be growing at a fast rate, it is conceivable that American exporters could make inroads in a niche market. The breed of dog that is farm- raised in Korea and China is a large dog similar in appearance to the German Shepherd. It is difficult to say whether the variety of breeds in the U.S. would be considered suitable choices for the dog meat market abroad. Market research would need to be done.

Initially, it appears that there may be enough demand to support dog meat export, however, the impediments must be overcome. The voice of the American citizen is one factor that should not be underestimated. Grass roots lobbying has great potential to raise public awareness against export efforts. Boycotts of company family products has the potential to eliminate economic gains realized from coordinated dog exports.

Because the concept of sending dogs overseas to be eaten may be distasteful, it is helpful to examine the current status of unwanted dogs to gauge our attitudes towards the situation.

The SF SPCA claims to be the only public animal shelter with a no-kill policy. They euthanize an animal only if it is suffering from an incurable illness. The policy of other shelters is to "put down" animals if no one claims them after a certain period, which differs in each jurisdiction.

The result is millions of pounds of flesh to be dealt with. Some of it enters landfills where it eventually decomposes. A small amount of dogs are buried in pet cemeteries. The rest are "recycled."

Rendering plants process the carcasses for use in dog food and as feed for other animals. "In addition, some 40 billion pounds of year of slaughterhouse wastes like blood, bone, and viscera, as well as the remains of millions of euthanized cats and dogs passed along by veterinarians and animal shelters, are rendered annually into livestock feed - in the process turning cattle and hogs, which are natural herbivores, into unwitting carnivores." (U.S. News & World Report, Sept. 1, 1997 p.23)

A good model for export of dog meat is provided by the horsemeat industry. "In the last ten years, more than 3 million American horses have been slaughtered in the U.S. for human consumption abroad." ( http://www.equus.org) In 1994, 105,000 horses were slaughtered in the U.S. Another 35,000 were shipped live to Canada for slaughter, and another 30,000 were shipped live to Mexico for slaughter ( http://www.igha.org) for a total of $66 million. Dividing sales by the number of animals slaughtered for the last ten years shows that each animal produced about $400 in income. Considering that a horse typically weights 8? times more than a 30-pound dog, there is a certain economy of scale that is advantageous when dealing with the larger animal.

Another interesting feature of the horsemeat export industry is its use of Canada and Mexico as export outlets. This strategy is used possibly because the slaughter process is less expensive in Mexico and Canada. These countries may also have more beneficial agreements with trading partners than the U.S.

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By Jon Dunkerley
For more great articles From Jon, check out www.web-rover.com

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How To Create a Toast

Chances are you will run into an occasion in life which requires you to give a toast. Perhaps the event is a wedding, or a birthday party, or an event recognizing some achievement. With more formal events, a more formal toast is appropriate, and unless you’re a naturally-gifted and golden-tongued speaker, you’ll need to do some practicing beforehand in order to get it right.

But before practicing it, you’ll have to make up the toast. It might be funny, or it might be more serious. When I had to create a toast recently, I turned to the movie, “The Count of Monte Cristo”, in which Jim Caviziel’s character delivers a gem of a toast to a an adolescent boy entering adulthood. The toast was so impressive in form and substance that I not only memorized it, but I also broke it down so I could adapt it to my own situation.

What I present here is but one way to create your own toast using certain guidelines that I extracted. The toast itself is comprised of eight or nine lines, but you should feel free to adapt it to your own liking.

Before you begin the toast, you will probably want to break the ice by mentioning something about the person(s) of honor to whom the toast is directed. Perhaps a memorable story, or some kind remarks, or a funny anecdote. This story, then, should lead you into and relate to the toast itself.

The first line of the toast should state a general observation in life using a metaphor related to the introductory remarks that you just made. For example, if your story told was about a bride’s particular love of the roses her groom regularly gave her while they were dating, you might start the toast with, “Love is a rose”. Or, if you are toasting someone who will be soon be traveling to a far away country, you might use, “Life is a long journey.” Or, for an entrepreneurial business partner, “Success is a vast ocean”. This first line should set the mood and the theme of the rest of the toast.

The next two lines are inter-related; the first should convey a benefit or positive aspect related to the metaphor in line one, and the next line should convey a negative aspect. So, if I begin with “Life is a long journey” the next two lines might be “You may be greeted by friends in one town” and the next might be “only to be scorned by strangers in the next”.

Now that tension has been created, the next line should reconcile the previous few lines. For example, I might say “But what traveler gets to his destination without venturing into the unknown?”

The next part of the toast gives encouragement or advice based on the same theme. It should continue with a line about the honoree(s) and the future. Using the same theme of a traveler going on a long journey, I could say, “May you never hesitate to step into that unknown”.

After that, we have two more lines which are interrelated and give a sense of advice or observation about the world. This part might be difficult to create, but if you do it correctly it can make all the difference. An example here might be, “For to take a step outside the ordinary / Creates a life for you that is nothing less than extraordinary”.

To wrap up the toast, you will want an “epic” closing which pertains to the public or the world and the honoree(s) of the toast. The last two lines wrap it up neatly. Concluding the journey-themed toast, I could say (using a dramatic pause between the lines), “And at the end of the road of life, may you proudly proclaim to the world / ‘I lived my life as a Traveler’”.

Of course, you should adapt the toast guidelines presented here to your own needs and situation. Add a line, or subtract a few as needed. Be sure to plan ahead and spend some serious time thinking about the lines in your toast and writing them down beforehand.

By following the basic structure of metaphor – tension – resolution – encouragement, you can probably develop toasts for all sorts of occasions. But remember that the quality of your toast will depend also on your word selection, the advice you give, and your delivery. I also suggest memorizing the toast by heart so it rolls off your tongue. When dozens or hundreds of people are staring at you, the last thing you want to do in a moment of expectation is to look like a deer caught in headlights. As a backup, make sure that you have a written copy with you.

And lastly, have fun with the toast. Standing up in front of a crowd and trying your best is far better than not having tried at all.

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by: Tim Virnig

Mr. Virnig is a cocktail aficianado and the owner of http://Cordial-Glasses.com.

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Why Culinary Education

If you are thinking about a career in culinary arts then studying in a culinary school is a must. You may be a great cook but you will never become expert learning culinary arts yourself. Farther taking up a job as a chef in a good restaurant demands a professional qualification, which comes only after attending a regular culinary school.

There are many myth surrounding culinary arts. For example people say culinary is an art and art cannot be taught. This is not true. First culinary is not just an art, its science too. You must know about the ingredients you are using while cooking. You should also have through knowledge of the contents of the ingredients or additives you use to cook food. It helps you to be an informed chef.

Another myth is that culinary education is very costly. You see, any education is costly. Culinary is not an exception. But if you compare, a Bachelor of Engineering Degree is much more costly then a diploma/degree in culinary.

One of the worst myths is that chefs live a great life - full of glamor and no work. This is not at all true. Most of a chef's time is spent in kitchen with hot oils and burning temperatures.

If you love to cook - culinary school should be your destination. It is never too early for you to think about the opportunities that will come along after culinary training. America need good chef - you can be one of them.

Chef, caterer, pastry chef and restaurant cook are merely the most familiar four options, but there are hundreds of jobs in the food industry. You may want to consider preparing for positions in management as executive chef, or in sales as catering director or in administration in food and beverage management. Maybe you'll want to explore developing specialty products - a line of sauces or dressings, for example - for retail or wholesale markets. Maybe you'll want to become a restaurant consultant to entrepreneurs who want to start restaurants. There are also teaching opportunities in professional cooking schools. Still another option is food writing and editing for magazines and books devoted to food and cooking. The options are endless.

For any of these career directions, you'll find the best preparation in an accredited school program - you'll come out with a certificate or a degree. This training will provide you with a lifelong basis for understanding quality raw ingredients, creating balance and pleasure in combined flavors and presenting a beautiful plate to the diner. Yes, you keep learning on the job, but culinary school gives you a base of knowledge to test and compare to new trends, new ingredients and your own creativity.

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Author : Emma White

Date Posted : 14 - Feb - 2005

Website : http://www.best-cooking-school-culinary-arts-schools-classes.com
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The Five Keys to Healthy Eating

1. Enjoy what you eat

Whether someone is following the Atkins diet, the South Beach diet, the advice contained in Tom Venuto's e-Book, “Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle” or even a program of their own design, success depends on enjoying what you eat. When you don't enjoy your food, you resist it. Resistance creates stress and stress is counter-productive to fat loss. It is important to look at eating as a part of your life, not a chore that interrupts your life.

The question ultimately becomes, “How do I learn to enjoy healthy foods?” Most people did not enjoy their first cup of coffee or can of beer. What happened is that in their environment, external pressures – stress, fatigue, peer pressure – created a desire to enjoy that steaming hot espresso or to be able to chug down a draught of beer with the best of their buddies. Eventually, a strange thing happened – when the coffee cup was repeatedly associated with more energy or productivity, or simply the pleasure of settling down to read something while draining the cup, or when the beer became associated with fun times and great parties, they “acquired a taste.”

You can acquire a taste for healthy foods. It is important to understand how you operate, to determine if it makes sense to go “cold turkey” or transition. Many people cling to diets that allow “free days” or “gorge fests” because they never really learn to enjoy the healthy food – they need the psychological crutch of getting comfortable again (if comfortable means bloated and nauseous from overeating junk food) and live from “free day” to “free day.” Is this you? If so, you might start transitioning and looking for an alternative. Instead of a free day, how about this: have a few free meals and then focus on enjoying the food that you consume throughout the week. Experiment with new recipes. Don't like raw vegetables? Try steamed. Don't like them plain? Spice them up. As you lose weight and gain energy, focus on the connection between your healthy foods and your new physique. Before long, you might even “acquire a taste” for healthy foods.

2. Believe in what you are doing

Belief is an important component of any lifestyle. If you don't believe what you are doing will work, why should you continue to do it? Often times, the lack of belief is not in the program you are following, but rather in yourself. Food is an addiction that is no different than addiction to cigarettes, alcohol, or illegal drugs. To overcome this addiction, the first place to look is within you. Without faith, you are going to allow fear to maneuver you into a position to binge, overeat, and sabotage yourself.

When you don't believe, you simply “do.” It is a frustrating concept, especially for analytical people, because they want to have a simple set of rules. It is easy as an analytical person to get into your comfort zone. Find an equation that spits out a number of calories. Get a “ratio” of foods – 40% protein, 40% carbs, 20% fat, right? Then you have that exact formula and you are ready to go. Unfortunately, if it were that simple, more people would be sharing their success story (and their formulas) with everyone else.

The fact is that it is not the calorie or the formula or the ratio that determines your success. It is you. Whether you are on a high protein, low fat, no-sugar, or other program, your success will be determined by the level of your belief. I have witnessed people achieve success using many different nutrition styles, and the common element that linked their success was belief. If you asked them, “Will you lose your weight,” they would reply, “Absolutely.” If you cannot state that without confidence, it is time to find something you can believe in ... and more often than not, it will not be a new program, but you. Believe in you.

3. Practice moderation

Moderation is the key to everything. Many people operate in an either/or mode – either they are following a program perfectly, or they are simply going wild with their eating habits. A true lifestyle plan will be easy to follow because you won't have to worry about counting calories or weighing foods. Why? Because you are operating from a zone called moderation. This zone is tough for many people to find, and sometimes it requires going through a strict dietary regimen in order to create the control you deserve to have over food, instead of allowing food to control you.

Moderation simply means permission to enjoy without excess. When you want a glass of wine, you pour one and savor it. You do not suddenly feel guilty and then punish yourself for having it. If you are having a slice of pizza or ice cream, you don't create a license to eat until you are stuffed. Instead, you have a slice or two and enjoy it. If you are full, you are done. If not, then you might share a dessert with your spouse or someone else at the table.

Those who are successful at keeping their weight off don't overeat and they don't create limits. Some people truly enjoy healthy foods and eat these all of the time. Others have a balance they create. What is common is that they do not become a victim when they cannot eat a certain food – if a special occasion arises, they are happy to enjoy a piece of cake. The key is that they are in control and don't overdo it ... and when it is done, they don't allow guilt to override their success.

4. Be flexible with new ideas

Change is tough. Change is scary. If change were easy, there would not be millions of dollars in books about how to face change being sold. Change in your nutrition or health is no different than change in other areas of your life. Embracing a new style of eating can feel uncomfortable and unfamiliar. I know – I have been there and done that myself.

The key to success, however, is not to become so boxed into your comfort zone that you cannot open to new ideas. For example, I had been conditioned to combine protein and carbs at every meal, that when my wife suggested I attempt food-combining (a concept where you do not eat proteins and starches together – for more information, read “Fit for Life” by Harvey Diamond or “Total Health Makeover” by Marilu Henner) I simply resisted. “No way – that's not right! I've learned that ...”

Eventually, however, I came to my senses. No matter how much I have read or learned, the reality is experience. You can argue with me all day long about what color the sky is – but if it is blue in my reality, then that is the reality I will embrace. Everything productive in my life has come from being able to embrace change and try out new things. I discard what doesn't work, and embrace what does. This ability to not fear the unknown allowed me to try food-combining even though it did not fit into my existing reality. What I found was an eating method that gave me more energy and helped me feel more comfortable. By stepping outside of my comfort zone and trying something new, I was able to integrate more freedom into my eating plan.

Don't be afraid to try new programs, new dishes, and new recipes. Don't pre-qualify your decisions by going to research and reading about calories and studying the fat content. Instead, just try it. Keep a journal. Record your feelings in the journal. Observe how your body reacts. Create a dialogue with food that works for you rather than living in someone else's system. Don't fear change – change is required to move from overweight or obese to healthy and lean!

5. Learn to hear your body

Most of us tune out our body's protests. It is a requirement in modern society. When we are constantly stuffing our bodies with foods that damage and harm us, our bodies cannot continue to sensitize us to the pain or we would be in a constant state of suffering. So instead, the brain tunes out the signals like background noise. We no longer realize the harm that we are doing to ourselves. We confuse cravings with hunger. We think we want sugar when our body is screaming for healthy fats. It creates a state of constant stress that we are not conscious of, and it impacts the core of our health.

This is why I believe it is great to quiet and calm things down. Don't be afraid to juice fast for a few days. Try a "5-day high-fiber cleanse" to reconnect with your own health. Don't listen to your friends who will scream “starvation” and swear you are going to lose pounds of muscle. Muscle doesn't disappear overnight, and starvation is when you have NO food, not when you go on a modified fast that provides nutrients but gives you the ability to break out of a cycle of cravings and self-abuse that modern, processed foods create.

Learn to eat when you are ready, not when it is time. This doesn't mean that if your preferred style of nutrition is consuming six meals per day that you stop. What this means is that you get in tune with your body. If you are not hungry when it is time for meal two, go back and adjust meal one so that it doesn't fill you up so much. If you are starving by meal two, change meal one so that you are satisfied – increase the portion size, add healthy fats, or introduce new foods.

By learning your body, you can break out of the cycle of measuring and weighing foods. You come into contact with yourself, and learn to flow. When you feel it is time to eat, you eat. You don't eat a pre-allotted amount of calories. Instead, you listen to yourself. Think about whether you feel like having a lot of protein. If the thought turns your stomach, focus on salads, or fruit, or whole grains. Find what feels comfortable and then eat enough to satisfy you without leaving you stuffed. Practice this for a few weeks and you'll find that you can think yourself into the shape you desire without having to obsess over calories.

These are the five keys to successful, healthy living that I have observed. The people I know who have conquered their weight and are comfortable in their bodies used different methods. Some are vegetarians, some advocate low carbohydrate diets and others feel that high protein is important. Despite these differences, however, ultimately the plan they settled into addressed these five key points and allowed them to live in their health rather than having to work on their lack of it.

To learn more about yourself and how you can conquer the mental barriers you erect to sabotage our own progress to good health, read www.losefatnotfaith.com - this e-Book goes beyond the mainstream to focus on personal development and the success mindet. It will empower your transformation through inspiration and easy-to-understand information about nutrition and training.

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By Jeremy Likness

Jeremy Likness, the CEO of Natural Physiques (a division of Golden Summit Inc) is a Certified Fitness Trainer and Specialist in Performance Nutrition. He has coached clients around the world to lose fat, gain muscle, and live healthy after losing over 65 pounds of fat himself. He is the author of the internationally-selling e-Book, "Lose Fat, Not Faith" that has been sold in over a dozen countries. Visit Jeremy at http://www.naturalphysiques.com and join him on his weekly coaching call at http://www.become-your-best.com.

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Pregnancy, Diabetes and Your Feet

There are so many changes the body undergoes during pregnancy that it becomes easy to ignore the changes in the feet. During pregnancy the body releases hormones that allow the ligaments to relax in the birth canal. The ligaments in the feet also relax, causing the foot to lengthen and widen. Many will complain of a shoe size increase by one or two sizes. In most circumstances, this flattening and widening of the foot is benign and no problems result.

In the diabetic, this change in foot size is important to recognize. Despite the increase in foot size, many moms will continue to wear the same size shoes. As a diabetic, properly fitting shoes are of utmost importance. Increased pressure on the foot can cause areas of rub or irritation and potentially result in ulceration. Once there is an ulceration, one is at risk for infection, delayed healing and further diabetic foot complications.

Diabetic neuropathy is the single greatest risk factor for developing foot ulcerations. Neuropathy is the loss of sensation in the feet commonly caused by diabetes. Many individuals will develop neuropathy before they are diagnosed with diabetes. Others will develop neuropathy years after being diagnosed with diabetes. Luckily, gestational diabetes is not typically associated with neuropathy.

Unfortunately, type I diabetics develop neuropathy much earlier than type II diabetics and may have neuropathy during their pregnancy. Regardless of the type of diabetes, it is still extremely important to have the feet evaluated to assess the status of the nerves. Even mild neuropathy increases the risk of ulceration. Wearing shoes which are too small causes an increase in friction and an increased risk of skin breakdown.

Wearing properly fitting shoes during and after pregnancy is of particular importance. Although the ligaments relax in the foot during pregnancy, they do not stay relaxed. The post-pregnancy foot is at higher risk for developing foot problems. There are multiple reasons contributing to the increased risk. The flattened foot places excess stress on the ligament that holds up the arch. The weight gain from pregnancy places excess stress on the feet. Moms are also carrying their baby, added weight which transmits to the feet. Moms are staying at home more often and walking around in slippers and flexible shoes which are generally not supportive.

To decrease your chances of foot problems during and after pregnancy follow these steps:

1. Check your feet everyday: This is an absolute necessity if you are a type I diabetic or if you have diagnosed neuropathy. It is a good habit to practice. Look for cuts, sores, bruises, openings or areas of irritation. Remember, if your nerves are not functioning properly, then you may not feel everything in your feet. If you cannot reach your feet, have a family member check your feet or place a mirror on the floor and put your feet over it.

2. Check your shoes before you put your foot in them.

3. Don't walk around barefoot: Wear a supportive shoe, one that has a rigid sole and bends only where the foot bends (at the toes). If a shoe seems too confined, find a slipper which has a semi-rigid sole, or try a clog or slip-in shoe with a more rigid sole. The remaining aspect of the shoe can be soft and flexible and allow for swelling, but the sole should be rigid from the heel to the ball of the foot.

4. Buy shoes that fit your feet: Be aware of the changes your feet are going through. The feet are most likely widening and lengthening. Make sure the shoes don't cramp the toes. Your feet will not shrink after the birth.

5. Watch out for folds in your socks: A simple fold can cause rub or irritation on your feet. Swelling will be greater by the end of the day and the small crease that didn't bother you in the morning can rub an open sore or blister on the toes. Serious consequences in diabetics can include ulceration and infection.

6. Dry your feet and between toes after showers: Increased moisture between your toes can lead to skin breakdown and eventual ulceration.

7. Don't be a victim of fashion: Most moms will avoid high fashion during pregnancy, but many try squeezing into that strappy heel after. Wearing high heeled shoes puts excess stress on the ball of the foot, cramps the toes and increases the chances of ankle sprains. Tight shoes will increase the chance of ulceration for those with neuropathy.

8. Test the bath water before stepping in: If you have neuropathy, you will not recognize when the temperature is too hot. Check the water by inserting your hand into the water to wrist depth.

9. Don't use a heating pad on your feet: Although the idea of heat on your feet may sound soothing after a long day, the heat will increase swelling and inflammation. Sore feet respond better to ice. Roll your foot over a frozen sports water bottle to help ease the achiness in the arch. Wear a sock while doing this and don't put ice directly on your feet. The heating pad can cause burns in those who have neuropathy.

10. Don't use any medication on the skin: Be careful of topical medications during pregnancy and during breast-feeding. Consult your doctor before use. Don't use medicated corn pads from the local drug stores if you have neuropathy.

11. Visit your podiatrist: At the first sign of a problem, make an appointment with your podiatrist. Prevention is much easier than treatment.

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By Christine Dobrowolski, DPM

Christine Dobrowolski is a podiatrist and the author of Those Aching Feet: Your Guide to Diagnosis and Treatment of Common Foot Problems. To learn more about Dr. Dobrowolski and her book visit http://www.skipublishing.com/ or at http://www.northcoastfootcare.com

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A Description Of The New And Exciting Types Of Peppercorns & Ways To Use Them

New and exciting varieties of peppercorns are becoming available to chefs everywhere. Pre-ground pepper out of the tin no longer provides the complex flavors and versatility that great cooks everywhere are looking for. A small collection of different types of peppercorns provides fine cooks with just the right pepper flavors and colors to create perfect culinary creations. Peppercorns crusts, rubs, marinades, dressings, and sauces are just a few of the creative ways these unique flavors and colors can be utilized.

Peppercorn sauces are a great way to present distinct and unique flavors to the pallet while providing a splash of brilliant colors. A rainbow of spicy flavors such as white, green, and pink can easily create an impressive dish.

Green peppercorns are a lively green color with a sharp, fresh flavor. These immature peppercorns are hard to find but well worth the search. Their fresh flavor is a perfect for making meat sauces for pork and beef. Green peppercorns are also a good match with salad dressings and vegetables.

Pink peppercorns are the rarest of the peppercorn varieties but provide an exquisitely unique flavor. These exotic peppercorns have a delicate, fragrant, sweet, and spicy flavor. Pink peppercorns also add a lovely dash of color to all kinds of cuisine. They go especially well in fruit sauces, vinaigrettes, and desserts.

White peppercorns are preferred in much of the world because freshly ground white pepper doesn’t leave dark, unappealing specks in food. It’s white color is especially important in light colored sauces and foods such as mashed potatoes.

Black peppercorns are the high quality equivalent of the stuff you used to get out of those little tin cans. Black pepper starts loosing its potency as soon as it is ground, and its flavor is significantly degraded after only a few months. Whole peppercorns retain their flavor for several years as long as they remain un-ground.

A blend of all these colors makes a beautiful and flavorful mix of pepper perfect for any pepper mill or stunning enough to place on display.

Go to Spice of Life Gourmet Peppercorns at www.bulkpeppercorns.com to find peppercorn: recipes, information, facts, and prices that can’t be beat.

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by: Spice of Life Peppercorns

Spice of Life Gourmet Peppercorns is a Reputable supplier of all types of peppercorns.
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A Startling Fact About Losing Dangerous Belly Fat-- Without Exercise

The story broke in the international press on October 4th, 2004. Scientists in Japan announced that laboratory rats lost large amounts of organ fat, and increased muscle strength, when a portion of their diet was replaced by a new fruit extract.

Could this new discovery be "Exercise in a Pill?"

These unexpected results left the researchers puzzled. No drug or food had ever shown the ability to target and dramatically decrease dangerous organ fat, also known as visceral, or "belly" fat. In fact, only one thing is proven to reduce it... exercise.

The New American Epidemic- Obesity.

And the unsightly bulge of stubborn belly fat isn't the only problem. Controlling this fat is important, say researchers at Duke University Medical Center, because increased levels have been associated with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and the alarming rise in obesity rates in the United States, where presently two out of three adults are overweight or obese. Visceral fat is located around the organs inside the belly and is deeper in the body than ordinary fat, and much harder to get rid of.

In the Japanese study, conducted at the Nippon Sport Science University graduate school, lab rats were fed a chemical extract from apples as 5% of their diet. The animals lost an average of 27% of organ fat in only 3 weeks. Even more baffling to researchers was a 16% increase in muscle strength observed in the test animals.

Proven Health Results from Apple Chemicals

Chemical extracts from apples have been extensively studied for years for their health benefits in cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and other chronic diseases. Recently, apple extracts have been shown to protect the brain against nerve damage associated with Alzheimer's Disease. But this is the first evidence that these phytochemicals- termed apple polyphenols- have been shown to reduce belly fat deposits.

The Japanese researchers have now turned their attention to confirming these results in human subjects, and one Japanese company announced plans to market health drinks containing the extract in the U.S. later this year.

Too Early to Tell?

Although it will likely be some time before human weight loss trials are reported, some consumers aren't willing to wait. Since November, a small group of people in the U.S. have had access to these apple chemicals in pill form. You can track their intriguing results, which are now being reported on our web site, where you can also follow the latest news and research about apple polyphenols.

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By: David Kern

David L. Kern is a health researcher and publisher of New Health & Longevity, a newsletter devoted to the latest advances in nutritional science. Get more info on this new health discovery now at http://www.applepoly.com/bellyfat/. You can find a link there for current medical studies and breaking news on apple phytochemicals.

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Dieters Need More Calcium

Women on diets need more calcium than normal to avoid bone loss, say Rutgers University researchers.

Studies showed a weight loss diet of 1.5 pounds a week for 6 weeks cuts absorption of calcium. In 57 postmenopausal dieters it was discovered that those women who took 1,800 mg of calcium a day absorbed 78 percent more calcium than those who took only 1,000 mg a day. To prevent bone loss, women dieting after menopause should get 1,700 mg of calcium a day, the experts say.

For people on low-fat, high fiber diets calcium requirements are also higher. Studies show that 19 percent less calcium is absorbed. It is theorized that the healthier diet moves food faster through the gastrointestinal tract.

While it is common knowledge that calcium is necessary for bone-growth research shows that calcium also fights fat absorption. Studies reveal that calcium blocks fat storage in fat cells. A minimum of 1,000 mg. of calcium daily improves total cholesterol and good HDL, but lowers bad LDL.

Despite the publicity of the importance of calcium for healthy bones research shows that consumption has gone down over the past 30 years.

Experts recommend 1,000 mg of calcium and 400 IU of vitamin D daily for people under 50, and 1,500 mg of calcium and 800 IU of vitamin D for those over 50. The safe upper limit for calcium intake has been set at 2,500 mg a day. Experts think going above that on a daily basis may invite kidney stone formation.

Once started, never stop taking calcium/vitamin D supplements daily. USDA researchers found that after a 3- year study over one-third of participants stopped taking the supplements. Within one year women lost all bone-density gains and men lost their gains in two years.

For those who are lactose intolerant calcium and vitamin D supplementation is even more important because it will be difficult to get the daily requirement through diet alone.

For those allergic to cow's milk. Drink enough soy milk to give you 500 mg of calcium per glass as compared to 300 mg in cows milk. Studies at Creighton University in Omaha, NE, showed that 25 percent less calcium is absorbed from soy milk as cows milk.

For more information on calcium and coral calcium: Marilyn Pokorney - Freelance writer of science, nature, animals and the environment. Also loves crafts, gardening, and reading. Website: http://www.apluswriting.net

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The Solution To Healthy Weight Loss

The overweight and obesity epidemic is a worldwide problem. There are no official statistics for spending on diet products, but estimates vary from $40 to $100 billion in the US alone, much of that on scams and fad diets that promise the impossible. Research shows that 95% of people who have lost weight find that they regain it back when they return to their normal eating habits. According to the Center for Disease Control's Chronic Disease Center, in 1991 in the United States, only four states had an obesity prevalence of 15 percent to 19 percent. In 2003, 15 states had an obesity prevalence of 15 to 19 percent, 31 states had an obesity prevalence of 20 to 24 percent, and four states had a prevalence of 25 percent or more. Major medical problems associated with obesity include gallbladder disease, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, and osteoarthritis. If that isn't incentive enough to lose that excess weight statistics show that overweight people are usually given lower paying jobs, get lower salaries, receive little in raises, and are, as a whole, looked down upon by 40 percent of fellow employees and employers. In 2002 The American Heart Association reported that more than 10 percent of US children ages 2 to 5 are overweight. That is up from 7 percent in 1994. The situation is probably even worse now, said Dr. Robert H. Eckel, president-elect of the heart association and professor of medicine at the University of Colorado. The obesity problem among children has increased with school-age children as well. Four million children ages 6 to 11 and 5.3 million in age group 12 to 19 have increased by 75 percent from 1991. Food habits adopted in childhood can be hard to change. As a result hypertension and high cholesterol leading to heart disease, strokes, and diabetes are going to become the nations top health problem with people of all ages within 10 to 30 years. These are ailments that usually afflict the middle age to elderly population. More than a million new cases of diabetes are already being diagnosed each year, says the American Diabetic Association. Nearly 30 percent of American adults are overweight and another 30 percent are obese, according to University of Minnesota researchers. Obesity is usually described as a weight 20 percent greater than the persons desirable weight. A study by the Obstetrics and Gynecology department at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle revealed that 60% of overweight women, and 70% of obese women, are likely to become pregnant while taking the pill. The researchers suggest that a higher metabolism is the reason, causing the medication to be effective for a shorter length of time. Or, that the drug interacts with the body's hormones in a way that the drug becomes trapped in the body fat instead of circulating in the bloodstream. Studies with obese pregnant women show they are 50% more likely to die during pregnancy than those of normal weight. Complications such as miscarriage, gestational diabetes, hypertension, pre-eclampsia, pre-term labor, and stillbirth are also more common. Preliminary evidence shows that babies are also adversely affected, and are more likely to be obese themselves in later life. Fast foods: Studies show that people who frequent fast food outlets twice a week or more gained 36 pounds over the course of 15 years compared to 26 pounds for those that frequented them once a week or less. A major factor for the obesity crisis is a sedentary lifestyle, not enough exercise, and the eating of high calorie fast foods in place of nutritious natural food products. Fast food is designed to promote consumption of the maximum number of calories in the minimum amount of time. This upsets the body's normal metabolism. One solution is to eat smaller, more nutritious, meals more frequently throughout the day. Physical activity reduces the effects of being overweight, but healthy eating habits have to be followed to prevent disease associated with poor nutrition according to an expert of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. The new diet guidelines set by the Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture is basically a balanced diet and good old fashioned exercise. They stress more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and limit fats, sugar, alcohol, and salt. Many supermarkets are open 24 hours a day making a choice of healthy food available at all times. For more tips on how to lose weight safely see The Secret to Weight Loss at: http://www.apluswriting.net/diettips/diettips.htm

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By: Marilyn Pokorney

Marilyn Pokorney Freelance writer of science, nature, animals and the environment. Also loves crafts, gardening, and reading. Website: http://www.apluswriting.net

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