Healthy food index and Recourse Directory

Healthy food index and Recourse Directory | Please find some healty food and their short details and contents. You can also find healthy diet tips. Forget about the fad and latest crazy diets, there’s only one way you’re going to lose weight, and that’s by restricting your total calorie intake, and increasing your calorie expenditure. Also we have diet tips for pets.

Healthy food index and Recourse Directory!

Agar-Agar

A vegetable equivalent of gelatine, made from seaweed, a good source of minerals, and available at most wholefood shops.

Chickpeas

A very ancient food from the Near East, India and many other warm countries, found cultivated in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and mentioned in the Bible. Don’t buy tinned chickpeas, they’re expensive and not nearly so tasty. Dried chickpeas will store very well, and will reconstitute after overnight soaking and pressure cooking. They can be used to make falafel, hummus and delicious soups, and they are wonderful cold in salads. When ground they are called Gram Flour (or Besan) used in much Indian cuisine (called Channa), including onion bajis.

Healthy food index and Recourse Directory! Dieting and Losing Weight

Don’t bother about trying to lose weight if you’ve recently gone meat-free, you may find that your body will naturally stabilize at an optimum weight, and it’s more difficult to overeat without all those saturated fat calories in meat. If you then want to diet, here’s a tip.

Try a mainly raw food diet, it’s almost impossible to over-eat on raw food. Don’t go on crash diets, they don’t work, and may jeopardize your health. Cut out junk food first. Physical activity is important too, not because it burns up lots of calories (it doesn’t). But because your body’s mechanisms will tend to regulate your appetite to match your new activity level. If you have diabetes or other metabolic diseases, or are pregnant, don’t diet without consulting your doctor.

Dogs and Cats

Dogs and cats that are fed exclusively on meat have been found to develop soft bones and become in generally poor condition. On the other hand, however, cats cannot metabolize certain nutrients from vegetable sources, and so you need to include some scraps from the fishmonger in their diet on a regular basis. Otherwise, the easiest way to feed dogs and cats is simply to include them when preparing human food.

Healthy food index and Recourse Directory! Eggs

In this country, we have some genuinely humane legislation entitled the Protection of Birds Act 1954, which says:

‘If any person keeps or confines any bird whatsoever in any cage or other receptacle which is not sufficient in height, length or breadth to permit the bird to stretch its wings freely, he shall be guilty of an offence against the Act and be liable to a special penalty.’ Which sounds all very well and good, until you read the next clause that was inserted into the Act before it became law:

“Provided that this subsection shall not apply to poultry”

Elderly Special Needs of

Old people can thrive on a meat free diet and many report that cutting meat out actually improves their bodily health and sense of vigour. The elderly no longer need to grow so don’t need quiteso much carbohydrates fats or proteins but still have a great requirement for good quality vitamins and minerals A food processor will prove useful to chop fresh food into easy size pieces and will make delicious and nourishing soups and purees Both
fresh and dried fruit have a useful place in each day’s diet.

Many older people prefer smaller amounts of food at more frequent intervals Regular exercise sunshine pure water and good companionship are essential too.

Healthy food index and Recourse Directory! Herbs and Spices

Nothing looks nicer than a kitchen lined with glass jars full of intriguing herbs and spices. Experiment and build up your collection as you go along, it’s the only way to learn. Avoid commercial concoctions (e.g. garam masala) and grind your own instead, they will taste infinitely better, and you can suit them to your own palate.

Buy small quantities as a rule, since they can deteriorate with time Just a few particularly useful ones:

• Basil or Oregano – Either of these are especially exciting when added to tomato in dishes such as Tomato Soup, Vegetable. And il se Donchy Lasagna, Tomato Salad, etc Only a little is needed when the herb is cooked.
• Chives – You can purchase these dried, but they are also fun and easy to grow. Use them in salads, soups, sandwiches and flans for their bright colour and subtle onion flavour.
• Cumin – Buy this spice whole and grind it yourself when you need it. At its best in rice or lentil dishes a rather strong flavour adding depth to the dish.
• Ginger – Most people know what this tastes like, but did you know that it may be used fresh or dried in soups, salads, curries, beverages and a dozen other dishes without ever seeming the same? You can pickle fresh ginger in sherry to keep well (store it in the fridge)

Mint

• Mint – Use it fresh in season and dry all the winter to liven up beverages, salads and their dressings or to enhance peas, potatoes and pasta Experiment with the different types of mint to find your favourite, eg, spearmint, applemint, peppermint
• Mustard – That’s the seed (black or yellow) or the dry mustard powder (which is ground yellow mustard seed), Use mustard seed in dressings stir-fries or curries Use the powder in dressings or sauces but use a light hand to start with
• Paprika — Part of the chilli family but not so hot. Paprika is full of vitamins A and C goes well in cheese dishes, salads and dressings. A sprinkle of it before serving ensures that none of its value is lost.

Healthy food index and Recourse Directory! Souces

• Parsley – This herb may be used dried in soups stews, salads or baked dishes. Fresh, it is often used as a garnish be sure to eat it as it is high in vitamins A and C It has a strong flavour but one which clears your taste buds for the next dish.
• Sage – Use this herb sparingly as its flavour is both strong and distinctive. It is used in stuffings nut dishes, sauces and combined with other herbs in stews or casseroles.
• Tarragon – Another distinct flavour, but this time more subtle. Tarragon may be used fresh or dried in egg dishes salads and their dressings sauces and herb butters and with lealy vegetables and avocados.
• Thyme – At its best with foods that are to some extent fatty. Such as beans, cheeses, dressings, sauces and marinades; or sprinkle a pinch of fresh or dried thyme over a tomato salad. This herb helps digestion.

Lentils

A leguminous plant, popular with Homo Sapiens since the Bronze. Age, whose seeds are twenty-five per cent protein, rich in B vitamins, iron and phosphorus. There are many different colours and varieties and they feature in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisine. You must cook them thoroughly (soft, not crunchy to the palate). If you still
get a tummy upset after having eaten them, it may be because the intestinal flora of your stomach is changing to accomodate your new diet and things will get better after a week or two.

You may have to keep a watchful eye on them as you pour them out, before rinsing, as small stones sometimes get mixed up with them! There are literally hundreds of ways of presenting them in creative cuisine. As with all beans and pulses they’re much cheaper if you can buy a sackful at a time.

Healthy food index and Recourse Directory! Miso

Fermented soya bean paste, an essential for Japanese and Chinese cooking. High protein, low calorie, many different varieties, substitute for salt in most recipes.

Organic Food

A third of the fruit and vegetables on sale in this country contains detectable traces of pesticide residue, according to a recent survey. Including such notorious compounds as DDT. There are no legal limits on pesticide residues, so it’s a case of the buyer having tobeware. You can avoid this problem by buying (or better still, growing) organic fruit and vegetables. Also, you won’t believe how different they taste – it’s a real revelation!

Rice

The staple food of more than two billion people on this planet, and a superior food not likely to cause allergy. Avoid white or polished rice, which has had most of the goodness (B vitamins. fat and protein) destroyed during processing. Rice flour contains no gluten and can be used for puddings pastries and cakes, but not bread. Wild rice is a totally different plant.

Healthy food index and Recourse Directory! Seaweed

The thought of cooking with seaweed may fill you with horror, but if so think again. For a start, try Kombu (Kelp), a single strip of which can simply be added to any soup or stew you’re making at the beginning of cooking. Leave it in the pot, and it will thicken and bring out the flavour of whatever else you put in. You’ll be amazed how you can make a delicious soup from nothing other than kombu, water and vegetables. When you’ve found your sea-legs. Try experimenting with Nori. Arame, and Dulse.

Sprouting

A do-it-yourself home garden which, for a few pence will provide you with an unrivalled source of fresh nutritious vegetables all year round, while boosting your vitamin Cintake You can sprout mung beans (the usual sort of bean sprouts) and also chickpeas, lentils. Fenugreek, alfalfa, mustard seeds, etc. Wash the seeds, soak in cold
water overnight. Then drain, place in jar, cover the top with cloth and secure with a rubber band, and through this rinse the beans twice a day, draining each time. In a day or two you’ll have perfect bean sprouts.

Don’t let them stand in water, or they’ll rot. Don’t whatever you do, use seeds intended for agricultural use, as their dressing may be poisonous.

Tahini

A paste made from ground sesame seeds and oil, very high in calcium if it’s made with brown unhulled sesame seeds. Very tasty when used in recipes, an ingredient of hummus, and will often serve as an egg substitute in many dishes.

Healthy food index and Recourse Directory! Tamari (or Shoyu or Soya Sauce)

Throw out the supermarket soya sauce, it’s made with hydrochloric acid and is nothing like the original. Buy instead shoyu, which is brewed for four to six months from defatted soya meal or tamari, which is more expensive and traditionally Japanese, fermented for twelve or eighteen months. You’ll notice the difference.

Tempeh

A traditional Japanese fermented soya product, available in many wholefood shops, very high in usable protein and a source of vitamin B2. More difficult to make at home than tofu, since it needs fermenting with a special mycelium Rhizopus.

Healthy food index and Recourse Directory! Tofu

Soya bean curd that can be bought in wholefood shops or easily made at home. Very high in protein, extremely adaptable in recipes, low in fat. Some books suggest making it from soya flour, but don’t. as it will be gritty. Can be made either runny (for dressings etc.) or firm (for frying) depending on the curdling agent (lemon juice, cider vinegar or the original nigari, again available from wholefood shops). Many books now show you the simple process, the easiest description being in The Farm Vegetarian Cookbook. Will freeze for months.

Travelling, Eating on the Run

The facilities in this country for good, healthy eating while travelling are almost always horrific in the extreme. Neither the caterers at motorway service areas, nor the chefs at British Rail, seem to have heard about the coronary heart disease epidemic.

There are just three things we can do:

1) campaign vociferously for better quality food;

2) using guides and local information try to track down a few good restaurants;

3) pack your own travelling snacks.

Healthy food index and Recourse Directory! Utensils

No gadgets, here are a few beneficial tools for your kitchen:

• Pressure cooker (a must for beans and pulses).
• Cast-iron pans (or enamel, but no aluminium or copper).
• Wok (for really fast stir-frying of vegetables using minimal oilor, with care, can even be used without any oil if you watch over it and sprinkle water on when necessary).
• Garlic press (releases the flavour better than chopping).
• Mouli (more effort than an electric blender, but cheaper).
• Grater (more effort than a food processor, but much cheaper, and allows you to eat such delicious raw salad vegetables as beetroot, turnip, swede, carrot, etc).
• Steamer (never boil the nutrients in vegetables away again!).
• Mortar and pestle (for grinding spices).

Vegetarian

An old-fashioned name for someone who doesn’t eat meat.

Yogurt

This ‘live food maintains or introduces to your intestines bacteria that are necessary for healthy digestion but also helpful in preventing harmful bacteria from establishing. Yogurt is high in protein and the B-group of vitamins and is known to have more of vitamins A and D than the milk from which it was made.

It is recommended for persons with lactose intolerance as well as those who have recently taken a course of antibiotics (which destroy beneficial bacteria in the intestines). Babies and young children thrive on fresh yogurt as it resembles human milk and is therefore unlikely to cause allergy. Any milk may be used to make yogurt and this explains its presence all around the world. It is a versatile food and one that is easily made following a simple procedure:

Sterilize a jar or container with boiling water – include the lids and any spoons you will use to stir the yogurt.

How to make yogurt?

Decide which milk you wish to use i.e. soya, whole or skimmed cow’s milk. Measure 1 litre (approx. 2 pints) of the milk into a saucepan and place it over a medium heat. If using cow’s milk, heat the milk until it begins to break into small bubbles at the edges of the pan.

If using soya milk, actually boil the milk for 30-60 seconds (be sure you keep stirring). Remove the milk from the heat and pour it into the containers you have sterilized. Cover the containers with their lids or a clean cloth and allow the milk to cool to just warmer than blood heat (if splashed onto your wrist it should feel warm but not hot).

Now stir in two rounded dessertspoons of purchased plain, live, unsweetened yogurt with a sterilized spoon. Cover the containers with their lids. Place the containers where they will be kept a constant temperature of 44°C/100°F for 2-6 hours. An airing cupboard, the top of a refrigerator or near the pilot light on a cooker will do nicely.

Wrap the container in a tea cosy or towel to ensure the temperature is kept. The yogurt will become thicker the longer you leave it warming, ie over-night. Store the yogurt in the refrigerator and
keep a small amount separate for the ‘starter to your next batch.