May 13, 2008
10 High Potassium Foods
Filed under Nutrition | Comments (1)
While bananas are known for their high potassium content (one medium banana has 422 mg), there are many other foods that are a great source of this important nutrient. Here are ten: Avocados One avocado has 975 mg of potassium. Cantaloupe One cup of cubed cantaloupe has 427 mg. Tomatoes
May 10, 2008
Dark Chocolate During Pregnancy May Prevent Preeclampsia
Filed under Pregnancy and Diet | Comments (1)
A new study has found that eating dark chocolate during pregnancy may prevent preeclampsia, a potentially life-threatening complication. Women who ate five or more servings of chocolate each week in their third trimester of pregnancy were 40 percent less likely to develop preeclampsia than those who ate chocolate less than
May 9, 2008
Spicy Grilled Shrimp Marinade Recipe
Filed under Seafood, Spicy Food | Comments (2)
This is an easy spicy garlic marinade that's is easy to make and makes grilled shrimp taste divine. Ingredients 1/4 c. olive oil 1 t. lime juice 1 tsp. garlic powder 2 tsp. fresh or dried parsley 2 tsp. fresh or dried basil 1 T. hot sauce of your choice
May 8, 2008
How to Make Cinnamon Toothpicks Using Cinnamon Oil
Filed under Cinnamon, How To | Comments (1)
Cinnamon toothpicks are popular for people who are dieting or trying to quit smoking. They also make great sugar free breath fresheners . Given the many health benefits of cinnamon, sucking on cinnamon toothpicks might be one habit that's healthy to pick up. You can buy them but it's easy
May 7, 2008
25 Facts About Bananas
Filed under Bananas, Food Facts | Comments (0)
Here are 25 facts about one of the world's most popular fruits: The banana "tree" is not really a tree, but a giant herb. The banana is the fruit of this herb. The cluster of bananas sold in supermarkets is a "hand" of bananas, while the individual bananas on the
How to Crack a Coconut Open without Cracking Up
Filed under Coconut, How To, Videos | Comments (0)
If you've ever tried to open a coconut, you know it can be difficult. There are tricks to cracking a coconut without doing bodily harm to yourself or anyone else. I think video is better than words in this case and the video below is a great demonstration of how
May 5, 2008
Calories in Mexican Food
Filed under Mexican Food | Comments (1)
Maybe you're going out for Mexican food tonight in honor of Cinco de Mayo, or maybe you've just come home from a Cinco de Mayo celebration and you're wondering how many calories you've just consumed. Some Mexican dishes have more calories than you could possibly imagine while others are relatively
Dairy Free Banana Bread Recipe
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This dairy free banana bread recipe is based on my moist banana bread recipe. It simply replaces real butter with Earth Balance vegan "butter". There's absolutely no difference in taste between the dairy and non dairy versions. The two cups of mashed bananas make this a very moist banana bread.
Moist Banana Bread Recipe
Filed under Bananas | Comments (1)
This is the banana bread recipe that I'll be using as the basis for my healthy banana bread experiments. It's a very moist bread thanks to the two cups of mashed bananas it contains. It's also pretty easy to make. In the coming days I'll be posting variations on this
May 4, 2008
Wild American Shrimp vs. Farmed Shrimp
Filed under Environmental Concerns, Seafood | Comments (0)
Shrimp are one of the healthiest, low calorie foods you can eat, provided they aren't battered and fried. The trouble is that imported farmed shrimp are toxic and the farming methods used are bad for the environment. Shrimp farming in Asia and Latin America is destroying mangrove forests and, in
May 3, 2008
Spicy Food and Pregnancy
Filed under Spicy Food | Comments (1)
A lot of women wonder if it's safe to eat spicy food during pregnancy. Fortunately for women who love spicy food, it is a myth that it must be avoided by expectant mothers. In countries like India and Thailand, where spicy food is part of the culture, women do not
Cream Cheese Salsa Dip Recipe - Dairy Free and Vegan
Filed under Dips and Spreads, Vegan, Vegetarian | Comments (0)
Cream cheese salsa dip is a favorite of many and one of the easiest dips to make. If you have company coming at the last minute, this dip is a lifesaver. So of course the first thing I made when I bought the Playfood vegan cream cheese was a cream
Cayenne Pepper Tea
Filed under Cayenne Pepper, Chili Peppers, Spicy Food, Tea | Comments (0)
Almost every morning, I have cayenne pepper tea with lemon. Sometimes I also add blackstrap molasses. I use 90,000 hu cayenne (hu stands for "heat units" on the Scoville scale) because the hotter the cayenne, the more health benefits there are. I also just love spicy things. Drinking this tea
Asparagus and Urine Odor - What Causes It
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Does asparagus make your urine smell funny? If so, you're among sbout 50% of the population that notices an odor in their urine after eating asparagus. Marcel Proust wrote about the situation in Swann's Way: ... the precious essence that I recognized again when, all night long following a dinner
How to Freeze Asparagus
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It's asparagus season and time to make this wonderful vegetable part of your diet. But what if you buy too much and want to freeze it? Or what if your local store has a sale on asparagus and you want to buy a lot and freeze it to use all
May 2, 2008
Healthy Banana Bread Recipes Month
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During the month of May I'll be making a variety of different healthy banana bread recipes using different ingredients and substitutions to see just how healthy banana bread can be made. Banana bread is one of the most popular comfort foods in the world and I thought it would be
Playfood Vegan Cheese - It's No Play Food
Filed under Dairy Products, Raw Food, Vegan | Comments (0)
Playfood is a new brand of vegan cheese made from raw cashews. It is dairy free, soy free, and gluten free and comes in four flavors - Cheezy Cheese (cheddar), Nacheezmo (spicy southwestern nacho), Whip Cheese (cream cheese) and Cream Tang (sour cream). Playfood is owned by former Home Improvement
May 1, 2008
Spicy Food Addiction Caused by Endorphins
Filed under Spicy Food | Comments (1)
People like myself who love spicy food may love it in part because it releases endorphins in the body. When capsaicin, the element of chili peppers that cause the "spicy" sensation, comes into contact with the tongue, the body is tricked into believing that it is in pain and releases
April 29, 2008
Stan Sesser Eating a Bhut Jolokia Pepper
Filed under Chili Peppers, Spicy Food, Videos | Comments (0)
I laughed until I cried at this video of Wall Street Journal reporter Stan Sesser trying a Bhut Jolokia pepper for the first time. At first he's very calm and is talking about the sweetness and flavor of the pepper. And then ... "it's like a ball of flame is
Where to Buy Naga Jolokia Peppers or Seeds
Filed under Chili Peppers, Spicy Food | Comments (0)
So perhaps you're like me and you want to try Naga Jolokia peppers (also known as Bhut Jolokia), the pepper currently ranked as the hottest chili pepper in the world by the Guinness Book of World Records. While it's extremely difficult to find fresh Naga Jolokia peppers in the U.S.
Dorset Naga Pepper
Filed under Chili Peppers, Spicy Food | Comments (0)
The Dorset Naga pepper is a cultivar grown in Dorset, England that is believed to be related to the Naga Jolokia pepper. Some claim it is even hotter than the Naga Jolokia or Bhut Jolokia, which holds the current Guinness Book of World records title of hottest pepper in the
Naga Jolokia or Bhut Jolokia Peppers
Filed under Chili Peppers | Comments (0)
Earlier today I wrote about the Scoville scale, the rating system for the hotness of chili peppers. I mentioned Naga Jolokia, the world's hottest chili pepper. Here's are some facts about the Naga Jolokia: This pepper, also known as Bhut Jolokia, rates over 1,000,000 on the Scoville scale. It grows
Scoville Heat Units - Chili Pepper Rating Scale
Filed under Chili Peppers | Comments (1)
All chili peppers are rated on something called the Scoville scale, a rating system for the hotness of peppers. The number of Scoville heat units (SHU) a pepper has depends on the amount of capsaicin it contains. American chemist Wilbur Scoville created this method for testing chili peppers, originally called
How to Freeze Blueberries
Filed under Berries, How To | Comments (0)
Freezing blueberries is a great way to always have fresh blueberries on hand. I use frozen blueberries most often in smoothies and fruit sorbets. First wash them well and pat them dry. Discard any bad ones. Place blueberries on a cookie sheet with a lip in a single layer and
April 28, 2008
Raw Nut and Seed Cheese
Filed under Nuts, Seeds, & Legumes, Raw Food | Comments (0)
In the raw food community, raw nut and seed cheese is a staple. Nut cheese is a non-dairy cheese made from raw nuts while seed cheese is made from raw seeds. Commonly used nuts include cashews, pine nuts, macadamia nuts, and almonds, while sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds are often
First Cold Pressed and Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Filed under Olive Oil | Comments (3)
If you want to buy the best olive oil, look for organic extra virgin oil that is labeled "cold pressed" or, even better, "first cold pressed." Cold pressed means that the oil was not heated over a certain temperature (usually 80 degrees Fahrenheit) during processing, thus retaining more nutrients and
Fear of Bananas - Bananaphobia
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Even though bananas are the third most popular fruit in the world, there are some who are afraid of them. Fear of bananas is called bananaphobia and it is more common than you might think. Just search Google for "fear of bananas" and you'll see what I mean. People with
April 25, 2008
How to Pronounce Gnocchi
Filed under How To, Italian Food | Comments (0)
Gnocchi is one of my favorite Italian dishes. Like bruschetta, it's an Italian food word that people have some trouble with. Never fear, the Italian pronunciation police are here. The "gno" makes a "nyo" sound with a silent "g". The "cch" is pronounced as a hard "k". The "i" is
How to Ripen an Avocado
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Ripening an avocado can be done in the same way that you ripen bananas. Place the avocado in a paper bag with an apple, banana, or tomato. Fold the bag closed and leave it to sit on the counter overnight. The ethylene gas in the other fruit will cause the
Whole Foods or Whole Paycheck?
Filed under Food Shopping | Comments (0)
A lot of people jokingly refer to Whole Foods Market as Whole Paycheck because it's so easy to spend a lot of money there. I admit to having spent too much money there in the past. It's so easy because Whole Foods is like Disneyland for health food junkies. There
April 24, 2008
How to Ripen Bananas Quickly
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Need a ripe banana but all you have are green ones? Here's how to ripen them quickly: Place bananas in a paper bag with an apple or a tomato. Fold the bag closed. The ethylene gas in the apple or tomato will cause the bananas to ripen in about 24
