10 Principles to Cooking Healthier

I guess most of us already knows the basic principle of eating or cooking healthily. But if you’re ready for just a bit more guidance, our 10 principles of healthy cooking will get you started:





1. Use smart fats.
Not all fat is bad. Opt for unsaturated (e.g., olive oil) over saturated fats such as butter. But still use them in moderation because all fats are loaded with calories.


2. Go unrefined.
Pick whole grains over refined grains. Whole grains like brown rice and bulgur have their bran intact and thus have more fiber, B vitamins, magnesium, zinc and other nutrients.


3. Eat more fruits and vegetables.
Most people don’t get enough! Aim for 5 to 13 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Pick produce in a variety of colors to get a range of antioxidants and vitamins. A serving size is 1⁄2 to 1 cup depending on the fruit or vegetable.


4. It’s not all about the meat.
Meat is a great source of protein but it’s also a big source of saturated fat in many people’s diets. So eat small amounts of lean meat, fish and poultry. Fill up the rest of your plate with healthy vegetables and whole grains.


5. Choose low-fat dairy.
Dairy products like milk, sour cream and yogurt are a good source of calcium. Replacing whole-milk dairy products with low-fat or nonfat is an easy way to cut saturated fat in your diet.


6. Keep portions reasonable.
Even though we would all like a magic bullet for weight control, it really boils down to calories. One of the easiest ways to manage calorie intake is by eating healthy portions.


7. Use sweeteners judiciously.
Sugars of any kind, whether corn syrup, white sugar, brown sugar, honey or maple syrup, add significant calories without any nutritive value.


8. Keep an eye on sodium.
Whether you have high blood pressure or not, it’s wise to watch your sodium intake. The USDA’s dietary guidelines for Americans recommend consuming less than 2,300 mg (about 1 teaspoon salt) daily.


9. Go for the flavor.
Enhance food with bold flavors from healthy ingredients like fresh herbs, spices and citrus. When your food has great flavor, there’s no reason to feel deprived.



10. Be mindful and enjoy.
Make conscious food decisions rather than grabbing for what is most convenient. Make sure it is something delicious and savor it. When you enjoy what you eat, you feel satisfied

Tips on Losing Weight

I browse the internet last last few days to search for some healthy food recipe but instead I stumbled upon few tips on losing weights. Well, I guess sharing is caring.

You know the drill when it comes to losing weight--take in fewer calories, burn more calories. But you also know that most diets and quick weight-loss plans have about as much substance as a politician's campaign pledges. You're better off finding several simple things you can do on a daily basis--along with following the cardinal rules of eating more vegetables and less fat and getting more physical activity. Together, they should send the scale numbers in the right direction: down.

1. Once a week, indulge in a highcalorie-tasting, but low-calorie, treat.
This should help keep you from feeling deprived and binging on higher calorie foods. For instance:

Lobster. Just 83 calories in 3 ounces.
Shrimp. Just 60 calories in 12 large.
Smoked salmon. Just 66 calories in two ounces. Sprinkle with capers for an even more elegant treat.
Whipped cream. Just 8 calories in one tablespoon. Drop a dollop over a bowl of fresh fruit for dessert.

2. Treat high-calorie foods as jewels in the crown.
Make a spoonful of ice cream the jewel and a bowl of fruit the crown. Cut down on the chips by pairing each bite with lots of chunky, filling fresh salsa, suggests Jeff Novick, director of nutrition at the Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa in Florida. Balance a little cheese with a lot of salad.


3. After breakfast, make water your primary drink.
At breakfast, go ahead and drink orange juice. But throughout the rest of the day, focus on water instead of juice or soda. The average American consumes an extra 245 calories a day from soft drinks. That's nearly 90,000 calories a year--or 25 pounds! And research shows that despite the calories, sugary drinks don't trigger a sense of fullness the way that food does.

4. Carry a palm-size notebook everywhere you go for one week.
Write down every single morsel that enters your lips--even water. Studies have found that people who maintain food diaries wind up eating about 15 percent less food than those who don't.

5. Buy a pedometer, clip it to your belt, and aim for an extra 1,000 steps a day.
On average, sedentary people take only 2,000 to 3,000 steps a day. Adding 2,000 steps will help you maintain your current weight and stop gaining weight; adding more than that will help you lose weight.

6. Add 10 percent to the amount of daily calories you think you're eating, then adjust your eating habits accordingly.
If you think you're consuming 1,700 calories a day and don't understand why you're not losing weight, add another 170 calories to your guesstimate. Chances are, the new number is more accurate.

7. Eat five or six small meals or snacks a day instead of three large meals.
A 1999 South African study found that when men ate parts of their morning meal at intervals over five hours, they consumed almost 30 percent fewer calories at lunch than when they ate a single breakfast. Other studies show that even if you eat the same number of calories distributed this way, your body releases less insulin, which keeps blood sugar steady and helps control hunger.

8. Walk for 45 minutes a day.
The reason we're suggesting 45 minutes instead of the typical 30 is that a Duke University study found that while 30 minutes of daily walking is enough to prevent weight gain in most relatively sedentary people, exercise beyond 30 minutes results in weight and fat loss. Burning an additional 300 calories a day with three miles of brisk walking (45 minutes should do it) could help you lose 30 pounds in a year without even changing how much you're eating.

9. Find an online weight-loss buddy.
A University of Vermont study found that online weight-loss buddies help you keep the weight off. The researchers followed volunteers for 18 months. Those assigned to an Internet-based weight maintenance program sustained their weight loss better than those who met face-to-face in a support group.

10. Bring the color blue into your life more often.
There's a good reason you won't see many fast-food restaurants decorated in blue: Believe it or not, the color blue functions as an appetite suppressant. So serve up dinner on blue plates, dress in blue while you eat, and cover your table with a blue tablecloth. Conversely, avoid red, yellow, and orange in your dining areas. Studies find they encourage eating.

Courtesy of Reader's Digest Stealth Health.

Quotes by William Osler

We are all dietetic sinners; only a small percent of what we eat nourishes us; the balance goes to waste and loss of energy. ~William Osler

HEALTHY JUICES

I received below from a friend of mine. Blend these fruits together and drink it up.It will give some benefit to your body.


Carrot + Ginger + Apple - Boost and cleanse our system.



Apple + Cucumber + Celery - Prevent cancer, reduce cholesterol, and eliminate stomach upset and headache.



Tomato + Carrot + Apple - Improve skin complexion and eliminate bad breath.



Bitter gourd + Apple + Milk - Avoid bad breath and reduce internal body heat.



Orange + Ginger + Cucumber - Improve Skin texture and moisture and reduce body heat.



Pineapple + Apple + Watermelon - To dispel excess salts, nourishes the bladder and kidney.



Apple + Cucumber + Kiwi - To improve skin complexion.



Pear & Banana - regulates sugar content.



Carrot + Apple + Pear + Mango - Clear body heat, counteracts toxicity, decreased blood pressure and fight oxidization .



Honeydew + Grape + Watermelon + Milk - Rich in vitamin C + Vitamin B2 that increase cell activity and strengthen body immunity.



Papaya + Pineapple + Milk - Rich in vitamin C, E, Iron. Improve skin complexion and metabolism.



Banana + Pineapple + Milk - Rich in vitamin with nutritious and prevent constipation

Sugar-Free Chocolate Nut Clusters

Sugar-free chocolate and nuts are mixed to make these easy, delicious cluster candies. I like using almonds and cashews, but you can substitute any nuts you prefer. Be sure to buy "diabetic" or "sugar-free" chocolate (made with sugar substitutes), not unsweetened chocolate.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:
5.6 ounces sugar-free (diabetic) chocolate (two 2.8-ounce bars)
1 cup nuts, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup nut halves (optional, for decoration)

Preparation:
1. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil.

2. Chop the sugar-free chocolate into small pieces and place it in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until melted, stirring after every 45 seconds to prevent overheating. Remove from the microwave when the chocolate is mostly melted, and continue stirring until it is entirely melted and smooth.

3. Pour the nuts on top of the melted chocolate, and stir until the candy is well-mixed and all the pieces are coated.

4. Using a teaspoon, drop small spoonfuls of candy onto the prepared baking sheet. This recipe will make approximately 2 dozen 1-inch clusters.

5. If desired, top each cluster with a decorative nut half while the chocolate is still wet.

6. Place the candy in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to set the chocolate. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Broccoli and Cancer

A friend of mine forward below email to me and I feel it is good to share it.

A cancer patient credits his morning glass of broccoli juice with halting the disease.
Ray Wiseman's claim has prompted more research into the vegetable's healing powers.
Doctors told Mr Wiseman they did not expect him to survive, when they diagnosed him five years ago.

But scans show that his cancer has stopped spreading - vastly improving his chances of a recovery.
The grandfather, 79, puts his health down to the tumbler of broccoli juice that his wife prepares for him each day.
Mr Wiseman, who lives in Braunstone, Leicestershire, said: 'I take this juice every day. I know it's done me good.
'I suppose it would be the same for everybody.'

His wife Joan, 72, started giving him the juice after a friend told her about the healing benefits of green vegetables.
For each half-tumbler dose she combines a head of broccoli with some apples and carrots to improve the taste.
She said: 'We believe my husband's incredible luck is down to broccoli. I hope our experience can help other cancer sufferers.
'The juice is a mess to make but it's something we have been happy to clear up. He now just takes it as second nature.
'If anybody else's husband is suffering from cancer and they are not getting on too well, it could help them.'

Scientists from Cancer Research UK have asked her for the recipe, to further study the vegetable's benefits.
Recent medical studies have highlighted the possible cancer-beating powers of broccoli. British scientists at the Institute of
Food Research found that men who ate one daily portion had altered patterns of gene activity in their prostates, suggesting
that the chemicals in the vegetable might be able to reduce the risk of prostate cancer.

According to a report published in the British Journal of Cancer in 2006, natural chemicals found in certain vegetables,
such as broccoli-cauliflower and cabbage, can enhance DNA repair in cells, which could help stop them becoming cancerous.

A spokesman for Cancer Research UK said: 'There's a lot of research that's focused on broccoli and the healing properties that
the vegetable contains. 'If taken, broccoli needs to be with a healthy diet that is high in all fruit and vegetables. This can also
reduce the chances of developing cancer..'

Around 10,000 are diagnosed with bladder cancer every year in the UK . It is the fifth most common form of the disease and affects
more men than women.

A member of the cabbage family, broccoli is rich in vitamin C and has properties that boost the human immune systems that fight
viruses, bacteria and cancer. Studies have found that boiling broccoli can reduce its anti-cancer compounds, but steaming and microwaving in do not.

Best is to eat raw or perhaps lightly blanch.

Food Quote - Sheila Graham

Food is the most primitive form of comfort.
~ Sheila Graham

Risotto

Risotto is a rich and creamy, traditional Italian rice dish. It is one of the most common ways of cooking rice in Italy.

Its origins are in North Italy, specifically Eastern Piedmont, Western Lombardy, and the Veneto (where Vialone Nano comes from), where rice paddies are abundant. It is one of the pillars of Milanese cuisine. As far as Italians are concerned, to be correctly described as a Risotto a dish needs to be made following the established process described below; otherwise the dish is a rice dish, but cannot correctly be called a risotto.

There are many different risotto recipes with different ingredients, but they are all based on

The rice is first cooked briefly in butter or olive oil to coat each grain in a film of fat, this is called tostatura; white wine (for muslim, omit this step) is added and has to be absorbed by the grains. When it has evaporated, the heat is raised to medium high and very hot stock is gradually added in small amounts while stirring gently and almost constantly: stirring loosens the starch molecules from the outside of the rice grains into the surrounding liquid, creating a smooth creamy-textured liquid. Tasting helps to indicate when the risotto is ready, a total time of about 17 minutes from when the wine evaporated. At that point it is taken off the heat for the mantecatura when diced cold butter and finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese are whipped in to make the texture as creamy and smooth as possible. It may be removed from the heat a few minutes earlier, and left to cook with its residual heat but this requires fine judgement as to how much liquid will be absorbed by the rice while it waits. The cheese is usually omitted if the risotto contains fish or seafood.

Properly cooked risotto is rich and creamy but still with some resistance or bite: al dente, and with separate grains. The traditional texture is fairly fluid, or all'onda ("wavy"). It should be served on flat dishes and it should easily spread out but not have excess watery liquid round the perimeter. It must be eaten at once as it continues to cook in its own heat and can become too dry with the grains too soft.

Below is one of many risotto recipe that I found in the internet and I have tried it.


Porcini and Camembert Risotto

Serves 2 as a main dish
1 (1.5 oz.) package dried porcini mushrooms
1.25 cups boiling water
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup arborio rice
2 sprigs thyme
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth, kept warm on the stove
2 oz. Camembert
1 Tbsp butter
salt and pepper
Place the porcini mushrooms in a bowl and then add the boiling water. Allow the porcinis to reconstitute for about 15 minutes. Strain them, reserving the water you used, and chop the mushrooms.
Heat a large, heavy bottomed pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once shimmering, add the shallot and cook until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds before stirring in the rice, chopped porcini, and thyme. Stir the mixture so that the rice is coated with the oil and begins to toast slightly.
A ladel or so at a time, add the porcini liquid and the broth, alternately, stirring continuously and allowing the rice to absorb most of the liquid before adding the next ladel.
Continue adding the porcini liquid and broth a ladel or so at a time, stirring, until the rice is cooked al dente. It should still be slightly firm to the bite, and it should be a little "loose." You're not looking for a rice type dish that has absorbed ALL its liquid. There should be some liquid still in the pan.
Remove the pan from heat and stir in the camembert and the butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper if necessary and serve immediately (as if you could wait!).


Source : wikipedia

Do you think so?

German cheese cake and caramel latte is bad for you!

Food Quote - Laiko Bahrs

When baking, follow directions. When cooking, go by your own taste. ~Laiko Bahrs