Lets talk about gojo berries

gojo berriesOlive Oil, Extra Virgin or Pure?

Olives and olive oil have a long history. It has been suggested that olives and olive oil have been around as long a 6000 years. The Bible even references olive branches in the story of Noah�s Ark. It is unknown as to when people started to eat olives and their oil but its origins of use suggest that initially it was used in lamps as fuel as well as for cooking.

There are two main types of olive oils, extra virgin olive oil and olive oil. The term extra virgin denotes oil that contains less than 1% acidity and has no treatment using heat or chemicals. Extra virgin also signifies the oil is from the �first press� or �cold press�. The tastes can range from a domestic mild or slightly rustic flavor to a peppery classic from Tuscany.

Olive oil is often labeled as �pure olive oil�; this oil is refined with chemicals and steam. The oil is then blended with a higher quality oil to give an improved flavor and aroma. Often times this less expensive choice is used in recipes and for saut�ing. If you desire a purer flavor stick with the extra virgin varieties.

Surprisingly enough olive oil lends itself well to chocolate. The high cocoa butter content in chocolate allows it to blend easily with oil and the olive oil flavor recedes nicely to the background. By using olive oil in place of dairy it becomes easy to create rich and creamy non-dairy chocolate deserts.

When purchasing olive oil bring home the bottle and replace the lid with a pouring-spout stopper designed for use with liquor bottles. This will allow for spill proof pouring and more control over the stream of oil.

The oil should always be stored in a cool dark location and used within a years� time. This distinctive choice in oil can turn rancid if left on the shelf too long.

Shauna Hanus is a gourmet cook who specializes in creating gourmet meal plans. She has extensive experience cooking with easy to find grocery items to create delightful gourmet meals. She is also the publisher of a no cost bi-monthly gourmet newsletter. Her newsletter is always fun and informational packed with tips and trivia you can use everyday. http://www.gourmayeats.com

Even the Best Diet Foods Could Be Making You Fatter Than "Normal" Foods!

Just when you thought you could pat yourself on the back for choosing the "low-calorie" and "less-fat" varieties of your favorite snacks, the spinning record comes to a screeching halt as new research suggests that even the best diet foods could be making you fat!

The specific substances in question are artificial sweeteners. They've long been used as supposedly healthier substitutes to the real thing in several diet foods and drinks.

But, a new study out of Purdue University, the results of which were published in the Behavioral Science journal, has baffled researchers and nutritionists alike.

Groups of rats were fed yogurt that had been sweetened with either real sugar or saccharin (an artificial sweetener). After having their dessert first in this Bizzaro-like experiment, the hopped up rats were then presented with a large amount of their normal food.

Contrary to prior and common knowledge, the saccharin "Rat Pack" consumed more overall calories, gained more fat, and put on more weight than the real-sugar rodents.

One theory as to why this would occur goes like so: Sweet foods are generally not very filling and make most people crave more calories, regardless of whether the sweetness comes from real sugar or artificial sweeteners.

So, if you eat a food that contains real sugar, you're getting that same urge to eat more, but, at least you are also getting slightly more satiated from the calories in the sugar.

Now, if you remove the calories from the sugar, as in artificial sweeteners, you are still hungry for more, but your hunger tank is on near empty, so you crave and need even more calories to feel full.

Of course, this all comes down to will power. If you can restrain yourself from succumbing to this strange paradox, then you will benefit from the lower-calorie sweeteners.

However, if you are a slave to your body's natural cravings, then artificial sweeteners may be counterproductive to your weight-loss goals.

The simplest answer is to avoid sugar (real or fake) as much as possible, and stick to the real best diet foods: fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins.

For more tips and information, along with lists of the REAL best diet foods, enter your portal to Total Mind and Body Fitness at http://www.fitbuff.com

Living Raw Foods and the Antioxidant Vitamin A

With all the concern in today's market for antioxidants and anti-aging products, I have not read much about this topic: Vitamin A as an antioxidant, and animal sources vs. raw food sources. I have only read that it is an antioxidant, and that people usually take it in pill form. Today I am going to write about the need for vitamin A from natural, raw food sources, how it affects the body, and what causes us to be deficient in this essential antioxidant.

In my research I have found that Vitamin A can come from animal, as well as raw food sources. Our bodies take the vitamin A from animal sources, and convert it to retinol, and the vitamin A from raw food sources (called beta carotene) is converted to retinal or retinol. The source is important, since the animal source can be overdosed on (causing death, osteoporosis, and birth defects, to name a few things), and the raw food source cannot. Our bodies simply take carotene, and convert it to vitamin A as needed. See my Vitamin A chart for a list of raw food vs. animal sources of vitamin A.

Vitamin A helps us as an antioxidant by facilitating bodily tissue reparation and maintenance (infection resistance), nourishing the cornea, ensuring permeability of membranes, and stimulating our thyroid and adrenal glands, to name a few things. Refer to the vitamin A chart for a more complete list.

Some of the deficiency symptoms are acne, allergies, anorexia, appetite loss, dry hair, fatigue, insomnia, rough dry skin, soft tooth enamel, and migraine headaches.

The vitamins B complex, C, D, and E (and others, see chart) will help our bodies to use and/or absorb vitamin A, thus, our source needs to be more from raw food, to achieve optimal effects in our skin, hair, and eyes. When we get our nutrition from living, raw food, rather than pills, we will achieve much better results, as the fresh, raw food contains what we need to absorb and digest what we eat. See my article on enzymes to better understand why I say raw food, vs. just any plant matter.

I remember reading this great true Indian story, Ride the Wind. This white woman was captured, but became one of the Indians in her heart, so when she was �rescued�, many years later, she didn't want to be rescued anymore. Anyway, she tells of the buffalo hunt, and her people being so starved for food, the first thing they would do upon killing the buffalo, was to immediately, in the field, eat the animals' vital organs, especially the liver. She was grossed out at first, but came to love it, pretty much immediately, since she needed the nutrition. I believe they were starving for vitamin A, because that is where vitamin A is found! I am so thankful to live in this great country, where we can access whatever we feel like eating, whenever we want!

So, the obvious reasons for modern day deficiency are, not getting the complementing nutrients, not eating any of the animal sources (crash dieting?) and not eating plenty of the natural raw food sources. There is one more reason: �anti-vitamins�. These products work against our absorption of vitamin A: alcohol, coffee, sugar, and tobacco, to name just a few (see chart for more). So with the combination of most people just not eating enough fresh raw food, and eating too much of the wrong foods, is it any wonder that skin problems abound, as well as the other deficiency symptoms?

I encourage you to make wise choices, and to eat plenty of raw foods. Here, in the land of plenty, where we can access all the yellow fruits and vegetables any time of the year, we have no excuse! For a great raw food recipe book that will help ensure your intake of vitamin A, check out Live Unfired Foods, by Klacena Ferguson.

Roxanne Vick is the mother of 9, (yes, NINE) children, and has long been interested in healthy eating. She is also interested in gardening, and hiking, as long as she doesn't have to carry anyone (except for baby Gabe). Check out the vitamin A chart, and download the raw food ebook: Live Unfired Foods, and you will be equipped with many raw food recipes for superior health, as it contains 415 appetizing recipes for you to draw upon...including soups, cheeses, mayonnaises, and much more! It is available at her website, http://www.myrawfooddietrecipes.com.

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