19 Helpful Cooking Tips

1. Never over mix muffins and quick breads. Fold dough with large spoon until flour is barely mixed and dough is lumpy.

2. Sprinkle your cutting board with salt before chopping fresh herbs. It will keep them on the cutting board.

3. Store sharp knives in a knife block – or stick wine corks on their tips before placing in drawers.

4. If you need to finely chop bacon, put it in the freezer for 20 min. This will make it easy to chop without being stringy.

 5. To test if your oil is hot enough for frying, use a thermometer or stick the end of a wooden spoon in the oil. (Bubbles=ready!)
  
6. Always let meat “rest” for at least 10 minutes when you take it out of crockpot, pan or oven. It will cut much more easily.
 
7. Get to know parchment paper. Great for lining baking pans or preventing pastry from sticking to your roller.
  
8. When rising dough containing yeast, cover loosely with plastic wrap instead of the traditional tea towel.
  
9. Run out of baking powder? Combine 3/4 of a teaspoon of baking soda with 1 tablespoon of vinegar.
  
10. Never slice cake more than 15 minutes before serving. It will not taste fresh and may dry out.

11. Never open the oven door while cooking soufflé. And when you take your soufflé out of the oven, never bang the oven door.

12. For perfect Baked Alaska, make sure your cake is not warm and your ice-cream is the hard-brick type – not the creamy type.

13. Learn “base” recipes and then experiment by adding different seasonings or ingredients – basic sauces, muffins, cakes and bread.

14. Don’t just bring your butter to room temperature when preparing to bake: Do it to the eggs you’re planning to use also.

 15. Cool your cakes on a wire rack, upside down. (Place rack on cake; then flip over, holding both sides of pan and rack firmly.)

 16. Make ordinary cake, cookies or pancakes special by using heart-shaped Valentine’s Day pans.

 17. Make a Valentine’s Day trifle in a heart-shaped bowl (large or individual-sized) for extra visual impact.

18. When camping, fully prepare soups, stews and other one-dish items ahead of time. Just reheat while you’re in the woods.

19. There is no right or wrong cheese for a pizza. Go with what you like and what you have on hand.

Have a great week ahead.

How Yoga Helps With Diabetes

Diabetes in various forms affects up to 5percent of the world population with 12 million diabetics in Western Europe alone.

Of the different ways in which diabetes presents, noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) is probably the most commonly encountered genetic disease.

NIDDM or Type II diabetes is multifactorial, depending also on environmental factors including obesity, sedentary lifestyles and nutritional imbalances.

Yoga has shown some beneficial results in curing diabetes. The yoga exercises that are prescribed for curing diabetes is different from hatha yoga exercise because it involves positions tailored to treat certain conditions, as well as meditation, relaxation and stretching exercises.

One of the studies conducted to cure diabetes was the one set up by the Yoga Biomedical Trust, founded in 1982 by biochemist Dr Robin Monro, and an Indian yoga research foundation which discovered that practicing yoga for 30 minutes a day for one month helped reduce blood glucose levels in some diabetics.

The yoga patients took part in one or two 90-minute sessions a week and were asked to practice at home. The classes included the specific yoga exercises of the spinal twist, the bow and abdominal breathing.

At the end of the 12 weeks blood sugar levels fell significantly in all patients in the group and were slightly raised in a control group which had not joined in the yoga sessions.

Three yoga students managed to reduce their medication, including one man who had not changed his drug regime for 20 years.

It has been known for a long time that exercise is helpful for diabetics. Yoga therapy may help reduce stress levels which could play a part in maturity onset diabetes.

But one drawback is that some patients would find it hard to keep up the regular sessions needed to sustain the benefit.

All the patients said they would like to see these classes set up on a permanent basis but we don't have the money.

It is not necessarily the exercise component of the yoga therapy package which is most important, because there is not enough physical exercise to account for the changes, but stress reduction has a lot to do with it. Stress hormones increase sugar levels in the blood.

People also benefit from the stabilization of their moods which yoga brings, an increased feeling of well-being and a feeling of being more in control, which may help with their diet control.

Have a good day.

The Health Benefits Of Yoga Exercises

Yoga exercises strengthen your body and make it more flexible.

Yoga also calms your mind and gives you energy. In active sports or strenuous exercises, you use up energy.

In yoga classes, students report that they feel tranquil after a class, yet have more energy.

Slow and steady motion is the key to going into or coming out of the postures.

You hold a yoga pose for several seconds or even minutes and give attention to full, quiet breath.

Your yoga instructor will always encourage you to relax as the exercises are being done.

You gently place your body into yoga postures. Done correctly, there's very little chance of injury or muscle stress.

A particular exercise is not to repeated dozens of times, nor are you ever encouraged to push yourself too much.

A yoga session is designed for balance. You stretch to the right and then to the left. You bend back and then forward.

You learn to recognize when one side is stronger or more flexible than the other. Thus harmony and balance are achieved with yoga practice.

People of all ages can practice yoga exercises. They are easily modified to meet your needs and physical condition.

Don't be put off by the difficult looking postures you may see in a yoga book.

A yoga practice can be tailor-made just for you. If something is really impossible for you to do, just forget it.

 Never compete with yourself or others. Yoga is a stress-free but powerful way to exercise.

Yoga is good for increasing your flexibility and relieving stress, but it doesn't take the place of aerobic exercise.

You should still do regular, aerobic exercise, which increases your cardiovascular fitness, helps you lose weight, and, for people with non-insulin-dependent (type II) diabetes at least, improves blood glucose control.

Have a great weekend.

The Greatest Vitamin Sources

There is a lot of debate as to what the greatest vitamin actually is. Each vitamin has its own essential functions that contribute to a person’s general health and well-being. 

It is impossible to actually state that one of these is the greatest vitamin. However there are a number of foods that provide the greatest vitamin quantities.

The greatest vitamin sources vary for each vitamin. It is important to have a balanced diet to ensure that the required amounts of each vitamin are obtained.

However, it may be useful to list the greatest vitamin sources for each vitamin to be used as a guide.

* Greatest vitamin A sources are milk, eggs, butter, yellow fruits & vegetables, dark green fruits & vegetables, liver

* Greatest vitamin B1 sources are brewer’s yeast, whole grains, blackstrap molasses, brown rice, organ meats, egg yolk

* Greatest vitamin B2 sources are brewer’s yeast, whole grains, legumes, nuts, organ meats, blackstrap molasses

* Greatest vitamin B3 sources are lean meats, poultry & fish, brewer’s yeast, peanuts, milk, rice bran, potatoes

* Greatest vitamin B4 sources are egg yolks, organ meats, brewer’s yeast, wheat germ, soybeans, fish, legumes

* Greatest vitamin B5 sources are organ meats, egg yolks, legumes, whole grains, wheat germ, salmon, brewer’s yeast

* Greatest vitamin B6 sources are meats, whole grains, organ meats brewer’s yeast, blackstrap molasses, wheat germ

* Greatest vitamin B7 sources are egg yolks, liver, unpolished rice, brewer’s yeast, sardines, legumes, whole grains

* Greatest vitamin B8 sources are who1e grains, citrus fruits, molasses, meat, milk, nuts, vegetables, brewer’s yeast

* Greatest vitamin B9 sources are dark-green leafy vegetables, organ meats, root vegetables, oysters, salmon, milk

* Greatest vitamin B12 sources are organ meats, fish, pork, eggs, cheese, milk, lamb, bananas, kelp, peanuts

* Greatest vitamin B13 sources are root vegetables, liquid whey

* Greatest vitamin B15 sources are brewer’s yeast, rare steaks, brown rice, sunflower, pumpkin & sesame seeds

* Greatest vitamin B17 sources are whole kernels of apricots, apples, cherries, peaches, plums

* Greatest vitamin C sources are citrus, cabbage family, chilli peppers, berries, melons, asparagus, rose hips

* Greatest vitamin D sources are salmon, sardines, herring, milk, egg yolk, organ meats, sprouted seeds, sunflower seeds

* Greatest vitamin E sources are cold-pressed oils, eggs, wheat germ, organ meats, molasses, sweet potatoes, nuts

* Greatest vitamin F sources are vegetable oils, butter, sunflower seeds

* Greatest vitamin K sources are green leafy vegetables, egg yolks, safflower oil, blackstrap molasses, cauliflower

* Greatest vitamin Q sources are pinto beans, legumes, soybeans

* Greatest vitamin T sources are sesame seeds, raw seeds, butter, egg yolk

* Greatest vitamin V sources are raw cabbage, sauerkraut, leafy vegetables

Good Food Health Vitamin Intake

It is essential that a person is aware of what constitutes good food health vitamin intake.

The federal drug administration produces a recommended daily allowance for the majority of vitamins which it regards as a good food health vitamin intake.

These figures vary according to a person’s age, sex and some other factors so that the good food health vitamin intake for a young woman is going to be different to that of a man in his seventies.

The food health vitamin intake amounts of certain foods are included in the nutritional labeling.

This labeling is important for a person to consider and helps ensure that they are receiving the correct food health vitamin intake from the foods that they eat.

The nutritional information is often represented as a percentage of the recommended daily allowance of each vitamin and mineral and can help assess the value of the foods in the quest for good food health vitamin intake.

There are also a number of items that a person may want to restrict in their diet as part of their good food health vitamin intake. Again, the nutritional labelling of certain foods can help a person to see how high a product is in these undesirable contents.

Salt and fat, for example, may be items that a person wants to consider limiting as part of their good food health vitamin intake even though they are not strictly vitamins.

The majority of people actually refer to nutrients when they use the word vitamin and food manufacturers are aware that a person is looking at minerals and other items when they are considering their good food health vitamin intake.

Fiber is another element that many people are more aware of as forming an essential part of a balanced diet and is necessary for good food health vitamin intake.

If a person is on a restricted diet for any reason then they need to pay even more attention to their good food health vitamin intake.

Obviously, some foods contain different nutrients to others and this is applicable to vitamins as well and it may be more difficult for a person to achieve their good food health vitamin intake if they are unable to eat certain foods.

Vitamin supplements can form an essential part of a good food health vitamin intake for people who are unable to obtain their vitamins from their normal diet.

It is also worth remembering that the good food health vitamin intake for a person varies throughout their life depending on their general health.

The Origins Of Yoga

Today’s society is much faster paced that ever before.  People have more stress problems which lead to more health problems, mental and physical.

There are more concerns with toxicity in the food we eat and the air we breathe.

Millions of Americans today live a sedentary lifestyle, which is associated with obesity.

The body, the cavities of our soul, was not meant to deteriorate in such a way that leads to disease.

Yoga was developed over 5,000 years ago in India and it included spiritual beliefs, physical techniques, and scholarly philosophy. 

There is a growing trend to practicing Yoga for many different reasons, which include attaining the yoga body or physique, relaxation and peace of mind, or to prevent injury and ailments.

Americans mainly practice Hatha Yoga, which focuses on postures and stretching the body. 

Yoga, which is derived from the sacred Sanskrit language of India, meaning *union* or *to yoke or harness*.

Yoga is a way or path to transcendence and liberation from the self and the ego by purifying the mind and body.

Practicing yoga leads to a union with the mind and body or the individual and universal consciousness.

 In other words, yoga is the union with the Individual Self and the Universal Self.

Yoga predates all other religions and has influenced and inspired many other traditions and philosophies.

  Yoga is better understood as a union of the physical, physiological, mental, emotional, and intellectual bodies, which leads to a purposeful and balanced life. 

There is simply no other discipline quite like yoga because it utilized the body, mind and spirit, all in one practice.

Yoga is indeed a spiritual path that is based on ancient sacred philosophy, but one does not need to make an ethical decision when practicing yoga, rather finding your own path is wholly accepted.

The holistic benefits of yoga are suitable for the young or old, sick or well, with any religious background.  The secrets of yoga are inwardness, concentration, and purification of mind and body with cleansing thoughts and food.

Indian philosophy states that within man is the spirit that is the center of everything.  *Internal equilibrium is the basis and the ground for the higher illumination,* The cultural Heritage of India (Vol. I) - published by The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Kolkata, India.

Have a great day.

Work And Life Balance With Yoga

After a surge of interest during the consciousness-conscious '60s, yoga began to fall out of favor.

Exercisers apparently lost patience with the activity, which offers slow but steady results, and turned to the fast pace and quick shape-up of aerobics.

Now yoga is back-less mystical than in the past, less reminiscent of gurus in pretzel positions, and more attractive than ever to people who are interested in working out rather than working toward some spiritual goal.

Once you step out of the metaphysical atmosphere, yoga is a great stretch and flexibility program.

Yoga is increasingly being used by those who are having a trouble in balancing their work and personal life.

A stressful working environment and a hectic schedule has a telling impact on the personal lives of the modern day executives and so they are turning to yoga to bring about a peace of their mind and to adopt a perfect work-life balance.

Also, many disgruntled runners, weight trainers and aerobic dancers complain that instead of reducing the stress in their lives, their exercise regimes add more.

People rush to work out every day at lunch, force themselves to keep up and then rushed back to work. Surely, it does something good for them, but it is just another pressure.

Yoga is less competitive, less stressful, and above all gives a wonderful feeling of being.

Indeed, the healing aspect of yoga is a key to its renewed popularity. The strained knees, aching backs and neck pains generated by the push for fitness and the stress of making it in a competitive world have inspired a packaged set of a book and audio cassettes.

Some orthopedic surgeons, chiropractors and neurologists are now referring patients to specific yogis during treatment.

Growing interest in the mind-body connection is fueling a major comeback of the ancient practice, boosted by research suggesting it can reduce stress and blood pressure, improve work performance, even slow effects of aging.

Several techniques are now being taught in mainstream hospitals and businesses; books about them are brisk sellers and discussion groups have sprung up on the Internet.

Even the Army is interested - it has asked the National Academy of Sciences to study meditation and other new age techniques that might enhance soldiers' performance.

Details differ, but a common theme is relaxing the body while keeping the mind alert and focused - on an object, sound, breath or body movement.

If the mind wanders - and it always does - you gently bring it back and start again

Stress-related problems account for 60percent to 90percent of U.S. doctor visits, and mind-body approaches often are more effective, and cost-effective, than drugs or surgery.

For example, 34percent of infertile patients get pregnant within six months, 70percent of insomniacs become regular sleepers and doctor visits for pain are reduced 36percent.

Yoga For Business People: Enhance Your Business Acumen

There are many of us who feel we are not as bright as we would like to be; or that we lack the will power a friend or a colleague seems to have.

What is not known widely - or taken with skepticism even when known - is that mental power can be enhanced by Yoga and meditation.

Don't worry if your allopathic doctors dismiss this claim, or worse, laugh at it in contempt.

Allopathic doctors tend to downplay such claims because allopathy has been brainwashed into a sort of negativism.

While the neuro-surgeon himself swears by the mantra which he recites every morning, believing it is instrumental in making divine energy flow through him, he feels that the beneficial effects of yoga on all professionals, particularly businessmen, have hardly been talked about.

Yoga or meditation is very beneficial to business executives because it makes decision-making much easier and quicker. It takes away vacillation and helps the brain to grasp the pros and cons quickly.

A surgeon needs to take a decision quickly on the operating table. Similarly, a businessman may not have more than five minutes to decide.

Supposing he has a dollar 1 million business deal where a decision has to be made in five minutes, he needs a brain which is stimulated and in a trim state. In this state, decision-making becomes easy and anxiety level goes down.

In such a state not only is the brain able to think clearly, but the other systems of the body which suffer due to stress or tensions, are also spared.

Enjoy your day.