Archive for the ‘Raw Food’ Category
My Kids Love Raw Vegetables
I am not making this up. My children really do love raw vegetables. Even now that they are grown up and either at college or living on their own, one of the first things they do when coming home is open the refrigerator while asking at the same time if there are any veggies and dip. The dip is the key. That is how I got my kids hooked on eating raw vegetables and eating a lot of them. It is not unusual for my three children to eat two heads of cauliflower, and a two pound bag of baby carrots in one day when they are home and still be looking for more raw vegetables to eat.
When planning holiday meals, my kids make sure I have a veggie tray planned. And unlike many families where the veggie tray is ignored ours is dug into with gusto; even at my annual New Year’s Day party with about 35 to 40 family and friends in attendance. For that party I no longer bother with a platter of raw vegetables. I put out giant bowls of them and leave them out after the meal is over for the kids and adults to snack on. By the time everyone goes home, the last stalk of celery has been eaten. My typical raw vegetable purchase for my New Year’s Day party is 3 heads of cauliflower, 4 pounds of baby carrots, 2 bunches of celery, 1 bag of radishes, 4 green bell peppers, 4 red bell peppers, and 3 containers of grape tomatoes. No, I never have leftovers; and yes I have lots of other food.
What’s the secret? It’s dip. My kids have always been willing to eat tons of raw vegetables as long as they have dip to go with them. It seems like kids are willing to eat healthy foods as long as they can dip them in something.
Although I can’t say my dip recipe is healthy, it’s really flavorful so a little of it goes a long way. And because my kids ate so many raw vegetables with it I never worried about the amount of dip they were using. This is the dip recipe I was given over 25 years ago and have been making at least once a week since then. It make two cups, but a double batch of it is more than enough for all the vegetables I serve at my New Year’s Day party.
Vegetable Dip
1 cup sour cream
1 cup Hellmann’s Mayo (don’t substitute)
1 generous tablespoon dill weed
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
¾ teaspoon onion salt
¾ teaspoon garlic salt
¾ teaspoon Lawry’s seasoning salt
Mix everything together, chill, and serve; although we typically don’t bother chilling it before eating it the first time. We mix it up and dig in with our vegetables. The dip keeps well, about two weeks if it lasts that long.
My kids can’t remember a time that fresh vegetables weren’t available to them. I tried to make a point of always keeping some cut up and ready to eat in the refrigerator. I also taught all my children how to make the dip when they were little. All three of my now grown children can make the dip without using the recipe. Also, as soon as they were old enough, I had them help me with the cutting and washing of the vegetables. And most importantly, I set a good example. At night when it was snack time, my kids usually saw me snacking on raw veggies and dip. It just became a natural thing for them to do too. Now the biggest obstacle my kids tell me they have is finding time to cut up vegetables for themselves. They buy the vegetables but don’t seem to get around to cutting them up. They say once they do get them cut up, they eat them quickly, but they admit they were pretty spoiled by me making a point of keeping those fresh ready to eat vegetables in the fridge all the time when they were younger.
Dorrie Ruplinger
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/my-kids-love-raw-vegetables-74719.html
Food Intolerances: What are the Symptoms of Food Intolerance and What Tests are Available?
Do you regularly feel discomfort or bloating after eating certain foods? Is your life disrupted with constant cycles of constipation and diarrhoea, with your insides feeling raw? Does your skin regularly feel irritated or your joints sore? Do you suffer from chronic headaches or migraines? All these health issues can be symptoms of a food intolerance, or at least a contributing factor.
While less than 2% of the population suffer from food allergies, it is estimated that more than 20% of the population suffer from food intolerance. Food intolerances can affect anyone at any age, (we commonly work with children who have an intolerance to food) but since symptoms often occur some time after the food has been eaten it can be difficult to find the problem food. Years of research has found the basis of what causes allergy and food intolerance. Poor digestion causes your immune system to begin to attack partially digested components within the food that “leak” through the intestine and can migrate around the body. Sometimes that partially digested components lodge in the intestinal wall, sometimes in a membrane around a joint or even the brain. Antibodies quickly find these components and indicate to the rest of the bodies and this triggers the immune system and causes inflammation. Inflammation causes irritation: soreness, pain and swelling
There are many techniques that have been developed through the years to determine food intolerances. Some techniques were developed before scientists discovered the immune response, for example muscle reflex testing, and acupuncture. These techniques increasingly use electronic signal processors to improve their accuracy. However, these techniques can be still be compared to using a piece of seaweed for weather prediction. It takes someone with extremely good powers of judgement to understand a muscle reflex or voltage change due to a food sample being contacted with the skin. We often meet with patients who have been tested and told they are intolerance to a wide range of staple foods, fruit and vegetables. Their symptoms can improve sometimes but they often end up with a very unbalanced diet.
A more modern and clinically proven technique looks at the root cause of the food intolerance symptoms, the immune system. Indeed, a clinical trial of immune system tests found that most people with IBS that avoided the foods suggested by an immune test had their symptoms significantly improved. These tests do need a blood sample. With the right training, blood sampling is virtually painless and takes a few seconds. A sterile finger pricker lances the skin and a blood drop appears. The drop is collected and that is that, you don’t really need a dressing and its hard to see where the blood came from a minute later. That small blood sample is taken and the levels of the antibody determined by a laboratory. Some tests need to be sent away (york test). Our specialist practice in Inverness has a small lab where the tests can be done whilst you wait (
The immune (blood) testing is a lot more accurate than the old fashioned ways of testing. Sometimes people go through the mill, completely unnecessarily.
A patient (Mr. M.) came to us with a huge list of things he was told to not eat by an electronic muscle reflex test. He was an active young male who was told to avoid all grains, milk, nuts and yeast. He was suffering from rhinitis (blocked nose that would not go away) and had followed his food avoidance diet based on the electronic results and his symptoms had still not got any better. A big issue for him was that he used to like going out with his friends to go for pizza and have a few beers. He had lost a lot of weight and felt hungry all the time because of his active job.
I blood tested him and found that he gave a very weak positive result to oats and yeast (so weak it took imagination to see the positive blue spot on the test plate). So he had put up with not being able to go get a pizza, not being able to pop out for a sandwich at lunchtime and spent a lot his time being starving (active outdoor job in Scotland – you need food!!) for no particular reason at all.
So he is now back onto a balanced diet again and can enjoy a beer this Christmas.
If you have been electronically tested and given a big list of foods that you are intolerant to, it might be a good idea to get a second test done somewhere else perhaps by the immune method and compare the results.
Dr Richard Day
http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/food-intolerances-what-are-the-symptoms-of-food-intolerance-and-what-tests-are-available-85193.html
Types of Food Allergies
Some of the most deadly allergies are those caused by food. While some people have no allergies, others are allergic to one or more things. Food allergies are difficult, however, because the offending particle is actually ingested, and therefore harder to remove.
Reactions in those with food allergies can range from mild irritation, such as a slight itch in the mouth, inside of the ears and/or the back of throat, or to severe swelling of the airway, causing a blocked passageway. If not treated, the more serious food reactions can result in death.
One of the most common food allergies is a reaction to peanuts and peanut products. Some people only experience a reaction when ingesting peanuts and products like peanut butter. Those who are more sensitive to peanut products, however, can sometimes experience a deadly reaction when a small portion of powder or oil is present. Many candy companies that include peanut varieties warn that those with severe allergies to peanuts that even non-peanut candies may have traces of peanut products. Many people have allergies to other nuts, such as walnuts, macadamia nuts and almonds.
Gluten allergies are another severe food allergy. People allergic to gluten are unable to ingest products made with gluten. Most foods made from white flour contain gluten. It is extremely difficult for these people to find foods that are safe to eat. There are, however, cookbooks available that give recipes for gluten-free foods. Whole grain breads are an alternative to white bread (which contains gluten).
An allergy to lactose is another difficult food allergy to deal with, as lactose is present in most dairy products. Soy products can help alleviate the inconveniences associated with lactose intolerance.
Some people are actually allergic to raw fruits and vegetables. This is one of the less common food allergies. After cooking the foods, many of the produce that poses a danger raw become safe to eat.
Food allergies are not always present from infancy. They can develop at any stage in life, and for many reasons. Many women find that when they become pregnant, they suddenly develop allergies to new things. The key is to monitor your reactions, and, if you aren’t sure how you will react to something, try a very small amount, or avoid it altogether.
James Hunt
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/types-of-food-allergies-10030.html
How to Make Food Safer
IS EATING dangerous? Some statistics might lead you to conclude that it is. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 130 million people in the WHO European Region are affected by foodborne disease each year. In the United Kingdom alone, over 100,000 cases of food poisoning—causing about 200 deaths—were reported in 1998. It is estimated that in the United States, some 76 million illnesses result from foodborne disease each year and that of those cases, 325,000 involve hospitalization and 5,000 end in death.
Globally, careful estimates are harder to come by. However, WHO reports that in 1998, approximately 2.2 million people died from diarrheic diseases—1.8 million of them being children. The report notes: A great proportion of these cases can be attributed to contamination of food and drinking water.
Those figures may sound staggering. But should statistics cause you to panic about the safety of your own food? Probably not. Consider another example. In Australia, there are some 4.2 million cases of foodborne illness every year—or about 11,500 every day! Now that may sound like a lot. But look at it from a different perspective. Australians eat about 20 billion meals a year; of those meals less than one fiftieth of one percent lead to illness. In other words, the risk involved in each meal is really very small.
Nonetheless, the risk is real and sobering. What causes food to bring on illnesses, and what can be done to reduce the risk?
Causes of Foodborne Illness
A remarkable number of diseases can be passed along in food—more than 200 of them, says the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. But the culprits causing all those diseases are not so numerous. According to Dr. Iain Swadling, food information officer for the International Food Information Service, about 90 percent of all cases of foodborne disease are caused by probably less than two dozen species of microorganisms. How do the various disease-causing agents—the viruses, bacteria, parasites, toxins, and so forth—find their way into food?
Dr. Swadling lists five of the most common ways that food is contaminated: Using contaminated Raw Foodstuffs; infected/ill people preparing meals; inadequate storage combined with preparation of food several hours before consumption; cross-contamination during food preparation; insufficient cooking or reheating of food. Grim though that list may appear to be, it conveys a potent bit of good news. Most instances of foodborne illness are readily preventable. To see what you can do to ensure the safety of the food you consume, note the box on pages 8 and 9.
Making Balanced Choices
In view of the various risks and concerns about food, some people today decide to take the time to buy, prepare, and eat more fresh food. If that option appeals to you, seek out stores or markets in your area that sell fresh, untreated commodities. One consumer guide explains: Many consumers seek contact with the producers—either at weekly markets [where fresh produce is sold] or where the food is produced—so as to buy the items when they are particularly fresh and to get a look at the production of the food and its origin. This practice may be helpful when buying meat products.
In a similar vein, it may be best to purchase local foodstuffs in season, since they may be the healthiest. Realize, however, that if you adhere to such a standard, you will forfeit having a global selection of fruit and vegetables year-round.
Should you switch to organic food? That is a personal decision. Organic food has many enthusiasts, some no doubt motivated by distrust of new technologies used in the food industry. But not everyone agrees that organic farming offers safer food.
Whatever your preferences in food, carefully examine what you buy. Where food is concerned, laments one expert quoted in the weekly newspaper Die Zeit, the consumer looks only at the price. Being price conscious is laudable, but inspect the list of ingredients as well. It is estimated that nearly half the people buying food in Western lands do not take the time to read the nutritional information printed on labels. Granted, in some lands labeling is not comprehensive. But if you want safe food, then do what you can to examine the ingredients.
Flor Ayag
http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/how-to-make-food-safer-745220.html
Avoid Junk Food or Eat Healthier Junk Foods?
As a fitness professional, I’m always amazed (and puzzled) with the conflict people seem to have with losing weight, yet they refuse to stop eating junk food. An interesting thing I have noticed over my many years helping people to lose weight is that almost every single person that has told me that they are “attempting” to lose weight, almost always has their house filled with all sorts of junk food instead of whole unprocessed natural food.
It is not uncommon for people to tell me that they are trying really hard to lose weight, but I will still notice boxes of apple jacks and fruity pebbles on their counters, cakes, candies, and chips in their cupboard, and sodas or syrupy juices in their refrigerator.
So the question that always stumps me is that if all of these people honestly wanted to lose weight so bad, why in the world do most people still have their houses filled with junk foods instead of healthy food?
Interestingly, the answer usually is that they do not want to give up their favorite foods because they think that eating this junk food allows them to “live a little”… if you ask me, it sounds more like dying a little with each bite!
My take on it is that eating junk foods has nothing at all to do with enjoying your life… In reality, when you give up junk foods you actually enjoy life more because you feel better and are more energetic every day. In addition, getting into better shape by not eating junk food can obviously help improve the way your body looks (and therefore increases your confidence), thereby making you enjoy life even more.
One thing that many people fail to realize is that eating healthy does not have to mean eating bland and boring food. Instead, when you learn to enjoy natural unprocessed food and start exploring all of the varieties of natural food that this planet has to offer us, you learn that you can enjoy the natural flavors of real foods more than overly processed aggressive tastes that are so common with excessively sweet and salty junk food.
An example of this is that the other day I wanted an unsweetened iced tea while out on the road, but all that the store had available was these bottles of heavily sweetened iced tea. Well, I have not bought a fully sweetened iced tea in probably at least a few years now… I have actually gotten used to drinking unsweetened iced tea and have learned to appreciate the natural taste of tea without needing sugar or other sweeteners.
When I drank this bottled sweet tea, I almost gagged because it was so syrupy sweet, it was absolutely nasty.
A similar example… I used to need a lot of sugar in coffee, but after a slowly reducing the amount of sugar I would use in coffe, I can now actually drink black coffee and enjoy the natural flavor of it without needing sweeteners (although I rarely drink coffee).
These are just a couple examples of how once you start appreciating the natural flavors of real food, you find that you no longer need the super-aggressive salty, sugary, or artificial flavors that have been ingrained in us by the food companies and all of the junk food they push on us.
My belief is that everyone should actually enjoy what they eat, and can do it without eating overly processed junk food… Actually, people are often surprised to hear that a lot of the foods that they think are junk food, I have healthy alternatives that they never thought of.
A few examples:
Junk food: a chocolate candy bar, a chocolate donut, or a piece of chocolate cake
Healthier alternative: a couple pieces of extra-dark chocolate (greater than 70-75% cocoa content only)… this is higher in fiber and much less sugar than milk chocolate or even dark chocolates that are less than 70% cocoa content
Junk food: Deep fried and breaded chicken fingers and fries on the side (loads of nasty trans fats)
Healthier alternative: grilled chicken breast strips with peanut dipping sauce and vegetables on the side
Junk food: a cheap fast-food burger on a processed refined white bun
Healthier alternative: A grass-fed burger (higher in CLA and omega-3 fats) with raw grass-fed cheese on a sprouted grain roll
How about that for eating healthier yet still very tasty foods!
I hope that what you get out of this article is that there is more to life than eating junk food, and eating junk does not necessarily mean that you’re “living a little” as so many people say. Instead, I feel the opposite is true.
Eat healthier and discover the natural flavors of real foods (not processed) and you’ll soon discover that you no longer need junk food. Enjoy!
THOMPSON STEPHEN
http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/avoid-junk-food-or-eat-healthier-junk-foods-688969.html
