Belly Bloat – How to Get Rid of Bloating Fast
January 22, 2012 | 
Author What causes bloating?
Mostly overeating, eating foods which do not agree with you thus producing excess gas, and constipation. Other causes include menstruation, food allergy/food intolerance and irritable bowel syndrome.
Suffering from belly bloat is a common but annoying disorder. You feel uncomfortable, lethargic, unmotivated, embarrassed because of your bulging belly and the rumble it makes, and are sometimes in pain.
Let us look at how to stop bloating and the basic lifestyle changes you can implement which are especially effective if you feel bloated after eating.
Stop overeating
Eat smaller, more frequent meals for better health and a bloat-free waistline.
Change your eating habits
Eating quickly increases pressure on your stomach and produces more gas. Sit down, chew your food well, and eat your meals in a leisurely manner, giving the food plenty of time to digest.
Drinking tea or coffee on the run is equally bad with excess air accompanying each sip and gulp. Savor your beverages by drinking them slowly.
Limit sugar substitutes
Sodas, sweets and chewing gum contain huge quantities of artificial sweeteners, especially sorbitol and xylitol which many people find difficult to digest, resulting in bloating, gas and diarrhea. Rather have real sugar than substitutes.
Cut out sodas
The bubbles in fizzy drinks cause bloating. Also refrain from drinking excessively hot or cold beverages.
Stop eating junk and processed food
Fried, oily food and high salt content cause bloating.
Abstain from carbohydrates at night
Bread and pasta cause you to retain water. Avoid eating them at night to be puff-free the next morning.
Early morning water and lemon juice
Start your day by drinking a glass of warm water with the juice of half a lemon; it speeds up waste elimination and removes toxins.
Eat potassium rich foods
Bananas, cantaloupe, mangoes, spinach, tomatoes, nuts, asparagus and fresh chopped parsley regulate the fluid balance in your body and stop bloating.
If you suffer from constipation, eating sufficient fruit, vegetables and high fiber, such as oatmeal, will improve your digestion and remedy your bloating problem.
Drink water
Water flushes out your system and aids digestion. Instead of alcohol, caffeine and colas, drink plain water and natural teas.
Limit excess air
Do not eat and talk at the same time, drink out of a straw, chew gum nor smoke because the surplus air accompanying these activities causes you to bloat.
Eat foods easily digested by your body
Bland foods, such as fish, chicken, soya based foods, yogurt and rice do not tax your digestive system.
Limit gas producing foods
Notice which raw vegetables cause you to bloat, then either boil them or do not eat them at all. The cellulose in cabbage, peas and beans is hard to digest and may cause you to puff up.
Other common gas producing foods are cruciferous vegetables, root vegetables, lentils, prunes and garlic.
Menstruation
Bloating, together with water weight gain and mood swings, are associated with premenstrual tension. Ensure you get 1200 milligrams calcium and 200 to 400 milligrams magnesium daily. Both nutrients help relieve PMS symptoms, including bloating. If you wish, take Midol which contains a mild diuretic.
Natural remedies
Add turmeric, coriander, caraway and cumin when cooking.
Naturists claim teas made of ginger, savory from the mint family, lime from a linden tree, peppermint, rosemary, and caraway are effective for bloating relief.
They may be right because ginger tea helps with stomach upsets and peppermint oil in tea or warm water after a big meal aids digestion.
Exercise
Walking for 15 to 20 minutes a day moves food through your digestive tract, thereby reducing bloating and combating constipation. Other benefits include less severe menstrual cramps, eliminating toxins by perspiring, and shedding body fat.
Apply pressure
Massaging your abdomen helps evacuate gas and reduces bloating. Start by pressing your fingers near your right hip, slide up towards the ribs, move across and down in a circular motion.
Supplements and home remedies
Taking a digestive enzyme with each meal provides relief, especially when bloating results from a problem with your digestive tract, such as diverticulosis. Obtain digestive enzymes with the active ingredients lipase, protease and amylase, from any health store. Restaurant owners should actually hand out digestive enzymes instead of after-dinner mints to all patrons who selected anything other than raw foods from their menus.
Probiotics are ‘good bacteria’ which help keep you regular and bloat-free. Your intestinal tract has loads of bacteria, some beneficial, some harmful, which play an important role in the functioning of your digestive and immune systems.
Probiotics encourage the growth and replenishment of healthy microflora. They crowd out the bad bacteria which cause disease, yeasts and parasites in your intestines, they help digest and absorb your food, eliminate wastes and toxins by restoring normal and regular bowel function, and maintain a healthy intestinal function.
Ideally 85% of your bacteria should be friendly with 15% unfriendly. Probiotic supplements can be found in capsule, powder or liquid form, or in foods such as kefir and yogurt.
If you do not consume enough fruit and vegetables, take nutritional supplements that contain dietary fibers especially during the holidays or when celebrating to better handle the foods that cause you to swell up.
Apple cider vinegar helps ease digestive symptoms and gets rid of bloating and gas pain.
Lactobacillus supplements also help maintain intestinal health.
Bismuth, the active ingredient in Pepto-Bismol, is an element on the periodic table. 100% natural, taken before or directly after a meal reduces swelling caused by food allergies and neutralizes the odor of your flatulence.
Medication
If you take antibiotics, which destroy your friendly bacteria, take B complex vitamins too.
Some oral contraceptive pills cause your stomach to distend, in which case ask your physician to prescribe a different one.
Once you incorporate these lifestyle changes, they should cure you or at least relieve bloating.
If your condition persists, let us look at what else it might be and what you can do about it.
Food allergy
If you bloat after eating certain foods, keep a food journal where you write down everything you eat, together with any symptoms which appear. Rotate foods until you identify which foods trigger bloating and avoid them.
Although you may not test positive for food allergies, you may have a food intolerance. Common culprits include yeast, wheat, where the gluten causes excess gas to be produced, and milk.
Lactose intolerance
This means your body does not produce the enzyme lactase and your digestive system cannot digest the lactose in dairy foods. It then ferments and forms gases which overstretch your bowel.
How do you know if you are lactose intolerant? Drink a glass of milk. If you experience gas, bloating or diarrhea, avoid dairy products or drink lactose free milk.
Yogurt’s active bacteria cultures produce lactase, so if you want to eat cheese without bloating afterwards, add a bowl of yogurt to your morning ritual.
Irritable bowel syndrome
IBS, characterized by abdominal pain, bloating, constipation and/or diarrhea, may be the cause of your bloating.
Eat more fiber and give up coffee, cigarettes and spicy foods which irritate your colon.
Some people swear by going on a detoxification diet two or three times a year to give your body a chance to cleanse itself of accumulated toxins.
Diabetes
Diabetics often have problems with bloating and diarrhea, especially if they take large doses of metformin or glucophage.
Diabetics with nerve damage in their stomach may find food collects but does not empty properly, resulting in excessive belching. Medication eases this problem.
Medication
Although over-the-counter products offer quick relief by suppressing the symptoms, the benefits will be short-lived because they do not eliminate the cause.
Common effective medications such as Gas-X, Beano, Phazyme and Flatulex, when taken with each meal, help break up gas pockets in the stomach, thereby relieving bloating and gas pain.
The pain is not actually caused by your swollen stomach but by abdominal contractions not synchronizing properly. When your intestinal wall pulls in different directions it feels like stomach cramps.
Most bloating medication contain enzymes like alpha-galactosidase which help digest the sugars in carbohydrates, the main culprit of your indigestion problems.
Pink Pepto-Bismol type products have a salicylate ingredient which is like aspirin. It will alleviate some of your abdominal pain but if it disagrees with you, try Gas-X or Phazyme which contain simethicone.
Activated charcoal
Consider using this over-the-counter supplement. When taken with meals, it prevents or at least reduces the amount of gas produced.
It sometimes causes irregular looking stools and constipation so do not be alarmed, and in case it affects the absorption of prescription medicine, take it an hour or two after any scheduled medication.
Tips and warning
Bloating and gas pain should dissipate quite quickly. If not, if it becomes more than a slight annoyance, or if accompanied by bloody or tarry stools, fever, night sweats or weight loss, consult your doctor.
He might suggest a colonoscopy to help him diagnose your problem. Endure it because your colon plays a major role in your life and until it is sorted out, you will feel unwell. Once he determines the medical cause, he will treat and cure you of your suffering.
Bloating is also one of the primary symptoms of ovarian cancer, a ‘silent’ disease difficult to detect early.
Although the remote possibility exists of it being something serious, bloating is much more likely to be a minor inconvenience which you can get rid of fast by making simple lifestyle changes.
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French Gravy
There are a number of different styles of gravy that people can find. From the traditional favorites we eat around the holidays to others that are a little more unique. These gravies can be smothered on your favorite foods and enhance flavors and textures of a variety of different foods. It is because of this, that we must take a moment and consider the fact that not every batch you make will work on every style of food you make.
For example, we should look at French gravy. This delicious topping is far from the usual mixture of meat drippings and flour. This does work well on red meats and similar items though and you will find that it has a number of ingredients that will certainly enhance the overall flavors that you experience. Just keep in mind that this will not be your traditional type of sauce, so have alternatives available for the picky eaters in your family.
One of the biggest things you will notice is that this style of gravy actually contains tomatoes, onions, and green peppers as well. While this certainly makes it a bit more succulent, it does differ as it is a bit runnier since there is not any flour in the mixture. This also means that this delicious topping can double as pasta sauce for those who might be interested in using this recipe in that direction instead.
If you are pressed for time and looking for a quick topping, this is not the direction to go. Generally, you will be spending 30 – 60 minutes getting this ready to serve to your family. Of course, the final taste will be worth it, but you should keep that in mind if you are on a tight schedule.
Above all, be sure you try to change things up with this French gravy. You might consider replacing some of the tomato juice for red wine and creating a topping that will have the family asking for seconds of this sauce. Just be sure you do take your time and perhaps even consider doing a trial run before you serve it the first time.
French Gravy
What You Will Need
4 Cans tomatoes with juice
1 Large yellow onion
1 Green pepper
4 Tablespoons bacon grease
2 Tablespoons sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Sugar
Salt & Pepper
How to Make It
Start the process by heating a skillet to medium high heat. Next, add in your bacon grease and mix in your onion and green pepper and sauté them. Then add in your remaining ingredients and allow the mixture to simmer on a low setting. When this is done, you should have a delicious offering that your entire family will love. Salt and pepper your gravy to taste and serve hot.
Mind Your Manners – Italian Etiquette
Meeting People
When meeting people for the first time it is appropriate to wait to be introduced. You will generally be introduced to the oldest person first followed by the women.
The exchange of business cards is a common practice when first meeting someone. Status is important in the Italian culture and it is common to list any titles and/or education degrees you hold on your business cards.
Physical Greetings
When greeting someone a handshake accompanied by a “Pleased to meet you” is appropriate. When departing be sure to shake everyone’s hand, a general group wave as is often done in the United States is not looked on favorably.
An “air kiss” is an appropriate greeting once you have established a relationship with someone.
Physical Space
Italians stand much closer to one another than Americans do and it is common for men to walk down the street arm and arm and also women to walk down the street arm and arm.
Eye Contact
Intense direct eye contact is common, looking away is a sign of disinterest and/or that you are behaving rude.
Good Topics of Discussion
Food, wine, soccer (the national pastime), politics (if you know what you are talking about), music, philosophy and current events.
Bad Topics of Discussion
Inquiring about private family matters, personal income, stereotypes, World War II and Vatican politics. Also the common American question “what do you do?” is considered rude and too personal.
Communication Style
Moments of silence are rare in Italy and repeated interruptions signify interest.
Whistling and winking at women is meant as a compliment and is not used in a degrading way. If a woman is interested she will acknowledge the whistlers with eye contact, if she is not she will ignore them.
Italians often gesture with their hands and one does not converse with their hands in their pockets. Italians place great importance on maintaining a “Bella Figura” (Beautiful Figure/ Image) and slouching and leaning against things is just not done.
Waiting in Line
Lines do not exist in Italy, do not be surprised if someone just walks up to the counter and is served before you, despite the fact that you were next and have been waiting in “line” for the past 20 minutes.
Walking
The evening “passeggiata” is a common occurrence in Italy. Strolling the streets, seeing who is out and catching up with friends is a nightly occurrence in Italy.
Shopping
Customer service is not as “in your face” as it is in the United States. Generally a salesclerk will ignore you until eye contact is made signaling service is required.
Public Transportation
The easiest way to catch a taxi cab is at a taxi stand.
On public transportation it is customary for the younger to give up their seats to the older and men to give up their seats to women.
Tipping
The tip is generally already included in the price at a restaurant. A standard tip for a taxi driver is 10 percent. Bellmen usually receive 1 Euro per bag.
Appropriate Dress
In general Italians dress much more formally than Americans. Italians value “quality” in their clothing and are much more likely to own 2 very nice expensive suits than 6 decent cheaper suits. Black and muted colors are common in combination with brighter colored accessories.
Italian women tend to wear more makeup than American women and also wear nylons all year round.
Meal Time
Breakfast is generally from 8 to 8:30 AM
A standard Italian breakfast is coffee (espresso is generally served after dinner) with a croissant or a couple of cookies.
Lunch is generally served from 1 to 3 PM
In the south lunch is the biggest and longest meal of the day, in the North it is often the biggest meal of the day but during the business week it does not last as long as it does on the weekend. A typical lunch includes soup, bread and olive oil, a main meal and/or soup, salad and a desert of fruit. Wine and sparkling mineral water usually accompanies the meal.
Dinner is generally served from 8 to 10 PM
If the main meal of the day was lunch, then dinner is often a light affair taken at home. If however it was not a typical dinner is quite elaborate. Formal Italian meals consist of: antipasto (such as proscuitto, bruschetta, or fruit), soup, pasta, main dish (usually meat), salad, cheese, desert, fruit and an espresso. Wine is also commonly taken with dinner.
Table Manners
The Italians do not switch their knife and fork as people do in the States. The fork remains in the left hand and the knife in the right hand.
Placing your utensils down on your plate signifies to wait staff that you are finished.
When not using your utensils your hands should be kept visible above the table.
Dishes are passed to the left.
To get a waiters attention you should make contact, waving your hand or calling out is considered to be rude.
Often times in an informal restaurant you will be seated at a table with a stranger, if this is the case conversation is not expected.
Who Pays?
In general the person who does the inviting also does the paying, although the guest is expected to protest. When a woman is seated at a table with men the men (despite a woman’s protest) will always pick up the bill.
Punctuality
The further south you go the less importance is placed on being on time. For social events being a half an hour to an hour late is common. When people are late resist the American temptation to request the reason. Lateness is generally because a person was involved in obligations that involved superiors, family or old friends (and it would have been rude to cut it short).
What is the Difference Between a Kitchen Mixer and a Blender?
There are so many kitchen appliances these days that deciding what you need can be confusing. While these appliances make cooking easier, knowing which ones you actually need will save you time and money. Those who find themselves cooking on a regular basis may decide to invest in several mixers and blenders to serve their needs. So, what is the difference between a kitchen mixer and blender? Here are some basic information hand mixers, stand mixers and blenders.
Blenders- The container that comes with the blender can be made of plastic, glass or stainless steel and contains markings with measurements. Blenders can be used for many different things but are best at making smoothies, milkshakes, purees, soup, and crushing ice. Typical ingredients that would go in a blender include fruits, vegetables, yogurt, milk, liquids and ice.
Hand Mixers- Most people are familiar with the hand mixer. The hand mixer is a small, motorized kitchen appliance that is lightweight and portable. It allows you to mix ingredients in one bowl quickly and with less effort than mixing it manually. Nowadays, electric hand mixers are most popular, allowing the experienced cook to whip up something for cooking and baking within a reasonable time frame.
Stand Mixers- If a hand mixer is best for smaller jobs, a stand mixer (or kitchen stand mixer) is best for medium to large jobs. They are quite an investment, so you will have to decide if you really need one (or if you just really, really want one!) Kitchen stand mixers are “hands-free” and can be used to mix thick bread dough and cake batter, whisk egg whites, and prepare large batches of food at a time. Kitchen stand mixers typically come with 3 attachments: a dough hook, flat beater, and a wire whisk. The dough hook is for kneading, the flat beater for cake batters and the wire whisk for eggs and such. Other attachments, such as pasta rollers, food grinders, sausage stuffers, and ice cream makers can be bought at an additional price.
Stand mixers are sometimes preferred to hand mixers because they require less manual effort, get the job done more quickly, and provides more options. For a smaller job, using a hand mixer is not a problem. However, if you are preparing lots of food for a crowd of people, you may find that a kitchen stand mixer will get the job done with less aches and pains. This is because, as long as you keep an eye on it, the appliance will do all the work for you. They are also are faster at mixing than hand mixers, and the additional attachments makes cooking a dream!
Top 7 Tips for Cooking Pasta the Real Italian Way
PASTA SECRET #1: ATTITUDE
Attitude is the most important aspect. We should give the greatest attention and focus to our cooking and not get distracted by other things.
PASTA SECRET #2: THE WATER, THE POT AND THE SALT
To cook pasta we need only four things: good attitude, good water, good salt and good pasta.
Always use a large and deep pot. No shallow or small pan for boiling pasta. The best ones are those wonderful stainless steel beauties, with a very thick bottom. Puts lots of water to boil. Even if you are going to cook just for yourself a quick “spaghettata”, always use at least 1 quart of water. You need 1 quarter for each 100 gr of pasta.
If the water from your sink taste too much of chlorine, you may want to buy a good filtration system for your kitchen. It is worth it!
Regarding the salt, you need 10 grams per each quarter of water in the pot. Always salt the cooking water. If salt must be eliminated for health reasons, then maybe you should stick to rice for the time being. Salt is a must. You need to buy rock sea salt, possibly harvested from the Mediterranean sea.
PASTA SECRET #3: PASTA, BUT ONLY THE RIGHT ONE!
Pasta, of course, must need to be made only with 100% Durum Semolina, but that is not enough. The serious pasta lover distinguishes pasta from pasta. Buy only imported Italian pasta, and make sure it is made in Italy (the pasta package could say “Imported from Italy”, but actually made somewhere else). Do not trust huge companies like Barilla, that actually make their pasta locally. Their quality is not the same.
Also, do not trust a packaged pasta just because it has an Italian name. Check that the package reads “Made in Italy”. Use the best pasta available. I recommend you look for Italian favourites like De Cecco, or Voiello, that you can find at your local grocery store or supermarket. De Cecco is probably one of the best pasta you can buy abroad. High-quality pasta has a golden color with a vaguely translucent appearance.
PASTA SECRET #4: COOKING
Once the water is boiling you need to throw the pasta in the pot.
The most important test for cooking pasta is the cooking time. Usually the cooking time is written by the manufacturer, on the pasta box, but you may have to try
Only add the salt when the water is ebullient, and with that I mean boiling with zest.
After adding the salt, wait for the water to start boiling again. The salt will have melted completely in the water. Throw the pasta in the pot, having great care of submerge it completely all at once, at the center of the pot, where the boiling is stronger. Once it is all submerged, stir it as soon as possible with a wooden fork or spoon. Stir pasta as soon as it is dropped into the boiling water and keep stirring every minute or so.
Never add oil, which will coat the pasta and cause it to repel instead of absorb the sauce. Oil would be needed if you are using a low quality pasta, since the cheaper wheat would make it much easier for the strands to get glued together.
Let the pasta cook on a lively fire, stirring it every now and then. Be careful of the cooking time: on italian packages it is usually correct. Better to stop cooking a few seconds sooner than later, since the paste will in any case continue cooking for a little while after you drain it.
How do you know the pasta is cooked? Well, if you do not have a cooking time on the pasta package, just sample a strand of the pasta. Break it, and see if the inside is still whitish. That means the pasta is still not cooked. Once the core the strand has lost its whiteness, that is the time for draining.
PASTA SECRET #5: DRAINING
Never overcook pasta. Only serve pasta “al dente”, which literally means “firm to the tooth.” Pasta needs to be cooked so as to be still firm when bitten (but only dry pasta should be cooked “al dente” because “fresh” pasta already is soft to begin with.)
Make sure it is as much as possible “al dente” (not soft), because that is the most digestible state. Mushy pasta is not edible anymore, at least for the pasta lover.
Once the pasta is cooked, before draining add a glass of cold water to stop the cooking. Drain the pasta, but make sure you do not drain the pasta too much making it dry. The strands need to be glossy with moisture. Also, you may want to preserve a glassful of the cooking water to add to your sauce. That water will help form a perfect marriage between the pasta and the sauce.
Again, never ever drain your pasta too much. If you use a good pasta brand, you do not need to eliminate any excessive starch, on the contrary, too much rinsing takes away the superb flavour of your pasta. Remember, pasta water is not “dirty water”. It is important to keep a little to maintain the strand moist. In this way you also need less sauce.
PASTA SECRET #6: THE SAUCE
I am not going to talk about the infinite variety of sauces you can prepare for your pasta, but make sure you do not “over-sauce” pasta. Use just enough to cover the strands. In any case, the right kind of pasta, when cooked right, is a veritable delight in itself. No sauce is needed to savour such a nourishing food. No matter what, serve the pasta piping hot! Never, ever serve lukewarm or cold pasta.
PASTA SECRET #7: PRACTICE!
I did my part. I shared the jealously guarded secrets handed down in the Bontempi family from generation to generation, since the times Rome was a just rustic village on the Mediterranean sea and pasta was still made of *farro* (spelt flour). Now it is really up to you. Let me part by saying: Practice, practice, practice! Invite friends over, or treat yourself and your dear ones to some simple, satvic pasta or some zesty one. Remember, a good pasta lover eat pasta at least 5 times a week.
Light and Fluffy Bread
This recipe is for a very light and airy bread. I was raised in a donut shop (no pun intended) and have baked all my life.
However, I just couldn’t find or create a bread recipe to my satisfaction…one that would knock your socks off, if you know what I mean…that is until I found this one. I got this recipe from a very dear old Italian lady who was like a second mother to me when I was younger. She was always cooking and baking and feeding teenagers.
This is the bread of love that you will love.
INGREDIENTS:
2-4 LOAVES (Depending on Size of Pans)
6 cups all-purpose flour
3 rounded tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoons salt
1 packages fast-rising dry yeast
Combine the above ingredients in a mixer bowl first.
————————————
3/4 cups buttermilk
1-3/4 cups water
Combine the above ingredients in a bowl or large measuring cup and heat to 125-130 degrees in the microwave to add to the mixing bowl.
Note: This amount will fit in the two medium size bread pans and one small or two large bread pans.
————————————
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Combine the above in a Kitchen Aid or similar type of mixer bowl with a flat hook. If you don’t have a mixer, you can do it by hand fairly easily.
2. Blend the ingredients with a dough hook until it all comes together. Finish it up with oiled hands, flattening it out in the bowl. You will not be kneading the dough, but just blending it until smooth. It will be a very wet and sticky dough. Don’t worry about getting too much oil from your hands in the dough; it helps the final product.
3. Let the dough rise in the pot or bowl in a warm place (an oven warmed to 90-100 degrees is perfect) for 30-40 minutes or until doubled.
4. Punch the dough down and form to fit in greased baking pans, The pans should be about half full. Allow the covered dough to rise in a warm place until doubled, or the edges are to the top of the pan and the round is above the top.
5. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until done.
6. Remove the bread from the baking pans immediately and let cool on a rack.
Note: To keep the bread fresh, line a big pot with a sheet, add the bread, and then cover with towels. The bread should be good for 2-3 days, but it is best eaten on the same day.This also makes great pizza dough.
How Sugar Makes You Fat
Look at how many grams of sugar are in what you’re eating (on the nutritional label). Now divide that number by 4. That’s how many teaspoons of pure sugar you’re consuming. Kinda scary, huh? Sugar makes you fat and fat-free food isn’t really free of fat. I’ve said it before in multiple articles, but occasionally, I’ve had someone lean over my desk and say “How in the heck does sugar make you fat if there’s no fat in it?”. This article will answer that puzzler, and provide you with some helpful suggestions to achieve not only weight loss success, but improved body health.
First, let’s make some qualifications. Sugar isn’t inherently evil. Your body uses
sugar to survive, and burns sugar to provide you with the energy necessary for life.
Many truly healthy foods are actually broken down to sugar in the body – through
the conversion of long and complex sugars called polysaccharides into short and
simple sugars called monosaccharides, such as glucose. In additions to the
breakdown products of fat and protein, glucose is a great energy source for your
body.
However, there are two ways that sugar can sabotage your body and cause fat
storage. Excess glucose is the first problem, and it involves a very simple concept.
Anytime you have filled your body with more fuel than it actually needs (and this is
very easy to do when eating foods with high sugar content), your liver’s sugar
storage capacity is exceeded. When the liver is maximally full, the excess sugar is
converted by the liver into fatty acids (that’s right – fat!) and returned to the
bloodstream, where is taken throughout your body and stored (that’s right – as fat!)
wherever you tend to store adipose fat cells, including, but not limited to, the
popular regions of the stomach, hips, butt, and breasts.
As an unfortunate bonus, once these regions are full of adipose tissue, the fatty
acids begin to spill over into your organs, like the heart, liver, and kidneys. This
reduces organ ability, raises blood pressure, decreases metabolism, and weakens
the immune system.
Not good!
Excess insulin is the second problem. Insulin is a major hormone in the body, and is
released in high levels anytime you ingest what would be considered a “simple”
carbohydrate, which would include, but not be limited to: fruit juice, white bread,
most “wheat” bread (basically white bread with a little extra fiber), white rice, baked
white potato, bagels, croissants, pretzels, graham crackers, vanilla wafers, waffles,
corn chips, cornflakes, cake, jelly beans, sugary drinks, Gatorade, beer, and
anything that has high fructose corn syrup on the nutritional label.
Two actions occur when the insulin levels are spiked. First, the body’s fat burning
process is shut down so that the sugar that has just been ingested can be
immediately used for energy. Then, insulin takes all that sugar and puts it into your
muscles. Well, not quite! Actually, most of us, except those random Ironman
triathletes and 8000-calories-per-day exercisers, walk around with fairly full energy
stores in the muscles. As soon as the muscles energy stores are full, the excess
sugars are converted to fat and, just like the fatty acids released from the liver,
stored as adipose tissue on our waistline.
But that’s not all. After the blood sugar has been reduced by going into the muscles
or being converted to fat in the liver, the feedback mechanism that tells the body to
stop producing insulin is slightly delayed, so blood sugar levels fall even lower,
below normal measurements. This causes 1) an immediate increase in appetite,
which is usually remedied by eating more food; 2) the production of a stress
hormone called cortisol. Cortisol triggers the release of stored sugar from the liver
to bring blood sugar levels back up, which, combined with the meal you eat from
your appetite increase, begins the entire “fat storage, metabolic decrease” process
over again.
This process of destabilizing blood sugar levels and sending your body on a roller
coaster ride can occur throughout an entire day, week, or month. The excessive
cortisol that accumulates in the body eventually distresses your hormonal system
and results in other problems, including a further decrease in metabolism, obesity,
depression, allergies, immune weakness, chronic fatigue syndrome and other
serious side effects.
So what kind of carbohydrates can you eat to avoid de-stabilizing blood sugar
levels, constantly sabotaging your weight loss, and spending hundreds of thousands
of dollars in health care as you get older? Here is a list of carbohydrates do not
trigger such a strong insulin response and instead provide long-term, stabilized
energy: apples, oranges, pears, plums, grapes, bananas (not overly ripened),
grapefruit, oatmeal, brown rice, whole wheat spaghetti and egg fettuccine, whole-
wheat pasta, bran cereal, barley, bulgur, basmati, Kashi and other whole grains,
beans, peas (especially chick and black-eyed), lentils, whole corn, sweet potatoes,
yams, milk, yogurt (preferably low-fat or fat-free) and soy. Stay away from
processed and packaged foods as much as possible, because they are highly likely
to include artificial sweeteners (which basically have a similar effect as sugar), as
well as simple and refined sugars. Keep your eye out for ingredients that include
sucrose, maltose, dextrose, fructose, galactose, glucose, arabinose, ribose, xylose,
deoxyribose, lactose, and other fake names for sugars. Even “healthy” juice and
many health food products will need to be avoided if they contain high levels of
sugar.
If you need more help with your diet, just let me know. Feel free to e-mail
elite@pacificfit.net, and I’ll give you some suggestions on how a personal trainer can
help you with your nutrition. My new book, Shape21, includes 21 days of nutritional
intake that completely stabilizes blood sugar levels, which, when combined with the
perfect exercise program that I’ve detailed in the book, leaves you with a lean,
athletic body. You can check it out at my website, http://www.pacificfit.net, or at a gym
near you. E-mail elite@pacificfit.net for more information.
Pasta Dough – How to Make Pasta Dough?
Little old pasta makers
My aunts typically made pasta right on the table. They would throw a mountain of flour in the center of the table and make a depression. Within the depression, they placed the eggs and began to mix. Really, making fresh pasta is that simple. I will give you the general recipe and some variations. This recipe is good for all kinds of pasta including spaghetti, lasagna, fettuccine, linguine, ravioli, etc. (you will need certain attachments to the pasta maker to cut the pasta to the type you want – like linguine). You can throw almost anything into pasta like garlic, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, etc. But let’s make the simple pasta first and then you can branch out.
Ingredients:
2 cups flour (I recommend 00 flour if you can find it. It makes a huge difference in taste.)
3 to 4 large eggs (may need to add flour depending on the size of the eggs.
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
10 oz spinach (optional depending on whether you want spinach noodles or not)
Equipment
You really need to invest in a pasta maker. It allows you to thin the pasta to specific thicknesses. But my family always used rolling pins to make their pasta in the old Italian ways. I have experimented with the rolling pin, and honestly, you just don’t get the uniform thickness you do with the pasta maker (except for the way Aunt Alice made her pasta – she could get uniform thickness no matter what, but she had 30 years of experience). Since I last wrote this article, I have purchased an KitchenAid with the pasta maker attachments. I could not be happier with it. It sure beats cranking pasta the way I show here. I try to get most of my pasta to a thickness with setting 5 in case you own one.
Preparation
If you are using the spinach (I don’t recommend this for your first time), wash and cook the spinach in a pan with a small amount of olive oil. It will wilt quite quickly and should be removed from the heat as soon as it does.
Spinach Make sure the spinach has drained well (squeeze a bit if necessary). If you do not remove the water, you will need to add more flour during the forming of the dough. Chop the spinach finely.
Dough Combined the chopped spinach with the flour, eggs and salt in a bowl and use your hands to knead (just mix). Keep adding flour if it is sticky. Set aside for about 30 minutes once you have formed a dough ball.
Using the pasta maker
The key to the pasta maker (in addition to patience) is getting the dough to the point of being soft and not sticky. This may require sprinkling flour on the dough several times. Run the dough through the pasta maker and add flour if it is sticky. Keep doing this until it stops being sticky. It can be frustrating at first (take a look at the picture below).
Patience
Keep running it through the pasta maker until the dough is not sticky and smooth. Don’t be afraid to add flour to get it to the point you want. Once you have dough that is not sticky, run it through the pasta maker on the widest separation of the wheels. Fold and run through again. You will probably need to do this about 5 to 7 times before the pasta becomes consolidated and smooth with no holes in it.
Keep on rolling
You are almost there. You need to start making the space between the wheels smaller and than roll the dough through. Do not fold anymore at this point. Each time you run the dough through, make the space smaller. You should go down to where you are on the setting with two settings left to go. Of course this varies between pasta makers, but most pasta will require a medium thinness (don’t take it all the way to ultra thin unless you require really thin pasta).
What next
You have two options at this point. You can let the dough sit out over night so it becomes hard (make sure it dries on a lightly floured surface). It allows you to store the pasta for later use. (I like fresh pasta so I rarely do this. I have found that you can keep dough in your refrigerator for up to 30 days. I will double the recipe and then put one dough ball in the refrigerator until I am ready to make more noodles. If you are making a noodle like spaghetti that needs to be cut by the pasta maker, you need to let it harden some. I will be writing an article on making these types of noodles later.) Or you can cook the pasta immediately and eat it. Nothing like fresh cooked pasta. Just boil a few quarts of water with salt and a dash of olive oil (use the oil if you are cooking fresh pasta to keep the pasta from sticking) and throw the pasta in for about 6 minutes. If you allow it to dry and harden you may need to cook longer depending on whether you like it al dente or not.
Jack Botticelli
Purified Water – Health Benefits
Did you know that 70% of your body is made of water? Water helps carry nutrients and oxygen through your bloodstream, safeguards your tissues and vital organs, cushions your joints, and most importantly, removes toxins from your body. Without water, you would literally poison yourself with your own waste by-products!
People operating with just a minor amount of dehydration of only 5% can experience energy loss, headaches, and aggravated outbreaks of existing health conditions like hypertension or asthma. More serious cases of dehydration, when the body has lost between 8-10% of its normal water levels, can result in dizzy spells, increased weakness and fatigue, muscle spasms, and even delirium. By the time your body has lost just 11% of its fluids, it begins to shut down basic functions like blood circulation and kidney functioning. Therefore, drinking a healthy amount of water is clearly a basic step in health care.
But the kind of water you drink is equally important. Untreated water can contain toxins and chemical contaminants that our kidneys and liver are forced to filter on our behalf. Repeated consumption of contaminated water can weaken our immune systems, as our bodies work overtime to fight internal contagions, and ultimately weaken or shut down vital organs. Here are some health benefits you can attain by drinking purified water:
Minimize Exposure to Physical and Chemical Toxins
Federal regulations allow municipal water systems to carry trace amounts of physical toxins like bacteria, fungi, and viruses without being declared unsafe. Small amounts of inorganic chemicals like asbestos, and even farm and garden contaminates like herbicides and pesticides have also been found in tap water tests. Drinking purified water minimizes accidental exposure to these toxins.
Flush Out Mineral Build-Ups
Studies have shown that purified water helps your body eliminate mineral deposits that can build up in cells and joints. This helps reduce the possibility of painful gallstones or arthritis. Purified water also decreases the stress load on your kidneys and liver, letting your body process nutrients more efficiently.
Remove the Taste Barrier
You’ll never drink the water you need on a daily basis if even your safe water tastes gritty, mineral-y, or just plain off. Purified water cleanses water of soil and sand particles, which offers a cleaner taste and makes it easier to get your recommended 8-10 glasses daily. Purified water can also enhance the taste of many nutrition-rich foods, like soups, pasta, rice, and vegetables, which are good for you and your family.
What Is the Best Way to Cook Quinoa?
Have you ever served your family with a dish with only 1 kind of food and almost all the essential nutrients needed by the body is already there? If your answer is no, then this will surely be an interesting read for you. If your answer is yes, a follow-up question, was the food good-tasting? This food I am talking here is no ordinary food; it is a superfood because it contains protein, calcium, zinc, iron, carbohydrates, Vitamin E, Vitamin B, calories, minimal fat, zero cholesterol, and fiber. Just about all the nutrition you need for a healthy sexy body; and its name is tan-da-da-da… Quinoa!
Healthy is not always the key to elate your diners. You need something that tastes good. Quinoa is a very hearty meal when cooked because it has a unique taste, nutty and earthy and is very healthy. Nowadays, Quinoa comes in different forms, as whole grains, and packed as your usual cereals, in the form of pasta or bread and or as flour. There are many different ways to cook Quinoa and serve it but there is always the basic.
When preparing Quinoa grains, be sure to wash the grains first especially when you are not sure if the one you bought is already washed. Washing it with water makes sure the bitter taste from the saponins (the ones that cover Quinoa seeds) is removed. Running cold water on Quinoa that is placed in a fine meshed strainer and rubbing the seeds between your hands is a better way. Taste a few of the seeds to make sure the bitter taste is gone already. Repeat the rinse if not.
Just like rice, Quinoa basic preparation is done through simmering. The ratio of Quinoa grain and water is 1:2. Add 2 cups of water to 1 cup of Quinoa grain in a 1.5 quart sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer when water reaches boiling point, then cover the sauce pan and wait until the water is absorbed by the grains. It will take about 12-15 minutes to prepare in this approach.
For a nuttier taste, you can roast Quinoa before preparing it this way. Roasting Quinoa is easy. You just have to place the washed grains inside a skillet over a medium to low-heat fire then constantly stir for about 5 minutes.
Prepared Quinoa can be added to soups, salads, added with milk and made as cereals, placed in stews or made as substitute to rice, corn or potato. The limits to menus with Quinoa are endless since the superfood is also already available in pasta and as bread. Be sure to make this healthy food a treat to your family and friends if not today, this weekend!