Spicy African Food

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As Kwanzaa approaches, African cuisine deserves some kudos on the cuisine scene. African food is a rich melange of dishes,

with regional takes on seasonings and preparation methods. Traditional foods combined in exotic ways reflect both native and

foreign influences, accumulated and integrated over hundreds of years. If you haven’t explored the world of African cuisine,

you’re in for a treat. A taste of this regionally diverse and rich cuisine may be just around the corner, in a family restaurant near you. If you’re not so lucky, there are a number of fabulous cookbooks available.

The staples of African food consist in the majority of tubers, starches and vegetables. Cassava, yams, okra, greens, tropical

fruits such as coconuts and bananas, corn, rice, millet, peanuts, sorghum and barley are mainstays of the diet, depending on

the region. Meat is used sparingly in some areas, but seasonings weigh heavily in imparting the distinctive exotic tastes

found throughout Africa. Mixtures of hot spices permeate traditional African food.

Foreign influences introduced the peanut, pepper, tomato, pineapple and cayenne pepper to local dishes. The Portuguese

introduced the domesticated pig, now an integral part of East African cuisine. French, British and Indian colonizers

nonetheless had a positive effect on traditional African food, bringing curry, chappatis, relishes and spicy lentil soups to

the African table.

To Ethiopia, in Eastern coastal Africa, the Arabs brought a number of spices, including cloves, cinnamon and saffron, used in

steamed rice combined with meat, vegetable, tuber, milk and honey dishes, enhancing the already rich and abundant

combinations. Pomegranate juice is an important ingredient in coastal Swahili dishes.

Western African foods reflect the heavy use of fish and meat, as these foods are plentiful in the region and are characteristically hot and spicy. Stews are highly favored, and pack a punch, especially for the Western palate.

The French influence is clear on the western coasts of Africa. Chiles, ginger and hot cayenne marinades are artfully combined

with local vegetables, peanut, palm and coconut oils, garlic and sharp marinades, making a definite food statement.

African food cannot be quantified in a word. Africa, the second largest continent, should not be discounted or dismissed for

lack of diversity. African food is as diverse as the continent, with an

array of imaginative and regionally unique dishes to tempt your palate.

Take a look on the net, or go to your local bookstore. The flavors of African food beckons. If you know someone who celebrates Kwanzaa, ask them about the rich heritage of African food. Bring your taste buds to the table, and enjoy!

Craft Ideas Using Empty Baby Food Jars

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There is just something about a baby food jar that makes you want to prolong its usefulness. Its stout cuteness spurs the imagination. If you have children, there is a good chance you also have a stash of empty baby food jars hidden somewhere. Here are several fun craft ideas using empty baby food jars, so you can finally justify keeping them all this time.

Storage Containers
Baby food jars make great storage containers for individual colors or types of beads, buttons, and other crafting tools. Make sure the jars are clean and dry and fill with craft tools of your choice. They are pretty enough to store on an open shelf.

Candle Holders
Baby food jars make great candle holders for tea lights or votive candles. You can also make candles from hot beeswax, melted crayons, or melted candle wax scavenged from used candles by pouring it into a baby food jar over a suspended wick. Tie the wick to a heavy washer on one end and a toothpick on the other end. Rest the toothpick over the opening of the jar with the wick and washer dangling inside. The wick should be just long enough for the washer to lie flat and the wick to remain taut.

Jar Gardens
Make a jar garden with baby food jars. You’ll need a small amount of clay or florist foam, silk flowers, glue, and a small swatch of fabric. Unscrew the cap from a clean, dry baby food jar. Glue the clay or florist foam to the lid. Arrange tiny silk flowers in a design on the foam. Screw the jar onto the cap, being careful to get all the flowers inside the jar. Glue or tie a square of fabric around the jar lid for a pretty presentation.

Shakers and Sound Makers
Empty baby food jars make great baby toys. You can make shakers or sound makers by filling the baby food jars with different items. Try rice in one, nuts and washers in another, beads in another, and more with pennies, nickles, dimes, and quarters. These toys are pretty enough to be displayed. Take care to always supervise children when they are using these toys. Baby food jars are made of glass and can break, and many of the fillers are choking hazards.

Dispensers
Baby food jars make cute dispensers for salt, pepper, cinnamon-sugar, and homemade spice blends. With a drill press or awl, poke holes in the jar lid. Fill with desired spice, and screw lid and jar together tightly. Try garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper for a great steak seasoning. You can also use this kind of dispenser as a glitter shaker.

Air Freshener
Poke holes in the jar lid with a drill press or awl. Fill jar with potpourri, room freshener gel, or essential oil and water. Try lemon and grapefruit essential oils for the kitchen, lavender and lemon essential oils for the bedroom, and rose potpourri with rose oil instead of a sachet in your linen cabinet or clothes drawers.

Snow Globe
Here’s how to make an innovative gift out of a baby food jar. You’ll need a strong water-proof glue, large grain glitter, water, and a toy or object that is small enough to fit inside the baby food jar. It needs to have a flat surface that can sit flush with the baby food jar lid. Glue the object to the baby food jar lid and let dry for several hours. Add 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of glitter to the baby food jar. Fill the baby food jar with water, leaving about 1/4 inch of space at the top. Put glue around the inside edge of the jar lid and screw lid on, carefully inserting the toy. Flip over the jar and you’ll see glitter “snow” falling around your toy inside the globe.

Cure Uterine Fibroids By Reducing Estrogen And Balancing The Hormones

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Many women of childbearing age suffer with fibroids and fibrocystic breast disease. For many the condition will prohibit planning a pregnancy.

Many post-menopausal women are taking estrogen replacement drugs that help control hot flashes and mood. However there are so many research studies implicating estrogen replacement with an increased risk of cancer, it hardly seems worth it to use this treatment to control hot flashes.

Many post-menopausal women are surprised to learn that despite their wise refusal of estrogen replacement, they too are estrogen dominant, and this excess estrogen in fueling the growth of fibroids and fibroid cysts in the uterus and breasts.

So what do you do? It you are on oral contraception or any type of hormone contraception (i.e, DeproProvera, etc.), discontinue it and use an alternative that is hormone free. If you are currently on estrogen replacement, tell your doctor that you want to discontinue it. (Later you can explore bio-identical hormone replacement with a qualified practitioner.)

Avoid drugs that contain hormones such as cortisone and prednisone. Avoid hydrocortisone cream.

Avoid estrogen-rich foods such as: soy products (tofu, soy yogurt, soy milk, etc.), flax seeds and flax oil, canola oil (from the rapeseed) as well as all seeds, pods, and beans. Think of every seed, pod and bean as a mini uterus ready to reproduce and consequently high in estrogen. Yes, many of these foods are famous for their nutritional value. However, for the individual with fibroids these foods will fuel the growth of the tumors. Soy in particular is everywhere in processed food products.

Avoid the so-called womens herbs or herbal formulas as these contain herbs known to be high in phytoestrogens. This can be the ultimate in irony as many natural approaches to treating fibroids recommend herbs that will in the short term have a positive effect, but in the long term fuel the growth of fibroids due their high content of estrogens.

Avoid herbicides and pesticides. These chemicals are known as xenoestrogens since they mimic the activity of natural estrogen. Stay away from golf courses, commercial farms, pest control sprays, fuel and solvent fumes. Always soak fruits and vegetables in a sink of water and a tablespoon of 35% food grade hydrogen peroxide or a mixture of one half vinegar and water for 20 minutes, followed by a thorough rinse. Seek out my article on identifying estrogenic foods and herbs.

Metabolizing excessive estrogen is possible with a specific herbal formula developed by an oncologist with training in Chinese medicine (check below) and the use of a pure progesterone cream. Progesterone supplementation via a transdermal cream is an easy and powerful way to recover from the estrogen dominant condition that causes the growth of uterine fibroids, fibrocystic breasts and endometriosis. Progesterone quite simply puts excessive estrogen into balance. However, many formulas contain ingredients that are estrogenic in a misguided attempt to improve on pure progesterone. Read labels!

Estrogen is stored in body fat. Body fat is most often the result of a lower metabolism due to a sluggish and toxic liver. Excessive estrogens are contributing factors to weight gain. When the liver fails to eliminate estrogens efficiently, the excessive estrogens stimulate fat cell production from the lower abdominal area to the knees where estrogens are more concentrated.

Estrogens also bind to sodium which retains water and leads to weight gain. Chinese bitters can be helpful in detoxifying the liver and increasing the flow of bile. However, the fast track to a more functional liver can be realized by engaging in a series of liver-gallbladder flushes to remove the cholesterol pellets that clog the bilary ducts of the liver and impede the flow of bile. The easiest and most effective L-G flush uses an ozonated olive oil product, Olive Gold 03.

The best natural treatments for uterine fibroid tumors address the cause and the symptoms of the problem. Fibroid tumors develop due to excessive estrogen. The fibroid tumor is the symptom and product of the cause. Since fibroids are composed of fibrin, the same material of scar tissue, taking a professional strength systemic enzyme formula will dissolve the fibroid and remove this tissue altogether over time. When combined with the hormone balancing strategy this protocol offers the best natural approach to defeating uterine fibroids once and for all.

Why Invest In Food Industry In India

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Food joints and restaurants have been flourishing in the Indian market since long time. Moreover, with the growing urbanization, globalization, and changing lifestyles, the food industry has set a firm foothold in the market which is worth INR 580 bn and shows vast prospective to grow and prosper in future.
The changing trends of eat outs and increased proportion of young population alongwith changing lifestyles of people has driven the market.

It is wise to know about investing in food joints whether you want to earn profit from public interests in restaurants and eateries or just want to earn the name of the firm or to provide support to the food company youre investing on. If you really want to invest, youre at the right path to have chosen the food industry especially in metros.
But there is a problem. Before you make any decisions, though, be sure you understand the ins and outs of investing in this growing industry.
With numerous food joints and chain of restaurants in the market, you might be perplexed over the thoughts as to which company to choose from to invest upon. Luckily, there is a solution to it. The best way you can firm up your decision over which food joint to choose ends at Moti Mahal (www.motimahal.in) chain of restaurants.
Moti Mahal has been the pioneer of Mughlai and tandoori restaurants; the creator of the original Indian Butter Chicken & Tandoori chicken which is now having more than 90 branches all over the country with a history of expertise in restaurant management and catering services going back to 1920.

Although investment under Moti Mahal restaurants is sheer assurance of myriad funds but one, for his core satisfaction, can also appraise the eatery (or any other) and his investments for the following assessments-:

1.It is not advised that you assume you cant lose money just because the food joint is growing and is having a great prospect. You must first decide upon the investment that you can put up making sure not to lose more than what you can afford.

2.Get a clear concept over the companys ethics and various other aspects. Make sure it has a regulatory department that is always fair trade, or socially or environmentally not hazardous.

3.Undertake research works over different food companies. Once you have a clear vision of your investments, start your research with manufacturers and gradually to food chains you already buy from. Look for companies to invest in and shortlist firms you believe would result in good investments.

Investing in food joints isnt about investing in best firms and ideal companies but rather the decision to pick out companies on the right track.

Food restaurants are the way of life. The Indian food restaurants arent going to break up anytime soon either. Due to its enormousness, there might be times it changes.
The only restriction they can encounter is the banning of items such as Trans fats etc. Health related issues are the most eyed on problem that can surface with the progress of food restaurants. Thats why choosing fast food restaurants to invest upon can turn out to be problematic. At such stages, ethical Indian restaurants such as Moti Mahal can keep their heads unshaken. After all, Indian restaurants like Moti Mahal are the food firms that have taken the Indian culinary to a global new echelon.

Fast food chains cannot adopt to all the measures overnight. Worldwide, this cause has triggered consumers and investors to choose from Indian food chains and Indias culinary which now without doubt has a great prospect ahead not only in India but globally.
While many of us love fast food joins and might consider choosing them, Indian restaurants like Moti Mahal are the brand new emissaries to taking the Indian food industry to the zenith of worlds culinary map.

Pregnancy-food Cravings And Food Aversions-what Causes Them And 3 Tips To Deal With Them

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The majority of expectant mothers (and even some fathers) experience sudden cravings for a specific food or combination of foods. In some cases, women crave a particularly unusual combination of foods.

Many women experience an aversion to certain foods while they are pregnant. It is not uncommon for a woman to suddenly become repulsed by one of the foods that they once enjoyed eating. So why do these pregnancy food cravings and food aversions during pregnancy occur?

The Reason Why Pregnant Women Experience Food Cravings And Aversions
Pregnancy hormones play a large role in a woman’s changing eating habits. Pregnant women are flooded with hormones and as their body tries to adjust, they may begin to notice a difference in their regular eating patterns. Some people believe that the body naturally craves what it needs during pregnancy and is repulsed by unhealthy items. This belief may make sense if a woman is repulsed by alcohol or coffee but it does not explain why a pregnant woman may suddenly be repulsed by broccoli or oatmeal.

One theory is that people have moved so far away from the original food chain that a woman’s body can no longer interpret internal signals. Although a woman’s body knows that it needs to consume calcium and vitamin C, it may translate this need into an ice cream and cookie craving rather than a fruit and milk craving.

What People Need To Know About Pregnancy Food Cravings And Aversions
Women cannot always fight their cravings, so they should attempt to respond to their different cravings and aversions by eating a reasonable amount of the foods that they crave. Women who give into all of their food cravings may be at risk of gaining too much weight during their pregnancy.

Women should notice a reduction in food cravings by the fourth month, but women who continue to crave a variety of foods may be having emotional issues. Pregnancy is a challenging time and many women need to receive some extra attention and support from their partner and friends.

What Women Can Do About Pregnancy Food Cravings
1. Do not eat too much junk food in an attempt to satisfy a craving. Choose the mini versions of chocolate bars or chips rather than the full size package. It is a good idea to search for low fat alternatives whenever possible.

2. When a huge craving strikes, try to think about other things. Go for a walk outdoors, phone a friend or read a good magazine or book. If you don’t devote too much energy too it, a craving will often pass in a short while.

3. Give into certain cravings occasionally (except for alcohol or cigarettes) and then eat healthy foods for the remainder of the day. Women should call their doctor if they begin to crave weird substances like dirt, ashes or laundry starch. These bizarre cravings, known as pica, may be a sign that a woman is deficient in certain nutrients, especially iron.

What Women Can Do About Food Aversions During Pregnancy
Women who find that their aversion to different foods is negatively affecting their appetite should search for healthy alternatives that they are able to digest. Women who do not want to eat due to constant nausea should talk to their doctor about their condition. A doctor can prescribe medication that will decrease severe nausea so a woman can enjoy food again.