goji berries cultivation Reviews and information
goji berries cultivationAffect of Food on our Relationships
Did you know that how certain food we choose could have adverse impact on our relationships with the people around us?
We make many choices in our lives without ever questioning "why?" A choice like what we eat is one of them. Perhaps we simply continue to eat in the way we were raised; perhaps we automatically adopt our parents' choices. Or, perhaps we go against how we were raised: our parents made one choice, so we will make the opposite. In either case, we rarely take the time to truly see why we are eating what we eat.
We already know what we eat affects our physical health. If we continue to eat a healthy, balanced, low-fat, low-sugar diet, we will have leaner bodies, less disease, and longer life as a general rule. Likewise if we continue to eat a diet high in fat, sugar and chemical additives, we will have overweight bodies, more disease, more visits to doctor, shorter life so on and so forth. This is not true for all people, but on the average it is common knowledge. But what I am going to talk about is an indirect connection between our food habits and relationships with people around us.
The connection is:
Our food choices can affect our emotional state;
Our emotional state influences our actions;
Our actions affect our relationship;
Our relationships affect our physical and emotional state;
Our emotional state and physical health can affect our food choices.
Our Food Choices Affect Our Emotional State
Many factors play a role in our emotional state. Our family history, health history, job status, and relationships all affect our emotional state. But one factor we generally overlook is the food that can affect our emotional state, our moods. My own experience demonstrates that when I eat certain foods, various emotional states tend to follow on a consistent basis. While this may not be the case for you, it's worth considering.
Let's look at depression as an example. Many people who suffer from depression do so because of a chemical imbalance or because of specific circumstances in their lives. But let's say continuous poor food choices have led to weight gain or illnesses that result in isolation or irritability. And that, in turn, has perhaps contributed to a poor self-image. It is very possible, then, that these factors may make a person depressed. When talking about personal experience, ice creams and chocolates has always been great elevated mood of my wife and mine. The reverse may also be true. People who make healthy food choices and have a strong self-image will most likely be more joyful. This may even be true if they have a tendency toward depression. Foods high in fat, sugar, and chemical additives may contribute to a host of negative emotions, while foods rich in nutrients-fresh fruits and vegetables, grains, and lean meats-may contribute to positive emotions. Studies of shown the emotional state of herbivores and carnivores animals and their eating habits.
Our Emotional State influence Our Actions
Perhaps this next step in the connection is as obvious to you as it was to me. What we don't know is that food had contributed to those emotions.
These emotions drive our thoughts and eventually our actions. Thoughts and emotions are so mixed that they drive our actions, by instinct, and in an unconscious way. If I am in a confused state, my thinking would be affected and I would think and act differently.
So our emotions can provide us with information about ourselves, and about our behavior and about the behavior of others If we are generally ruled by joy, peace, patience, and a positive attitude, our actions would be benevolent, friendly, helpful and understanding. On the other hand, if we harbor negative emotions, bad temper, depression, then we exhibit uncontrolled anger, pessimism, anxiety, or bad moods on a regular basis.
Again, this information is probably not surprising. What is a surprise is that the foods you eat may indirectly be affecting the way think and act.
Our Actions Affects Our Relationships
Obviously the behaviors driven by negative emotion are bound to make adverse affect on their relationships. People with these emotional traits will be more likely to have conflicts with their spouses, children, and even coworkers. Similarly, people with positive emotional state don't have to try harder for keeping the relation stronger.
Again, this information is probably not surprising. What is a surprise is that the foods you eat may indirectly be affecting the way you get along with the people you love.
Our Relationships Affect Our Physical Health and Emotional state
Numerous studies released in the past few years prove that people with poor and/or limited relationships and social connections are more likely to have poor physical health. Similarly, people with strong and/or numerous relationships and social connections are more likely to have good physical health.
How does this relate to the connection between food and love? It works like this: Foods affect our emotions, emotions affect our actions, actions affect our relationships, and relationships affect our physical health and emotions. Therefore, the food choices we make-whether good or bad-may very well play a role in our relationships, as well as our physical health and emotional state.
Our Emotional and Physical Health Affect Our Food Choices
That brings us to concluding piece of the connection. Our emotion and physical health affect our food choices. Let me give you a picture of how this looks.
So food choices affect our emotions; our emotions affect our actions; our actions affect our relationships; our relationships affect our physical health and emotions; and our emotions and physical health affect our food choices.
When people suffer from poor emotional and physical health, they don't love themselves nor love their body. Most people find other ways to recuperate. They often turn to quick-and-easy substitutes. But Food and Love are one of them.
If we choose healthy foods, we are in the best possible position to have healthy bodies and healthy relationships. If we choose unhealthy foods, we make ourselves vulnerable to having unhealthy bodies and unhealthy relationships, which can lead us to even more unhealthy food choices.
Most people want to make healthy choices, but as I said earlier we simply continue to live in the way we were raised.
For more article on http://www.dinewithdate.com
One, Two, Three � Plunge Into Weight Loss and Feeling Good About You
I love to swim. That�s why I swim 3 to 4x�s a week. Problem is I hate being cold. That�s why I dread � yes, every time � even the thought of getting into the pool at 5:45 AM. Even at 82 degrees � brrrrr � that water is cold to me. I know � I�m such a weenie.
I figure it like this. Swimmers fall into two categories: dippers and plungers.
Dippers slowly get used to the water. First one toe, then the other, one foot, then the other, one calf, then the other, up to the waist � you know the drill. Prolonged torture if you ask me. It takes courage to be a dipper. Nope � a dipper I�m not.
One cold toe and I�d skedaddle right back to the locker room with my shivering tail between my legs.
I�m a plunger. No forethought, one deep breath, one dive, one shock and whew � I made it one more time.
Maybe it has something to do with the farm pond we 6 Van Romer kids swam in all summer. It had a dock and a mud bottom, the home for little critters � frogs, turtles, snakes, and who knows what else, real and imagined.
What would you do? Jump from the dock, tucking up your feet so they don�t hit bottom, or sink into the slimy muck one squishy, scary step at a time � waiting for that creepy-crawly to zip up your leg?
Yep � I�m a confirmed plunger.
What are you? A dipper or a plunger? And I�m not talking about swimming now. I�m talking about eating � eating to lose weight, pep you up, and to just feel good about yourself.
And what could be more important than feeling good about you? If you feel good about you, then you can help others feel good about them. See how it goes?
My suggestions work and are simple � I�m a simple kind of girl. I hate cold, but worse than that, I hate complicated. Complicated confuses me.
One simple, uncomplicated suggestion: fill-up up on the �best-for-you� foods first.
And which foods are those? Well, which foods prevent cancer (not to mention diabetes, strokes, heart attacks, digestive problems, and the lingering of too much fat)?
One, two, three. All together now: �Fresh fruits and vegetables.�
Ahhhhh�music to my ears�fruits and vegetables.
Have you ever (EVER) heard that beef, cheese, chicken, turkey, fish, dried-up cereals, eggs, bacon, hamburgers, pizza, pancakes, brown-colored white bread, cheese (oh, did I say that already?), sweets, salty snacks, yogurt, or milk prevent cancer?
No, of course not. So why were we taught as children to fill-up on these foods?
Why weren�t we taught to fill-up on fresh fruits and vegetables � our disease (and weight) warriors and health heroes?
The dippers do this with the fruit-and-vegetable �ah-ha� moment. They think it and think about it and think about it some more. They read recipes, thumb through books, talk to their spouses, and think about it some more.
They question:
�How come I never knew this?�
�How come no one else ever told me this before?�
�Can this be too simple to be true?�
�Where would I get my protein?�
�Where would I get my calcium?�
�What about the good fats?�
�If I fill-up on fruits and vegetables, how would I have room left for my old, comfort favorites?� (Bingo - that�s the whole point!)
�Can I really lose weight by eating like this?�
�Do I really want to eat like this?�
After a while, the dippers may venture into the store, buy a few more fruits and vegetables, and try working them into their day. But the details boggle their brains.
And the plungers � well, they just take one flying leap and plunge right in. One minor drawback: sometimes the shock of cold waters sucks the wind right out of them, and they end up scrambling their way out just to catch their breath.
They get too uncomfortable too fast and don�t hang around long enough to get comfortable.
Whether you are a dipper or a plunger or somewhere in between, the most important thing is to just start.
And keep it simple. We�re talking about fruits and vegetables here, not rocket science.
First suggestion: Go to the store. Buy enough fruit to last you a few days. Eat enough whole fruit throughout the morning to satisfy you and fill you up. And yes, you can eat two or three of the same fruits. Eat fruit for snacks as well.
Second suggestion: Go to the store. Buy enough vegetables to make salads with at least 10 different vegetables. Go home. Make a salad big enough to fill you up. Eat at least one big salad every day. Even better � eat two. Make enough salad at lunch for dinner too.
Will you get hungry in 2 to 3 hours after eating salad for lunch? Absolutely. Real food goes in. Real waste goes out. It�s not supposed to stick around inside you.
So what should you do when you get hungry? Eat! What a novel idea. Staying full and satisfied is key to weight loss and health gain.
Third suggestion: Snack on whole, fresh fruits, vegetables, or raw, unsalted nuts and seeds.
One, two, three. How�s that for simple?
Okay, my friend, there�s the water. No more paralysis with analysis. Grab my hand and let�s go. The last one in is a rotten egg (or rotten carrot as the case may be).
�On your mark, get set, GO!�
Wash, open mouth, bite down, and chew! Repeat. Now admit it � what could be simpler, and better for you, than that?
Dr. Leslie Van Romer is a health motivational speaker, writer, and lifestyle coach. Visit http://www.DrLeslieVanRomer.com for more inspiration.
Sausages - Make Your Own, It's Fun and Easy
Are you fed up with buying the same old mass produced sausages that have no real flavour to them, are full of additives and preservatives as well as this you have no idea what meat has gone into the production?
If so maybe you should have a go at making your own sausages, it really is simple. You will need some specialist equipment but this can be bought relatively cheaply on the net and as with most people I've know who've made their own sausages, once you've made your own you'll never go back to buying the mass produced factory produced ones on offer in the super market.
The equipment you'll need is as follows.
A meat mincer is obviously required to produce sausages. If you don't have the spare money for a machine you can always ask you butcher to mince the right amount of meat for you when you buy it. Whatever machine you buy ensure it will be able to process enough meat without over heating, this can be a stand alone machine or it can be an attachment that you add to your food processor. It is important to ensure that the mincer has the right gauge of blade for mincing as it's important that your mince isn't too fine for sausages, you you're your sausage to be quite meaty.
After the meat is minced, mixed and flavourings added you'll need to stuff your sausages, surprisingly enough, with a sausage stuffer. These are available in various types but mainly vertical or horizontal screw thread stuffer's which are basically a large plunger that goes inside a metal tube, is fixed on a stand and is pushed through the tube by means of a screw thread. Pretty simply stuff really.
You can get sausage stuffing attachments for food processors but I'd always recommend a hand operated one until you get to a point where you are making so many sausages that an electric screw thread machine is an option but you need to be making a lot of sausages to justify one of these or very lazy.
When you have minced all of the meat you need you mix it to ensure that you have the correct consistency of fat to meat. Although your sausage may appear to have a higher fat content that the mass produced super market version when you cook your homemade sausages you'll be amazed at how little fat drains out.
When you are happy that the meat and fat are properly mixed it is time to add the flavourings.
Now this is where it gets interesting and is purely down to personal taste. I'd recommend adding 10 - 15 grams of salt to each kilo of meat but only if you are adding all of your own flavourings and not a bought in sausage mix as these will have the salt added already.
From here you can take your sausage recipe to where ever you want. You can keep it simple by adding fennel seeds and rosemary, or spicy by adding coriander, chilli powder and garam masala. It really is up to you. There are many forums on the net with sausage recipes, just keep looking until you find one.
When you think your happy with the flavours that you've chosen just take a bit of the mix and fry it off in a pan and taste, if you are happy with it you can go ahead and stuff the mix, if not you can keep adding to it until you've got it right.
One final thing that you'll need for your sausages is the casings. These are available in various sizes and styles. You can have collagen casings, sheep casings or hog casings.
I'd recommend using hog casings to start with as they are easier to work with than the delicate sheep casings and produce a good thick sausage. These casings should be soaked in water for at least 2 hours prior to using. These are usually supplied in a moist salt solution. Use what you need and once resealed in the Ziploc bag provided, casings can be stored for months in the fridge.
Sheep casings produce a very delicate thin sausage but care must be taken not to overstuff them. Once you have got the hang of sheep casings they are well worth the effort. Again, these casings should be soaked in water for at least 2 hours prior to using.
Collagen casings are the complete solution for all sausage applications, including freezing, deep fat frying, grilling and oven cooking. Collagen casings are supplied on a shirred stick and the amount needed for each application can be cut off. These casing are suitable for hand-linking provided the appropriate sausage mix and recipe are used. When hand-linking, the casing is dry, so we suggest using a vegetable oil to help with the process. Oil has the added benefits of leaving a lasting sheen on the sausage and helps with cooking. No soaking is required and they have an indefinite shelf life if stored in a cool dark place, refrigeration is not necessary.
Stuffing is the easy part, as long as you don't over stuff the casings, which will make them spilt, you can't really go wrong.
When the sausages are stuffed you can either have a go at linking them as you see in butchers or you can refrigerate them or freeze them as a long link.
Either way you'll have the best sausage you've ever tasted.
I try to pass on my musings on life and experiences in a way that people may find interesting to read.
http://www.ceramic-knife-sharpener.com
You may not always agree with my writings but I hope to inform.
Harwood E Woodpecker
goji berries cultivationAmazing Grass introduces organic berry green superfood drink powder - The Beverage Network
Wed, 17 Dec 2008 16:34:52 GMT
Amazing Grass introduces organic berry green superfood drink powder The Beverage Network - Berry Green SuperFood unites a full spectrum of alkalizing green SuperFoods, antioxidant-rich fruits including acai and goji berries, support herbs, ... |
lucy goosey - Tuesday, October 07, 2008 11:31:25 AM
Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:30:59 EDT
All medicinal mushrooms possess a high proportion of immune-enhancing polysaccharides, which are also found in goji berries, yacon, kelp, and aloe vera. ... This has made Reishi a preferred choice for the relief of altitude sickness for the entire history of its cultivation....
Market Wire - Anti-Aging Supplements Made From Goji Berries Show Great Results in New Study
Thu, 24 Jul 2008 07:00:00 GMT
July 24, 2008 -- According to a new study published in theJournal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, Goji juice gets results.With its high concentration of...
posted by Mohammad @ 1:56 PM
0 comments
