Category: Foods

Clever Ways To Substitute Satisfying, Healthy Food For Acne-causing Junk

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Our last article explained the likely connection between poor diet choices and acne. However, merely knowing that junk food plays a role may not be enough. Changing one’s diet is one of the most difficult adjustments to make. It requires tremendous discipline during the early stages and the sacrifice of long-time comforts. Often, the best way to start eating a healthier diet is to transition into it. That is, substituting healthy foods that satisfy you in a similar way to the junk you hope to stop eating. This helps your body do its job in two ways: by giving it a break from filtering out junk, and by giving it the vital nutrients it is desperately lacking. Here are four unhealthy foods many clear skin seekers consume too much of, along with suggestions on healthy things to substitute.

Junk Food #1: Potato chips, pretzels, Doritos, or popcorn

Why You’re Hooked: The addiction to potato chips boils down to a few things. Many are satisfied by the crunchiness and texture of the chips themselves. Something about the way the chips feel in your mouth just makes you think of them when you are hungry or bored. Other people really do just like the taste; let’s be honest, there are a lot of great-tasting potato chips out there, and I have yet to meet the person who did not enjoy a handful of Smartfood. And all of these are fine in moderation. However, many people with acne are binge-eating these foods and their diet is suffering from it.

What To Substitute: One great substitute for these foods is baby carrots dipped in a sweet, tangy balsamic vinagrette. The carrots provide the crunch, and the balsamic vinagrette offers the tang. As an added benefit, carrots are positively loaded with essential nutrients like Vitamin A and beta-carrotine. You will also be happy to discover that you will not feel sick or bloated after eating them.

Junk Food #2: Oreo cookies, Chips Ahoy, any kind of chocolate bar or sugary snack

Why You’re Hooked: Cookies and sugary snacks satisfy our “sweet tooth” which is stronger in some people than others. Not everyone who binges on potato chips, for example, has to worry about binging on cookies, although many do binge on both. In either case, it can be very hard to kick the habit of eating too many sugary snacks. They are a form of “comfort food” that appeals to us more and more as we become stressed or anxious. Unfortunately, they offer no nutritional value and contain many unhealthy ingredients.

What To Substitute: Luckily for you, there is a natural substitute that will give you all the healthy sugar you need: grapes! Besides being cold and somewhat crunchy, grapes actually satisfy much the “sweet tooth” craving that you currently satisfy with cookies and candy bars. If you can get over the initial cravings for junk food and just try to eat grapes instead, you will find yourself quite satisfied and full after eating them -and your body will appreciate the fiber!

Junk Food #3: Frozen pizza (or most delivered pizza)

Why You’re Hooked: Pizza may be one of the most universally liked foods on Earth. Few can resist the mouth-watering cheeses, sauce, spices and toppings that a delicious slice of pizza has to offer. Nor should you, in all cases. Pizza is truly one of life’s joys, and you should enjoy it in moderation. The problem is that many people turn to cheap, mass-produced frozen pizza which contains preservatives and various ingredients your body despises. Ditto for most delivered pizza like Dominoes.

What To Substitute: The best substitute for frozen pizza is to prepare your own home-made pizza using fresh, delicious ingredients. You can actually buy your own dough, sauce, cheese, spices, and toppings that are not frozen and have not been sitting on shelves for months. Prepared this way, pizza can actually be quite healthy and much better-tasting! For convenience’s sake, you can even make multiple pizzas at a time, eating some and storing the rest so you can eat it later, just as conveniently as your frozen pizza of old.

Junk Food #4: Pop-Tarts, toaster strudles, doughnuts, or other sugary breakfast foods

Why You’re Hooked: When you wake up in the morning, your body literally feels as though it just went through a famine. It has not eaten in 8 hours. This is why sugary foods are so appealing and appear to give you a great energy boost after you eat them. Unfortunately, the energy boost is short-lived, followed by a crash, and just increases the amount of junk your body has to filter out. As we’ve discussed, this junk often manifests in the form of acne or other health problems.

What To Substitute: You do not have to completely sacrifice sweet-tasting breakfast foods. You just need to eat healthy ones. For example, visit the natural foods section of your local grocery store until you find fiber-packed Raisin Bran or Cranberry Crunch cereal. Believe it or not, these healthy cereals are actually delicious and will leave you feeling completely full as you walk out the door. Bananas and apples are another excellent morning food, delivering a surge of fiber and potassium that none of the aforementioned junk can provide.

Use A Food Warmer To Serve Hot Food Every Time

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As you well know a good food warmer is beneficial and a dime a dozen, too. There are plenty of types of those out there such as stoves, ovens, microwaves, broilers, and toaster ovens. The benefits are widely known because you could get sick if you eat foods raw. However, there are finally strides that benefit the younger generations too. The electric baby food warmer is beneficial in a lot of ways.

You may use the baby food warmer to warm milk and actual baby food. For years we have been content to make the baby food warmer with the microwave or counter top stove, but that no longer is good enough. What about when you’re running around and the baby begins to cry for its bottle? Do you really want to give the baby cold milk within the winter? No! Naturally you don’t! Take out your baby food warmer and plug it into your car lighter’s outlet. You aren’t always in the know in regards to how well done the food or milk is warmed but with this apparatus you can tell the food is warm just by being alerted with sensors.

On top of that this new type of food warmer also has an ability to use batteries based on the design of that make and model. This is truly a fantastic invention, however there are actually downsides.

The downsides vary and may be annoying or even dangerous. Inferior products will melt baby bottles due to them getting too hot. Then there are the ones that don’t get hot enough. That means that the foods aren’t going to be warmed completely and as finicky as babies and small kids are we can’t even contemplate risking which will we? Our children deserve the absolute best and it is fantastic that we are becoming so technologically advanced (although I do feel we are a bit behind on that as it is so terribly basic) enough to be able to make sure that the kids will probably be enjoying warm foods. Buying the absolutely best and proven device will insure that the child will not deal with a burnt mouth or tongue and on top of that if something is warm on the outside and cold on the inside a child will scream up a storm.

Nothing is more soothing than heat during the times of teething and colic. It will sooth an upset belly and it will most of all sooth gums that are in some serious pain. Growing teeth doesn’t come easily, it is a level of pain that babies and young kids can’t handle. While teething rings tend to be cold, heat also helps as long as it isn’t too hot.

Make sure when you are going to buy a food warmer you do research first. Be sure that the reviews are positive, don’t skimp on the money, and remember the reality that you get what you pay for. We can all find fantastic deals via the internet, but always be careful to ensure you’re getting a food warmer from the most reputable dealers you might.

Remove The Taste Of Plastic In Food

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Do you like the taste of plastic? Probably not. Many times, we use plastic bags to store our food, and the chemical taste of plastic leeches in to whatever we’re storing. If you want to prevent that taste from cropping up and ruining your lunch, follow this quick guide.

To begin, there are many things you can do to prevent the taste of plastic tainting your food. You should start by not leaving plastic bags in the sun. The hot sun slightly melts and weakens the plastic,while releasing chemicals in the process. These chemicals contaminate the food that was in the bag, are harmful in large quantities, and also do not taste nice.

If you absolutely have to keep your food stored in a plastic bag, then you should try to prevent the food from touching the plastic. Wrap whatever you’re storing in a paper towel or something similar. This works great for sandwiches, but isn’t ideal if you’re trying to wrap some tortilla chips.

One of the best alternatives to plastic is the paper bag. Both pollute the world, but the paper bag will eventually deteriorate. The paper bag also doesn’t leave a chemical taste on your food. If you want to store some tortilla chips, try storing them in a paper bag and not a plastic one.

If you don’t want to store your food in a paper bag, you can use a glass container. Glass is inert and won’t leave any chemical traces on the food that is stored inside it. Glass, however, is not very strong. It could be dangerous to bring a glass container on a long trip or to school, as it can break and hurt yourself or others.

Another wonderful alternative to plastic is a wooden container. Wood has been utilized by humans for a very long time, and thus has proved itself as a worthy container for food. Certain woods like cedar or maple may leave a woody taste in your food, but that’s much better than the chemical taste of plastic.

The great thing about wood is that it’s very sturdy. A wooden lunch box could last for a very long time if kept properly. Since it’s not easily breakable, many people have been bringing back the wooden lunch box. It’s slowly turning into an icon.

If wood isn’t your thing, you could check out a metal lunchbox. Metal lunchboxes are great for storing food, and are also stylish. There have been a few re-issues of this old style, and many people are embracing the metal lunch box because of it’s usability. Since it’s so lightweight, it makes a great food carrier.

You should take caution not to get your metal lunchbox wet. If its made of steel, it will probably rust. Chances are good that if you don’t like the taste of plastic, you won’t like the taste of rust, either.

Instead of getting a container, you can try wrapping your food in different papers. Wax paper and butcher paper have been used for centuries to wrap food, and they work just as good today as they did 100 years ago. Paper is also safer for you than plastic, and won’t leave any tastes on the food.

Now that you know how to avoid that plastic smell, you should try out these ideas. I fought the plastic monster for nearly 25 years, and finally beat it after thinking outside of the box and making the decision to move away from this impure substance. You can beat it, too, if you just stop using it.

What Food Cause Your Uti And How To Treat Urinary Tract Infection

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Most urinary tract infections are caused by bacteria entering the urethra from outside. Of all cases, somewhere around 70% is caused by the bacterium E-coli (Escherichia coliform). E-coli actually lives quite naturally in the bowel and is mostly harmless. However when it gets into the bladder it will breed rapidly and start causing symptoms within hours. Bacterium will usually enter the bladder through the urethra due to cross contamination from the bowel, though can make its way through the digestion system, if contaminated food is consumed.

Ways in how to treat urinary tract infection are not too hard to find, with antibiotics proving effective in all but the most extreme of cases. However, it is advisable to stay away from all triggers, particularly if genetically prone to such infections. Most foods are perfectly safe to consume if you are at a high risk or have suffered from the problem before., though there are a few that can trigger bacterial activity and certainly will aggravate a current infection.

Tea and coffee should at the very least be kept to a minimum, and possibly cut out of your regular diet altogether. Caffeine in the drinks will concentrate the acidity of your urine, which will help bacteria to develop, and cause for greater intensity of pain when you pass water. As an alternative, try drinking herbal teas. Not only will they not cause or aggravate infections, infusions such as Green tea could possess active ingredients that will be beneficial to the health of the urinary system.
Carbonated drinks are also an irritant. Often containing high levels of caffeine themselves, the high sugar or artificial sweetener content will have a negative effect

Other foods can irritate the system, but these are vary from person to person. Particular foods to look out for, and possibly monitor your reactions to them include, chocolate, high sugar foods, processed foods (because of the high salt and sugar used in their production), dairy products and fried food. Essentially though, it is very tricky to determine which food is a trigger, without a prolonged period of testing, which is rarely practical.

Whilst foods that cause urinary tract infections are difficult to pigeonhole, there are a high number of foods that can be beneficial to keeping any problems at bay. As with a lot of healthy diets, balance is important. You should try to maintain a good intake of fresh fruit and vegetables each day, and consume a lot of greens. Natural ingredients in these foods, one passed through the digestive system, will help to increase the healthiness of urine, and reduce attractive environments for the bacteria to operate in.

If your symptoms do continue, it is always best to consult your physician for professional guideance in how to treat urinary tract infections. Whilst maintaining a healthy regime will help, it is only part of the answer if you are suffering from the problem on a regular basis, where a more dedicated program of treatment will have better results.

Spicy Food- How Much Important And Avoidable It Is In Our Diet

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Nowadays spicy food has become the top menu in many of the restaurants. It can surprise you to the extreme to know that even though this savory known as spicy food causes heart burns, it is still liked by people. By logging to your internet service provider like XFINITY internet, you will find that most of the delicious spicy dishes have their origin from India, Japan, China and Malaysian. The culture of these places involves consuming spicy food as a part of their daily diet.

Besides stimulating the cardiovascular system and good aphrodisiac, it makes you feel hot and causes a pain. The pain that is caused by the fiery spices secretes endorphins which can make you feel high. According to the ancient history involving spicy food, our ancestors discovered the spicy advantage around 7000 BC and often used it in food and religious rituals. Nowadays, spices are used in preserving food, cosmetics, and perfume.

Spicy food has become almost a part and parcel of our life that the people celebrate various festivals for it. The love of spicy food has lead to the establishment of various festivals like the International Spicy Food and the National Fiery Food show in the USA. Now let us look into the merits and demerits of the spicy food and how it affects the human body

Merits

The basic and most common merits of consuming spicy food are the following

Weight Loss

One of the best and unique methods to reduce weight is consuming spicy food. Many researches have shown that the main compound in chili and pepper, namely capsaicin has a stimulating effect which causes the body to burn calories while chewing food for twenty minutes. That is why fat people would rather eat sweets than eating spicy food.

Stress Buster

This can shock you that spicy food is a good source of stress buster. Consuming spicy food increases the production of the hormones that gives a sense of fun like endorphins and serotonin. This helps in relieving pain and gives the feeling of comfort and relaxation.

Preventing Flu and other contagious diseases

It is believed that spicy food is a good medication for preventing flu and cold. Capsaicin one of the basic ingredients in capsicums and jalapeno helps to increase transpiration and relieves flu-symptoms that interfere with and eliminate the disturbing symptoms of flu. Spicy foods will also help to open airways, reduces sinusitis and other flu-like symptoms that can disrupt your health.

Cancer Prevention

Many studies and researches have shown that regular consumption of spicy food will reduce the risk of cancer. The capsaicin slows the growth of cancer cells and in many cases kills the cancer cells without harming the surrounding healthy cells.

Demerits

The above were the basic advantages of spicy food and like an old English proverb that says with something good comes along with it a bad, excessive spicy food can cause the following things

Excessive Diarrhea

Spicy food can lead to excessive diarrhea. This is because spicy food speeds up the movement in the intestine that leads to diarrhea. When the food is up in the colon, the irritating effects of the food will be directly felt and the body will send more water into the bowel to relieve the symptoms of the irritation.

Insomnia

Do you know that spicy food can cause insomnia? The human body should be in a relaxed state when you go to sleep especially in the first cycle towards sleep. Spicy food can increase body temperature and triggers heart beat faster. So that is why you should avoid spicy food in the hours before bedtime.

Inflammation of the Stomach

Sometimes consumption of spicy food can cause the gastric surfaces to become brittle and vulnerable. That is often called as gastritis or inflammation of the stomach. Spicy food has the properties that can cause a dangerous inflammation of the lining of the stomach.

Reduces the sensitivity of the tongue

Have you felt that your tongue is not able to sense the taste of food? Well it could be because your sensitivity is gradually wearing out. Consuming spicy food, could lead to the fatal disaster where your tongue can no longer function optimally which could lead to the lack of awareness of the portion of spicy food that can be tolerated by the stomach.

Now to conclude, it can be hard to avoid a diet that does not have spices in it. Seriously, the aroma and the taste which spicy food gives can make your mouth water. Whether it is the Indian or Chinese dish, the spicy flavor will just hook you up to have more.