Archive for December, 2011

How To Prepare Chia Seeds For Health Benefits

By , 19 December, 2011, No Comment

Chia seeds health benefits incorporate weight loss (because of lowered food cravings), increased energy, durable hair, skin and nails, and an appearance of youthfulness. But how can you prepare this nutrient-loaded wholegrain for consuming? Here are the quickest and easiest options to assimilate chia seeds into your daily diet plan.

Chia Butter
Take equal proportions of chia gel to softened butter. I often use around 100 grams of each. Blend them together in a blender until smooth. Seal in an airtight container and refrigerate. Eat the chia butter anywhere you would use normal butter – on toast, for cooking and baking, or as a sandwich spread. Add some fresh herbs and spices for a luscious savory butter.

Chia Gel
Would you like to sometimes cook without milk, eggs, butter, or oil? Chia gel is used as a substitute for all these items. Here’s how to make chia gel.

Mix 1/3 cup of chia seeds with 2 cups of water. Whisk together well, and let the combination rest for about ten minutes. Mix well once more, then place the mixture in an airtight container and refrigerate it. Chia gel will last up to 3 weeks in the fridge.

Chia Flour
You can get the health benefits of chia seeds when you grind the seeds into flour. You can grind chia seeds yourself or purchase ready-made chia flour. Use chia flour to bake pizza crust, pies, bread, cookies, biscuits, and anything else. Mix it with barley or whole wheat flour for a fun and flavorsome combination. Experiment with the ratios and be creative. Of course you can also use chia flour alone and I often do. The wonderful thing is it is gluten-free so your guests never have to be concerned about refusing any baked goods you present them!

Chia Fresca
This is a popular South American drink. Add a spoonful of chia seeds to a glass of freshly squeezed lemonade, sparkling juice, or even just plain filtered water. Let it rest for ten minutes. When you examine the seeds, you’ll discover they’ve become gelatinous and almost appear to glow. This is because of the high moisture-absorbing properties of chia. As you sip, have fun with the feeling of the seeds against your tongue. It may feel bizarre and even off-putting in the beginning (since we are not used to solid matter in our drinks!) but eventually you may become a chia fresca addict like thousands of health-food nuts internationally!

Recommended Dosage
Health professionals propose you take 1-4 tablespoons a day of chia seeds. You can get the health benefits through chia consumed raw or cooked. Try to take a little chia every day so that your body experiences long-term benefits from the regular intake of omega 3, vitamin B, calcium, potassium, copper, zinc, phosphorus, and many other necessary vitamins and minerals.

Don’t be anxious about “overdosing” – chia is a 100% natural food and presents no detrimental side effects. Any extra nutrients would simply pass through your body. Eat as much chia as you enjoy!

Natural No-Calorie Stevia Sweetener

By , 19 December, 2011, No Comment

As concerns about no-calorie sweeteners continue to increase, the introduction of stevia sweetener to the marketplace has been a boon to those who want to watch their sugar intake, but are concerned about dangers of artificial sweeteners. It seems with each passing day, we find out that these chemicals that we’ve consumed for years with abandon, might actually cause some pretty nasty problems for us in our lives. While we want to watch our calories, we also want to make the healthy decision, which is why the natural sugar substitute stevia is such an attractive alternative.

More of us want to live a healthier, safer, more natural lifestyle, and the stevia sweetener gives us the opportunity to do just that without having to sacrifice anything that we love. Said to be many hundreds of times sweeter than pure cane sugar, stevia is a powerful sweetener that has no calories, and can be used in much more moderation than regular sugar. And unlike those nasty artificial sweeteners, stevia was not created in a lab by some scientist. Stevia rebaudiana is a genus of plant whose leaves have been used as natural sweeteners and for medicinal purposes for hundreds of years.

You read that right, the all natural sugar substitute stevia also has certain health benefits such as the regulation of glucose levels in individuals with diabetes and studies are also starting to implicate stevia as having components that act to lower blood pressure. So stevia sweetener is far more that a sweetener, it is part and parcel to a healthy diet with benefits far beyond the sweetness it will add to the food and drinks you love to consume.

Becoming more widely accessible, stevia is a versatile, natural sugar substitute that can be used in almost all applications where you would use sugar. From sweetening your coffee or tea, to cooking and baking, stevia is an excellent, all natural alternative to potentially dangerous artificial sweeteners or calorie packed sugar.

This powerful herb that originates in South America has a commercial potential that is unmatched by artificial sweeteners. As more and more people become concerned about the potential dangers of artificial sweeteners, the cries in the marketplace for a natural sugar substitute have been gaining ground. Stevia is beginning to hit the market in a huge variety of forms, making this all natural, sweeter than sugar, highly versatile, safe, and healthy sweetener the perfect choice for those who want to watch their waistlines, control their blood sugar, all the while keeping harmful chemicals out of their bodies.

As people become more concerned with living natural, healthier lifestyles, the truth behind artificial sweeteners is beginning to come to light, causing people to turn away from them, seeking alternatives that will allow them to have the sweetness they want without the dangers, or the aftertaste. Believe it or not, aspartame, the common artificial sweetener in many diet and no-calorie products has been implicated in a HUGE number of different health concerns and has resulted in the most letters of concern to the FDA that they have received on any other approved substance. With Stevia sweetener, an all natural, no-calorie sweetener, you no longer have to make the choice between calories and safety, with stevia you can get all the sweetness you crave, without the calories or surging blood sugar levels.

Growing A Venus Fly Trap At Home

By , 19 December, 2011, No Comment

The Venus fly trap lives in boggy areas of North and South Carolina. These boggy areas often have poor nutrients and this why the plant has to resort to capturing insects for needed nutrients. The trap works by triggering small short sensitive hairs on the inside of the two lobes of the “trap”. If these are triggered the trap will shut in less than a second and trap any unsuspecting prey inside. The trap constricts tightly around the insect closing out bacteria while it slowly secretes digestive enzymes inside, much like the ones found in your stomach to digest the insect. The trap usually opens in anywhere from five to twelve days and the tough indigestible exoskeleton refuse easily blows away in the wind.The trap will recognize if in its trap is also a rock or an insect and will reopen in about twelve hours.

If you wish to grow one for yourself you will probably need some sand and sphagnum moss in order to plant the bulb. Do not add fertilizer or lime at all and this is probably a tip that is not at most sites,use distilled water for watering because the chlorine and fluoride in most city water will kill them. In order to provide high humidity for your plan put them in a glass container with a small opening.

Often old aquarium fish bowls work excellent for this. During the summer the aquarium can often get too hot and if the plant starts to wilt or turn brown then the aquarium will need to be removed from exposure. If it is especially cold in the winter in your area you may need to keep them covered though they often go into a dormant period during the winter and less hours of sunlight. Hanging out in the summer outside a plant will capture all the insects it needs. A few small insects a month is all the venus fly trap needs so don’t try to force feed it by giving it hamburger or several insects in one trap.

Benefits Of Ginkgo Biloba

By , 19 December, 2011, No Comment

The ginkgo biloba is an herb which is used to cure diseases such as asthma, Alzheimer, vertigo, dementia, glaucoma and many more. It is produced from a tree named ginkgo biloba, which is known to be longest living specie of plants in the world. It is commonly found in China, US, Korea and France.

Ginkgo biloba benefits are known to people since thousands of years. Ginkgo biloba herbal is mostly prepared in the form of tea and other supplements. Ginkgo biloba is very useful for curing health related diseases especially for people suffering from short term or long term memory loss. It is also known to cure depression, asthma and vertigo. It controls the cholesterol which affects the blood circulation of the body, provides glucose and oxygen to the brain for better functioning and also relaxes the blood vessels. It treats the ear, eyes problems, skin diseases and vascular diseases as well.

Consumption of ginkgo may reduce aging symptoms; it is known to cure all types of mental disorders. Although ginkgo biloba herbs are most beneficial for the people suffering from various kinds of problems but it is to be avoided for pregnant and breast feeding women as it may cause some adverse side effects.

For thousands of years, ginkgo biloba is used especially from ancient eastern times. Impotence and infertility in men can also be treated with the supplement of this herbal product. It is also one of the herbal treatments for the allergic diseases and skin problems. Although this herbal product is extremely beneficial for mankind it may cause some side effects if not taken properly.
Consult your physician before using any ginkgo biloba supplements.