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Picnics are a British institution; all you need is a basket full of scoff, a stiff upper lip, horizontal driving rain, and teeth-gritting determination that the weather/wasps/curious herd of cows will not spoil the bliss of eating food out of doors. The picnic is the most versatile of feasts, yet needing only two ingredients: some outside space, and something to eat. Picnics can be taken at any time of the year; cake and a flask of hot tea on a cold winter walk, or a cool box stuffed with (sand) sandwiches for a day on the beach. The outside bit means that you can choose from infinite locations: a shady part of your garden, the local park, a mountain top, a cricket match, or a green and lazy riverbank. The food bit could be a six course meal (don’t forget your butler to carry the hamper) or cucumber sandwiches wrapped in tinfoil. You can have a picnic breakfast, brunch, luncheon or evening meal; make the most of the beautiful mornings, and long evenings to eat outside.

I am passionate about picnics, and have a massive selection of wicker baskets, cool boxes, ice packs, plates, glasses, and blankets. I love preparing a perfect picnic with pretty plates and a blanket, a selection of salads, cheeses, olives, home made bread, chilled cider, a flask of coffee to go with cake, all packed neatly and snugly into a basket, and ready to be enjoyed in a perfect setting. Equally I love to throw kids and dog into the car, chuck some hard-boiled eggs, a French stick, a lump of cheese and an onion into a bag with a knife wrapped in a tea towel; the perfect no-fuss picnic.

Often we will forage for something to add to the picnic, sorrel, wild garlic, whortle berries, blackberries or cob nuts, and on one unforgettable picnic on a windswept Cornish beach we dined on apples from a pip-grown tree from someone else’s picnic many years before. Even the most ordinary of foods takes on another layer of taste and interest when it is enjoyed on a grassy bank overlooking a pretty view. The picnic is the perfect cheap day out with kids, if there is nothing much to do, mine will always ask for a picnic, they will cram themselves full of salad and fruit (which they might spurn for an ordinary lunch at home), and burn off huge amounts of energy running everywhere, paddling in streams and climbing trees.

Even picky grown-ups, who are inclined to dismiss vegetables and salads as rabbit food, may feel more inclined to tuck into a roughly sliced beef tomato and a handful of salad leaves at a picnic. You can turn a picnic into the perfect healthy outing; stop off at the farmers market for fresh ingredients, invite friends and family, take a long walk to the picnic spot, play rounders or organise rolly polly competitions when you get there, and pack bubbles for children to chase. Sit back over a long relaxed lunch and admire your surroundings, or chill out while the kids run round and enjoy the fresh air and space. There are plenty of urban and rural locations which will make a perfect summer picnic, so get out there and enjoy!

Until next time ,
get nibbling outside,
Vikki

Vikki Scovell BA(hons) PG DIP is a fully qualified Personal Trainer and Fitness Coach. She is a qualified Nutrition Adviser, GP Referred Trainer and runs successful Community and Corporate Exercise classes and events. Vikki is a consultant in Healthy Eating and Exercise initiatives to schools in the independent sector and publishes School and General Healthy Living newsletters. Vikki believes passionately that everyone can make small changes to their lifestyle to ensure that they live happier, longer and healthier lives. She lives in the U.K. with her partner Jeremy and two young children Apple and Honey. To read this weeks newsletter online visit http://www.getfitternews.moonfruit.com and for exercise dvds, clips and more visit http://www.fitbite.co.uk

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vikki_Scovell

The plate of food looks delicious, but you haven’t a clue about how to eat it. This list describes how to eat difficult foods, according to etiquette experts. Note that the preferred way of eating a food is often dependent on the formality of the occasion.

Artichokes: Pull the leaves off a couple at a time. Dip the base of the leaf into the sauce, then put it in your mouth and pull it through your teeth to extract the tender part. Put the chewed leaves in a pile on your plate. After you have confused the leaves, lift the spiny leaves off the heart, then use a spoon to scrape off the fuzz (choke) still clinging to the heart. Cut the heart into bite-sized pieces with your fork and eat.

Asparagus: You can eat it with your fingers, tip down, dipping it into the sauce. But if a stalk is long, use a fork to cut it up.

Bacon: If it’s crisp, eat with your fingers. If it’s limp, use a fork and knife.

Bouillon and other thin soups: You can drink them from the cup. But use a spoon to eat any bits of meat and vegetable first.

Bread: Break the bread into pieces as you eat it. Use the bread plate if there is one. You can use a piece of bread as a pusher. Etiquette experts differ on how to teat bread used as a pusher.

Cherry tomatoes: Eat all in one bite.

Chicken: Don’t eat chicken with your fingers at a formal or even informal dinner party. It’s okay at a barbeque.

Corn on the cob: Pick your expert. You can eat down the rows or around them. You can butter the whole ear at once or a couple of rows at a time. However, most etiquette arbiters think that corn on the cob should be served only in informal situations.

Fish, whole: The head of the fish should be to the left. Remove the head if you want, then slit the flat of the fish in the middle, head to tail with the fish knife or fork. Open the fish out, and eat the top flesh, first one segment, then the next. Then put the knife under the backbone at one end and lift it out with the fork or the fish knife. You can use your fingers to extract any bones that are left. When you use lemon, shield other guests from the spray with your hand.

Frog’s Legs: Eat with your fingers.

Kabobs: Slide the food off the skewer onto the plate before eating it.

Lobster: Start with the little claws, removing them and sucking out the meat from the end. Take the meat out of the body and cut it into small pieces. Dip into the sauce with your cocktail fork. Crack the big claws with a nutcracker, open them with your fingers, and pry the meat out with your fork.

Parsley or watercress garnish: You can eat it, but only with a fork in a formal occasion.

Peas: Crush them a bit before eating them - that way they won’t roll off your fork.

Potato, baked: Break the top with your fingers, and put the butter on with your fork. You may eat the skin with knife and fork.

Salad: Don’t cut lettuce with a knife. Use your fork instead.

Snails (escargots): Use the metal holder to grip the shell. If there is no metal holder, use a napkin, pry out the snail with a little fork and eat. Experts disagree on what to do with eh juice left in the shells. Some say you may drink the juice from the shells, others that you may up-end them so the juice runs out on your plate, then use bread speared on a fork to sop the juice up. Still other experts frown on both techniques.

Soup: You should eat the soup from the side of the spoon, and you may tip the bowl away from you to extract the last drops.

Spaghetti: Twirl the spaghetti around the fork, and then put it in your mouth.

Sushi: If an informal restaurant, you can eat sushi with your fingers, but a fork or chopsticks are better.

KiyaSama is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Writers.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kiya_Sama

Sichuan Cuisine, known more commonly in the West as “Szechuan,” is one of the most famous Chinese cuisines in the world. Characterized by its spicy and pungent flavors, Sichuan cuisine, with a myriad of tastes, emphasizes the use of chili. Pepper and prickly ash are always in accompaniment, producing the typical exciting tastes. Garlic, ginger and fermented soybean are also used in the cooking process. Wild vegetables and meats such as are often chosen as ingredients, while frying, frying without oil, pickling and braising are used as basic cooking techniques.

It can be said that one who doesn’t experience Sichuan food has never reached China.

Typical menu items: Hot Pot; Smoked Duck; Kung Pao Chicken; Water-Boiled Fish; Tasty and Spicy Crab; Twice Cooked Pork; Mapo Tofu

Hope the above menu food names don’t confuse you, because it’s really hard to accomplish a perfect English version menu for Sichuan Cuisine

This has been a headache for the Beijing government. Olympic Game 2008 will soon to come. Many foreigners will flow to China and come to Chinese restaurant. When they choose a Sichuan cuisine restaurant and began to see the menu, some of them may be shocked by the “horrable” food name and fleek away.

See some of these absode name now available in some of the Sichuan restarant:

Manand Wife Lung Slice

Slobbering Chicken

Chicken Without Sexual Life

So funny to the last one. Actually these are all tasty food and beverage known to the Chinese. But they really need a better name.

Among the eight major cuisines of China, Sichuan Cuisine is the most popular.

Sichuan dish is good at agile exertion and specific managing according to material, climate and the diners’ requests. More that 30 methods of cooking are included — stir fry, sauté, deep fry, grill, preserve, bittern, bake and pickle.

As the production develops and economy prospers, Sichuan absorbs the strength of northern and southern food to form a fusion between a northern dish with Sichuan style and a southern dish with Sichuan taste. It is complemented as “Food in China, taste in Sichuan.”

Sichuan concentrates on the changing of taste, which differs in thickness and heaviness. You can not make a Sichuan dish without chili, prickly ash and pepper. Chili, for example, can be used in various ways. Sometimes it can be the main ingredient, or sometimes it can be a secondary ingredient used for seasoning. The taste of Sichuan can differ largely according to climate and the diner’s personal tastes. For instance, the hotness is quite rich in winter and spring because the weather is cold. However the hotness should be reduced by 30% in summer and autumn due to the warm and dry weather. The taste of Sichuan is very delicate and flexible. Therefore, Sichuan is famous for its rich, thick and heavy flavor in addition to its lightness. People who have eaten Sichuan keep praising it and can not forget the beautiful experience.

3 Characteristics of Sichuan Cuisine

Sichuan Cuisine traces back to the ancient Ba Kingdom (modern Chongqing) and Shu Kingdom (modern Chengdu) and is remarkable for its oily and hot taste . This is due to the foggy , cloudy and damp climate in the Sichuan Basin . Hot food is useful for dispersing dampness . Sichuan folks are keen for hot oxen’s giblet pot , hot beancurd and other hot foods .

Another characteristic of the Chuan cuisine is its preparation of different dishes with the same raw material . With a piece of half-fat , half-lean pork , Sichuan cooks can prepare a number of different dishes with different flavors , such as salted-fried pork slices , re-cooked pork slices , sweet and hot shredded pork , fried pork cubes , sliced pork cooked with rice crust , sweet steamed pork chunks , salty steamed pork chunks , pork steamed with ground glutinous rice , white cut hot pork ,etc.

The third characteristic of the Sichuan cuisine is the tasty snacks , including hot ox-head meat , spiced chicken , tea-stewed ducking , marinated rabbit meat , pickled vegetables , dumplings , eight-treasure rice puddings ,etc.

Learn to cook yourself

Many travelers know Sichuan cuisine for its “hot and spicy” flavors or a few of its most famous dishes, but that is only the beginning.Sichuan cuisine is legendary in China for its sophistication and diversity.the regional cuisine boasts 5,000 different dishes.

Sichuan cuisine has enjoyed a worldwide reputation. However, most people immediately think of Sichuan food soon after it is mentioned as a hot or spicy food.It is undear how the red pepper was introduced to Sichuan. You may wonder why the red pepper is so popular. Here is a common explanation.Sichuan has a humid climate that encourages people to eat strongly spiced foods.the red pepper may help reduce internal dampness. Some kitchenware used in cooking sichuan food is also different from others.

Sichuan pepper is another important daily use ingredient in Sichuan cooking.It is known as huajiao(flower pepper).It is the Chinese pepper, and it looks like a reddish brown fruit.the peppercorn comes from the prickly ash tree.the pepper flower creates a most sudden numbing effect on one`s tongue.

Sichuan cuisine so carefully balances color,smell,flavor, shape and nutrition that its dishes not only look pleasant and appealing,bu also nutritious.In Sichuan recipes there are several hundred popular dishes.Sichuan cuisine is able to prduce 100 different flavored dishes!Besides, Sichuan cooks provide dishes that are intentionally toned down for tourists at home and abroad. they have no difficulty in getting Sichuan food that suits their tastes whether it`s in a banquet,outstanding lunches,dinners,or snacks.

Owner of kitchenware-info site. It offers daily use cookware and kitchen gadgets for people who love food and beverage.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Janey_Yang

In general, organic products in Arizona or any other state are going to cost you more. Many people justify spending more money on something that is free of chemicals such as pesticides or is said to be safe for the environment.

It is hard to argue the fact about organic food is healthier for you and your family. Organic products have not been contaminated with potentially harmful chemicals during the processing of that item.

There still are some skeptics who will flat out deny that pesticides are harmful. There are those that would argue though, that the amount of pesticides used on vegetables, for example, have a very small amount of pesticides. Some believe that there is not enough of these chemicals that are used to cause any real harmful longterm affects.

Some still remain skeptical, however. For those who still do not believe in the cause, it should be noted that organic foods have been shown to be better for you and your family. These products have more of the essential daily nutrients that your family needs for good health, such as vitamins, minerals and the important enzymes that help break down your food in the digestion process.

A very hot topic within the organic products arena is the term growth hormones and antibiotics that are used in the farming process. Now days, it is not hard to find milk that is one-hundred percent free of these chemicals, hormones, fertilizers or any other additive that is used so often when it comes to farming.

Organic is well worth it to more and more Americans and others world wide, too, as the entire world is becoming more and more educated about the many benefits of going green with organic products.

Despite the fact that many people see the importance of being able to have alternatives to products that contain harmful chemicals, many of these very same people still wonder why going green has to be so costly if there aren’t any additives.

Basically, the underlying reason is that regular food products that are not considered organic, are subsidized by the government. Without this subsidization, those products free of pesticides and the like, would likely be very comparable in price to the organic items.

Another reason why organic products cost more is because of the fact that the chemicals that have been used on produce for many years were designed to make produce affordable for families.

There are some important tips to keep in mind though, when going green. In fact even the farmers need to do their homework as well if they are to display an organic label.

It is required by the United States Department of Agriculture that agriculture farmers are required to document and prove that their products and farming operations actually comply with these USDA guidelines. This also includes farmers having to submit their farming system plans as well as documented records in order to keep in compliance with the set forth rules.

In addition, farmers are also required to allow inspectors inspect their goods at any given time, which only seems fair in an effort to protect the consumers who want a true organic product.

Going green is not just limited to the human family member any longer. With the craze of eco-friendliness, there are now organic pet products that are now available, as well. Being environmentally aware of our daily lives and the waste that we all produce, should be a concern for all our futures as well as our children’s children.

While it may cost more to purchase these organic products, isn’t it worth the effort just knowing that you are benefiting your environment in which you live in?

Cecilia Valenzuela is a full time entrepreneur and advocate for Arizona business owners. Valenzuela is a successful online business entrepreneur and Spanish translator who helps others follow their own online business dreams. More information and tips about organic products, along with Arizona tourist information and the Grand Canyon is available at: http://www.my-arizona-desert-living.com/Organic-Products.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ceci_Valenzuela

Quinoa grains are oval and about 2-3mm in diameter. When they are cooked they double in size and a germ or tail appears around each grain. The standard colour is a sort of creamy yellow although more recently Red and black quinoa have become available.

You can buy it over the counter here in the UK at most Supermarkets and health food stores. It is usually supplied in 500gm packs or boxes similar to the way rice and cous cous is packed. You can also buy quinoa flour and flakes. At time of writing (May 2008) you can only buy these types online but that will change as it gains popularity.

I have also seen it available in shops in France and Germany. In the United states it is readily available and you can even buy it in bulk.

The grains are usually pre-washed to remove most of the sapinins that coat the grains. This makes preparing quinoa very simple. I still rinse mine briefly before cooking but I,m not sure that is necessary now as most suppliers pre-wash their grains in the factory.

The Grain form is by far the most versatile type. It can be used as a rice or cous cous substitute for curries and salads. You can also include it in baking recipes for scones and cookies. It can be served after the normal cooking time of 12 - 15 minutes and the quinoa will be quite soft. But you can also cook it for only 7 - 8 minutes and it retains a very pleasant crunchy texture.

As more and more cooks experiment with this rediscovered superfood I’m sure that we will learn of new and exciting recipes.

Find out how simply it is to cook quinoa. There are more and more quinoa recipes coming out now. You can find out how to cook quinoa. Learn the superb health benefits of eating quinoa and include quinoa as part of your dietQuinoa Health Tips

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ken_H_Jones

If diet and nutrition have a sizeable impact on your health, then the grocery store is an opportunity where if you improve your habits, your health will follow. Supermarkets have a wide selection of foods. Healthy, unhealthy and in between are all there. The foundation of food you build your diet around will greatly affect your health, so having good shopping habits is a must.

Going grocery shopping is not just about walking up and down each aisle putting whatever you want into your shopping cart. You need to make smart choices about what foods you buy. You need fruits, vegetables, bread, snacks, breakfast foods, lunch choices and dinner meals. All of these products have a wide array of choices you can make. Should you buy white or whole wheat bread? Should you buy eggs or egg beaters? Knowing how to separate truly good foods from marketing hype can help you make the right choices at the store.

The base of our food has traditionally been meat, even before supermarkets came along. We no longer have to hunt and now we can choose between many options. Since meats are associated with high amounts of saturated (bad) fats, you should buy the meat that isn’t. Examples of these are poultry, fish, and lean cuts of beef. Eggs have also been a concern in the past because of their cholesterol and fat content. They now make (real, not egg beaters) eggs that are lower in saturated fat and cholesterol by feeding hens better diets.

Since dairy comes from animals, it is also associated with high levels of saturated fat. Most dairy products come in whole, low fat and fat free varieties. Whenever you can, try using low or fat free products since they contain less saturated fat than whole versions. If you really want to try something new, use soy products. You can find soy milk, soy cheese and even soy chocolate that taste similar to the real thing. They contain unsaturated (good) fat, are low in saturated fat, and are free of cholesterol. A moderate intake of soy protein is also good for the heart.

Grains are also a huge part of our diets. Going carb-free is not a good idea because you need carbohydrates for energy. Exercise, moving around and simply staying alive are all intensive activities that burn a lot of calories. If you distinguish between the good and bad carbs, your diet will be healthier.

Good carbs are those that take longer to digest and because of this, you will be full and eat less. Good or complex carbs are found in 100% whole wheat breads, bagels and pasta, oatmeal, some cereals and vegetables. These foods are also high in fiber which will also keep you full. You should stay away from bad or simple carbs because they are quickly digested and leave you wanting more. They are found in foods such as cookies, sodas, candy, most junk foods and white breads.

Fruits and vegetables should be on everyone’s shopping list. They are low in calories and very high in nutrients. Buying produce that is in season or grown locally will be the cheapest and healthiest. The longer produce is stored in a warehouse and the further it needs to be transported means less nutrients and higher costs.

Snacks are more important than you may think. Snacks can help you spread your calories more evenly throughout the day. They will help you eat more between meals and shrink the size of your main meals. This will keep you from getting hungry and help your body more efficiently use the calories you give it. Not all your snacks have to be healthy. You have to enjoy your food, so if you want a snack to be chocolate or cookies, get those. Snacking turns unhealthy when instead of eating one serving, you eat three or four.

If you buy unhealthy snacks, make sure you balance them out with healthy ones too. Fruits, nuts, peanut butter and seeds are all great examples. Good snacks are low in sugar and high in healthy calories: unsaturated fats and complex carbs.

While the items listed above are only a foundation, you should apply these principles to all the foods you buy. High amounts of vitamins and minerals, unsaturated over saturated fat and complex over simple carbs. If you stick to these guidelines, you will buy healthier items and make healthier foods.

The grocery store has many opportunities to help you become healthy, and reach your goal whether it is to maintain, gain or lose weight. The foods you buy will dictate whether you move toward your ultimate goal or away from it. Luckily there are some steps you can take to make your grocery shopping more successful and ultimately healthier. The Guide to Healthy Grocery Shopping has articles, tips and suggestions on how to make your shopping trip more successful and even how to save some money in the process.

Straight Health was started in July 2006 to spread accurate and easy to understand information about health, diets, exercise and nutrition. At StraightHealth.com you can read articles and tips, use the tools and gain a further understand about the world of health.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ken_Bendor

The history of Italian cooking actually stems all the back to the traditions of the Romans and Greeks. There are still dishes today, such as polenta, which are practically identical to the meals that were prepared for the Roman soldiers over 2000 years ago. The next time you dig into a plate of pasta, imagine that Caesar himself may have enjoyed the same dish so many years ago.

Italian cuisine has been influenced and modified throughout its history by many other cultures who ventured to their peninsula. The Germans, Austrians and French have made their influence to the cuisines of the northern regions of Italy, while the Arabs made their contributions to Sicily. We also cannot forget what the Renaissance did for the food of Italy. While art and science were being revived, so was the way Italian food was prepared. Refined taste poured into different regions in Italy with the travels of Marco Polo and others. Famous Italian travelers ventured to the Far East and brought back to Italy exotic food and spices which intrigued their senses. The most famous, a Genoan known as Christopher Columbus, brought back tomatoes, peppers, chilies, corn and potatoes which changed the course of Italian cuisine forever.

The history of Italian cooking has been shaped by the climate and influences of the many regions of Italy. Italy is known as a political union of many different regional groups and each region has their own distinct dialect, custom and cuisine. If you travel through Italy, you will quickly realize that the way food is prepared, and what is commonly eaten, varies considerably among the different regions.

Take a tour of northern Italy and the cooking will reflect influences of France, Germany and Austria. The climate is to cold to grow olive and cooking with cream and butter are quite common. Travel to the southern part of Italy and you will find olive oils, tomato based sauces and garlic in many dishes. Milan is famous for its very strong cheese known as Gorgonzola, which is quite similar to the French bleu cheese. Bologna is famous for its pasta sauce of meat, tomato and vegetables; known as Bolognese sauce. Venture to the southern regions of Naples and you will discover the origins of pizza - still popular today. Pork is used along the south central regions of Italy, whereas seafood is the favorite along the coast.

Many Italians today still eat in the traditional manner popular throughout its history. Although the pace of modern life has hastened quite a bit, most Italians still go home for their midday meal, and many even find time for a nap. Italians take time to savor their meal of many courses and enjoy a glass of wine, just as they did so many years ago.

The history of Italian cuisine is as rich as your favorite Alfredo sauce. Depending on where you visit in Italy will dictate how history has influenced the cuisine that will tickle your palate. Learn to make Italian food and enjoy the oldest cuisine in the world right in your own home.

Joy Harrison is an experienced home cook and cooking instructor. She loves to find easy ways to prepare great home cooked meals in today’s busy world. To learn more visit her site at http://www.italian-cooking-made-easy.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joy_Harrison

Man is as he eats, so George Bernard Shaw was fond of saying. He happened to be a vegetarian on principle, but whether or not he would have lived to his 94 years had his diet included meat no one can say. One thing is certain, however.

His frugal habits, his abstemiousness, his spareness of body doubtless had a great deal to do with his long life and vigorous health.

It is not what we eat that is of paramount importance, but how we eat, when and how much. Always remember that eating really includes not only the intake of food but its digestion and assimilation. In a sense, breathing should be considered part of the process too, since bodily nourishment must of necessity include the intake of oxygen; the more oxygen is inhaled into your lungs, the better fed and cleansed your bloodstream will be.

Keep in mind the fable about the senses: “Without breath there can be no life.” It is possible to exist on breath alone for many days while fasting, but the most perfectly balanced diet could not sustain you longer than a few minutes were your supply of oxygen cut off. Consequently our discussion of diet cannot be considered as separate from other aspects of your way of life.

We all know how a large meal, gobbled fast, especially when one is tired or in a state of nervous tension, may and often does produce indigestion or painful gas. So does anger. The ulcers from which high-pressure executives so often suffer are the direct result of emotional strain, for when the system is not at rest the digestive juices fail to flow freely and an acid condition is set up which, literally, corrodes the sensitive mucous lining of stomach and intestines. The habit of gulping food is in itself lethal, for the gulper starves himself even as he overeats.

Here are some of the pertinent facts, which you doubtless already know but are likely to disregard in practice a couple of times a day:

Chewing food slowly and thoroughly serves a double function. First of all it is good for your teeth. Unless you give them a daily workout by chewing solid foods, they will weaken and decay for want of exercise.

Secondly, unless you do chew your food properly you do not give the saliva a chance to penetrate it. Saliva is, as you know, an important digestive juice. It contains ptyalin, an enzyme which transforms starches into maltose, or body sugar. Such foods as potatoes, bread, noodles, cereals, and mealy vegetables - in other words, the carbohydrates - must all be saturated with ptyalin if they are to do the body any good.

This process must be accomplished before the carbohydrates leave the mouth, for once they have been swallowed, the hydrochloric acid in the stomach prevents any further digestion. That is why fast eaters seldom grow fat regardless of the quantities of food they consume. And while you may argue that nothing could be pleasanter than being able to gorge and still stay thin, in reality this is a fine way of cheating yourself; for the net result is undernourishment and a consequent lack of energy.

Finally, chewing food thoroughly also diminishes the appetite or, to put it another way, the more you chew the less you will want or need to eat, for small amounts of food will keep you well-nourished provided, of course, that your diet is a balanced one. Taking time to taste and to savor will also enhance your enjoyment of food. And this will in turn pay added dividends, for pleasure in the tasting helps a free flow of gastric juices, which helps digestion. To put it another way, be glad if a dish that is set before you makes your mouth water.

Is it necessary to adhere to strict diet rules to follow Yoga teachings? The answer depends on each person’s personal goals. The highly developed Yogi is a teetotaler and a most frugal eater, but contrary to popular misconception there are no strict rules; the Yogis are neither food faddists nor even necessarily vegetarians, and their attitude toward eating is not one of asceticism.

Their general approach to diet, as to all other aspects of human behavior, is one of moderation and self-discipline. They do not consider enjoyment of food synonymous with gluttony and would never advocate robbing you of the pleasures of savoring the taste, smell, texture, even the appearance of the dishes you like. Nor do they believe there is any special virtue in vegetarianism as such - if, by that, one means helping make someone into a better man or woman. But Yoga teaches that certain foods, among them milk, fruit, cereals, butter, cheese and all vegetables (preferably eaten raw) are Sattwic food-stuffs and render the blood-stream and the mind pure; while meat, fish, eggs are Rajasic and excite the passionate nature of man. From this you may readily see how a highly detached philosopher will make a choice of foods.

Since Yoga principles for mental and physical health coincide so amazingly with the findings of modern medicine, it is not surprising to find their basic diet rules similar to the health diets advocated by our own up-to-date experts. The accent, as was already mentioned, is on fresh fruit and vegetables, high-protein foods like eggs, cheese, meat in small quantities, nuts, and milk, modest amounts of fats and carbohydrates - and as few condiments as possible. It is important to eat natural, not processed foods, in order to get the full benefit of what the earth can give us.

There are many vitamins, minerals and other elements necessary to human diet, and if you wish to know them in detail any good book on nutrition will list them for you. In a general way, though, all you need to remember is how to cater to the body’s three vital vitamin needs - how to supply it with sufficient amounts of Vitamins A, B and C and give it enough protein and mineral. A good rule to remember is that few foods are so specialized they give you one thing only. You are more than likely to get adequate amounts of everything your body requires if you make sure that its main demands are cared for through a balanced, common-sense diet.

Vitamin A is what enables the body cells to resist infection. It is contained in green and leafy vegetables, dairy products, fruit and meat, especially liver and lamb. Along with this vitamin you will be absorbing calcium, iron and the much-needed body-building proteins. And if you substitute fish for some of the meat, you will be getting precious iodine without recourse to iodized salt, which sometimes makes the skin break out.

The Vitamin B-Complex influences digestion. Whole wheat is one excellent source of this vitamin. Unfortunately, bread made with commercially-prepared flour is hopelessly impoverished. It is, in fact, almost wholly devitalized, its bran, natural minerals and semolina removed, the living wheat germ isolated and sold separately for good money while the “dead” flour must now be artificially “enriched” or “fortified,” another process that adds to its cost. Thus white bread is virtually valueless nutrition-wise. Your best available sources of Vitamin B, in this day and age, are dark bread, nuts, peas, beans, lentils, cabbage and Brussels sprouts, soy beans and yeast; also the dairy products and liver already listed under Vitamin A.

Digestion is not the only thing controlled by this Vitamin group. As you probably know, massive doses of the B-Complex, given by injection, have proved effective in the treatment of arthritis and that little-known degenerative disease of the nerve endings, multiple sclerosis. For regeneration of tissues and maintaining healthy nerves scientists recognize it as being of paramount importance. And more is being learned about its importance every year.

Vitamin C is the youth-preserver as well as the substance that keeps you from getting colds, and helps combat them if they settle in. The best source of this vitamin is the citrus fruit family - oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruit. These should be squeezed fresh and never strained, for the pulp is too precious to throw away. Tomatoes and tomato juice are a second good source. Lacking either, there is some Vitamin C in potato jackets and also in turnip greens and spinach. But remember, this is a volatile vitamin which does not keep, nor can it be stored in the body. Consequently, you need your daily allotment regularly.

Before we leave the subject of vitamins, it is important to point out what processing does to foods in general. Rice, for instance, like wheat, is robbed of half its nutrients while it is elegantly polished, then processed for quick cooking. The canning process, while often unavoidable, destroys much that is valuable. Then the average cook, out of habit or ignorance or because of a desire to serve food that looks pretty, robs her family by discarding the green outside leaves of lettuce and romaine, by peeling potatoes instead of either baking them or cooking them in their jackets, and by overcooking vegetables and throwing away the water - and half the vitamins and minerals with it. There is also the tendency to buy fresh vegetables in quantity and to store them in the refrigerator, allowing much of their nutritive value to be lost. In fact, we are constantly committing sins against our stomachs simply because we do not stop to think about the right way to eat.

But even before we have a chance to ruin food ourselves, and before it has been processed, part of the job is already done by the grower. Fruit and vegetables out of season, as well as jumbo-size and picture-pretty food, bring high prices. Consequently the grower forces his produce with various chemicals. And these chemical fertilizers result in food that is tasteless (in our family the word for the winter tomato, for instance, is “factory-made,” and I know of no better way to describe it!), but, what is far more serious, chemicals are not an adequate source of basic nutrients. That is why so many health authorities continually stress the importance of naturally grown foods - which means foods grown in soil enriched with natural fertilizers - garden compost, manure, bone meal, wood ashes and so forth.

More about food and diet the yoga way at http://Yoga.FunHowToBooks.com/

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Most beer lovers out there who are looking for more ways to enjoy their beer drinking experience can spice things up a little by brewing their own beer. With a little information and the right tools you can brew your own beer, and you can do it right at home.

The basic equipment that you will need for home brewing your beer includes a basic home brewing kit, a stainless steel enameled pot large enough to hold up to three gallons of liquid and a long stirring spoon. The brewing process actually is made up of a couple of steps.

The first step is mashing, which involves crushing and soaking the malt in warm water to create an extract of the malt, after which the whole thing is left at constant temperature for the enzymes to convert the starches into fermentable sugar. Sparging, the next method, involves getting the darker heavy liquid called the wort. The wort is then boiled to remove excess water and microorganisms and hops are added. Fermentation follows, which may be done once or twice depending on the method you use. Finally, when fermentation is done, the beer may either be bottled directly or added more carbon dioxide through force carbonation.

You can opt to make your beer according to three ways: the single stage method, the two stage method, and the blow by blow method. All these techniques have their advantages and disadvantages and it is up to you to discover which style you can work with the best.

In the single stage method the beer stays in one bucket during the entire fermentation process at a temperature range of 65-75F, and should be bottled immediately after fermentation is over. The whole process takes about 5 to 7 days. The beer tends to carry with it the unsavory flavors of the sediment if not bottled immediately, and although this is harmless, it is up to you if you want the smell of yeast, hop pellets and other by products of boiling in your beer.

The Two stage method uses a primary fermenter; the initial fermentation is very active and takes 3 days, after which the beer is siphoned off to another fermenter made of glass; the second stage is usually done at a lower temperature. The advantage of this method is that the beer can stay in the fermenter until you are ready to bottle it.

The blow by blow method uses a glass fermenter (called a carboy) along with a three or four foot long hose about one inch in diameter. The beer is poured into the carboy and the hose fitted to it. To form a tight air-seal the other end of the hose goes into a small bucket of water. The active fermentation goes through the hose and into the bucket. When fermentation is done, the hose is removed, a stopper and air-lock is attached and the beer is bottled.

To read more about the best Home Brewing Kit, read my review in My Cute Gadgets and Gift Blog about the Mr Beer Review I create the honest MrBeer review there, and you can read my review before buying the Famous Mr Beer.

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