Organic Restaurants Alabama

Because we understand the importance of Organic food with what we cook or where we choose to eat that we wanted to make it easier to find those places that serve organic food. There is an understanding, finally that is spreading throughout the country that genetically altered food, and all of the additives and hormones and other chemicals are creating disease, old age and poor nutrition. we hope this helps to support those that are serving and selling organic food and drink, and those who wish to buy organic.

Organic Restaurants - ALABAMA

Caribbean House
2612B Jordan Ln
Huntsville, AL 35816
205-837-1230
Vegetarian/Vegan

Garden Cove
628 Meridian St North
Huntsville, AL 35801
256-534-2683
Mostly organic

Golden Temple
1901 11th Ave
Birmingham, AL 35205
205-933-6333
Grocery/Bakery/Deli/Juice/Organic produce

Hot and Hot Fish Club
2180 11th Ct. South
Birmingham, AL 35205
205-933-5474
Fresh homegrown local produce, seasonal menu
www.hotandhotfishclub.com

Jerusalem Café
5773 Airport Blvd
Mobile, AL 36608
334-304-1155

Our Daily Bread
2413 B Jordan Ln Northwest
Huntsville, AL 35816
256-722-9696
Mostly vegetarian

Purple Onion
1550 Montegomery Hwy Ste P
Hoover, AL 35216
205-822-7322
Restaurant, Deli, Grill
www.purpleonionofhoover.com

The Standard Bistro
3 Mt. Laurel Lane
Birmingham, AL 35242
205-995-0512
Uses local organic produce and meats

TBO Deli
5510 Hwy 280
Birmingham, AL 35242
205-995-8888
Organic juice bar - smoothies, raw living food daily special

Michele Michaels has been active in raising awareness for alternative and natural methods of curing and treating all manner of illnesses.

You can also access the whole of the site at http://www.drclarkuniversity.blogspot.com/ (we will continue to update) and for more information on curing disease with out drugs/surgery or in combination with traditional medicine go to drclarkuniversity.com

[tags]Organic,organic food,natural cures,Dr. Hulda Clark,Cancer,alternative health, alabama,breast cancer[/tags]

Benefits Of Garlic Juice

Benefits of garlic are numerous. Garlic, like the onion, has a powerful effect on healing wounds and is also very good as a disinfectant. The old Greeks placed garlic on stones at cross roads as a dinner for their triple goddess Hecate who was Diana on earth, Phoebe in heaven and Proserpine in hell.

As with horseradish, it is difficult to juice garlic in the machine because of the strong essential oils which can only be removed with the greatest difficulty. So we crush it and the resulting liquid is easily incorporated into juices or taken in small amounts by itself.

In 1936 Caspari demonstrated in the laboratory that garlic can destroy the bacterium staphylococcus and that this might be the basis for the use of garlic as a medicine. Later on studies with animals demonstrated the effect of garlic in improving the condition of arteriosclerosis whilst at the same time bringing down the blood-pressure.

Garlic acts well against cataract, particularly in smokers, and for colds. Like onion juice, one dessertspoonful of garlic in half a pint of warm water (10ml in 275ml water) is a recognized remedy for worms in children. One suspects that children in Mediterranean countries must be well protected against worms, and statistics show that their parents have a lower incidence of heart disease than most Europeans, all of which helps to confirm the therapeutic value of this bulb.

The great benefit from garlic was demonstrated in a controlled trial on sufferers from long-standing intestinal disorders such as persistent diarrhea with accompanying headaches. These symptoms disappeared in the patients having garlic juice, but even more importantly, an entirely fresh and improved quality was found in the intestinal flora, those bacteria which aid the digestion of food.

Garlic juice has been used beneficially for many conditions including those mentioned already plus tuberculosis, entercolitis and amoebic dysentery. It is an expectorant as well as assisting asthma and bronchitis.

Garlic and garlic juice has been used as a medicine for some 5,000 years and we would be misguided not to use it on account of the smell. If you cannot bear to use it with your juices than take garlic in the form of capsules which do not dissolve until they have reached the intestine

Garlic is by far the best common food source of germanium. Containing around 750 parts per million. It also seems to be better at concentrating selenium than most other fruits and vegetables, supplying 20 micrograms per100g. The exact quantity of these elements will depend on where your garlic was grown as some soils have richer supplies than others. Both germanium and selenium are considered to be important antioxidants.

Kevin Pederson has been managing a number of natural home remedies websites which have information on home based natural cures and remedies which include juices of beet, avocado, garlic.

[tags]natural home remedies, home remedies, natural remedies, health and beauty, garlic juice[/tags]

Whole Grain Vs. Whole Wheat - What's The Best For You Part II

Here is an easy way of finding the healthiest breads and cereals that you can. Number one, look for the words WHOLE GRAIN. Look at the first two ingredients, if one those two do not say WHOLE GRAIN, put it back! Number 2, look for the FDA-approved health claim that reads "In a low fat diet, whole grain foods may reduce the risk of heart disease and some forms of cancer". That sounds easy enough doesn't it. Now you have no more excuses when you are at the store. You can find healthy breads and cereals for you and your family.

Well, we know how to find whole grain foods, but even at that, there is still discrepancy between how much whole grain should be in the food to make it the healthiest. Look once again at the nutritional statement on the box. There are two things you really want to look for. Fiber grams and Sugar grams. High fiber, low sugar is the best bet. So, what is high fiber, what is low sugar? The FDA will usually only put their mark of approval on foods that are good or excellent sources of fiber. A good source of fiber has 6-10 grams of fiber per serving. An excellent source of fiber has 16 or more grams of fiber per serving. Using this as your guide, you need only to eat 3 servings of an excellent source of fiber, or 6 of the good sources of fiber. As far as sugar goes you should eat foods with 2 grams or less of sugar per serving. The more sugar in the servings, the less fiber that will be in it. The more fiber, the less sugar. Lets look at a new trend General Mills is coming up with. Take the new whole grain, low sugar Cinnamon Toast Crunch. We need to look at both boxes to compare this. Here is the regular cereals stats. 130 Calories, 10 grams of sugar and 1 gram of fiber. How about the new cereal, 120 calories, 2 grams of sugar and 2 grams of fiber. General mills has done a pretty good job. If you have to eat cinnamon toast crunch, then this will be better than the original. But does it stack up to our new found knowledge? NO! There is hardly any fiber in this cereal to make it a good source of fiber. It would not be considered a good source, or an excellent source. They did manage to make it look better on paper however, or cardboard to be exact. How about one of those healthy cereals? Let's look at Kashi GoLean Crunch. It says seven whole grains, it has 190 calories per serving, 8 grams of fiber and 13 grams of sugar, it also contains 9 grams of protein. When looking at the nutritional facts on the box the first set of ingredients is, whole oats, whole long grain brown rice, whole rye, whole hard red winter wheat, whole triticale, whole buckwheat, whole barley, and sesame seeds. The second item is soy protein concentrate, and the third is evaporated cane juice, followed by brown rice syrup. So we are getting better on our choices here. Even with the high sugar content, which is all natural by the way, they do have whole grains, and multi-grains at that. I am not saying natural sugar is really much better for you , but at least it is not the refined white sugar that we see so often. These natural sugars will still affect your blood sugars, but will take a little longer than refined sugar. Put this cereal next to our new set of standards and how does it stack up? Well, we are doing good on fiber, the added protein is a good addition, sugar however is still above the recommended health benefit. Is it good for you? It is better than even the whole grain low sugar Cinnamon Toast Crunch, but you will need to decide if this is the best you can do.

So, with all this information what should we do? We should try to make the best choices available. If you are afraid that eating healthier will cause you to be slaving away in the kitchen you need to realize that there are so many products out there that are good for you and easy to fix. Take for example the Grinin Grains line. Home made batches of scone mix, pancake mix, waffle mixes, and cereal mixes. These are made in small batches using the whole grain and priding themselves on the healthiness of their product. Breads, cereals, pastas, and even baked goods are beginning to come around and make the change to provide a healthier food choice for your family. Shouldn't you try and do the same?

Linda Cramer is the owner of Oregon Gourmet Foods and Gifts. Come visit our site at http://www.oregongourmetfoods.com

[tags]whole wheat, whole grain, wheat breads, white breads, health[/tags]

Alaskan Wild Salmon

For years health experts have been promoting the benefits of eating fish. The oils in fish have been known to help fight cancer, and other dangerous diseases. The omega 3’s that fish contain can also help the body stay healthy. Fish also provides valuable sources of vitamins, and minerals that are rarely found in meat, and vegetables. Salmon is one of the healthiest fishes to eat, and coincidently one of the most popular fishes consumed by the public today.

Wild salmon is known to be much better for your body then farm raised salmon. Wild salmon can be found in a number of places, but the most robust wild salmon come from Alaska. Think about it, if it’s good enough for the bears, shouldn’t it be good enough for you?

Wild Alaskan salmon can be used for many dishes, in a number of cuts, and filets. The most popular salmon dishes are paired with lemon, capers, and broccoli. Grilled salmon on a bed of fresh romaine lettuce is a great dish that many people enjoy often. There are salmon based pastas that people call their favorite dishes of all time. And of course there is the smoked salmon, which is the perfect addition to a cracker and some sharp cheddar cheese.

Baby salmon, otherwise known as lox, is a popular dish for breakfast lovers. The lox and cream cheese bagel is one of the most popular breakfast delights at many a New York deli. The baby salmon often comes from Alaska or Canada.

No matter how you enjoy your salmon dishes, it’s important that you do enjoy salmon. The exotic fish flavor of this pink centered masterpiece is a delight for all that give it a try. If you feel in doubt about the great benefits of salmon, and the robust taste, just look at a picture of the wild bears eating it, they seem to enjoy the taste.

[tags]food,recipes,nutrition,Alaskan salmon,fish,omega 3,healthy eating,cooking,lox[/tags]

Fun Healthy Snacks For Kids

Kids love snacks. After school, in the late evening, or just about anytime, kids want snacks. You may be struggling with snack ideas for your kids that are healthy and inexpensive.

Here is a list of healthy snacks to give your kids.

Some of the healthy choices for kid's snacks are unsweetened applesauce, bottled water, fruit cups or snacks, raisins and other dried fruits, granola bars, low fat or fat free milk, and pure fruit juice.

Meat and Cheese: Low fat lunchmeats such as chicken, turkey, and ham make fun snacks when rolled around a small slice of cheese or on whole wheat bread, cut into finger size sandwiches. Cheese and low fat or fat free crackers served with low-sodium pickles are favorites as well as turkey hot dogs with mustard.

Fresh fruit: Kids love fresh fruit peeled and sliced into bits size pieces with some low-fat yogurt on the side for dipping. Peanut butter sandwiches on whole wheat bread with a little sugar free jelly are great ideas for a healthy snack that your kids will enjoy.

Fresh veggies: Fresh vegetables cut into bite size chunks with some low fat salad dressing are fun snacks that your kids will love and not even notice that they are healthy.

Finding healthy snacks that your kids will actually eat is not impossible. Give your kids healthy choices and arrange the various food items in a fun, colorful way on their plates as extra incentive to enjoy the healthy foods.

Childhood obesity is a major problem in our society. Make sure your kids eat healthy, fun snacks that give them some nutritional benefits and set an example of healthy eating from a young age.

Angela Tyler would rather spend time doing the things she loves rather than being stuck in the kitchen. She invites you to http://www.freequickrecipes.com where you'll find quick recipes for mothers... and others. And, if you are looking for fun exercise for your kids, check out http://www.funexercisevideos.com/big-kid-exercise.php

[tags]article submission, articles, writers, writing, publishing, ezine, email marketing, email newsletter, email[/tags]

Say Cheers To Good Health The Natural Way!

Good health is always within our reach. Believe it or not, maintaining a sound health is not, after all, a burdensome task. All that you require is to eat right at regular intervals. Sounds quite simple, isn't it? But most of us hardly pay enough attention to our diet. With a generous addition of fruits and vegetables to our daily diet, we can take a big stride forward towards the course of a blooming health.

It is commonly observed that most people take a lot of stress upon themselves nowadays. One hardly has the time to devote to his family owing to the mounting pressure of workload. Our body can meet these stressful circumstances only when it enjoys a sound health. Hence the need to remain fit and healthy has become necessary; else it would be hard enough for a normal human being to survive.

There's nothing more logical than keeping an eye on your diet in order to remain healthy. Your daily diet should be monitored to help you cope with your hectic schedule and make you feel healthy and cheerful throughout the day. Nothing can be as refreshing as a cool fruit juice or a natural drink to relieve a stressful situation. Fruit juices not only serve as energy boosters, they also cool your system and help you relax.

Fruit juices are an excellent source of essential vitamins. It is always wise to consume a glass or two of seasonal fruit juice daily. These seasonal fruits contain essential components that help human body to adjust to the changing seasons. For instance, a cool watermelon juice during a hot summer day helps to rehydrate the body and supplement the loss of fluids. Fruit juices offer resistance to fight diseases and thus are a tasty way to say cheers to good health. Certain flavors like watermelon or strawberry are hot favorites among people.

With more and more people becoming self-conscious about their health, fruit juices have gained an upper hand over aerated drinks in recent times. Certain fruit juices are consumed much more than a banana or milk shake owing to the greater calorie content of the latter. For this reason, watermelon juice is preferred over other natural drinks. With one cup serving of watermelon providing around 48 calories, watermelons form an excellent way to keep your calorie count under check. This is because watermelons boost your body's metabolism and burn loads of calories. A little exercise combined with a glass of refreshing watermelon juice can really help you shed those extra pounds! Talking of essential vitamins, watermelons are an excellent source of Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Besides, watermelons are a very good source of the potent carotenoid antioxidant, lycopene.

So guys! Fasten up your belts and prepare yourselves to lead a life, the natural way. You should always remember that there is nothing so precious as your own health. Strive to attain the 'pink of perfection' and cheer your way to success. So drink healthy and get going!

Suzanne is an Internet marketing professional with expertise in content development and technical writing in a variety of industries. Watermelon Juice

[tags]Watermelon, Honeydew, Cantaloupe[/tags]

Are Healthy Organic School Dinners On The Increase

Jamie Olivers campaign to improve school dinners has galvanized politicians and parents alike. Even the Prime Minister has got involved saying that If changes are made it will only be a matter of months before British health, education and farming could be affected for the better. It could be one of the biggest food revolutions that England has ever seen. What is now needed is real commitment to this change and the funds from central government to back it up.

In a response to the plea from Jamie Oliver for a school dinner revolution, the Prime Minister has also said that school kitchens will be rebuilt and equipped so that food dishes can be cooked from scratch, while dinner ladies are given culinary skills to help them create appetizing menus.

From autumn 2006, school dinners in England will now exclude crisps, chocolate, fizzy drinks and low-quality meat. School children will be served at least two portions of fruit and vegetables with every meal and deep-fried food will be restricted to two portions per week. Meals that are high in salt and fat from the school canteen are also banned.

From a parents perspective, many want better school meals for their children and to swap junk food for both organic and local fresh meals but there has been pictures in the national newspapers of some parents taking dinner orders at the school gates and going and buying burgers, chips and other unhealthy meals and then delivering it to their children and others. This is clearly undermining what Jamie Oliver and the Prime Minister is trying to do, at school they have to wear a uniform and conform to certain rules, why cant this include eating green and healthy food? When they get home they can then wear and eat what they want. Its not going to kill them to eat 5 healthy meals per week is it? Wake up!!! This also reminds me of Ian Wrights (famous ex Arsenal football player in the UK) recent TV programme about unhealthy kids, he tried his hardest to engage them in exercise to reduce their obesity levels and when he was struggling he asked their parents to lead by example…..many of them refused!

Back to healthy meals again…the Soil Association is encouraging the use of organic and local produce in school meals by running a Food for Life workshop at interested schools. It is a one day workshop for key stage two pupils. It is run by the Soil Associations education department. The workshop provides children with an opportunity to consider healthy eating, local and organic food through the theme of choices.

Schools also need information on good practice when sourcing healthy food for school meals. Schools can further improve childrens diets and increase their understanding of food by means of farm visits, and classroom activities. Wouldnt it be wonderful if all schools could have gardens so that kids can see that food doesnt come just from packets or appear miraculously in shops?

To encourage kids at home to eat healthily why not make soups with organic vegetables, while the children can make their own smoothies in the blender with organic yogurt or milk and fresh or frozen fruit. I bet the kids can taste the difference. All the kids in my family love organic yoghurts, and for snacks they have organic dried fruit.

Davinos Greeno works for the organic directory This green directory lists 100s of Organic Food and Drink Companies and Eco Jobs and Campaigning Videos

[tags]organic, oliver, parents, families, eco, environment, lessons, school, kids, healthy, dinner, snacks[/tags]

The Future For Loose Leaf Tea And Tea Rooms

The new American tea culture places high value on stress reduction (perhaps partially attributable to the relaxing properties of L-Theanine—a natural amino compound occurring in tea), product purity and exotic teaware and other brewing accessories (the after-market for tea accoutrements is substantial compared to espresso-based drinks).

Until the boom in Ready To Drink teas (circa 1990-95) made tea drinking simultaneously easy , fashionable with colorful and appealing packaging, and healthy (a no/low calorie, antioxidant-rich alternative to carbonated beverages), tea sales in America were sleepy at best. Annual retail sales had not reached $1 billion prior to 1990 and tea producers were simply uninspired.

Snapple, Arizona Iced Tea and a handful of other specialty Ready To Drink teas catapulted the entire loose leaf tea category into double-digit growth while whetting appetites on Wall Street.

Increasing interest from America's 76 million baby boomers just beginning to embrace tea as a health-promoting product for the entire family is laying a solid base for loose leaf tea.

This exceptionally health-conscious demographic is starting to explore loose leaf tea culture through brewed tea beverages, tea-based skincare products and neighborhood cafés offering exotic teas.

The consumer product dollars available for loose leaf tea purchases within the U.S. over the next decade will be significant

This stellar consumer interest in tea is being driven by scientific findings linking tea consumption and improved health and a seemingly endless wave of favorable media coverage. Novel blended flavors and convenient packaging may be securing American consumers attracted to loose leaf tea, but news of the health promoting benefits afforded by regular tea consumption is the number one market driver.

Researchers have released survey data indicating heavy frequency consumers of herbal and hot teas spend more on healthy and natural products than the general population or coffee drinkers.

This is yet another indication of the emerging demographic pursuing loose leaf tea within the nation's hottest spot for loose leaf tea sales—natural foods retail outlets.

Finally. As the demand for loose lea tea grows, customers will also demand pleasant and wholesome surroundings to better enjoy the tea experience.

The tea room business, as a result, has a very strong growth path and a bright future.

Jon M. Stout is Chairman of the Board of Golden Moon Tea a division of Element H2O. Golden Moon Tea is a supplier of high quality loose leaf tea and high quality tea ware. Golden Moon Tea's website is found at http://www.Goldenmoontea.com

[tags]Loose tea, loose leaf tea. tea room, health, packaging, healthy natural products, natural food outle[/tags]

Becoming A Vegan

Depending on one's level of commitment this can include not using certain medicines because they are tested for safety on animals. A Vegan will not buy or use animal products whether that's a steak, an egg, bread with milk in it or leather shoes. The overall goal of veganism is to reduce animal suffering, environmental damage, hunger in the developing world and risks to our own health. Veganism takes all those advantages just a little further. For very many people concerned about any or all of these problems, it seems the natural step to take from vegetarianism.

Why do people choose to become Vegan?

Animal Welfare - Despite the common belief that drinking milk or eating eggs does not kill animals, commercially raised dairy cows and egg-laying chickens, whether factory-farmed or 'free range,' are slaughtered when their production rates decline, not to mention the appalling conditions to which they are kept. There is an ongoing debate on the finer points of what constitutes an animal product; The Vegan Society and most vegans include insect products such as honey in their definition as well.

The environment - Animal agriculture takes a devastating toll on the earth. It is an inefficient way of producing food, since feed for farm animals requires land, water, fertilizer, and other resources that could otherwise have been used directly for producing human food.

Health - The consumption of animal fats and proteins has been linked to heart disease, colon and lung cancer, osteoporosis, diabetes, kidney disease, hypertension, obesity, and a number of other debilitating conditions. Cows' milk contains ideal amounts of fat and protein for young calves, but far too much for humans. According to Gill Langley, a Ph.D. in biology and author of Vegan Nutrition, "it is clear from the example of many thousands of vegans worldwide that a varied plant-based diet not only supports health and well-being but, additionally, can have positive health benefits" (Langley 1995). A vegan diet is protective against such major killers as heart disease and cancer.

Eating fewer animal products is a good choice for the environment and your conscious. Animal agriculture produces surprisingly large amounts of air and water pollution, and causes 80 percent of the world's annual deforestation. It also requires large amounts of water, and livestock worldwide consumes half the world's total grain harvest. How Do I Know it's Vegan?

When shopping, look out for the Vegan Society Logo. It appears on thousands of animal free products that have been registered with

The Vegan Society.

You will need to examine the packaging and labelling carefully of all non registered products to ensure that you avoid animal by-products such as gelatin and rennet which can be found in everyday items such as children's sweets.

Find Vegan products via GuideMeGreen's vegan directory.

[tags]veg, veggie, vegan, vegetarian, animal, healthy, fat, egg, cow, welfare,[/tags]

Raw And Living Foods

It's hard to believe that Americans are the most wealthy, yet malnourished, of all humans on the planet. Our society reports the highest incident in the world of illnesses such heart disease, chronic fatigue, ADHD, high cholesterol, allergies, joint pain, depression, gallstones, gum disease, hair loss, hypoglycemia, hypothyroidism, autism, diabetes, insomnia, cancer and other. Much of this is due to our consumption of high-fat, high-sugar, "low-life" foods filled with dangerous preservatives, dyes and chemicals that the FDA approves.

Recently I went to a friend's house for dinner and she introduced me to living foods. I was intrigued with the fact that foods have life and energy in them, and that when any food is separated from its life source, (its "umbilical cord" to Mother Earth) it begins to die. Processing, cooking, refining, and adding chemicals, coloring or preservatives to food kills the active enzymes, and destroys oxides, chlorophyll, vitamins, essential fatty acids, fiber, and alkaline/acid minerals, thus stripping them of their healing powers. The best way to insure good health is to eat food that is as close to its growing state as possible. This allows our body to access what it needs to heal and protect itself from illness.

Not everyone is able to grow their own food, but there are healthy alternatives. You may purchase organic produce at farmer's markets and whole food grocery stores, or participate in a co-op such as the Barefoot Farmer's community supported agriculture group (see http://www.barefootfarmer.com/csa.html) or grow herbs, wheat grass and sprouts indoors.

I did some research on living foods, and began my new eating regime. After just a few days of consuming 75% of my diet in raw, organic, and living foods, I felt more energetic, my mind sharpened and my mood lifted. I still have a cheeseburger and fries upon occasion, but after a meal of dead or low-life food, my body quickly notifies me that it didn't get what it needed. When I begin feeling tired, sleepy or emotionally irritated. I run back to my wheat grass and juicer!

The famous physician, Hippocrates, once said, "Let food be your medicine, let medicine be your food." Most of us agree that what we put into our bodies is very important, but we are hooked on the convenience of fast foods in our busy lifestyles. The best way to get started changing to a living food regimen is to get a copy of Rose Lee Calabros' book, Living in the Raw, and begin her "Three-Month Plan to a Healthier Mind, Body and Soul." you may soon find that growing and preparing living foods is a great way to express your creativity. And the best part is you'll have the energy and enthusiasm to enjoy the "uncooked" life style!

Yvonne Perry is a freelance writer and the owner of Write On! Creative Writing Services based in Nashville, Tennessee. She and her team of ghostwriters service clients all over the globe by offering quality writing on a variety of topics at an affordable price. If you need a brochure, web text, business document, resume, bio, article or book, visit http://www.yvonneperry.net. While there sure to subscribe to the RSS podcast feed and the free monthly newsletter about writing, networking, publishing and marketing. Read more on Yvonne's blog at http://yvonneperry.blogspot.com.

[tags]Raw foods, Living Foods, diet, cooking, preservatives, healthy eating, organic food, uncooked[/tags]

Bananas, The Instant Energy Source

If you want a quick energy booster, there's no better snack than a banana. Bananas have three natural sugars; sucrose, fructose and glucose-combined with a fiber, a banana gives an instant and sustained boost of energy. Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90 minute work out.

Unripe bananas contain resistant starch, so called because it cannot be digested by the small intestine-which then ferments in the large intestine, often causing wing. Because ripe bananas are very easily digestible and rarely cause any allergic reactions, they are a popular solid food for babies.

Bananas are also found to beneficial to preventing or curing these ailments:

Heart Burn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body so if you suffer from a Heart burn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep the blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito Bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful in reducing the sweeling and irritation caused due to insect bites.

Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milk shake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and with the help of honey, builds the depleted sugar levels, while the milk soothes and rehydrates your system.

Smoking: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The nutrients in Bananas help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.

Ulcers: Banana is used as a dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in chronic cases. It also neutralizes acidity and reduces the irritation coating the line of the stomach.

Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate increases, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be re-balance with the help of a banana snack.

Anemia: High in iron, Bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin and help in the cases of Anemia.

Green Bananas or Plantains are indigestible and unpalatable when eaten raw. Because they are rich in tannin, they can taste bitter, though some of this flavors disappears when cooked. Plantains contain more starch than Bananas because they are eaten before they are fully ripe. Some research has linked low incidence of stomach and bowel cancer with a diet high in indigestible starch.

So a banana is a natural remedy for many ills. When compared to an apple it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorous, five times vitamin A and iron and twice other vitamins and minerals. So next time you see a banana don't hesitate to grab a bite!

----------------

Here's a delicious Banana recipe to get started -

Banana Cream Pudding

Bananas-4
Chocolate sauce-1 cup
Powdered sugar- 1 cup
Little chocolate powder - 2 Tblsp.

Cut the banana into big pieces. Mix the chocolate sauce and chocolate powder to make a cream. Then add the banana pieces into this cream. Mix the powdered sugar into the cream. Set this mixture for sometime in a freezer until the pudding becomes soft to medium hardness.

Roshan Kumar is the creator of the website http://www.top-indian-recipes.com, "Indian food Kitchen". Indian Food Kitchen gives various recipes from India as well as cookbook reviews and food articles and a recipe blog to keep any food lover's tastebuds tingling! Subscribe to the KitchenExpress newsletter to receive some tasty food bytes in your inbox. http://www.top-indian-recipes.com/kitchenexpress-newsletter.htm

[tags]banana,bananas, banana health benefit, banana energy source, banana recipes.[/tags]

The Organic And Healthy Food Market

Recent research by market analysts nVision suggests four in ten adults now choose organic options on a regular basis. Organic supermarkets in England are booming and Europes biggest organic event, the Biofach exhibition in Germany in getting bigger every year.

Unfortunately, at the moment retailers are charging artificially high prices. I was in Tesco last week which is a rare occurrence as I shop locally where possible, and I nearly died when I saw the prices being charged for organic yogurt and eggs compared to the non-organic brands. Its about time that the government started to investigate these organic suppliers and supermarkets to see who is ripping us off! Encouraging competition is not always a good idea as this can drives down prices (good for the consumer) which can put organic suppliers out of business if they have small profit margins. I understand that we have to pay more for organic produce because there are more crop failures due to the fact that the farmers cannot use pesticides, but what is an acceptable percentage and does this vary from product to product. Should organic fish be 10 percent more expensive than non organic fish and vegetables 20 per cent etc?

Once only available in small health shops or farmers markets, organic foods are becoming much more widely available. In the past 10 years sales of organic food in the UK have increased over 10-fold from £100m in 1993/94 to nearly £1.4bn in 2004/05. This large growth is predicted to continue, and many companies are jumping into the market. Sales through farmers markets and farm shops have grown faster than any other retail outlet. Organic food and drink now accounts for 1.2 per cent of the total retail market (Source Soil Association).

There are two types of organic foods.

Fresh food

Fresh food is seasonal and perishable. Vegetables and fruits are the most available type of organic, fresh food, and are closely associated with organic farming. They are often purchased directly from growers, at farmers markets, supermarkets or through speciality food stores. Organic meat, eggs, dairy are also available.

Processed food

Processed food accounts for most of the items in a supermarket. Often, within the same store, both organic and conventional versions of products are available, and the price of the organic version is usually higher as already mentioned. Most processed organic food comes from larger companies producing and marketing products like organic baby food, organic beer, organic pasta or other convenience foods.

How do I know its organic?

The term organic is defined by law - all organic food production and processing is governed by a strict set of rules. Look for symbols such as the Soil Association symbol for your guarantee of the highest organic standards. The Soil Association organic symbol is the UK's largest and most recognisable trademark for organic produce. Wherever you see it you can be sure that the food you have purchased has been produced and processed to strict and rigorous animal welfare and environmental standards. Other symbols to look out for include the Organic Food Federation and Certified Organic Ingredients.

Most people dont have enough time to read the labels of all the different food products that they buy to check for organic ingredients. So look for the various symbols, you can then be sure that the product complies with minimum government standards.

The use of such symbols is entirely optional and a product can still be organic even though if it doesnt carry the symbol of a certifying body. That means if you want to be 100% satisfied that what you are eating or using is organic always read the label or speak to the vendor.

Where you will find the symbol? - Look out for organic symbols on almost any kind of food and drink you can think of from fresh produce like fruit, vegetables and meat to processed foods such as bread or baby food. You can even buy organic pet food!

Davinos Greeno works for the organic directory This green directory lists 100s of Organic Food and Drink Companies and Eco Jobs and Campaigning Videos

[tags]farms, farmer, organic, social, ethics, fair, trade, health, renewable, energy, vegetables, supermar[/tags]

Food And Feng Shui

Feng shui has a great impact on the food we eat. Feng shui, the food we eat and ourselves are interrelated and influence each other. Chi and our life balance are highly influenced by food, starting on how it was harvested and produced, going through how we cook it and the environment and mood in which we eat it.

Chi or positive energy flows in food as well as in everything else, and its quality depends a lot on the way we cook it. Actually, eating has direct relation with energy flowing, since it is the way we receive energy and it becomes part of us. Therefore, the source of that energy, which is food, should be handled very carefully.

Harmony and balance is an important aspect of the relationship between food and feng shui. It is important that we eat balanced food, which consists in variety and balance of colors. Feng shui recommends that a dish should contain different colors which are in harmony with each other. You should try to use as many different colors as possible in one same dish at the same time as they should combine and look good together.

You should also achieve a yin and yan balance in your food which is done through the balance of flavors. A feng shui and yin yan harmonic dish would contain strong flavors as well as delicate ones balanced through the use of different colors. There should not be one strong element predominating too much over the others. The food, the colors and the smells should all be in balance.

It is also important to pay attention to the food smells as well. You should like the smell of your food and it should be appealing to you. Every sense which is part of the eating process should be paid attention to and in balance with the dish as a unity. All the process, through which food goes, from where they are originated to when we eat it, is very important and should be followed carefully.

About The Author

Jakob Jelling is the founder of http://www.fengshuicrazy.com. Please visit his website and learn all the feng shui tips you'll ever need!

[tags]food,fen shui,chi,harmony,health alternative,life balance,lifestyle[/tags]