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I recently came down with a mild case of food poisoning. While any type of food poisoning is bad, based on some of the experiences I have seen family and friends go through I am lucky. I thought I would tell you about ways to avoid food poisoning and while this might seem a little unusual for a guy who just contracted food poisoning to tell you how not to get it I do have some good suggestions.

Many of these suggestions come from a Chef friend of mine, things that he has seen over the years in the restaurant business. Let’s face it we normally don’t get sick off of food we prepare for our families, if something seems a little off we toss it in the garbage before we’ll attempt to cook for our loved ones.

Rule number one if you’re unsure about how clean the kitchen might be check the bathroom. It’s simply really bathrooms are easy to clean kitchens aren’t. This one is so practical and coming from a Chef who knows how difficult a kitchen is to keep clean it makes all of the sense in the world. He will never eat in a restaurant that has a dirty bathroom.

Second tip is how busy are they? Busy restaurants turn over food quickly and order new shipments of food in on a regular basis. Busy restaurants are also making money and are less likely to cut corners. These corners can often times be letting food sit in the fridge longer than it should be.

Three, never order fish on Sunday or Monday. Most restaurants order food from their suppliers on Tuesday and Friday. This coincides with the busy times of the week, the truth is fish that is being served on Monday was most likely brought into the restaurant on Friday, which means it has been sitting in the fridge for 3-4 days at least. This doesn’t mean every restaurant is like this, a sushi restaurant I would like to think it getting fresh fish every other day
Never order mussels in a restaurant. There are a couple of reasons for this, first being mussels are so easy to cook at home and by cooking them at home you can make sure that they are being properly handled. As most of us know you want to make sure all mussels are closed before you cook them and open after you have cooked them. This is imperative as this is the only way to tell if the mussels are dead. Dead mussels consumed by humans can make you very sick.

Here is why my Chef friend avoids this process at a restaurant. Given how easy the mussels are to cook this job is usually given the rookie working the line, rookies are often so frazzled by the insanity of being in a kitchen that mistakes often get made. Garlic, Olive oil and a little red wine is all you need to make an amazing batch of mussels, make sure none of the little guys are dead and it’s that simple to make them at home.

There are other ways to tell if a kitchen is producing less than perfect food, these happen to be some great examples of things that only a Chef would know. Good luck and hopefully you aren’t the victim of food poisoning!

Resources: This article was written by Shawn Wilson, a member of the customer support team at Datepad, where internet dating is always free. Datepad has a massive directory of informative dating articles along with a great list of dating site reviews on their dating blog.

The road to becoming a Vegan is often a long and for some even a difficult path to take. For many becoming a Vegetarian is quite simple, but to become a full vegan is often very difficult for many people.
When many people first begin their journey, they cut out red meat, and continue with white meats such as seafood and chicken. The next step is to cut out the white meats as well, many then replace the protein with the variety of fake meats available or the variety of tofu’s that are available. A lot of people don’t like tofu, but it is usually because they are trying to cook the wrong style of tofu or cook the tofu that already comes prepared ready to consume.
Really when it comes to tofu, you just have to seek some advice from someone who is good and experienced at preparing meals utilising tofu.

The next step and often the most difficult step is to remove dairy and eggs from your diet, this can be so difficult for a lot of people as they simply don’t understand or know about the substitutes. Cheese can be extremely difficult to cut out of your diet if you are a cheese lover as many people find the substitutes nothing like cheese and quite terrible to taste. One excellent substitute for cream cheese is “Tofutti” it is available in many countries throughout the world and is a good substitute for a dip or a spread. Another cheese alternative worth experimenting with is the Follow Your Heart cheese, it is not great cold, but if you add some garlic salt and nutritional yeast to it and cook it on a pizza or in lasagna it is pretty good, however you do have to heat it to around 450 degrees to melt it.

If you really want to become a Vegan, plan the transition slowly and believe in what you are doing and why you are doing it. If you believe it is going to be difficult, then it will in deed be difficult for you. However if you make up your mind that it is going to be easy and enjoyable and maybe even an adventure, then it will indeed be that for you. Play around with your foods and experiment with herbs and spices, you will be amazed at the flavors you discover. Get advice from someone who has travelled the road before you and there are plenty of people, places and resources available.

Eating naturally, learning and experimenting with how to cook to suit your new healthy lifestyle can be a very exciting and rewarding journey. I suggest that you invest in a few of the best vegan recipe books that are available from people who have taken the journey before you, then once you get the art behind your new style of cooking, experiment more with
the ingredients and spices. You will rediscover food, which is probably much healthier for you anyway and feel much more alive and energetic. Remember “You are what you eat” if you eat fresh and healthy you will be fresh and healthy.

Resources: Grab your FREE copy of “Simple Tasty Vegan Recipes” it is ready for you to collect now. Discover the Flavours a Healthy Vegan Lifestyle can deliver to and excite your taste buds. Healthly Vegan Living

Sugar. It’s in everything these days and it’s not good. This article will provide you with information on how sugar affects your diet and the differences between sugar that’s ok for your diet and the sugar that isn’t. Whether you’re on a diet or just seeking nutritional information, the following information will be beneficial to you.

Over the last 25 years, our population has seen a significant increase in obesity. And, part of the reason for this was, amazingly enough the “low-fat” obsession we’ve seen over the last few years. Food manufacturers, in their quest to squeeze as much oil out of processed foods as possible - replace that fat with sugar in order to make reduced-fat foods tastier. Unfortunately, the net result has been an increase in sugar consumption from an average of 123 pounds per year, to an astronomical 160 pounds of sugar annually!

And it’s not stopping. Our consumption of sugar keeps growing at nearly 2 percent per year. The problem is, on the spectrum of dietary dangers, processed sugars are right up there with unhealthy fats. And the problem is that our bodies are built to process all the sugar we take in.

Most dietary sugars are simple carbohydrates, which means they are made of one or two sugar molecules stuck together. Your body can easily take those molecules, pull them apart and digest them. Complex carbohydrates, such as those found in whole grains, vegetables, and legumes, are made up of long chains of molecules which takes your body longer to process. This is why your energy levels can spike, then crash when you ingest simple carbs, and why that doesn’t happen when you have a plate full of veggies. The presence of naturally occurring fiber in complex carbs slows that sugar-release process even further.

So, replacing those “fast burning” sugars with “slow burning” ones allows your body to deal with the sugar you ingest in a much more effective way. But, how can you avoid the craving for “sweets”, and avoid those refined carbs?

First, it’s OK to have a little sugar in your diet. The FDA recommends no more than 10 grams per day (which is what you find in one soft drink) - about 2 teaspoons worth. So, if you have a little sugar through the day, that’s OK. But if you feel the urge to eat something sweet, reach for some fruit. Fruits contain fructose - natural sugar, but also contain fiber and other nutrients that slow digestion.

Also, stay away from refined- carb breakfast cereals (even unsweetened cereals. Instead, start your morning with healthy proteins & fats, which leave you feeling full longer. Try peanut butter on whole grain English muffins. Maybe a fruit smoothie with protein powder.

Remember not to eat when you’re stressed. When you feel stressed, your natural “flight or fight” response causes your body to speed up the breakdown of sugars in your body, because your body is packing glucose into your muscles as fast as it can to help you flee the situation.

And, if you’re looking for an easy way to cut back - stop drinking soft drinks, the biggest source of sugar in the American diet today. Instead, try drinking tea - and if you want to sweeten it, try other, non-sugar sources such as Splenda or Stevia. (Stevia is a natural, calorie-free sweetener that comes from a South American shrub - you can find it at Trader Joe’s, or supplement stores in both powder and liquid forms).

By moving away from a sugar-rich diet, you are taking a major step in not only feeling healthier, but you’ll also reduce your body fat and loose weight. The sooner we break the addiction to sugar, the better off our bodies will be!

Resources: Bob Lachinet is the owner of Fitness 4 Home Superstore, a specialty fitness equipment dealer recently named the #1 choice for home fitness equipment in Arizona by BestFitnessDealers.com! Learn more about how sugar can affect your diet - visit our site today.

Keeping healthy is one of the more pressing concerns of the mankind. This is caused by the fact that health is one of the most important assets that you can have.

Thus in order to protect this precious asset, one of the best methods that are available is the consumption of the so called super foods that help to strengthen our bodily processes. Perhaps one of the best super foods is the organic raw Peruvian Maca.

Some major health benefits of organic raw Peruvian Maca include:

1) Increases energy, endurance and stamina in your body.

2) Increases your muscular strength. In fact, Incan warriors used it regularly to help them increase their strength and prowess in battle. In essence, it acts like an anabolic muscle enhancer.

3) Increases sexual strength as well and it acts as an aphrodisiac. Hence, both fertility and sexual desire are improved after consuming this organic super food Maca. In fact, the legends have it that Incan warriors were prohibited from consuming Peruvian Maca once a city was invaded, in order to protect the woman inhabitants of that city.

4) Instrumental in helping the body to regulate hormonal processes. It can be used to treat hormonal dysfunctions caused by menopause in women and andropause in men.

5) It is a great memory enhancer and scientific studies shows that it increases the neural activity in the brain.

6) Maca helps increase the circulation in your body. Hence any condition of anemia is reduced and more importantly the wounds in your body heal faster after consuming Maca regularly. Also due to improved circulation, your skin gets a glowing healthy look.

7) One of the more important properties of Organic Super foods is the fact that it is one of the most successful adaptogens found in the nature.

Hence, due to this property Maca helps to regulate and stabilize the various systems in your body such as the lymph system, the circulatory system, the hormonal system, the musculature system etc. Hence, this organic super food benefits your body in whatever your body needs the most help. As you can see, this wonderful organic food is absolutely superb and it has medicinal qualities as well as nutritional qualities.

It has over 27 trace minerals such as selenium and it can be an absolute nutrition package that will complement and supplement your daily nutritional intake. It is recommended that you eat this organic food as raw for best results. You can add it to your tea or coffee or you can sprinkle it on your salads and other foods for best results.

Resources: Get Your Free Ebook , 14 Superfood Secrets Unleashed. Learn about the greatest selection of Superfoods on The Planet. Please visit our site at Superfood living and learn about Raw Chocolate Cocao, Marine Phytoplankton, Noni, Goji Berries, Maca, Sacred Chocolate, and more

Also known as a wheat kernel or wheat grain, the whole wheat berry is slowly making a name for itself as one of the top dietary sources of valuable vitamins and minerals. It enjoys high ranking as a disease preventing food choice, protecting the body from several fatal ailments. A grain of wheat is made up of three separate parts; the endosperm, the germ, and the bran. When wheat is refined to make flour, the germ and bran layers are both removed leaving only the endosperm. The endosperm is rich in protein, carbohydrates and has a high starch content, but it does not contain the higher concentrations of important nutrients found in the germ and bran layers. The bran contains all of the fibre, while the germ contains the highest concentrations of vitamins E, and B complex.

Left unprocessed, wheat berries provide the body with much needed minerals such as calcium, zinc, iron, manganese, phosphorous and selenium, as well as vitamins A, E, B1, B2, and B3. In addition, whole wheat also contains phytonutrients. These are plant derived nutrients that have been linked to reducing the risk of cancer and heart disease. Phytonutrients also act as powerful antioxidants which neutralize free radical damage to our cells, and promote healthy aging. With all of the health benefits associated with consuming the whole grain, the refining process doesn’t seem to make much sense from a nutritional stand point. However, removing the germ and bran layers of the grain gives flour a longer shelf life and in the end, the flour companies are interested in increasing their bottom line. Processing wheat in this way ultimately helps them achieve this objective.

Unconcerned with the goals of the corporate sector, the health conscious consumer has an entirely different set of objectives in mind. Health and well being are at the top of this list. Whole grains are enjoying a higher profile these days as research continues to link their consumption to the prevention of numerous diseases. Aside from providing protection against both colon and breast cancers, whole grains also reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

With all of this increased attention, whole wheat berries are slowly starting to turn up in larger chain grocery stores, finally breaking free of their long history of being available strictly through health food shops alone. If kept in an air tight container, and stored in a cool dark place, these power packed kernels will last indefinitely. Wheat kernels have been found in 5,000 year old Egyptian tombs, and when sprouted, still contained all of the same vitamins and minerals that would have present if they were placed there yesterday. That certainly tells us a thing or two about their ability to be stored for long periods of time!

Although their cooking time can take a couple of hours, wheat berries can be served and enjoyed in a number of ways. It is recommended that you soak them overnight to reduce preparation time, but this isn’t mandatory. The length of time they are boiled will determine their texture. The standard method is 3 cups of water to every one cup of wheat berries. You can boil them in water, or try using a broth for a richer taste. Keep the lid on, and allow them to soak up the liquid as they cook. If you are looking for a crunchy texture similar to nuts, they should only take you an hour or so to prepare. Chewy wheat berries will require extra stove time as they grow softer the longer they are cooked.

There are a host of recipes to be found online that utilize wheat berries. They can replace rice as a side dish, be served with fresh or dried fruit as a warm and hearty breakfast cereal, or baked in the oven after boiling to produce a crisp and healthy snack. Nutritional guidelines recommend eating a minimum of 3 one-ounce servings of whole grains per day. There are a multitude of whole grain foods that available to help you meet this quota including whole wheat pasta and brown rice. Wheat berries deliciously provide yet another option for adding whole grain goodness to your diet.

Resources: Whole wheat berries are naturally full of vitamins and minerals, and are very nutritious to include in your diet. To learn more about cooking wheat berries and grinding your own wheat visit Dr. Grandmas. (http://www.doctorgrandmas.com)

Activated Liquid Zeolite’s key health benefits. There are 14 key reasons why liquid zeolite is claimed to be such a unique and extraordinary food supplement:

1. Extremely safe and non-toxic: Extremely safe and on-toxic: liquid zeolite is completely natural and 100% non-toxic. It is totally eliminated from the body after 5 to 7 hours. Liquid zeolite has been safely used by pregnant women, nursing mothers and small children. Also safe to take with most medication, but always check with your doctor first.

2. Removes heavy metals: Liquid zeolite has the perfect molecular structure for capturing and removing heavy metals from the body, including mercury, cadmium, lead, arsenic, aluminium, tin and excess iron. It also removes radioactive metals like cesium and Strontium-90. The process begins immediately and takes approximately 4 to 6 weeks.

3. Removes pesticides, herbicides and dioxins: Although liquid zeolite is unable to remove these directly due to their negative or neutral charge, by reducing the toxic load to the liver, liver-induced glucuronidation, their main means of removal, is increased. As these chemicals are prime candidates for triggering cancer and disrupting hormone balances, even in low levels, it is very important that they are removed from the body as quickly as possible.

4. Reduces viral load: And once the heavy metal concentrations have been reduced, the zeolite latches on to viral pieces or components. Because viruses replicate by first manufacturing viral components and then assembling them into a complete virus, liquid zeolite, in essence, removes parts from the assembly line and blocks viral replication.

5. Reduces absorption of nitrosamines: Nitrosamines (or nitrates) are most commonly found in processed meats, and have been linked to pancreatic, stomach and colon cancer, as well as to Type II diabetes. Liquid zeolite captures nitrosamines in the digestive tract before they can be absorbed.

6. Helps buffer body pH to a healthy alkalinity: A slightly alkaline body pH (7.35 - 7.45) is essential for good health and optimal immune function. Liquid zeolite attracts and then buffers excess protons which cause acidity and in this way can help many conditions from acid reflux to Candida and arthritis.

7. Helps to buffer blood sugar: in the same way that liquid zeolite can buffer excess protons and thus help balance body pH, it can also buffer excess glucose by its negative charge and therefore helps reduce blood sugar spikes.

8. Helps reduce cancer risk: Evidence is accumulating that liquid zeolite not only removes toxins that can cause cancer (75% or more of cancers may be toxin-related), but can also destroy cancer cells directly by triggering the P-21 tumor repressor gene. [N.B. This does not mean that liquid zeolite is a cancer treatment per se, but rather that it is a useful supplement to integrate into a treatment program.]

9. Improves nutrient absorption: In the gastro-intestinal tract, the presence of liquid zeolite increases nutrient absorption and helps promote healthy gut microorganisms, decreasing the likelihood of stomach flus and infections.

10. Acts as a powerful antioxidant: The cage-like structure of liquid zeolite also traps free radical molecules, making it an effective antioxidant. [N.B. This does not mean that liquid zeolite is a substitute for more conventional antioxidants such as Vitamins C, E and A, lutein and selenium, all of which have other vital roles to play in the body.]

11. Reduces symptoms of allergies: Liquid zeolite captures some of the allergens and antigens that trigger allergies, migraines, and asthma, and helps to reduce symptoms.

12. Increases immune system function: Liquid zeolite does not stimulate the immune system, but allows it to function optimally by removing toxins, viruses, yeasts, bacteria and fungi which can depress immune function and interfere with hormones. Many people report feeling increased energy, clarity and vitality.

13. Helps prevent premature aging: Many people age prematurely due to a build-up of toxins which interferes with optimal metabolic function and cellular repair. By using it to remove this toxic overload, the body’s normal repair and regeneration mechanisms are free to work efficiently.

14. Extremely easy and pleasant to take: Most serious detox solutions are difficult to take (many are injected or given as an enema, or must be taken away from meals), taste unpleasant, and can leave a person feeling drained because they indiscriminately remove healthy metal ions as well. By contrast, liquid zeolite is a small bottle of tasteless liquid that can be taken with or without food and that removes only unhealthy ions.

Resources: Get Your Free Ebook , 14 Superfood Secrets Unleashed. Learn about the greatest selection of Superfoods on The Planet. Please visit our site at Superfood living and learn about Raw Chocolate Cocao, Marine Phytoplankton, Noni, Goji Berries, Maca, Sacred Chocolate, and more