Ann's Blog

Monday, January 30, 2017

Monday, January 23, 2017

Clean eating saves money and health and time.

Do eat four to six small meals a day. Smaller, more frequent meals will keep your blood sugar levels stable and will increase your metabolism. And, because the meals keep the tummy satisfied throughout the day, you’re less likely to turn into a pantry-raiding snack monster.
Don’t skip breakfast. Never. Ever. Your morning meal establishes healthy metabolism throughout day. What’s more, if you skip it, you’ll likely find yourself consuming larger quantities of food at later meals
Do drink. Water, that is. Drink at least four to six glasses of H2O every day to keep the body hydrated. Water also helps the stomach feel full, making you less likely to give in to unhealthy snack attacks.
Don’t drink too much alcohol. Whether it’s wine or beer, alcohol offers only empty calories and no nutritional value.
Do keep clean eating snacks on hand. Whether the day is filled with the kids’ sports events or running errands for an elderly parent, it’s easy to give in to the bad snack temptation.
Don’t sabotage yourself with sugar. Excess sugar is linked to a higher risk of obesity, high blood pressure, and inflammation. Packaged and processed foods often flood the body with unneeded sugar.
Do get very veggie. Vegetables deliver nutrients, antioxidants, and fiber.
Don’t serve super-sized portions. Even if you’re eating a clean diet, it will be hard to lose weight eating portions fit for a sumo champ.
Do combine lean protein and complex carbs at each meal. This clean eating one-two punch decreases insulin spikes and maintains energy levels. The combo also acts as a natural appetite suppressant, helping you feel fuller longer.
Don’t go into the week without a meal plan. Can’t answer the question, “what’s for dinner tonight?” Be a planner (list below). Decide on a week’s worth of clean eating recipes ahead of time so that you don’t get stuck feeding the family a boxed meal containing processed or powdered who-knows-what.

Tips courtesy: Skinny Mums

Monday, January 16, 2017

Top ten Spices to Boost Brainpower and prevent dementia

Monday, January 9, 2017

The world's best 100 hotels, getaways revealed

List compiled by experts from Fodor's Travel

Sunday, January 1, 2017

Original Video here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdcTmpvDO0I

Saturday, December 31, 2016

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

KFC Chicken Recipe to try at home

Prep: 30 minutes

Soak: 20-30 minutes

Cook: 15-18 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 tablespoon salt

1/2 tablespoon dried thyme leaves

1/2 tablespoon dried basil leaves

1/3 tablespoon dried oregano leaves

1 tablespoon celery salt

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon dried mustard

4 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons garlic salt

1 tablespoon ground ginger

3 tablespoons ground white pepper

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg, beaten

1 chicken, cut up, the breast pieces cut in half for more even frying

Method:

- Mix the flour in a bowl with all the herbs and spices; set aside.- Mix the buttermilk and egg together in a separate bowl until combined. Soak the chicken in the buttermilk mixture at room temperature, 20-30 minutes.- Remove chicken from the buttermilk, allowing excess to drip off. Dip the chicken pieces in the herb-spice-flour mixture to coat all sides, shaking off excess. Allow to sit on a rack over a baking sheet, 20 minutes.- Meanwhile, heat about 3 inches of the oil in a large Dutch oven (or similar heavy pot with high sides) over medium-high heat to 350F (175c) degrees. Use a deep-frying thermometer to check the temperature. When temperature is reached, lower the heat to medium to maintain it at 350F. Fry 3 or 4 pieces at a time, being careful not to crowd the pot. Fry until medium golden brown, turning once, which should take 15-18 minutes. Transfer chicken pieces to a baking sheet covered with paper towels. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Taken from The Chicago Tribune

Image courtesy Google

Sunday, November 20, 2016

Hello World

I know it is been 4 months after posting a post and it is for the first time I broke my habit for posting blogs ......just got lost in few bits in life .. and I promise I will be back :)

Saturday, July 30, 2016

Have you seen this list some where ?

Yes it is the contents of a Single MC Donald's Burger Bun Binkoo !!!

I know this post is nasty, but at some point we need to see truth before feeding next generation with BURGERS ..

Ingredients:

Enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, high fructose corn syrup and/or sugar, yeast, soybean oil and/or canola oil, contains 2% or less of the following: salt, wheat gluten, calcium sulfate, calcium carbonate, ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride, dough conditioners (may contain one or more of the following: sodium stearoyl lactylate, datem, ascorbic acid, azodicarbonamide, mono- and diglycerides, ethoxylated monoglycerides, monocalcium phosphate, enzymes, guar gum, calcium peroxide), sorbic acid, calcium propionate and/or sodium propionate (preservatives), soy lecithin.

So what are they ?

· Ammonium chloride… sounds tasty right? Did you know it is also an ingredient in fireworks, safety matches and contact explosives? Eat up.

· Ammonium sulfate is used most commonly as an artificial fertilizer for alkaline soils. It’s also in flame retardant materials. Ammonium sulfate activates yeast, so it helps to get industrially produced bread to rise.

· The soybean and/or canola oil used here are most likely GMO. They are also foods I generally avoid for a number of reasons.

· The high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), despite the desperate marketing strategies to persuade otherwise, is not natural. And because it’s in so much of our processed foods, not only is it hard to avoid, but it can be doing major damage to your health.

· “Enriched” flour sounds harmless enough. But “enriched” just means that all the nutrition was taken out in the first place. Refined flours are also hard for your body to digest, even before the mess of chemicals are added to it.

Still not convinced then enjoy your burger and ignore the side effects.

I used to work for this company some years back as part time and used to enjoy the food with out knowing what I am eating.

Monday, June 27, 2016

Jump start your day with freshly-squeezed fruit and vegetable juices.

Jumpstart your day with freshly-squeezed fruit and vegetable juices.

They work wonders for your body and mind. Here are a few options for you.

A juice is not a complete meal

It is unwise to adopt juicing as a meal replacement. Ideally, you have to consume it with your meal or as an in-between snack. It should be an addition to your regular meals.

Acne and pimples

Your skin shows up different types of bumps when sebum (oil) gets blocked and bacteria begin to grow. These bumps can be blackheads, whiteheads, pimples or cysts.

Your formula: Juice one lemon and add to one cup of hot water. Drink first thing in the morning on an empty stomach.

Why: Fresh lemon juice purifies the blood by removing metabolic waste and by changing blood pH from acid to alkaline.

Constipation

Constipation is a common digestive problem that makes it difficult for you to have a regular bowel movement. Your stools become hard, making it difficult for you to pass without strain. It is common in pregnant women.

Your formula: Carrot 20 tbsp + beetroot six tbsp + cucumber six tbsp.

Why: Drinking beet regularly helps relieve constipation. Beetroot and carrot juice, when combined, are excellent in curing gout, kidney and gall bladder problems. Cucumber is also a dependable laxative food. It supplies bulk to aid bowel action.

Allergies

Your eyes are itching or you're sneezing all the time. It indicates that the allergy bug has struck you again. An allergy is a reaction of your immune system to something that does not bother most other people.

Your formula: Carrot 12 tbsp + celery four tbsp + pineapple four tbsp + beetroot two tbsp

Why: Pineapple contains bromelain (enzyme) which is known as a treatment for inflammation and swelling of the nose, ear, and sinus. The natural organic sodium (salt) in celery is very safe for consumption. In fact, it is essential for the body.

Menopause

Menopause is the transition period in a woman's life when her ovaries stop producing eggs. Menstruation becomes less frequent, eventually stopping altogether. Hot flushes, night sweats and vaginal bleeding and itching are common symptoms.

Your formula: Carrot 18 tbsp + beetroot six tbsp + pomegranate eight tbsp

Why: Pomegranate is touted as a wonder fruit since it shows promise in improving depression and bone mineral density.

Blood pressure

High blood pressure (HBP) or hypertension means high pressure in the arteries. Normal blood pressure is below 120/80. If your blood pressure is 140/90 or above, it is considered high.

Your formula: Carrot 16 tbsp + 4 cloves of garlic

Why: Eating garlic lowers blood pressure and cholesterol levels, thereby reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Allicin compound and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in garlic are responsible for relaxing blood vessels, thereby improving blood flow in the arteries.

Diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic condition in which your blood sugar levels are high. It doesn't have a permanent solution but the right diet and exercises can help control the sugar level to prevent further problems.

Your formula: Carrots 12 tbsp + brussel sprouts 10 tbsp + string beans 10 tbsp

Why: The pods of string beans or french beans are a medium strength diuretic, stimulating urine flow and the flushing of toxins from the body. Also, brussel sprouts are rich in fibre and vitamin C.

Cold, fever and flu

There is no immediate cure for common cold. It needs to be treated internally. For the flu, your doc might suggest pills or a syrup to fight off the virus. But why become a slave to medication when you can cure yourself with vegetable juice?

Your formula: Carrot eight tbsp + orange eight tbsp + lemon two tbsp + four cloves of garlic

Why: Carrots, oranges and lemons are a great source of natural vitamin C. Garlic is well known as nature's antibiotic and hence can treat common cold and aid in faster recovery.

Obesity

Obesity means having too much body fat. It is not the same as being overweight. A person may be overweight from extra muscle, bone or water, as well as from having too much fat.

Your formula: Carrot 22 tbsp + Cabbage 10 tbsp or spinach 32 tbsp

Why: Spinach contains a range of active substances which are indispensable to the body. Also, cabbage juice impedes conversion of carbohydrates to fats and hence is beneficial in controlling obesity.

Play it safe

Be pesticide free: Even under the best soil, sprays and pesticides enter plants and roots and are absorbed by them. Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly with cold running water; use a stiff brush if necessary.

Clean your juicer: Cleaning any kind of juicing equipment doesn't take more than 10 minutes. So stop giving excuses, and clean your juicer immediately after use, to prevent any remnants from contaminating the juicer.

Avoid storing it: If you're planning to juice first thing in the morning and consume it later, it's not a good idea. Juices are perishable, so it's best to drink them immediately. If you're careful, you can store a juice for 24 hours but with moderate nutritional decline.

Why not eat them?

You are probably wondering, "Why not eat the whole vegetables and fruits instead of extracting the juice and discarding the fibre?" The answer is, solid foods require many hours of digestive activity before their nourishment is finally available to the cells and tissues of the body. However, the removal of the fibres in the extraction of the juices enables them to be quickly digested and assimilated with minimum of effort.

To make it more palatable

If you're not a pro-juice person and cringe at the thought of downing bland liquids, try these tricks to make your juice tastier:

Lime and lemons: Add a quarter or half a lemon to the juice. It is a rich source of vitamin C. Moreover, it contains 5 per cent citric acid, which gives it a sharp pungent taste.

Cranberries: If you love cranberries, add some to your juice. Cranberries have 5 times the antioxidant content of broccoli, which means they may protect against cancer, stroke and heart disease. Limit the cranberries to about 8 tbsp per pint of juice.

Fresh ginger: If you like the taste of fresh ginger, grate it and add it to your juice to give it a little kick. It's great in lowering cholesterol levels