How Making Infant Nutrition With Organic Foods?

Infants need baby food just as adults need their favorite food. But baby nutrition has been deeply affected by the growth of non-organic foods. The concept of organically produced foods has caught wind in the past decade, tracing its emergence to the mid 1990's. Would you like it if somebody told you to drink a gallon of nitrate fertilizer: would you even do it? Well, you might be shocked to know you might have consumed more than a gallon after eating fertilizer-laden produce for all your life. The concept of fertilizer was used to get rid of pests and insects in the soil. They destroyed the crops and so fertilizer industries blossomed all over the place.

But the same tool that got rid of the insects has now turned its fire on the human population. Years of crops smothered with fertilizer makes the fertilizer go right down into the soil. The soil holds this fertilizer for years which makes it all the more harmful as the fertilizer is now expired and has become downright deadly to grow any more crops in.

Ripple effect

Chemically potent soil gives rise to chemically harmful crops. If you remember your school science, you will recollect that roots absorb mineral salts and water from the soil. If the soil is tinged with nitrates, the water will be tinged with nitrates too. This alarming transplanting of chemicals affects the crops grown; this deadly crop travels down to the supermarkets in trucks and finally sits in our shopping bags to come home with us.

Fertilizers are used to boost crop outputs. Large crop outputs lead to big money. So the obsession with making money has led to the sacrifice of health. A carrot or an apple today is scientifically proven to contain only 50% of the nutrition it used to hold about 50 years back - which means you think you're eating a wholesome carrot but you are not. What you are eating is a carrot look-alike - with nitrates in it.

Effect on meat

Animals that live on the farm graze on the grass there which means they also get contaminated. Then again in a lot of farms dairy and poultry animals are force-fed with anti-biotic medicine to increase production of milk and eggs. Disease can also spread from eating such farm products. When these animals die, they decompose into the soil and leave the remnants of the anti-biotic and the chemically eaten grass back into the soil; and the story begins all over again. So meat, milk and poultry products are not exempt either.

Organic baby food

With adults in danger, it makes it imperative to make babies safe from this kind of chemical attack. Babies need to be fed only with organic baby snacks like Earth's Best products to protect them from diseases. Babies' bodies are delicate and vulnerable to disease as their physical systems are still in the early stages of development. The parents may buy baby food unsuspectingly from the supermarket, but that might not be natural baby food at all but baby food prepared with the same chemically treated ingredients.

Real dangers from eating chemically treated crops

The list of diseases that can spring up from eating fertilizer doused crops begins with cancer. The growing number of cancer cases all over the world is a strong pointer to this. Other diseases related to increased chemical toxicity in the body are obesity and Alzheimer's disease.

Turning back the clock

Now luckily due to growing awareness, every supermarket has organic sections where organic produce is displayed for purchase. Organic food refers to crops grown without fertilizers. Naturally these crops are more expensive as the organic farms strive to produce crops without artificially inflating their rate of growth. But if this extra money means a healthier body with an improved immune system then the money is an investment not expenditure. Perhaps this explains why people of olden days lived longer and healthier lives though the medical facilities were not so far advanced back then. They didn't need the medication!

Why Eat Meat The Healthy Way?

The word meat has been around for a long time. It dates back to the old English word mete, meaning food. Today the word is mainly used to describe animal flesh that is used to food. The type of meat we eat and the amount of it can significantly affect our health.

Eating too much meat is never a good thing. Studies demonstrate that this can have adverse effects on our health, especially when eating red meat. Some of these health problems include heart disease, obesity and even cancer. Processed meats as opposed to organic meats have also demonstrated to cause adverse health effects. Some people claim that meat is crucial to our diet because of the protein that we obtain from meat. Recent studies contradict this claim and it should be understood that other foods besides meat are good sources of protein.

Eating meat from animals that have been grass fed as opposed to being fed grain or other food has proven to be healthier. One of these reasons is the type and ratio of omega fatty acids that are found in these different types of meat. Our bodies function best when we have omega 6 fats to omega 3 fats at a ratio of three to one. Most people have far too many omega 6 fats in their diet. It essential for us to obtain omega 3 fats in our diet as our body cannot manufacture them from other fats.

Grain fed animals are known to have omega 6 fats to omega 3 fats at a ratio that exceeds twenty to one. Meat from grass fed animals is much healthier with a ratio of three to one. Omega 3 fatty acids are essential for the health and growth of our bodies. They also help to prevent heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, arthritis, auto immune disorders and other inflammatory diseases.

It is better to eat chickens that have been fed vegetables, fruit, grass and insects. These have also proven to be much higher in omega 3 fats than chicken that is fed other food and kept in a confined space. Chickens that eat vegetables and fruit produce healthy eggs that have omega 6 fatty acids to omega 3 fatty acids of a ratio of six to three. Eggs found in the supermarket often have an unhealthy ratio of 20 to one for omega 6 fats to omega 4 fats. Fish are also a great source of omega three fats. It is best to consume fish that has been caught in the wild as opposed to fish that is farm raised.

How to Get Your Child to Eat Vegetables?

Children like sweet food, rather than bitter tasting stuff, and they are conservative, meaning that they don't like to try new things; they have to see food a few times before they will try it according to some psychologists, they have a term for this- "neophobia"- the fear of new things. One way of overcoming this is to engage your child in making a menu for a week or a day or two at least, and taking them shopping, so that they can see what is displayed on shelves.

You can make a deal with them that they can choose vegetables, and fruit if this is also a problematic area, as long as they eat it. You can also allow children to "help" with the cooking and preparation of vegetables, or at least they can watch as you make a carrot flower or a tomato rose. These can be given to the child to try raw, but they do look enticing on a plate as nutritional garnishes. You can also deseed bell peppers and make them into containers for cream cheese or other dips that your child enjoys and gradually get him or her to eat the container. These can also be made into baskets to hold carrot and celery strips.

We eat with our eyes, so to get children to eat anything, apart from sweet things it has to look appetizing. You can make smiley faces on pizzas and quiches with different vegetables, red bell peppers make good lips and a carrot strip can be made to look like a nose, while the eyes can be green peas or strips of green pepper and so on. If it looks interesting it may be eaten.

Children don't like strong flavours, and if you recall your childhood you probably realize that you didn't approve of brussel sprouts or soggy boiled cabbage, or even asparagus which is considered a gourmet food. Go for caramelized onions and glazed carrots and cook your peas with mint sprigs to produce a sweeter taste.

Often it is the texture of vegetables that kids don't like, so puree veggies and take the seeds out of tomatoes and see if that helps. Make your own sauces for pasta and shred carrots into them and put in peeled, de-seeded tomatoes with onions and try a little garlic and oregano to help the taste.

Make your own soups and puree them so that they don't have to be chewed. If your child will eat mashed potato (perhaps smothered with tomato ketchup) then you could mash cooked carrots or swede with this and so disguise the fact that there are vegetables in it. You could add grated cheese too as this will help disguise the taste.

Eight Facts About Fruits Maybe Not You Know

You should consume a variety of fruits is what you always get to hear from several people like dietitians, doctors and your family. Of course, because it is necessary for your body to get the essential quantity of vitamins, minerals, fiber, sugar and even water. Fruits provide these nutrients to your body and form a very significant part of your diet. But do you know all the facts about fruits? Below are given some of the facts about fruits you may not know about.

1. Fruits have low calories

Fruits are filling but they don't have excessive calories or fats in them. They contain vitamins, fiber and sugar - all of which are required to keep us in the best of health.

2. Fruits reduce cardiovascular diseases

Many fruits have the capability to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, stroke as well as cancer. So those who have heart problems can gorge on fruits as they are known to be naturally reducing the risk of heart strokes and other related diseases.

3. Fruits don't have any cholesterol

Many people have high cholesterol in their systems due to the intake of unhealthy products. This makes them vulnerable to heart diseases and other illnesses. But fruits can easily avoid that as they are 100% cholesterol free.

4. Fruits aid in digestion

Fruits have natural fiber present in them. This fiber is very essential to ward off the cholesterol and fats from the body, thus making the body more fit. It also helps in digestion and reduces the chances of constipation as well.

5. Fruits build immunity level

Fruits are very high in antioxidants like vitamin C and anthocyanins. These when combined reduce the risks of oxidant stress, diseases and cancer. Moreover, they also help in building the immunity levels of the body and thus protect it from such diseases.

6. Fruits prevent aging

Many fruits like mulberries, blueberries, blackberries and other such blue fruits have properties to prevent the signs of aging too. Thus, the lines and the pigmentation on the face can be avoided by eating such fruits. They protect and rejuvenate the body cells, tissues as well as organs.

7. Fruits regulate blood pressure

Fruits such as avocados and apples are known to be helpful in balancing the blood pressure levels of the body.

8. Fruits help us live longer

Five Reasons to Try a Paleolithic Diet

In this article, I'll describe to you exactly what the Paleolithic (or "Caveman") Diet is, and 5 reasons why you should give it a try!

So, What is a "Paleo" Diet? The modern paleo diet is based on the assumed diet of our ancestors several thousand years ago. Back then, before agriculture, diets consisted of meat, fish, fruits, and vegetables. There was no access to dairy products, processed fats, oils, or sugars, or mass farmed grains like wheat.

Some nutritionists believe that the human body evolved over thousands of years to process and digest these kinds of foods, and that the rapid expansion of agriculture in comparatively recent years has left the human body trying to digest unfamiliar foods. Reverting to a Paleo diet is supposed to model more accurately what the body had evolved to digest, and provide a number of health benefits.

Why Try a Paleolithic Diet?

Here are my top 5 reasons:

1 - Studies have shown that the diet is more filling per calorie than other diets. Even healthy "Mediterranean diets" tend to make you consume more calories before feeling full. So, as part of a calorie controlled diet, the Paleo diet could help you to lose weight more efficiently.

2 - Early studies suggest that eating a Paleo Diet can lower blood pressure safely, and reduce the amount of CRP in the blood. This helps to control the bodies inflammation response, which may lower the risk of certain types of cancer.

3 - The Paleo Diet is very high in fibre, which helps maintain a healthy digestive system, reduce cholesterol, and lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.

4 - It reduces diabetes risk. More than 70% of the total daily energy consumed people in the United States comes from dairy products, cereals, refined sugars, refined vegetable oils and alcohol, all of which have high Glycemic Index values. In contrast, the Paleo diet has very low GI values, helping to maintain a stable blood sugar level, and reduce the risk of diabetes.

5 - Fewer adverse reactions. Huge numbers of people in the world are intolerant to dairy, gluten, or nuts. Some people are mildly intolerant, and may not even realise it. This continued consumption of foods your body rejects causes you to feel tired, bloated, or generally a bit "down". The paleo diet has none of these food groups. The very fact that these most common allergies are not part of the paleo diet lends weight to the theory that our bodies are ill-adapted to the modern diet. Trying the paleo diet for a few days might just make you feel more energetic, brighter, and more healthy.

How Way Pickling Your Vegetables For Long Term Preservation?

One of the most popular ways to extend food life is to pickle it. Pickling is the process of preserving food through fermentation in a brine. Many vegetables get pickled or made into relish including cucumbers, okra, peppers, summer squash, unripe cantaloupe, watermelon rind, tomatoes, eggs, onions, garlic, etc, etc. Pickling lowers the PH to less than 4.6, which is sufficient to kill most bacteria and is somewhat easier to do than canning in that the vegetables do not have to be completely sterile to pickle.

You will need to buy some equipment up front but after your initial investment, you should not need anything but a few ingredients to pickle your food. You will need a large pot that is big enough to boil water and mostly submerge the jars in order to seal them. You can seal the jars one at a time or get something big enough to do several at once. Buy as many 1 QT canning/mason jars as you think you will need (I buy them by the case), just make sure they have rings to seal the lids. Though the process is not too difficult, it makes sense to make as many jars as possible at one time, given you have enough vegetables.

Now that you have your equipment, and hopefully picked some fresh veggies from your organic garden, you are ready to pickle. There are thousands of recipes for pickling, and different nuances according to the different vegetables. It would be impossible to cover everything, but there are numerous detailed books about pickling available to give you ideas and guidance. My favorites are a combination of multiple recipes that I have tried over the years. What follows is a very basic recipe that will work for just about vegetable, but it should be considered a pickle recipe:

Pickling Ingredients: 

- 7 wide mouth quart jars, lids & rings

- fresh dill (keep the heads on the stems)

- cucumbers (washed/scrubbed). I use pickling cucumbers, about the size of the average pickle.

- garlic cloves (jalepenos, small peppers and onion can also be added)

Brine: 

- 8 ½ cups of water

- 2 ¼ cups white vinegar

- ½ cup pickling salt

Pickling Directions: 

Do all of this before filling your jars -

1. Wash the jars in hot, soapy water. Rinse and fill with hot water. Set aside

2. Fill canning kettle half full with hot tap water. Set on burner over high heat

3. In a medium sauce pan, fit lids and rings together, cover with water, bring to a simmer (you are make them sterile).

4. In a large pan, bring the brine (water, vinegar and salt) to a boil. After it boils, turn off the heat.

5. Fill jars - place a layer of dill at the bottom of every jar, along with a clove or two of garlic (if you are using it). Tightly load cukes from your fresh organic garden into the jar to the neck of the jar. You may need 2 layers to achieve this. Put a few more sprigs of dill & garlic to the top.

6. Pour in brine, leaving about a half inch from the top.

7. Screw on lid w/ ring gasket, making sure it is tightly sealed.

8. Place jars in a pan (or canner) with water just to the neck of the jars

9. Bring water almost to a boil (should be about 15 minutes, depending)

10. Remove jars, set on a dish towel and cover with dish towel & let cool.

11. Check for seal (indented lid). If they are not sealed, you can try re-sealing them in the near boiling water.

12. Label the jars/lids with content, date, recipe (so you will know which ones you like better).

13. Store in a cool, dark place

How Avoid Pests With Quality Food Packaging?

Although food shopping can be quite an annoying ordeal, I cannot help but get excited when it's time to open up a new package of food and snacks, especially after a long day at work. All I want is an easy package to open with fresh quality food inside for my taste buds, and my stomach, to enjoy. Imagine one's surprise and horror when you find some unwelcome guests in your food. That happened to me once with a tub of oatmeal. Needless to say, I was not happy. Not only was I disgusted to find bugs in my food, I had to make the effort to go back to the store to get a refund. That's time, food, and money wasted. Not to mention it makes me less likely to purchase that particular brand ever again.

Obviously pests in food packaging are bound to happen at least once in your lifetime. But it still makes you think twice before placing that exact same item in your shopping cart again. Call it paranoia, call it food anxiety, call it what you will but chances are you will choose the other brand for your oatmeal. And maybe after a few years have passed and your memory is a bit hazy, you don't remember which brand was involved in the incident and you will purchase from them again.

All that can be avoided though when you invest in the best quality food packaging. Not only do you need to seal in freshness, you need to seal out pests. Otherwise a poor experience can really put a stain on your name. The customer won't just relay the story to his immediate family. No, he'll tell all his friends and coworkers and suddenly the news will spread faster than a Justin Bieber album leak. Everyone will know that story all too well and suddenly they are boycotting your products as well. Your company name should be synonymous will high quality, not high bug content!

It's not just about preventing an insect infestation before the products reaches the customer's home. It's also about making durable and flexible food packaging that can withstand possible bugs inside the customer's home as well. Cheap packaging means mice and insects will be able to smell the food from a mile away, even if it is sealed. And they'll be determined to burrow their way into the food. Flimsy packaging is just as high an offense.

Food packaging is the only defense against intruders so never skimp on the quality when it comes time to choose a packaging corporation.

The Nostalgic Candy That Brings Back Memories

Ever wish you could get your hands on some good old-fashioned candy? Whatever happened to licking Mega Buttons off of a waxy strip? How about chewing the gummy wax top off of Nik-L-Nip bottles to savor the sweet, tasty juice inside? Now, you can find your favorite nostalgic candy that you enjoyed so much during childhood. Here is a comprehensive list to currently available nostalgic candy that brings back memories.

Mega Candy Buttons: Again Enjoy the Sweet Strips of Sugary Sweetness

Still set in colorful rows on long strip after strip, candy buttons are now available for you to enjoy and as an added bonus, they come mega-sized! Candy buttons, sometimes known as candy dots or candy pox were all the rage when introduced in 1980 by Necco. Each strip comes with three flavors: cherry, lime and lemon. The mega-sized candy buttons measure about 3/4 inches wide for maximum sweetness! You can also find them in a sour version.

Again Enjoy the Waxy Bottles of Nik-L-Nip

Almost a century year old now, you can still find, packaged inside bottle-shaped wax, the sweet juicy goodness of Nik-L-Nip candy: ""Bite 'Em, Drink 'Em, Chew 'Em!" Created by Tootsie Roll Industries, this nostalgic candy comes filled with blue, red, orange, yellow and green sugary juices. According to Tootsie Roll, "Nik-L-Nip brand name is a combination of the original cost (Nickel) and preferred wax bottle-opening technique (NIP)."

Bringing Back Bosco in Candy Bar Form!

First selling chocolate syrup, Bosco has been around since the 1920's, manufacturing sweet treats out of New Jersey. After recently pairing up with distributor, the Praim Group, Bosco has released its chocolate bar. According to Steve Sanders, CEO Bosco Products Co., "We're so excited for Bosco to have a chocolate bar. It will make a great nostalgic gift for that special someone, or is simply perfect as an afternoon chocolate fix." Sanders acknowledges, "Generations have grown up with Bosco Chocolate Syrup and our team believes the Bosco Chocolate Bar is the perfect brand extension. It's an honor to be trusted to help expand this legacy."

Bosco's chocolate bar is made from all-natural milk chocolate, specifically, sugar, whole milk, cocoa butter, chocolate liquor, and vanilla. Enjoy the new conveniently wrapped chocolate bar to bring back all your Bosco memories from childhood.

The All-American Sky Bar will Bring Back Memories

The Sky Bar zoomed on the scene in the 1930's with a brilliant ad campaign during the golden age of advertising. A chocolate bar segmented in four sections full of caramel, vanilla, peanut and fudge, was first released to the public through ads in the sky. That's right: the Necco company announced their new candy bar through skywriting! Notoriously hard to find in recent years, with a quick internet search nowadays, you can again enjoy the Sky Bar.

Get Nostalgic with Classic Charleston Chew & Doscher's French Chew Taffy

Who can forget the Charleston Chew in all its nougat and chocolate goodness? Named after the popular dance at the time, this gooey goodness hit the American market in 1922. Later sold by Nabisco in 1980, the company then released the Charleston Chew in strawberry and also, vanilla.

In 1993, the beloved Tootsie Roll Industries again began to distribute the Charleston Chew, again marketing the many ways to enjoy the popular candy bar: "They're frequently enjoyed frozen, offering the classic "Charleston Chew crack" as folks love to break them into small pieces prior to eating."

Doscher's French chew taffy is again available in chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and banana taffy. Taffy, a chewy candy, was made popular when in the early 20 century children brought it home as a souvenir of many coastal resort towns. Doscher's French chew taffy will make you nostalgic for long days at the beach, bringing back cherished memories from childhood.

Sweet Treats We Still Love: Chuckles and Jujubes

Chuckles, around since the 1920, are sugar-coated jelly candies, come in cherry, lemon, licorice, orange and lime flavors. Chuckles come packaged in a strip with every flavor and were a mainstay at every neighborhood's five and dime store. Chuckles have come a long way, as it is now readily available, most easily online.