Category: Foods products (Page 19 of 22)

Oats vs. Oats

November 2, 2007 / Anthony Stalter

While walking through the local grocery store, you reach the cereal aisle and notice the various types of oatmeal. There’s your standard rolled oats (i.e. the ones that come in a big Quaker box), steel cut oats and instant oats. So what are?the differences?

First and foremost, both the rolled and steel cut oats are in the whole grain family, which are necessary for a balanced diet. Oatmeal is extremely better for you than refined bread or pasta, and any kind of sugary cereal. So don’t pass the Quaker man for the Sugar Smacks Frog your next trip to the grocery store.

However, in effort to add more oatmeal to your diet, stay away from instant oatmeal that usually comes in individual packets. Instant oats are usually pre-cooked, loaded with sugar and less nutritious than rolled or steel cut oats.

Instead, make sure you’re buying standard rolled or steel cut oats. In short,?steel cut oats typically are more natural and go through less processing than rolled oats, so their nutritional value is usually higher. They often take longer to cook, however, so keep that in mind if you’re on a time crunch. They have a much nuttier flavor too, so they usually don’t taste as bland as rolled oats do when you cook them. Rolled oats, on the other hand, take less time to cook, but are more processed than steel cut oats and sodium is often added for flavor. As previously noted, however, both types have a ton of nutritious value to them, especially if they can take the place of refined cereal, bread or pasta.???

Diets, Foods products, Nutrition

Protein Pancakes

September 10, 2007 / Anthony Stalter

A friend of mine in college gave me this recipe for protein pancakes and it?s fantastic:

-?1 Scoop of Protein Powder
– 1 Cup of Oatmeal
– 1 Banana
– 2 Tbsp. of All-Natural Peanut Butter
– 1 Egg
– ? Cup of Fat Free Milk
– Splenda
– Cinnamon

All you have to do is throw the powder, oatmeal, peanut butter, egg and milk into a blender and mix it on slow. That becomes the ?batter?. After that, heat up a small frying pan, spray it so the batter doesn?t stick and then throw the batter in the pan and cook. The batter should cook to the point where you can flip it over and do the other side. Watch yourself though, because it cooks quickly and you?ll burn one of the sides if you?re not careful.

Once it?s done cooking, slice up a banana and put it on top of the pancake. Mix a little bit of the Splenda and cinnamon together and sprinkle that on top for a little taste. You can also put on some sugar free syrup, but don?t go nuts with it because while it?s not supposed to have any sugar, it?s likely still loaded with preservatives.??

Food preparation, Foods products, Protein

Make fruit interesting

June 26, 2007 / Anthony Stalter

By now, everyone knows the benefits of fruit, with vitamins; minerals and fiber are all reasons to down the colorful stuff daily. But even if we already know why fruit helps, are we eating enough of it daily in order to cash in on all the benefits? The daily recommendation is to eat at least two cups of fruit daily, but some people may be tired of just grabbing a piece of fruit from the bowl and need a shake up.

For you, here are 10 different and interesting ways to add fruit to your diet by MSN.com

? Grilled fruit slices.
? Peach honey spread.
? Lemon-lime fruit dip.
? Frozen fruity pops.
? Romaine and fresh strawberry salad.
? Blueberry-banana smoothie.
? Plum salsa.
? Broiled fruit kebabs.
? Berries a la mode.
? Mango salsa pizza.

To read the entire article along with the complete recipes, click here.

Diets, Food preparation, Foods products, Nutrition, Vitamins/Minerals, Xternal Fitness, Xternal Furci

Shake it up

May 15, 2007 / Anthony Stalter

Whether its work, school or children, outside factors can get in the way of healthy eating. You hear that six meals a day is the optimal for a healthy body, but as the hours in a day tick by, sometimes you might feel it’s impossible to even sit down and eat three times a day. With that said, a blender can be just as valuable in your kitchen as the burners on your stove.

Don’t underestimate the power shakes and smoothies can have on your diet. For one, they’re obviously quicker to make than cooking an entire meal. Saving time is usually what most people strive for and blending up a smoothie can take less than three minutes. Another benefit of shakes and smoothies is the amount of power-packed food you can put in them. Healthy diary products such as milk and yogurt, protein powders, peanut butter, and healthy carbs like fruit and oatmeal are all items you can whip up into not only a tasty meal, but a healthy and quick one too. Finally, shakes and smoothies fill up your stomach so you feel full longer and have the energy to stave off hunger until your next meal.

Here’s a recipe for a healthy smoothie packed with good carbs and protein. Feel free to change the serving sizes as you wish:

– Blend three ice cubes
– 1 Cup Frozen Mixed Berries
– 1 Cup oatmeal (you don’t have to cook it)
– 1 Container of yogurt (get a yogurt low in sugar)
– 1 Cup milk
– Blend on high until all the ingredients are mixed

Feel free to add a scoop of whey protein to insure you’re getting enough daily protein for those working out.

Diets, Drinks, Food preparation, Foods products, Nutrition, Protein

Bacteria as a supplement?

May 13, 2007 / Mike Furci

Exterminating bacteria, are we overdoing it?? Many scientists think so, with antibacterial this and antibacterial that.? Scientists are especially concerned about eliminating bacteria inside of our bodies.
??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? In fact, tens of millions of people suffer from “dysbiosis”, a pathological change in intestinal flora, and don’t even know it. You may be one of them.
??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? In the June 2004 Alternative Medicine Review, researchers report that intestinal dybiosis is related to a number of factors associated with modern western living.? These factors include; diet, antibiotics, and stress.
??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? In his special report ”Probiotics: The Answer to Many Mystery Illnesses,” NewsMax’s Dr. Russell Blaylock writes, “Whether you realize it or not, your body needs bacteria, especially good types. The good types of bacteria are called ‘probiotics’ and they include Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, E. coli, and Acidophilus. They perform a vital function — they fight the bad bacteria like pathogenic (harmful) E. coli species and other killer germs.”
??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Dr. Joseph Pizzorno, a former member of the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine policy, told Wired magazine, “Probiotics have resulted in complete elimination of eczema in 80 percent of the people we’ve treated.”
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Dr. Pizzorno, who has also used probiotics to treat irritable bowel syndrome and even diabetes, said, “It’s unusual for me to see a patient with a chronic disease that doesn’t respond to probiotics.”
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? According to NYU Medical Center microbiologist Dr. Martin Blaser, “The microbes that live in the human body are quite ancient. They’ve been selected (through evolution) because they help us.” Dr. Blaser is among many scientists who believe modern sanitary practices which promote the overuse of everything from mouthwashes to bathroom cleansers have upset the ancient balance.
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Exposure early in life to microbes, scientists believe, causes mild inflammation that helps the body calibrate its responses to germs and contaminants later on. Some researchers say that unless people are exposed as infants, they can end up with poorly balanced immune systems.
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Dr. Pizzorno recommends getting probiotics from doctors and medical specialists. He said that consumer probiotics may or may not contain proper strains of bacteria, and that the bacteria in consumer products are often dead.
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Dr. Blaylock agrees. He writes, “A wide variety of organisms are sold as probiotics, but studies have shown that not all are effective. Some are very sensitive to stomach acid and are killed before they reach the colon, while others are acid resistant.”
?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Dr. Blaylock goes on to describe all the benefits of probiotics, and details how and when to take them. To get Dr. Blaylock’s special report, ”Probiotics: The Answer to Many Mystery Illnesses,” Go Here.

Newsmax Health Alert

Foods products, Men's Health and Wellness, Supplements