Tag: food

• What is the natural diet for humans?

  What is the natural diet for humans?  This is a common question but — we evolve based on behaviour and our behaviour may have a number of consequences, some beneficial and others not so much.

  Giraffes have long necks, not to enable them to reach leaves high in a tree, but because males fight using the necks.  Males with the longest, strongest neck wins. It does make life more awkward when eating grass or drinking from a water-hole in the evening.

  Evolution is based on changes that enable us to pass on genes for future generations.  If a genetic change affects cholesterol metabolism and causes an increase in heart disease this may not be relevant in evolutionary terms because heart disease usually affects people later in life.

  It still may have an impact on human society because of the important influence of grandparents involved in child-minding and their importance as a repository of knowledge.

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  16 November 2016

• What is the best oil to fry foods?

  Whilst watching the news, I saw a banner stating New study shows saturated fats are healthy.  Intrigued, I found the source of this information - an article titled Cooking with vegetable oils releases toxic cancer-causing chemicals, say experts, which appeared in the London Telegraph.

  The article actually stated that frying food in vegetable oils creates more aldehydes (a cancer causing chemical) than frying food in saturated fats.  According to the article,

  Cooking with vegetable oils releases toxic chemicals linked to cancer and other diseases, according to leading scientists, who are now recommending food be fried in olive oil, coconut oil, butter or even lard. The results of a series of experiments threaten to turn on its head official advice that oils rich in polyunsaturated fats – such as corn oil and sunflower oil – are better for the health than the saturated fats in animal products.

  Cooking with vegetable oils releases toxic chemicals linked to cancer and other diseases, according to leading scientists, who are now recommending food be fried in olive oil, coconut oil, butter or even lard.

  The results of a series of experiments threaten to turn on its head official advice that oils rich in polyunsaturated fats – such as corn oil and sunflower oil – are better for the health than the saturated fats in animal products.

  The research did not indicate that saturated fats are better for your health than vegetable oils.  It stated that if you fry foods in oils then you are better off if you use saturated fats as they are less reactive.

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  14 July 2016

• Liver Cleansing with Olive Oil

  The internet has numerous pages advocating an Olive Oil – Lemon Juice Liver Cleanse or Detox. The purpose of the exercise is eliminate gallstones from your gall bladder. The instructions vary but lemon juice and olive oil are featured. Apple juice and Epsom salts are sometimes involved.

  This procedure results in numerous green stones passed in the faeces in the following morning.

  Unfortunately, the exercise does not remove gallstones and has the potential to cause nausea, severe abdominal pain and may even lead to surgery to remove your gall bladder. It also leads to a false sense of security, giving rise to the belief that you have solved your gallstone problem.

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  13 May 2016

• Interview with Karo

  Karo Tak is a wonderful, passionate yoga teacher, vegan cook, animal activist working with the "Sea Shepherd Organisation".

  She visited Maitland recently to teach a vegan cooking class at "Organic Feast - East Maitland".

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  21 May 2014

• Men’s Shed Morpeth – 28 February 2014

  The transcript of a talk given at Morpeth Men's Shed on 28 February 2014.

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  27 February 2014

• To alkalise your body – what does it mean?

  A number of books and websites tells us we need to alkalise our bodies for optimal health. What does this mean? Is alkaline water a scam or does it really have health benefits?

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  2 October 2013

• Kale – a super green

  

  Kale has an extensive array of minerals and vitamins including vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, B vitamins, vitamin E, calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium, and copper.

  Kale is also rich in proteins and moderately rich in a linolenic acid (ALA – an essential omega 3 fatty acid).

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  26 September 2013

• Muesli

  Dr. Maximilian Bircher-Benner was born in Switzerland in 1867. He studied medicine in Austria, Germany and Switzerland. He created muesli based on a dish he and his wife was served on one of his mountain hikes.

  He operated a small private clinic and advocated a diet based on fruits, vegetables and grains. He believed that people should consume a large proportion of uncooked food.

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  8 August 2013

• US Department of Agriculture

  The US Department of Agriculture has an extensive database of the nutrient constituents of over 8,000 foods. The amount of protein, carbohydrates, fibre and fat in food can be accessed as well as the individual fatty acids, amino acids, minerals and vitamins.

  There are also many other resources including research data and information regarding the food intake of US citizens.

  The US Department of Agriculture has an extensive resources regarding food and nutrition including a database of the nutrient constituents of over 8,000 foods.  The amount of protein, carbohydrates, fibre and fat in food can be accessed as well as the individual fatty acids, amino acids, minerals and vitamins.

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  1 July 2013