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.
bulkpeppercorns.com
Sales@bulkpeppercorns.com

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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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Are We What We Eat?

Whenever we talk about diet, there are numerous things that come to mind. There are mainly two meanings of the word diet. They both relate to food. First one can be defined as food that we take into our body. For example, eating a well-balanced diet. Another one can be defined as losing weight.

A balanced diet contains proper portions of five basic food groups. To ensure optimum health and a balanced diet, it is essential to have a proper portion of each group, each day. The amount of food needed gets smaller as we move up the "pyramid". Bread, rice, cereal and pasta are in the bottom group. 6 to 11 servings every day from this group are needed.

After that, on the pyramid is the vegetable group. Nearly everyone requires 3 to 5 servings from this group daily. The vegetable group gives you vitamins and minerals such as vitamin A and C, as per required. After that, is the fruit group. We need about 2 to 4 servings of this group per day. Fruits give you vitamin C, fiber, carbohydrates and more.

Next is the milk, yogurt and cheese group. People need 2 to 3 servings of this group per day. This group gives you calcium and protein. Drinking milk and eating cheese and/or yogurt is a great way to get your daily allowance.

Meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs and nuts is the last group. We do not need much of this group everyday but this group is very important. 2 to 3 servings per day are required.

In addition to the food pyramid, it was discovered by doctors and scientist that fats, sweets and oils are an important ingredient of a healthy diet. This is mentioned although it is separate from the pyramid. The food we eat normally contains the required fats so we need not add additional fatty or sweet food. This food can be delicious but we always try to avoid an excess of this type of fatty or sweet food.

If you are referring to a weight-loss diet, you are talking about changing or restricting your diet somehow to reduce calories, fat or other to lose weight. No diet should be used without talking to your doctor first. There are many diets on the market and medications to help people diet. The problem with dieting when not under a doctor~s care is that you may be loosing nutrients your body needs to stay healthy. You may be trying to lose weight because you are overweight or obese, but can be doing more harm by restricting vitamins and minerals that your body needs.

Remember, if you are in doubt as to what your body needs, please consult your doctor.

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By: Marcelle Ventura

Marcelle Ventura is the webmaster of FINA Diet - Understanding Diet Made Easy , a great resource for diet, wellness, and health related information. www.finadiet.com

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An Eight Hot Dog Nirvana...

One of the most enjoyable things about our culture is our fascination with records. Just about everyone can tell you that Henry Aaron hit 755 home runs, or that Wilt Chamberlain once scored 100 points in a pro basketball game. We all love records, but sometimes the fascination with them can be carried to extremes.

This is where I need to fess up. I love following record setting performances, and because of that I’ve developed a few personal records of my own. Most of them are pretty tame. As an example, when I’m working on a book, I try to write at least one page per day. If I do that, I can knock out a book, first draft and initial edits, in less than a year. Another record I work at is how much I bench press. Currently, I’m at 260 pounds, but my goal is 300. I don’t know why that’s important to me, but it is.

Now remember when I said that most of my personal records are nothing out of the ordinary? Well, that‘s true, but I do have one slightly crazy one to confess to y‘all. One that I’ve never admitted to anyone, not even to Ray, Hugh, or Ed Jr. And what I’m talking about here is that I enjoy keeping track of the number of hot dogs I’ve eaten at any one sitting.

That’s right, the number of hot dogs I’ve eaten at any one sitting. I love hot dogs, and we’re blessed in Georgia to have two of the finest hot dog establishments in the world - Nu-Way Weiners, my all-time favorite, and The Varsity. My record up til recently was seven, which I achieved a couple of years ago at the Northside Drive Nu-Way. I made the mistake of eating them late in the evening, which caused me to personally declare citizenship in the bathroom for the rest of the night. That’s history now, though. Folks, I’m proud to announce that I’ve just set a new hot dog eating record - I consumed eight over at The Varsity in Atlanta! Eight!

I know that’s an awesome achievement, and some of you may be wondering just how I did it. Well, I was in Atlanta recently for some book related stuff, and decided to stop by The Varsity for lunch. I ordered a large frosty orange and four chili dogs. After I received my order, I went over, sat down, and proceeded to wolf down those four hot dogs.

I noticed I was still hungry afterwards. Hungry enough, in fact, to do some serious thinking about eating more. I figured two would do it, so I got up and ordered them. Well, I wolfed those two down, and was still slightly hungry! I sensed at that point that I might have a shot at the record, so, I got up, strolled back over to the counter, and ordered two more chili dogs. The Varsity employee taking my order said, “Man, are you eatin’ all those hot dogs by yourself?” I replied that I was, and he laughed and called the manager over. When she arrived and found out what was going on she smiled and gave me those two hot dogs for free. I thanked her, went back over, and sat down.

I’m not gonna tell y’all it was easy - the seventh dog went down smooth, but I was pretty full afterwards. However, some of the great performances of our time have occurred when someone was under the gun and had to perform. I thought about how seldom it was that I would ever get so hungry. And I thought about Ed Jr., who’s told me all my life that a man has to be able to do four things well in order to survive (and eating happens to be one of them). Armed with that kind of inspiration, I stuffed down the eighth dog, and achieved personal immortality!

I’m guessing a few of you out there are chuckling and thinking, “I’ll bet he was sicker than a dog (pun intended) after eating those eight hot dogs.” Well, y’all would be dead wrong. I felt like a million bucks the rest of the day, and slept like a dead man that night. The next day I was full of urine and vinegar, and please don‘t ask me for more details. Just suffice it to say that I was at my personal best, and I believe it was on account of those hot dogs. Spinach works for Popeye, hot dogs work for me. Just da facts.

Sorry to be so abrupt, but I’ve gotta run. It‘s just Will and I here, and I promised him I’d take him out to lunch. And guess where we’re headed...

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by: Ed Williams

Ed’s latest book, “Rough As A Cob,“ can be ordered by calling River City Publishing toll-free at: 877-408-7078. He’s also a popular after dinner speaker, and his column runs in a number of Southeastern publications. You can contact him via email at: ed3@ed-williams.com, or through his web site address at: www.ed-williams.com.

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The R Factors - Your Answer For Getting To The Perfect Body For Fitness And Health

Building a Perfect Body for Body Perfect Fitness and Health Is just Four Factors Away!!! The R Factors!!!!

What are they?

Rev up

You must incorporate an on-going Aerobic (with oxygen) exercise program in each of your weekly goals. That means a minimum of 3 times per week, you must work on strengthening and protecting your heart from the risks associated with a sedentary lifestyle. Your heart will thank you for it, when you Rev up your motor and keep in revved for a minimum of 20-30 minutes three times per week in your target heart rate zone. Aerobic (with oxygen) exercise will definitely improve your Body Perfect Fitness and Health as well as make your heart stronger so your whole body can work more efficiently.

Ultimately more oxygen will flow through your body and reduce the risk of depression and anxiety as well as increase your good cholesterol (HDL) and reduce the risk of heart related disease. Think about it!! Lower your risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, and just for a little body movement for 30 minutes 3 times per week. Where do I sign up?????

What is your target heart rate you ask?

Well first of all the type of exercise does not matter. You may walk, ride a bike, run, work out on a treadmill, stairclimber, eliptical machine, or any movement that will put you into a aerobic (with oxygen) state.

Getting your heart rate up to and maintaining a range of 65%-80% of your MHR (maximum heart rate) for 20-30 minutes. Keep in mind that your body will not start to burn excess fat and carbohydrates until you hit about the 20 minute mark of that 65%-80% MHR. You body will then kick in and start to gobble up those stores of fat in your body and munch down on them to help you reduce your body fat % and get to a leaner Body Perfect YOU!!!

To calculate your MHR you must first take 220 and subtract your age. That becomes your high end of the threshold of your heart rate.

An Example:

I am 43
220-43= 177 is my top end of my heart rate- I basically would be at an exhaustion rate with my heart maintained at 177. Meaning I would not be able to sustain exercise at that high a level for too long and really I would not get any long term Aerobic benefit.

My goal is to keep it between 65%-80% of that 177 maximum for my age:
177 X 65%=115177X 80%=142

So my goal would be to keep my heart rate in the 115-142 range for the best Aerobic conditioning for FAT loss and to keep it in that range for a bare minimum of 20 minutes, because the real benefit kicks in after 20 minutes. So if you can incorporate cardiovascular activity at least 3 times per week for 30 minutes or more you have just completed the first important step in the

R FACTORs for a Perfect Body@ Body Perfect Fitness!!!!

Resistance

Resistance Training. Moving Weights, lifting something, exerting force on your muscles to produce hypertrophy. Working out!!!! Yes studies have shown that incorporating resistance training into your daily and weekly Perfect Body forYOU Body Perfect Fitness and Health routine, will help support a transformation of your body composition. Meaning you will gain more muscle and reduce the amount of fat % that your body is composed of. A solid resistance training program is essential in the transformation to a leaner more defined body that will work harder for you when you are not working. Studies have shown that a higher % muscle composition body will work at burning more calories per hour while at rest than a body with higher fat percentages. Lean bodies Burn more FAT!!!!!!

Retrain

How you eat and what you eat!!!! Yes it is very important in the R Factors to incorporate a retraining process of your eating habits. You have to think of your body as a car that needs to be refueled every day. The right type of fuel will determine how your engine runs. Small meals every 3-4 hours that include low glycemic index foods that are low in fat, are good complex carbohydrates and that incorporate the right type of lean proteins, will provide a well rounded nutritionally sound eating plan that keeps your blood sugar in check throughout the day.

Don't Buy into the fact that you can eat all the FATTY Foods you want as long as they are high in protein and low in carbohydrates. You body does need fat, but it needs the right kinds of fat. The fats that are not saturated and low in trans-fats. Stick to fats like Olive oil and Canola Oil. The fats found in nuts like Almonds are outstanding, because they are low in saturated fats and high in the good fats. The fats that help you raise your HDL and lower your LDL levels in your body to maintain a healthy cholesterol level. When thinking of low glycemic foods think of one other important factor.

GREEN IS GOOD!!!!- Yes the darker the green the better. That means that trying to incorporate Dark green vegetables into every meal is essential. Every meal I incorporate the following great low glycemic veggies:

Broccoli

Asparagus

Spinach

Green Beans

So try and blend in a salad at lunch with fresh spinach or romaine lettuce. Remember the darker the green the better. These lettuces will provide you more nutritional benefit than iceberg lettuce that is very light in color and contains mostly water.

Have a nice plentiful serving of a dark green vegetable with your evening protein. Every night I have one of the vegetables noted above with every single meal.

Steamed Asparagus or Sauteed spinach in olive oil with garlic and some light low sodium seasonings are outstanding complements to a nice fresh broiled piece of Salmon filet or lean chicken breast, prepared the way you like it.

Focus on Fiber!!

When thinking of eating a carbohydrate think of fiber and how much that carb has. Are you eating plain white rice or did you opt for brown or wild rice, which is less refined and more natural in terms of adding fiber and being lower on the glycemic index for a carbohydrate. Can you skip the potatoes and just eat a larger portion of broccoli or asparagus??

I rarely eat potatoes or plain white rice in my eating plan anymore. I have opted to consume very lean healthy fish or meats along with a highly nutritional and low glycemic index veggies and when I do eat carbohydrates, I make sure that they are as natural an unrefined as they can be and that they support fiber consumption in my diet naturally.

Remember that you need carbohydrates for energy and if you are working the R Factors in the right way you are going to need those important complex and essential carbohydrates for keeping your energy level up and helping refuel your body. Also remember a lot of foods that brag about being Low in fat or having no fat, have tons of BAD carbohyrdates. Look at white flour products like plain white breads and pretzels or as I mentioned already plain white rice and pasta. Unfortunately these refined carbohydrates which do not provide a tremendous amount of the right nutrients, help elevate your insulin levels and blood sugar and help you store FAT!!!

Re-energize

Your body needs time for Rest and Recovery!!! To complete the R factors you need to allow your body to rejuvenate itself from your Resistance training and also your Aerobic training as well. You can Over-train your body with diminishing returns and as you work out and break down your muscles, you need to provide them adequate time to rest, recover, and rebuild themselves to make a stronger and leaner YOU!! Always allow at least one day of rest between a particular body parts and make sure that if your body is telling you that you are tired, sore or hurting, DO NOT push yourself or force yourself into risking injury!! Listen to your body. Give yourself time to Re-energize and you will complete and support the: R Factors - A Great way to Get Fit @ Body Perfect Fitness!!!!

Robert Adams, Coach for Weight Loss, Personal and Professional Development, Fitness Enthusiast, and Executive Chef, will provide you one-on-one DAILY SUPPORT, as you pursue your life long dream of permanent weight loss and getting back to a healthy lifestyle. There is NO silver bullet, NO quick fix, NO magic pill, NO tricks, NO unrealistic claims, just a sound and proven method that will provide you a weight loss program that Works!

Your weight loss coach will help you each and every step of the way providing you support, motivation, and will teach you the secrets that all slim people know, so that you can lose weight in a healthy way and allow you to maintain your weight and get back to your Body Perfect Fitness and Health for life.

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By Robert Adams

To learn more about Weight Loss and How to manage and control your R Factors visit us at: Body Perfect Fitness-The most comprehensive fitness and health resource online, dedicated to helping improve everyone's overall Body Perfect Fitness and Health!!

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Weight Loss Begins in the Mind

Not only was I fat, I was in poor health too.

Constantly fatigued, constipated through over-eating, with an aching knee to boot, housework almost left me dead!

The last time I was pregnant, I suffered sleep apnoea, the folds of fat around my neck playing tricks on me at night. After the baby, I returned to pre-pregnancy weight. But don’t congratulate me, I was still over weight!

I hated the way I looked and felt. In fact, I was disgusted. Slim and athletic in my younger years, what had become of me now? As I pondered my plight, I came to one conclusion – I had begun to “think fat”.

The only way to undo the damage was to re-learn “slim thinking.”

Years ago I had read extensively about health and fitness and had exercised daily. Consequently, I made informed decisions that led to a healthy lifestyle. This in turn manifested in being trim and healthy – the results of slim thinking.

Now I found myself eating “to support my large frame.” I knew the benefits of exercise but, like most overweight people, I just “could not find the time.” Typical “fat thinking.”

So, with renewed zeal (and heightened disgust at being fat), I read all I could find on weight loss. Over time this information was internalized. My thinking was put right and my habits changed accordingly. Once again I was “thinking thin”, “doing thin” and therefore becoming thin. It actually doesn’t work any other way.

You could diet all you wanted, and even start an exercise program. But it’s quite unlikely that you’d keep it up, if you’re still thinking fat.

Your inner mental programming would always draw you back, to those detrimental fat-inducing habits, like a thermostat.

Without a renewed mind, you would not be able to sustain the commitment required to reach your goals. This is perhaps why many people find it hard to stay on track.

Losing weight, and keeping it off, is hard work.

Your inner programming must first be changed, and then your actions, and consequently, your results, will be different.

Many people work on their actions in order to change their results. But as you can see, they’re missing the most vital step.

The battle against weight loss must begin in the mind.

A safe place to begin is with re-education.

Albert Einstein once said, “You can’t solve a problem with the same mind that created it.” You’ve got to change, or renew your mind on the issue. I learned the way the body works at burning and storing calories. What I needed was not some magic potion or some miracle Get Thin Quick scheme.

I needed to consume fewer calories, and burn more up. I achieved this by gradually trimming down, or totally cutting out, unwholesome foods and cooking methods, and by taking up daily exercise. It might surprise you to know that I lost most of the weight taking a daily thirty minute walk. Nothing fancy!

Of course there are still days when I don’t feel like it (today for instance!) but it has reached a point where I don’t listen to my feelings any more.

I pay attention to what I know: Burn calories, stay slim. Don’t burn them, get fat! And I never, ever want to be fat again!

In summary, my mental re-programming revolves around five facts:

1) Being overweight or obese is a serious, life-threatening condition, not a mild aesthetic problem. We’re talking survival here. Many die from obesity-related conditions each year, so wake up! My major goal with weight loss is my health. Any other reason – to fit into a wedding dress, to get attention etc – is a short-term goal. And once you achieve such goals, you go back to Fatland. Survival, or self-preservation, is a life-long goal. The consequences of neglecting it are startling enough to get and keep your attention.

2) Your success with anything is up to you, including weight loss. You need to accept that, barring any medical conditions, or weight-gain-inducing medication, you are responsible for your weight. I had to be blunt with myself and accept that I over-ate and “under-moved” and this was why I gained the weight. The sooner you take responsibility for the problem, the easier you’ll adjust to responsibility for the solution.

3) While you don’t need a plan to gain weight, you definitely need one that works, to lose it! Unfair, isn’t it! Without a plan, any success will be temporary. When the hard times come, you’ll quit. With a plan, you know exactly what you need to do, when and how. You even have a back-up plan for if you slip up! And if ever the “Don’t-Feel-Like-It” days come, you don’t need to figure anything out, just get with the program! You’ll soon reach the days, like I have, when your feelings don’t have a say in the matter!

4) Healthy weight loss is gradual; after all, you didn’t put it on overnight. You need to run as fast as you can from any Get Thin Quick schemes, or magic potions claiming to melt the pounds before your eyes. These exist simply to part the gullible from their money. Whatever weight you lose with such schemes is most likely water-weight (which could leave you dangerously dehydrated), lean body mass and/or muscle, which you need to function properly. A healthy weight loss program targets body fat. This you should seek to lose gradually, as a drastic drop is unhealthy.

5) Losing weight, and keeping it off, isn’t going to be easy. The key to permanent weight loss is to keep burning up more calories than you consume. To achieve this you’ll need to make permanent lifestyle changes e.g. healthy eating and regular exercise. This is the healthy way to stay slim, and has many other health benefits, such as improving over-all health and giving a boost to your sex life (I can tell you that!)

Keeping these five facts in mind helps me stay on track, and continue to “think slim.”

I find that:

• if you re-educate your mind on the workings of weight loss and weight gain,
• if you settle it in your mind that you really do need to lose weight, and you can,
• if you determine that you will do whatever it takes to lose it, you will have programmed your mind to co-operate with your body. You would have won half the battle, in your mind.

Then your inner programming causes you to do those things that shed the weight, and avoid those things that pile it on, even without thinking about it! Much easier and more fun than all the fruitless striving you’ve been doing.

I found that I just did not want to eat certain high calorie foods any more. Previously, I could not do without them! And when my feelings say, “No exercising today,” my mind says, “Sorry, just do it.” And after I get started, I find that I’m enjoying it!

It’s something you need to try, to believe.

Paying the price will never be easy. But no way would I give up my now healthy, agile body, or healthy energy levels.

Even my skin is taking on a shine! No way would I ever go back to constipation and sleep apnoea. I’ll be exercising and eating healthily for the rest of my life. And thinking slim! For me, it’s goodbye to fat FOR EVER!

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Copyright 2005 Oma Edoja
This article may be reproduced, but only if left as is. It must also contain the author’s resource box and contact information below.
Oma Edoja is a published writer, motivational speaker and infopreneur. Having succeeded at weight loss she has packaged a number of resources to help those still in the fight! For help with your weight loss plan, and motivation to stick with it, please email Oma at proact04@yahoo.co.uk Remember, “You can’t solve a problem with the same mind that created it!”

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Cut the Take Out

A long hard day at work. You get home and need dinner. Nothing in the fridge, nothing in the cupboard. Take-out again. The wallet just won’t comply much longer.

Re-wind.

A long hard day at work (sorry can’t help with that one). You get home and mmmm, what is that aroma? Dinner! Smells delicious, your mouth is watering.

And no you didn’t go to the wrong home and no you are not dreaming. You arranged all this, in a few minutes this morning.

What I won the lotto and hired a personal chef?

Well no, not exactly – you got a Crock Pot. A Crock Pot? Yep, it’s a cooker that cooks your food over a slow heat. Put it on in the morning and dinner is ready at night.

Don’t think you’ve got time in the morning. Well you will be pleasantly surprised how quick it can be. Chuck in some veggies (frozen or pre-cut if really short on time), throw some meat on top, pour in a sauce, put on the lid and turn it on low. That’s it.

It truly is that easy. And the aroma of dinner when you walk in the door at night, it is sensational – better than any take out.

Happy Crock Cooking

Lisa – “The Crock Cook”

www.a-crock-cook.com Crock Pot Recipes and everything else Crock Pot

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by: Lisa Paterson

Find easy to follow crock pot recipes, tips and advice by Lisa at www.a-crock-cook.com
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Wrapping Up the Cigar Boom

At age 98, the infamous cigar aficionado George Burns said, "If I had taken my doctor's advice and quit smoking when he advised me to, I wouldn't have lived to go to his funeral." While it's tempting for us to use Mr. Burns as the poster-child for the anti-anti-smoking movement which is gaining little ground against anti-smoking legislation in the United States, we would be hard-pressed to answer why the honor shouldn't go to Mark Twain, Peter Falk, Sigmund Freud ("Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar") or Rudy Giuliani. As more and more restaurants find themselves under regulation to prohibit smoking and many of the cigar bars from the last decade close their doors, it seems that today's cigar smoker is a bit lonely.

The cigar boom that swept the nation in the late 1990's has befallen the same fate as every other boom in history: it died and left a cynical, unhappy populace in its wake. In today's climate, it seems, not only is George Burn's doctor getting involved, but also neighbors, TV personalities and children.

However, those of us that have been in the cigar industry for years are not fretting. If you take a step back and observe the true nature of a boom, you realize it's simply a population getting excited about a new idea. The internet boom, the coffee boom, and the current wine boom are no exceptions. In a new age of information and technology where cultures and traditions all over the world are accessible with the click of a mouse, there's a lot of territory to discover. The culture of cigars had its turn, but it doesn't mean the boom is bust, it means the boom has allowed cigars to enter the cultural psyche of Americans and it will remain there even after the dust settles.

A perfect example of this phenomenon is the coffee bar. In the 1990's, a coffee bar was launched on every corner as the country realized Seattle not only had cool grunge but also iced coffee. There were actually two on every block if you include Starbucks. Low and behold, the hipsters got tired of coffee and moved onto cigar bars. Many of the nascent coffee shops were forced to close as the boom lost momentum, but I don't think anyone will argue that the coffee business is on its way out, it's just settled down. Today, coffee bars are part of our cultural psyche. They will continue to be frequented and enjoyed, if at a lower vibration than they were when they first hit the scene. The result is that today, it's easier to find better coffee.

The same is true for the cigar boom. As cigar culture entered the American mind, particularly the young American mind, there was a proliferation of cigar bars and internet businesses. Today, many of those have closed their doors, but the same great cigar bar that was there twenty years ago is most likely still around. Take a look at the police force of any major city. Detectives from New York to Denver surly didn't get the memo if cigar culture was dead. Indeed, business for your local cigar shop is probably better than ever. The boom is over, but cigars in America have entered a renaissance as a result. There are more high-quality, handmade cigars available at a cheaper price than ever before.

Of course, there is no telling how far the current climate of cigar taxation and smoking-bans will go. The momentum certainly hasn't waned, and the cigar industry will have to survive the onslaught before it can finally enjoy the new popularity it has discovered in the twenty-first century.

In the meantime, it's important for all of us to take a trip down to our local cigar shop and try something new. Only by continuing to invoke that feeling of spontaneity and discovery will cigar culture in the United States persist in growing and be recognized for its class, style and grace.

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by: Tynan Szvetecz

Tynan Szvetecz is an editor for http://www.whatsknottolove.com, an online cigar boutique that is helping bring the feel of your local cigar shop to the internet. It features a unique cigar collection as well as cigar tips, cigar culture advice and cigar accessories.

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