Archive for October, 2011
It seems in life that most people take for granted the things that are most important to them and drinking water is no exception. It is a fact that no one can survive without clean pure drinking water and it is important to note some critical facts:
1. More than 35,000 people die each day throughout the world from disease caused by impure or lack of drinking water. That equals more than 12,000,000 per year or more than the per year total killed in each of the six years of World War II.
2. The absence of clean drinking water and sanitation is one of the largest causes of death and loss of productivity throughout the world.
3. Three to four of every five children related deaths are directly related to unsanitary or contaminated drinking water.
4. Municipal water supplies in the United States, although regulated by the Environmental protection agency (EPA) still contain a large number of contaminants. Many types of bottled water also contain contaminants.
5. Purified water using a distillation/oxygenation process produces the highest quality drinking water.
It is a fact that because of urban growth and industrial pollution, drinking water is becoming more polluted and water related health hazards are increasing. Heavier amounts of chlorine are being added to kill bacteria but this ruins the fresh water taste.
Polluted or contaminated water is particularly harmful to young children and may cause health problems that do not surface until years later.
Municipal tap water is contaminated as is spring and well water and the fact that these sources of water are regulated does not remove the contamination. Obtain the most recent EPA water quality for your municipality and study it closely.
With the exception of purified bottled water, most bottled water is subject to the same or greater amounts of contamination. Spring water is either re-bottled tap water or particularly susceptible to industrial pollution.
Distilled/oxygenated purified water on the other hand separates pure water from contaminants and flushes the waste down the drain leaving only 100% pure water.
Ask questions and read the labels of municipal or bottled water to determine what is really contained in the water you drink. Then decide how much contamination your body can tolerate over an extended period.
I think after even a moderate amount of research you will agree that purified, distilled water will aid in the longevity of yourself and your family.
A “Dessert” is a meal course that usually comes after dinner. Most often Dessert foods are of sweet food but can also be of a strongly flavored food, such as cheese, like cheese cake. The world dessert comes from the Old French word “desservir”, which means ‘to clear the table’. Often times in the English language dessert is confused with the word desert(note only one “s”), which is a baren peice of land normally with sand as soil.
It wasn’t until after the 19th-century where the rise of the middle class, and the mechanization of the sugar industry, brought the privilege of sweets into the general public and unreserved it exclusively for the aristocracy, or as rare holiday treat. This was because sugar became cheaper and more readily available to the general public. As sugar was widely spread, so was the development and popularity of desserts.
In today’s culture dessert recipes have become a popular item for discussion, as they are a winning way to win people over at the end of any meal. This is partly because if you serve a mediocre meal, with an excellent dessert, people will remember you for the dessert and forget about the meal.
Most cultures, have a seperate final distinction between the main course, and the sweet course. This is not true however in some cultures such as Chinese, who will mix in sweet and savoury dishes throughout the entire meal. Dessert is, often times seen as a separate meal or snack, rather than a course, and can be eaten some time after the meal by many individuals. Because of it’s wide spread popularity there are even some restaurants that specialize in desserts.
Some of the most common desserts are:
- Biscuits or cookies
- Ice creams
- Meringues
- Fruit
- Cakes
- Crumbles
- Custards
- Gelatin desserts
- Puddings
- Pastries
- Pies or tarts
Snacks are an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Healthy snacks can help provide extra nutrients and also count towards our five a day target of fruit and vegetables. Healthy natural snacks should be eaten between meals and will help towards your health and nutrition. Nutritionists recommend that healthy snacks should contain vegetables, fruit, nuts or cereal grains. They will also cost you less than buying junk food that has little nutritional value and is bad for your health. Combining healthy snacks with a good diet and exercise leads to an improved wellbeing. The five ideas below, for healthy snacks, are suitable for everyone from school children to those at work.
Avocado and cheese sandwich made with wholemeal bread. Avocados are a good source of vitamin E and C as well as being high in fibre and potassium. They also contain folic acid, an important vitamin for pregnant women. Cheese contains important levels of calcium and wholemeal bread is high in fibre.
Dried banana chips. Dried banana chips are often fried in coconut oil and coated in honey. Bananas contain high levels of vitamin A and C. They are also rich in potassium. You can often find banana chips included in muesli. Great for a carbohydrate boost.
Crackers and cheese. A very popular snack after dinner. Cheese is high in calcium. Crackers also come in wholemeal varieties and these are a good source of extra fibre.
Fruit salad. You can combine any of your favourite fruits in this snack such as kiwi fruit, apples, pear, and nectarines. This snack will help you towards your five a day of fruit and vegetables.
Hummus in pita bread. Hummus is made from dried chickpeas, garlic and sometimes tahini. Hummus contains fibre and iron; tahini is made from sesame seeds and is high in calcium.
