If you’re a sugar addict, it can be challenging to control your weight or maintain a healthy diet. North Americans consume an average of 150 pounds of sugar a year, and these unhealthy diets have contributed to a startling rise in obesity and chronic diseases. Thankfully, you can still give in to your sweet tooth by eating foods with sugar substitutes. Some of the top sugar substitutes include stevia, agave nectar and honey. Stevia Stevia is a sweetener that has zero calories. This herb, native to South America, is actually thought to be a better alternative to table sugar because it … [Read more...]
Build A Better Diet With a Food Pyramid
Image via Wikipedia Watch television for more than 20 minutes or page through a magazine and you will likely be exposed to at least one diet and one miracle diet pill. As more and more Americans find out they are overweight, they are looking for a quick fix – a diet or pill that will make shedding the pounds simple. The truth is, while many of these diets or pills may work in the short-term, many find that they are gaining the weight back once they stop the diet. What does work is creating a diet based on the traditional food pyramid. Taking the time to understand the pyramid and how it … [Read more...]
Ingredients to a Healthy Lifestyle
If you want to live a healthy life, you have to first have a plan, or recipe, for how to proceed. Your recipe should include all of the ingredients needed to eat healthy, stay physically active, and manage stress. Following your recipe should allow you to lose weight and feel better every day. Eat Right, Feel Right Take some time to develop a healthy diet. This is especially important for those who are overweight. Instead of relying on a complicated points system or cutting out carbs, try relying on the food pyramid and nutritional facts to help formulate a healthy diet. If you are … [Read more...]
Healthy Diet Recommendations for Emotional Eaters
Image by reeldiehl83 via Flickr Emotional eating is characterized by eating when you're not hungry. An emotional eater reaches for food when he or she is sad, mad, frustrated or bored. The calories that this type of eating habit adds to the diet can result in excessive weight gain and general lethargy. The best way to deal with emotional eating is to address its underlying psychological and emotional dynamics. However, a few food-related strategies may help. Replacing Sugary Foods with Fruits Stocking your fridge with healthy fruits such as peaches, strawberries and bananas is … [Read more...]
How to Start a Food Blog
You're thinking about turning your passion for food into a blog, but you're not exactly sure how to do it. Here are some steps for getting started. Name Your Niche It's hard for researchers to even guess how many blogs exist. Blogs are started and abandoned every day. With so much junk out there, you can make your blog stand out instantly by selecting an under covered niche. Some possible food blog niches might include a focus on canning vegetables and making fruit preserves, cataloging and discussing the cuisine of various ethnic groups in Southeast Asia, or gluten-free cooking. If … [Read more...]
Mise En Place
Image by little blue hen via Flickr Many consider cooking an art form. Indeed it is an excellent way to express oneself through food. In a private kitchen it is ok to make a mess and experiment however in a commercial kitchen this is a big no-no. In a commercial kitchen everything has to remain clean, efficient and organized in order to provide every customer with an exceptional dining experience. If you want to practice this at home, then you will need to learn the art of mise en place. So just what is mise en place? Mise en place is a French phrase which means "to have everything in … [Read more...]
What’s On the Menu?
Do you have children in your family who are picky eaters? That makes meal planning a challenge. Here are some tips of ways you can get your picky eaters to eat healthy food without throwing temper tantrums. Be creative in your food presentation. Create a silly face out of apple slices, peanut butter, and raisins. Use a cookie cutter to create unusual sandwich shapes. Give fruits and vegetables wacky names like blabby blueberries or Houdini zucchini or boogey bananas (peanut butter spread on banana slices). The silly names will make your child giggle and want to eat that food. They might … [Read more...]
Become the Next Top Chef
The culinary industry has become a popular facet for people to exhibit their creativity. In addition to the industry popularity, the market for talented chefs has been consistently growing for decades. The main reason for this is that everyone likes a good meal, and chefs who can get creative with their dishes and produce unique entrees help to create a following at their restaurants. As with many professions, a successful culinary career begins with obtaining a degree. With the ease of finding a place to earn a degree online, it has never been more convenient to pursue higher education. … [Read more...]
Preparing Food For Your Diet
Image by ulterior epicure via Flickr When you’re on a diet, sometimes the only way to really know what’s going into your food is to prepare it yourself. When you cook for yourself you have complete control of what is going into your food and what you will be eating. How can you better prepare food that fits your diet needs? When you are grocery shopping, compare different products so you can find the most nutritional choice. Sometimes it may seem like you’re buying something healthy, but when you compare the nutrition labels to other brands, you may find that one brand is … [Read more...]
What Not To Eat: Foods You Shouldn’t Eat When Pregnant
Diet has always played an important role in pregnancy. It is an essential part of keeping both the mother and baby healthy. Sometimes, the pregnancy will trigger cravings of certain foods. However, not all of these foods are good to eat during your pregnancy. One type of food you should avoid is anything that is non-pasteurized. This is usually found in cheese or milk products. The non-pasteurized food has not been through the heating process. There is a potential for these foods to have a bacteria that can harm the fetus. Check the packaging before indulging in these types of … [Read more...]