goji berries juice - Resources and Info Info-Zone: Another blog about goji berries<BR><BR>

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Another blog about goji berries

goji berriesFive Tips From An Italian On A Mediterranean Diet

Growing up Italian, I marveled at the women and men, in my family, who cooked. Not only were they wonderful chefs but had a natural talent for balancing food groups. There was an emphasis on fresh produce and meat, that I am partial to today. One of my grandmothers used to take me to the chicken store to pick out a chicken. Yes, the chicken was still clucking and running around. Today, although I no longer visit the chicken store to get the freshest poultry available, there are still some valuable lessons I like to follow.

Think of Pasta as a side dish, not a main course. The first time I was served pasta, outside of my family, I was astonished. The pasta on my plate would have been four servings, in my family. One pound of pasta serves eight people. Two ounces of pasta with a vegetable and a protein is a meal. Serve more vegetable dishes, if needed. Only serve bread with your pasta on occasion. Pasta is your grain.

Have a hearty soup, as a meal, at least once a week. There are so many nutritious and wonderful soups. A soup with leafy greens and beans, served with a good Italian bread, was often served at my house. A soup, with pasta in the soup, such as chicken noodle would not be served with bread.

Make a salad the first course. Having more courses for dinner helps to regulate the portions eaten in each course. I remember having a salad, with an olive oil and red wine vinegar salad dressing, at every dinner.

Use olive oil as your main fat. We very rarely ate anything deep fried. Instead, if there was oil involved, we saut�ed our vegetables, chicken or fish, and pasta in olive oil.

Have fruit or nuts as a dessert. During the holidays, my grandmother always had a huge fruit bowl and another bowl with a variety of fresh nuts on her dining room table. After dinner, we were allowed to choose a fruit from the bowl and a handful of nuts. Sweet breads, cakes and cookies were an occasional treat, eaten two to three times a month.

I don�t follow all of my grandmother�s cooking traditions as much as I probably should. However, when I start to gain a few pounds, I typically fall back on the old ways. My sisters and I lead busy lives. Many still have children to raise as well as jobs. It is not always easy to cook the way my mother, father and grandparents did. I was surprised, therefore, when talking to my sister not too long ago. Even though we live thousands of miles apart, in both of our houses, there was a pot of soup and a pot of sauce simmering on the stove as well as a chicken simmering in the crock pot. I guess the apple doesn�t fall far from the tree, or is it the olive?

Constance Weygandt is an author, speaker and balance mentor. For more information on wellness and nutrition or to sign up for Constance's newsletter, visit her website at http://www.balancedwellnessonline.com

How Anti-Candida Foods Can Heal You

The symptoms of living with an overgrowth of candida albicans in the body may vary from person to person. Chronic fatigue, yeast infections and difficulty losing weight are just a few of the ways candida can negatively affect one's system. However, with the right nutrition, it is possible to regain control of your body and conquer the frustrating affects of candida. Following an anti-candida diet gives your body its best chances in winning the fight against the condition.

Just like with any effective diet plan, it is better to focus on the foods you can enjoy instead of those you need to avoid. It's almost guaranteed that constantly reminding yourself to stay out of the cookie jar will result in you finding your hand in the cookie jar!

Instead, a better plan of action is to stock your kitchen with anti-candida foods and think positively about the nutritious and delicious menus you can create while performing a candida detox in your body. With an anti-candida diet you are essentially fueling your body to do what it was created to do, which is protect itself from unhealthy bacteria.

So what can you eat on an anti-candida diet? Think whole, natural foods. If it has been processed, it isn't whole and it isn't natural. Some people like to think of this way of eating as a hunter/gatherer-if you can hunt for it or gather it from the field, garden or forest, it is better for your body.

However, on an anti-candida diet, one has to be especially careful of sugar intake, because sugar feeds the candida yeast, which exacerbates the problem. In fact, if you consumer a lot of sugar or yeast, such as candy or baked goods, you will likely notice an increase in candida symptoms. Because of this sugar-sensitivity, high sugar fruits should be avoided. But you can still enjoy two to three servings a day of low-sugar fruits like apples, different types of berries and citrus fruits.

To give you an idea of the low-sugar, hunter/gatherer approach that is best for the anti-candida diet, below is a sample menu:

Breakfast: Hard boiled eggs, grapefruit, yeast-free-whole-grain toast with a spread of natural peanut butter

Lunch: Chicken salad with leafy greens, almonds, sugar-free yogurt

Dinner: Grilled Salmon and asparagus, three-bean salad

Desert: Berries with cream

It is still possible to enjoy your meals on an anti-candida diet. Try introducing new vegetables to your menu to keep it interesting. By following this way of eating you will not only perform a candida detox, but you will also find yourself with more energy and better over-all health due to the nutrient-rich anti-candida foods you are including in your diet.

For more information about anti-candida diet, candida detox and candida recipes, visit Candida Solutions.