DiEt aNd HeaLTh

Recently, I was cleaning up my room and when I unpacked a box filled up with books, I found one of my favorite book when I was in university. It is Food and Nutrition by Anita Tull, B. Ed, M. Sc. This book had been such a great help for my grades back in class and also filled with great informations. I want to share you some for it might be helpful for you.

You would all agree that food is vital to life. The book is defining food as any solid or liquid substance which, when taken by the body, provides it with the necessary material to enable it to grow, to replace worn-out and damaged parts, and to function normally.

Our body is like a complex piece of machinery that is prone to faults and weaknesses if it is poorly maintained. This can happen if too little or too much food is eaten, or if the daily food intake is in any way unbalanced.

Those people who are fortunate enough to have a choice of food to eat, have the opportunities to choose a healthy and varied food intake, and to control their eating habits. But how that choice is made, however, depends on several different factors, that some of which may be more influential than health consideration. Those factors are : personal likes and dislikes; religious and moral beliefs, social custom and tradition; food availability and variety on sale; cost; physical needs of the body; time available to shop for and prepare food; storage, preparation, and cooking facilities; our perception of food, what our senses tell us about it; food science and technology; and advertising.

One way of ensuring that health and fitness are maintained, when food is plentiful, is to have an understanding of food and its effects on the body and to use this knowledge wisely.

Food like other substances, is composed of different chemical elements, arranged in a variety of ways to form molecules. These molecules collectively give individual foods their flavour, colour, and texture, and affect their reaction to heat and their digestion. In addition, there are molecules in food which the body uses in order to function correctly and to stay healthy. These are the nutrients.

There are many different nutrients, and each has its own function in the body. Each nutrient is vital to life, and the health of an individual will suffer if any one nutrient is in short supply. Most food contain more than one nutrient, and are therefore of use to the body in several ways. Some foods, such as sugar, contain only one nutrient, and are of limited use to the body. However, no single food provides all the nutrients required by the body in sufficient quantities. SO, a variety of foods must be eaten.



source : Food and Nutrition by Anita Tull, B. Ed, M. Sc

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OysTeR iN CoLd WaTeR

Oysters are a favorite among exotic foods and research now shows this shellfish to be a rich source of zinc, one of the minerals required for the production of testosterone. The taste are delicious but the shell could be such a pet peeve. Oysters have strong adductor muscles that are used to hold the shell closed. That's why it would take hard work to open the shells, and sometimes you just have to break the shells open, and eventually you will find your oysters don't look that good anymore because of the cracking shell.

If you want the oysters still look fresh with a nice and clean skin when you serve them, why don't you try it this way : Soak the oysters in cold water for about an hour, and then put them in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. After that, get the oysters from the refrigerator and hit the shell slowly with a spoon or knife, and the shell will open easily. ="D

Happy trying!

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BrOccOLi BroCCoLi

Botanically, broccoli belongs to the cruciferous family, which includes kale, cabbage, cauliflower and brussel sprouts.

For years, our parents have been right: "Eating your broccoli is a good idea". This hearty, tasty vegetable is rich in dozens of nutrients. In fact, it packs the most nutritional punch of any vegetables. Broccoli's noteworthy nutrients include vitamin C, vitamin A (mostly as beta-carotene), folic acid, calcium, and fiber. While the calcium content of one serving doesn't equal that of a glass of milk, broccoli is an important calcium source for those who don't consume dairy products. Calcium does more than build strong bones. Research shows that this mineral may play a role in the control of high blood pressure and it may work to prevent colon cancer.

The health benefits of broccoli are so great that it is one of those foods that should be a regular addition to your menu. Even more, health organizations have singled out cruciferous vegetables as must-have foods, recommending we eat them several times a week. Why? They are linked to lower rates of cancer. Like all cruciferous vegetables, broccoli naturally contains two important phytochemicals -- indoles and isothiocyanates. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore isolated from broccoli an isothiocyanate, called sulforaphane, that increases the activity of a group of enzymes in our bodies that squelch cancer-causing agents.

Broccoli is a fiber find. Not only is it a rich source, but half of its fiber is insoluble and half is soluble, helping to meet your needs for both types of fiber. But the story doesn't end with broccoli's rich array of nutrients. Broccoli provides a health bonus in the form of protective substances that may shield you from disease. The health benefits of broccoli have been linked to preventing and controlling the following medical concerns: Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, calcium deficiencies, constipation, stomach and colon cancer, malignant tumors, lung cancer, heart disease, arthritis, and even the aging process and weight reduction. ="D

When preparing the vegetable, it is important to remember that overcooking broccoli equals a reduction in vital nutrients (especially when boiling in water). To savor every last drop of vitamins and healthy components, you should try steaming, microwaving, or preparing broccoli in a tasty stir-fry.

To make a fresh stir-fried broccoli, all you need is 2 cloves of garlic for 1 medium broccoli, a bit of salt and sugar, and some oyster sauce (it depends on your desire). Slice the broccoli into small pieces. When you are having trouble cleansing the broccoli, you can soak the broccoli just for a moment in a salted water. Its enough to kill most of the microorganisms. Fry the garlic in cooking oil until it has changed a bit yellow. Put in the broccoli, add the spices : salt, sugar, and 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce. Add 2 table spoon of water, cook the broccoli until the water has gone. And you will get the tasty-fresh crunchy healthy broccoli.

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HaPPy ComMenTinG ^_^

Dear faithful blogger friends,

There have been some problems with my computer and the internet connections days before, so there is a lag in the updates of this blog.

It's a great pleasure for me to be able to give you some good informations about food or recipe or cooking tips that hopefully beneficial for you. Next time in the future I'll go to some great places to eat to give you good information about where to have great meals or snack. I know I am not a great cook, but just like some other normal human, I like to eat. And it is always great if you can cook the food you like yourself with your own taste. It's just like when I eat mealballs soup at some places, it's always feels like there's something missing. If it is not salty enough, or sweet enough, or perhaps the noodles are too soft, or sometimes the meatballs are too tough. And then when I went home, I cook my own kind of meatballs soup, and it would just taste like heaven.

If you find this blog interesting or maybe you have some things on your mind about this blog that I need to change, please don't hesitate and please feel free to give some comments =") I am also in the middle of improving my self to be a good cook... at least for my future husband.

So.... happy commenting! ^_^

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