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.