Eat Night or Midnight Snacks

There’s so many diets around that one trying to lost weight is likely to get confused as to what’s the best to follow.  A lot of diet plans place emphasize the eating times into their recommendations, the most popular being the six o’clock diet that discourages consumption of foods after 6pm. For those aiming for weight loss as their health goal, lost of experts suggest refraining from eating after 6pm as this can have negative effects. However, if you’re the type that really needs to munch on something in the late hours of the evening, and doesn’t have the willpower to quit cold turkey, then it’s worthwhile to research on some interesting diet-friendly midnight snacks healthy recipes that doesn’t wreak havoc on the waistline. 

To begin with, drinking a glass of water can surprisingly reduce hunger pangs as the brain often mistakes thirst for hunger. Healthy meals that are high in water such as fruits and vegetables are also a great option as well. Tryptophan, an amino acid found in milk also helps induce sleep.  Warm it up or flavor it with your favorite syrups like vanilla and hazelnut.  Opt for skim as a lower fat alternative.

Should you still have the hankering for something more substantial, go for lightly salted nuts and/or popcorn.  Make your own trail mix by combining it with dried fruit, high fiber cereals and grains and keep it at the bedside snack that’s much healthier than sodium laden processed snacks like potato chips.  Lean turkey ham, low fat cheese on crackers can be enjoyed for a savory snack.

Any type of foods that have caffeine or tend to keep one up and about should be avoided if one’s intention is to tuck in after the snack.  Also very important is portion control as too much of a snack item even if it is light still needs digestion and your body isn’t in its optimum digestive capability in bed.

However, this rule is by no means a be all end all, as there’s a significant population that works until late in the evening or even have graveyard shifts that is almost the exact opposite of the work schedule of most people.  With these people, naturally their sleeping patterns, waking hours and food consumption is vastly altered with their midnight food intake being more substantial to tide them over the work night.

Source: www.gourmandia.com

The Natural Viagra Foods

Medical experts acclaimed that at age 30 man testosterone level started to slow down hence it cause to lesser sex performance that is a reality most men hates.  The use of synthetic drug Viagra was so popular but there are death claims of its use. As treatment for erectile dysfunction, natural Viagra healthy recipes are the best option of men who has problem in sex performance since it has no side effects and no life threatening content.

Red and Juicy Pomegranate is proven effective same as Viagra drug. A drink of one glass full of its juice is enough to have a satisfying sexual performance because it has antioxidant content to increase blood flow of genital area so a glass per day will make you from trouble away in bed.

A slice of watermelon has citrulline content that relaxes blood vessels. Citrulline helps to produce arginine and Nitric Oxide. Nitric Oxide plays very important role in sex performance as it triggers sex drive and helps erection.

There are vegetables beneficial to have a great sex drive like cabbage, spinach and other green leafy. Green veggies are rich in vitamin E which boosts the releasing sex hormones.

Meanwhile, women who experiences low interest in love making should eat spinach as it contain manganese that increase female fertility by producing estrogen. Light green leafy cabbage contains zinc which helps to improve sperm quality and quantity.

Pumpkin seeds and sunflower, onion and watermelon are natural Viagra that creates great sex drive. The aforementioned seeds contain Omega 3 fatty acids and zinc which helps to stimulates sex hormones levels. A tablespoon of such seeds to your meal will boost your testosterone level.

Dark and sensuous chocolate is another food to make u happy in bed. Experts said that aforementioned kind of chocolate enhances feelings, mood and reduces stress. It has natural phenethylamine chemicals and Serotonin which increases the feeling love and also boosts your libido.

Capsaicin is chilly, spicy and hot raises blood flow which increases libido level.

Strawberries can increase the level of libido since it is rich in vitamin C that improves sperm quality.

Bananas has great amount of potassium which help the heart in pumping and blood flowing. It is rich in vitamin B which is energy booster.

Nuts are rich in vitamin B3 which increase stamina and sperm quality. 

Source: www.gourmandia.com

What are the Difference Between Organic Foods and Genetically Modified Foods?

Organic foods are produced without pesticides, chemical fertilizers, antibiotics, hormone injections, irradiation to kill bacteria, biotechnology and other such technologies that are used in conventional farming, used for cooking healthy recipes, and food growing methods in order to increase production and improve the food product. Organic foods are produced using natural farming or natural food growing methods and animal raising techniques. This means that the farmer or food grower allows nature to do her work on the food as they grow and do not interfere with it in the form of genetic mutation or engineering, which is what is done in Genetically Modified Foods.

To be clear, farmers have been modifying the genes of plants for centuries through selective breeding. This is the practice of growing only certain strain of seeds and cross-breeding plants to produce better crops that are resistant to pests, insects, droughts, fungus, and so on. Selective breeding is also used to produce larger produce, better looking and better-tasting foods.

In the case of GMO, short for Genetically Modified Organism, the term has come to mean genetically engineered organisms, i.e. plants that have been injected a specific gene so that it expresses a desired trait that is not otherwise natural to it. This means that a specific gene from a different species is introduced to a host organism (typically through injection) so that this organism expresses the desirable trait that was not genetically normal for its species.

While there are immense benefits of GMO and infinite possibilities of what can be done with the technology, there are also consequences both imminent and unforeseen. One of the concerns many have is how the consumption of GMO foods may alter the human genes and what the short and long-term effects they have on human health. GMO foods also alter the environment and can imbalance nature to catastrophic proportions. Organic foods have lower impact on the environment and better for human health because their production follows nature’s way.

GMO is a form of biotechnology that advances science and progress—the ability of humans to control nature and their destiny and gain more and more knowledge, although at the risk of millions of human lives as well as the destruction of the natural habitat of animals and plants, which is what organic production cares about.

Keeping Listeria Away From Your Kitchen

All bacteria don’t like cold temperatures and at 32°F they start to become sluggish. As the temperature drops, bacteria become inactive and stop multiplying, but as soon as conditions are warmer, bacteria are vigorous again. The only thing that can kill bacteria is an environment with temperatures over 140°F. If you think your food is safe in the refrigerator because it’s well over 140°F in there, you haven’t met Team Listeria. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) confirmed that listeria, found in soil, water, poultry and cattle, can continue to multiply and spread even in cold temperatures and can only be killed by pasteurization or cooking food thoroughly.

Listeria can be found in raw milk, as well as foods made from or with raw milk. Processed meats such as hotdogs, delicatessen meats recipes(such as pepperoni, salami and bologna), pre-packed salads, smoked fish and seafood, pates, meat spreads, raw sprouts and soft cheeses made with unpasteurized milk like Feta, Brie and Camembert can also be contaminated as they are able to thrive in food processing plants.

Pregnant women, organ transplant patients who are under medication, old people, breastfeeding mothers and people afflicted with cancer, end-stage renal disease, diabetes, liver disease and weak immune systems and alcoholics are highly susceptible to listeriosis, the bacterial infection caused by listeria.

Before storing foods in the refrigerator, make sure that they are completely covered or wrapped tightly or are in well-sealed containers with none of the juices leaking out of them. When grocery shopping, buy perishable foods last like milk last and take them straight home for refrigeration. Wash your hands thoroughly before and after preparing food, and especially after using the bathroom, gardening, changing diapers, cleaning up children after they use the bathroom, handling money and playing with pets.

Leftovers should be eaten within 3 days, otherwise, dispose of them, and if you do eat them, make sure you re-heat them well at 160°F. Segregate uncooked meats, seafoods and eggs from fresh produce like fruits and vegetables, cooked foods and ready-to-eat foods. Use disposable paper towels to clean up spills made by meat, seafood or poultry juices in your refrigerator to avoid spreading listeria germs to cloth towels.

Wash cooking utensils, cutting boards made from nonporous acrylic, plastic or glass, knives and other cutting utensils thoroughly after each use and make sure that you cut up fruits and vegetables first before meat, poultry or seafood. Spills on kitchen countertops must be washed out with a solution of 3 tablespoons of chlorine bleach per 1 gallon of water and then dried thoroughly before being used again. Disinfect your refrigerator regularly and wash kitchen cloth towels using the hot cycle of your washing machine.

Source: www.gourmandia.com

Fish Recipes Linking Eating Disorders And Suicidal Thoughts

Depression is normal and natural, but not for prolonged periods of time, and definitely not when it frequently occurs as in chronically. There are aspects linking the chemistry of the body and the brain to chemical and hormonal imbalances, both of which may be the result of the kind of diet the depressed person has. Diets which are unhealthy, like those which encourage the production of substances, and enzymes that are inflammatory in nature impact negatively on brain cells and overall function of neurotransmitters. Recent research showed that a diet rich in fish recipes and other seafoods healthy recipes can help prevent depression leading to suicidal thoughts. Surveys, in fact, have shown that a country whose population eats more fish has a generally lowered incidence of depression.

The Omega-3 amino acids are termed “essential fatty acids” mainly because, unlike other substances required by the body, these cannot be produced within and therefore need to be ingested through diets. Fish oil is richest in sardines, pilchards, trout, mackerel, herring in tuna, albeit the fresh variety and not the tinned one. Individuals whose ages are between 65 and 94 who know how to cook salmon and consume it at least twice a week have been shown to develop dementia or Alzheimer’s 25% less than their counterparts who did not consume salmon or any other kind of seafood.

The Anti-Depression Agents EPA and DHA

There is evidence that eicosapentanoic acid or EPA and docosohexanoic acid or DHA, two crucial types of Omega-3, significantly act as natural antidotes for depression, with EPA being the more potent of the two.

While many species of fish contain both DHA and EPA, salmon has the highest content, a fact which may explain that eating around 8 to 10 ounces of salmon a week can be beneficial to the brain.

What Omega-3’s in Fish Oil Can Do

Although studies prove only the association between consumption of fatty acids found in fish and lowered risks of certain neurological conditions, and not cases of cause and effect of fish in diets, Omega-3 fats do have health benefits.

Recent study trials evaluating the benefits of Omega-3 rich diets concluded that these fatty acids help in the reduction of depressive symptoms by a whopping average of 53%. This may be the result of the capability of Omega-3’s to build receptor sites crucial to the brain’s neurotransmitters, and its neuronal cell connections.

Combating Depression which can Lead to Suicidal Thoughts

Oily fish consumption can be supplemented by ingesting Omega-3 health supplements in the form of fish oil capsules. Although tuna’s high mercury content has made it recommendable for consumption only for thrice a month, other fish varieties have the go-signal to be enjoyed at least twice weekly such as salmon, kipper, anchovy, sardines, mackerel, and trout.

To help combat depression that may lead to suicidal thoughts, a dosage of EPA at 1,000 milligrams is advised to help boost positive moods. Simply put, those suffering or tend to suffer from depression, or already have existing suicidal thoughts, would do well to ingest a 500 milligram-fish oil supplement twice daily while continuing to eat at least a serving of fish twice or thrice a week.

Source: www.gourmandia.com