I write again about apples because these fresh organic fruits are really good for you! Apples can eaten fresh, canned, juiced or made into pectin, a beneficial dietary fiber.  Apple juice can be turned into non-alcoholic, sweet apple cider or vinegar through fermentation.

Apple wine and other alcoholic beverages can be produced from apples through the distillation process. This way Calvados, the famous French Apple Brandy, was created long ago in Normandy, and Applejack, a strong alcoholic beverage that originated from the French Apple Brandy, and was popular in the American colonial period.

The French Apple Brandy is an interesting blend of spirits of different ages blended with flowers, fruits and spices. Usually this beverage is long and at the same time light on the palate. It has a fresh aroma which comes from apples.

Want to make a Calvados cocktail and surprise yourself or your guests? Watch this video and see how Jill Santopietro, cook and recipe tester for the New York Times, makes this delicious drink in her tiny 11-square-foot kitchen.

Calvados is still very popular in European countries and can be served in any bar or restaurant there, but it is less in demand in the United States. I tried once this rich liquor, as French call it, at one of our student parties. I cannot say that I liked it, but it was cheap and obviously right for the students’ party budget. It tasted too strong to me. After that I have never tried again this beverage, but I built a very special relationship with it.
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 Ever counted how many fresh, organic apples do you eat in a week?  If you want to supply your body with great nutritional benefits, stay healthy and full of energy, eat one or two fresh apples every day. Several recent studies suggest again, apples may provide health benefits for a “whole body” and reduce the risk of some serious diseases. Do you know, there are more than 10,000 varieties of apples for you to choose? 

My favorite apples are organic green Granny Smith and juicy HoneyCrisp.  One of these apples and a glass of organic kefir makes my favorite  light, nutritious and delicious snack full with dietary fiber (more than most cereals), flavonoids, antioxidants, plenty of vitamins, and almost zero fat and cholesterol.

According to the USDA Nutrient database if you eat one apple a day (100g/3.5oz) it gives you so many nutritional benefits, such as

• Energy                                    218 kJ (52 kcal)
• Carbohydrates                       10.81 g
• Sugars                                        10.39 g
• Dietary fiber                            2.4 g
• Fat                                                0.17 g
• Protein                                       0.26 g
• Water                                          85.56 g
• Vitamin A equiv.                    3 ug (0%)
• Thiamine (Vit. B1)                0.017 mg (1%)
• Riboflavin (Vit. B2)              0.026 mg (2%)
• Niacin (Vit. B3)                      0.091 mg (1%)
• Vitamin B6                               0.041 mg (3%)
• Folate (Vit. B9)                           3 ig (1%)
• Calcium                                      6 mg (1%)
• Iron                                             0.12 mg (1%)
• Magnesium                                5 mg (1%)
• Phosphorus                              11 mg (2%)
• Potassium                                  107 mg (2%)
• Zink                                              0.04 mg (0%)

Over the last decade, scientists and doctors at Mayo Clinic, the Cornell University, and the National Cancer Institute and other universities tried to find a proof that apples can help reduce risk of cancer and other diseases. 

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Germs, bacteria, viruses are everywhere around us. These tiny creatures find their cozy place in the air, on plants and flowers,  in airplanes and shopping malls, in our houses, on the carpets and cutting boards, on all kitchen surfaces and doornubs, in washers and dryers, and many other places. Most are harmless, but some can make you sick with colds and flu or provoke a life threatening infection, especially during cold winter months.  Maybe this truth sounds to you very boring, especially if you are working in fashion, finance or entertainment industry, but it’s better to prevent any problem than face it when it’s too late.

If you would like to know exactly where germs, bacteria and viruses find a place to exist comfortably while bringing us harm and diseases, and what you can do about it, go to http://www.ultrasound-technologist.org/the-25-surprisingly-germiest-places-you-encounter-everyday/  You’ll find there descriptive information about 25 Surprisingly Germiest Places You Encounter Every Day. Learn how to avoid them by using useful tips offered to you by Michelle Brown. She  just started her blog with the above mentioned article. She did a  good research on a topic, so give it a consideration.

Do you know that some foods are ‘illegal’ for health reasons? Other foods are intended to exist for the survival of certain species. There are products that raise a red flag against an animal cruelty, so many people will even not touch these kind of foods, no matter how tasteful and delicious they are.  

 It’s up to you to decide. Many cultures around the world have some exotic meals, like their established menus with gourmet and other delicious  foods. French, for example, will make an exotic meal with frog legs.  Japanese use to make dishes with anything still alive and squirming which sounds a ‘most disgusting.”

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by Svetlana Konnikova

We had thousands of books in our home library. Reading was one of my favorite pastimes, especially in winter. We didn’t spent too much time with computers and computers games, and speaking endless minutes on the mobile. We didn’t watch television broadcasts with boring, upsetting news and undelivered promices by politicians. It could never have substituted or competed anyway with the world od classic literature and music.

 I savored the time I had to read masterpieces of literature, created by talented people throughout the world through the centuries. I convinced myself that the books would put me in fascinating adventures and voyages, and would substitute successfully in the wintertime for all the fine, soft-petaled spring flowers; the bounty of sweet-smelling summer blossoms and herbs, their scents made stronger by the heat of the summer sun.

I imagined that the books I held in my hands were paper flowers, blooming with brilliant human thoughts, so I developed a “strange habit.” It amazes me now how dedicated I was to reading and how I read each book voraciously as if I were a starving peasant with an insatiable appetite, gobbling down each word if it were my last bit of bread, my last drop of honey. I read volume after volume of Jules Vern’s science fiction, Alexandre Dumas novels, and James Fennimore Cooper’s colorful adventures in the wild West.

I devoured the works of Leo Tolstoy, Anton Chekhov, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Honore de Balzak, Gustave Flaubert, Theodore Dreiser’s dramas, Dante Alighieri, William Shakespeare’s tragedies, and Walt Whitman’s poems. It was a feeding frenzy. I never stopped reading an author’s collection. I read volume after volume until I finished all of them. It was my passion. I read all of their works, including the epistle genre: the letters they wrote to loved ones, friends, and other writers. Do you think I changed a little bit? I continue to read great books with the same passion day by day, year by year.

Today I would like to share with you my thoughts about Alexandre Dumas, a superstar of 19th century French literature. He was one of my favorite writers in the middle school. Fascinating adventures of his heroes in masterpieces like The Three Musketters and The Count of Monte Cristo fired my imagination, and I dreamed of  far-away, mysterious places where three musketeers and the Count of Monte Cristo have been living their  exciting life, their “joie de vivre.”

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Recently an intersting  article was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reporting that Ginkgo biloba extract has no effect on dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, and does not reduce cognitive decline in older adults with normal cognition or with mild cognitive impairment.

This study was a secondary analysis of data from the randomized double blind Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory (GEM) study that first was published in November, 2008. In the original GEM trial more than three thousand individuals of age 76 or older participated. They were assigned to either placebo or 120 mg twice-daily ginkgo extract.  The first analysis of the original GEM study found Ginkgo biloba extract ineffective for preventing dementia even though the evidence of development of dementia was lower than expected, and 40 percent of the active group was not compliant to taking this extract.

In the latest article, on December 29 of 2009, a review was published of the data generated in the original GEM study of 2008 to see if ginkgo supported to slow the rate of cognitive decline in the study participants. Chief Science Officer of the American Herbal Association, Steven Dentali, PhD says, “The data review conducted for this article suffers from the same limitations as the original GEM study with an additional chalenge due to the resting schedule not being ideally suited for this new endpoint.”

Then he continued that the primary findings of the secondary analysis in no way undermine what has already been observed with regard to the usefulness of ginkgo biloba extract, particularly in providing symptomatic relief in persons who already suffer from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

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Do you understand what happened? Here they are, the most familiar faces on television, Mario Batali, Bobby Flay, Emeril Lagasse, and Cristeta Comerford from Philippines. She also became a new cooking star thanks to her job as the Chef of the White House. She creates there healthy and natural meals under a guidance of the First Lady Michelle Obama.

All started at the beginning of New Year with the produce that Iron Chef of America used on the Food Network’s two-hour special White House show. It was announced that all fresh fruits and vegetables were delivered from the White House Garden. As “Politics Daily” reported, the show did not disclose (probably being too modest) that “stunt double vegetables” were used, but not the produce from the First Family’s garden.

If you think logically, you’ll have a question, “How can you find fresh vegetables grown in a beautiful garden in winter time, in Washington D.C.?” Don’t worry. The White House segment was taped in October. The much promoted TV show made a valuable accent by featuring First Lady Michelle Obama who invited the chefs to harvest what their soul desired and creativity dictated from the famous White House garden.
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 We love to buy  foods that look fresh and bright. From now on, experts say, you may think twice before eating your favorite yogurt with strawberry flavor. According to FDA, food scientists found the red food coloring called cochineal extract not only in strawberry yogurt, but in candies, ice cream, fruit and juice drinks, popsicles (children love them so much!), and even in artificial crabmeat. I never could understand why in the first place this artificial crabmeat was produced, if we can eat natural from the sea. If you’ll know what this crabmeat  is made from, you’ll never eat it.

Artificial crabmeat is made from the dried, ground bodies of an insect called Dactylopius coccus costa. It is native to Peru. Remember, if you cannot pronounce the name of an ingredient in your food product?… Just ignore it. The insects–red beetles make the basic ingredient for the artificial crabmeat and other our favorite “natural” food products I mentioned above. It’s the beetles feed on red cactus berries. To produce one pound of carmine it takes approximately 70,000 insects. The word carmine sounds so pretty until we know what it means. Carmine, a pigment of a bright red color, also called Crimson Lake, Cochineal, Natural Red 4, C.I.75470 or E 120.

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Shopping, gift wrapping and gifts’ giving, eating and celebrating White and Blue Christmas is already behind us. Oh, these holiday dinner tables full with delicious foods… Who could resist them? If you feel guilty after consuming lots of absolutely fabulous meals and think about loosing weight you gained during holidays, please don’t. 

Cardiac surgeon Mehmet Oz, M.D., host of “The Dr. Oz Show” suggests as one of his best tips to cut portions in half. “On average, we only put on a pound or two over the holidays,” he says. “It’s less catastrophic that many realize. But if the extra food we eat during holidays is added to all of the other weeks of the year when we’re eating too much, then it becomes a problem for us.” He recommends a consumption goal over the holidays instead of a diet of depriviation. “Focus on eating 100 calories less per day,” he says. “That’s a half a soft drink or a little less pie.”

First of all, start jogging or walking at 7:00 AM. Make your health a priority, but don’t starve. Forget about any strict and ’severe’ diets that will make you feel hungry, angry and unhappy. Don’t punish yourself.  There are so many healthy foods you can add to your daily or holiday menu that are beneficial for you.

by Mandi Odoerfer

When you diet, it’s easy to think only about calorie count and not about the nutrients the foods you eat are providing you. When you’re cutting calories, it becomes even more important to make sure that you’re eating foods that will give your body everything it needs. Luckly, there are many foods that will help you lose weight that are still full of vitamins and minerals. Here is a list of some healthy diet foods.

Asparagus

Asparagus is a negative calorie food, which means that it takes more calories to digest it that it contains. This makes it a perfect addition to a healthy meal while you’re dieting. It’ll give your body plenty of nutrirnts like vitamins K, A, and C, as well as potassium and protein.

Kidney Beans

Kidney beans aren’t just low in calories. They also pack in an incredible amount of protein, which will help fuel your body and keep you feeling full for longer. Kidney beans have plenty of other nutrients to offer as well, like folate, fiber and manganese.

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Hot debates about healthy and unhealthy foods are going on and on.  Obviously it would never stop because we’ll never have a piece of mind until we’ll know the truth.  Food experts, media and consumers are on incessant search for right answers. Recently Prevention magazine conducted a food safety survey asking people  one simple question: What foods do you avoid? As you head into the big holidays and you plan to buy lots of foods, this information will help you to make healthy choices.

1. Canned Tomatoes

I loved to add Del Monte Organic Diced Tomatoes (canned) to my soups and other vegetable meals. I don’t do it anymore and took out this product from my grocery shopping list. You may be surprised what the experts in food and nutrition can tell you about certain foods loaded with toxins and chemicals they won’t eat themselves. Many people don’t realize that some food products they often buy in a store may sabotage their health and wellness. 

The problem: According to the expert Frederick Vom Saal, PhD, an endocrinologist at the University of Missouri who studies bisphenol-A, the problem lies in the resin linings of tin cans containing bisphenol-A, a synthetic extrogen that has been linked to ailments ranging from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Unfortunately, acidity (a prominent characteristic of tomatoes) causes BPA to leach into your food. Studies show that the BPA in most people’s body exceeds the amount that suppresses sperm production or causes chromosomal damage to the eggs of animals. “You can get 50 mcg of BPA per liter out of tomato can, and that’s a level that is going to impact people, particularly the young,” says von Saal. “I won’t go near canned tomatoes.”

The solution: Choose and buy tomatoes in glass jars (which don’t need resin linings), such as brands Biomaturae and Coluccio. You can also get several type in Tetra Pak boxes, like Trader Joe and Pomi. What a waste of  USDA  approved organic tomatoes, if they are packed in resin-lined tins and double priced in comparisson with non organic tomatoes!

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by Svetlana Konnikova, MA, AN

Do you think superstar foods are only fruits, berries, vegetables and dark-leafed  kale and collards, or dark brown rice and broccoli? There is great news about another delicious and nutritious food that has been eaten for centuries by gourmands and many other people who understood its value and magic.

This superstar food is dark chocolate,  a plant-based product that is one of the most nutritional, “comfort foods” you can imagine. Do you have a sweet tooth or prefer spicy and salty foods instead? Eat dark chocolate, anyway. Don’t refuse this natural treat with its delicious taste and delicate flavor. Have a piece and get a pleasant feeling of  a slow melting, smooth dark brown, slightly sweet chocolate mixture in your mouth!

Chocolate, in reasonable amounts (2-3 pieces), can be really healthy for you!  Do you love sweets? Are you trying to eat healthy? Are you working already on your New Year’s Resolutions? Start eating dark chocolate now and  include this superstar food in your everyday healthy diet. I am a big fan of dark chocolate from “the time immemorial”  and it serves me well.

What makes dark chocolate so good for you? Here’s the explanation:

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