Saturday, September 06, 2008

Lets talk about goji berries news

goji berries newsWhat is Fairtrade food?

This means that Fairtrade goods are often more expensive in the UK than those without the Fairtrade logo. Although people are now arguing that supermarkets are fuelling their excessive profits by adding large mark-ups to these products This premium that the producer charges covers the basic food, housing, health and education needs of the local communities in countries such as India and Brazil. The Foundation awards a consumer label, the Fairtrade Mark, to products which meet internationally recognised standards of Fairtrade. It is the only such certification in the UK.

Examples of Fairtrade products:

� Fairtrade coffee
� Fairtrade Tea
� Fairtrade Chocolate
� Fairtrade Bananas
� Fairtrade Honey
� Fairtrade Sugar
� Fairtrade Fruit Juice
� Fairtrade Wine and Snacks
� Fairtrade Babyfood

The list of goods certified Fairtrade is growing daily as is the range of products available. The co-op changed all their own brand chocolate to Fairtrade a few years ago and now all the other big supermarkets are beginning to move into the Fairtrade market. Nestle have just released a Fairtrade brand. There has been huge controversy over this as many people are asking how a company that is subject to a boycott can pertain to have Fairtrade and therefore ethical principles?

Why buy Fairtrade?

Millions of small farmers around the world cannot get enough money to feed their families, send their children to school or invest just a few pounds into their farm. This is because people want to buy the cheapest goods possible and don�t think about the people that working in poor condition and often receive less than �1 per day in wages.

Buying products that display the Fairtrade logo ensures that the producers of products such as tea, coffee and chocolate receive a decent income. Rather than being hit by the ever-changing price of their product on the world market, or being fleeced by a middleman who takes a chunky share of the profits, producers in a Fair Trade scheme are guaranteed a decent, stable price for their produce.

By buying Fair trade products that buy direct from farmers at better prices, consumers are improving the lives of producers all over the world. In Eithiopia, farmers can often get more then twice the price for their fair trade coffee then those that sell it on the open market. This extra money enables the farmers to educate their children and to break the cycle of poverty.

Many people struggle to find a reason not to support Fairtrade. Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers. Fair trade is not about charity, it is about settling the imbalance which exists.

How do I know its Fairtrade?

Look for the Fairtrade Mark when you shop and make the choice to support small farmers and workers in the developing world, and encourage your workplace to switch to Fairtrade tea and coffee.

Find Fairtrade products via GuideMeGreen�s fairtrade directory.

Davinos Greeno works with the Organic directory http://www.guidemegreen.com This growing green products directory lists 100s of Organic and Fairtrade food and drinks companies, jobs at http://www.jobs.guidemegreen.com



Chinese New Year - A Great Idea For A Dinner Party

What a great theme for a party with not a lot of expense. Don�t be deterred by the fact that Chinese New Year is not always on a weekend. I know it is hard to believe but people actually socialize Sunday through Thursday nights too. A party doesn�t have to be on a weekend. Just keep it light and inviting.

What do you need? Friends, Food & Drink, Chinese Dishes & Chopsticks, Laterns or Luminaries, Party Favors

How to execute? (Remember our basic entertaining rule � always plan and have a list):

Guests: Make your guest list. We recommend that you keep the gathering small. 10 close friends who aren�t intimidated by a Wed night social event work well. However, when you have a small gathering it is important that every person attend so it doesn�t look like you have no shows. Make sure you get rsvps. If your friends are reliable email users, use www.evite.com and select the Chinese New Year themed invitation. If not, send out paper invitations 3 weeks in advance and follow up with a phone call.

Food: Find a local dim sum restaurant. Do not attempt this cooking yourself. If there isn�t one, use your local Chinese restaurant and order appetizers. Call ahead and ask them to fax you a menu or drop by and get one. While you are chatting, find out how far in advance they need the order and inquire about pickup vs delivery. Allow extra time if you are having it delivered.

Small Group (10-12 people): Choose 4-5 items and make sure you order enough pieces for each guest. Large Group: Choose 6-8 items and order � the number of pieces as you have guests.

Order one or two sweet pastries using the same rule for number of pieces.

Beverage: If you are concerned about it being a �school night� even though we told you to get over that, serve Chinese tea. If not, serve Chinese beer or select one Asian influenced mixed drink. This is not the occasion to stock the full bar.

Supplies and Decorations: Take a trip to Chinatown and pick up chopsticks, dishes, cups, lanterns or luminaries and little party gifts for your guests. Don�t want to go to Chinatown, shop from the comfort of your computer (or call us of course). Pearl River Mart in NYC has everything you will need and you can shop via internet if you aren't in NYC. HOWEVER, make a list first. It is easy to get carried away and buy things you don�t need.

Lanterns range in price from $3 each up to $20. Make sure you have a place to hang them without starting a construction project. An alternative is a string of lights that have paper lantern globes on them. Luminaries are also great. Whatever you decide, you want candle or mood lighting for your party. Be creative but use Asian influences.

Chopsticks: Again, don�t get carried away. If you are not a regular chopstick user then don�t buy $5/pair sticks. You can get them in packs of 10 for $2.50 and they come in all different colors and shapes.

Tableware: If you are picking up the dim sum or appetizers right before the party, then you can serve them on platters/dishes or if the restaurant provided nice containers serve from the containers with chopsticks although we don�t recommend this method. If you are purchasing earlier in the day, you might want to invest in one or two tiered bamboo steamers. They run about $7 each. Otherwise, get some nice Chinese/Asian serving plates (square or oval).

Then you need dishes for your guests. This is very basic. Plates, tea cups if serving tea and dishes for sauces. Pearl River Mart has several different designs that come in melamine (approx $4/person for a whole set), which looks nice, doesn�t break and is dishwasher safe. It is less expensive than buying china or ceramic. However, if you eat a lot of Chinese food in a structured setting (take out on Sat night does not count) then you might want to invest in the real thing.

Favors for your Guests: This is Chinese New Year and not a regular dinner party so party favors are appropriate. Again, check out your local Asian stores for inexpensive trinkets. Again, it is CNY so ticky tacky gifts are OK. This is fun, not a gift to the visiting Ambassador from China. Put them in Asian style mini-gift bags or take away containers. Pearl River Mart has a whole section of CNY paraphernalia. I found a ton of Asian themed items for $1 each at Target a few months ago. You just never know where your party favors will be. Keep your eyes open.

The budget (112-195 if starting from scratch):
Decorations: $10-30
Tableware: $30-50
Beverage: $2-20
Food: $50-75
Gifts: $20

If you don�t want to spend that much on a party, here are some ways to cut the budget:

  • Find a paper store that sells square small plates in paper. Select a pattern that is plain red or black or select something in an Asian style.
  • Use Christmas lights instead of buying lanterns and luminaries
  • Make Origami paper gifts
  • Non-alcoholic beverages are always cheaper than alcohol
And now it is time to celebrate! (This article is not intended to be a how to for an actual Chinese New Year celebration. It is just a fun party idea for those who are bored with the traditional sit down dinner or cocktail party.)

Indra A Books, author of this and many other lifestyle articles is the owner and founder of ON THE GO 4 U, Personal Shoppers & Concierge Service in the Washington DC metropolitan area. The company�s creed is to provide its clients with the ultimate life management experience. In addition to its shopping and concierge services, ON THE GO 4 U also publishes a monthly e-zine and conducts workshops on wardrobe, entertaining and decorating. For more information about the author and ON THE Go 4 U, please visit http://www.onthego4u.net

� 2004 Indra A Books, ON THE GO 4 U.



Becoming a Home Beer Maker Is Easy And Fun

When those weekends with your beer drinking buddies become a little bit expensive, but you and your friends would like to keep the beer parties coming. Then you probably have considered becoming a home beer maker at one point. It is really not as complicated as you might think, becoming a home beer maker is in fact a lot of fun. You need some time and some patience but after that you can have a great quality home made beer and can be proud at yourself. If you prefer you can get some friends involved, it is a great activity and you will probably have a lot of fun as a home beer maker. At the end of the day you and your helping buddies will have enough beer to trow a party.

It all starts with a good home brew store

The local home brew supplier will become your best friend in the near future, you can find everything you need in one store and you will have the expertise of an experienced home beer maker. Home brew suppliers are most often home beer makers them self and they can help you to get started. Most of them started their business out of passion for beer and just saw an opportunity and jumped in. Finding yourself a good home brew supplier is your first big step in becoming a home beer maker.

It Takes time to build experience

We said it before, you need some time and some patience, when you brew your first beer it will probably take you two, tree times longer then when you have build some experience. For your first beer making experience make sure that you don't have to do anything else for about four, five hours.

You need to find a space in or around your house, where you can put the fermenter. This means a room without carpeting and where a little spilling can't do any damage, most home beer makers use the basement, garage or some place like that. When an airlock comes out just a little of the fermentation's can leak, for your brew that is no problem, but when you do it in the living room, and you do get some water damage, your partner won't be that happy. So make sure that you set your brewing equipment up where a little mess doesn't matter and is easy to clean. A little mess should not put you of in becoming a home beer maker.

We advised you to let your friends give you a hand, well now is the time you really need them, when your done brewing, you end up with five gallons of beer that needs to ferment, and so it needs to be moved, and five gallons of beer is really heavy. Because you don't wont to spill your not fermented beer, you need to ask a friend to help you.

Becoming a home beer maker is fun, and remember after you are done brewing, you can have a party with your friends. The ones that helped you but of course also the ones that didn't.

Drew Brown has one hobby and he loves to share it with the world. He just loves to brew his own beverages. http://www.brewingyourown.com



Trendsetting energy and health drinks to be found at Fine Food - Australian Food

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 03:45:19 GMT

Trendsetting energy and health drinks to be found at Fine Food
Australian Food, Australia - Sep 1, 2008
(Bickfords) • Nutrient Water Rehab contains super fruits açai and goji berry and is naturally flavoured with pomegranate and a blend of berries. ...


A Thing Or Two on Food

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 15:48:00 EDT
Goji berries contain a remarkable amount of vitamin C, 500 times more than oranges by weight, making them the second richest source on the planet after the camu c amu berry. ... A recent article on ABC News by Megan Carpenter validated this continuing trend when the article revealed that recently grown crops have shown decreases of up to 3...

How to eat for better health (men): Part II - Abilene Reporter-News

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 23:25:52 GMT

How to eat for better health (men): Part II
Abilene Reporter-News, TX - Sep 1, 2008
Goji berries. These raisin-size fruits are chewy and taste like a cross between a cranberry and a cherry. Goji berries have one of the highest ORAC ratings ...


Global Cosmetic Industry - Pangea Organics.(BRAND NEWS)

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 08:00:00 GMT
January 1, 2007 -- Pangea Organics' Japanese Matcha Tea with Acai & Goji Berry facial mask was awarded Best New Product for 2007 at New Hope Natural Media's...

Acai Berry - Potent, Powerpacked Superfood

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 22:19:17 EDT
Berries and fruits are some of the most nutrient dense superfoods on the planet and many of us have already heard of the research into the phytochemical compounds found in natures sweetest foods. The ...

Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News - Action star Steven Seagal shows his chops with health food bar.

Mon, 04 Oct 2004 07:00:00 GMT
October 4, 2004 -- By Stephen Pounds, The Palm Beach Post, Fla. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Oct. 4--Action-movie superstar Steven Seagal isn't just...

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Did you hear of Wellness

goji berries good for youBarbeque Catering - Tips On Finding The Best Barbeque Caterers

The South is one of the largest places for barbeque not only because of the warm summer days and mild springs, but because barbeque with roast pig and ribs is one of the greatest dishes of the South. If you are looking for a barbeque catering business in Atlanta there are a couple of ways to search. The most important way to find barbeque catering in Atlanta is by word of mouth. There are going to be several businesses listed online and in the phone books, but how do you really know which business is going to be the best. Your friends and co-workers should be able to recommend a barbeque catering Atlanta business to you.

As I mentioned the phone book and internet are also going to have listings of the businesses in the area. If you don't have a friend to recommend a barbeque catering Atlanta business to you then you need to find one through other means. Searching for the information is easy, but how do you chose a business that is not recommended? You certainly wouldn't just pick a name because it sounds interesting.

Online resources allow you to find out the most information about a business. You can go directly to the business website for catering to find out the dishes they make as well as their prices, but that is only half the information you will need. You will also need to taste the food prior to hiring them. Most catering businesses offer taste tests and menu ideas before you hire them to make sure you are both on the same page. The other important aspect of choosing a barbeque catering Atlanta business is checking their credentials. Chefs usually attend four years of college in culinary arts. So asking about their background experience and references is one way to obtain information. You should also check with the better business bureau regarding any complaints. Most businesses that have had complaints are listed and those might be any area to stay away from. It also helps you find the catering business that you desire for your next party.

For the best barbeque catering in Atlanta visit http://www.barbequecateringatlanta.com to read reviews, bbq recipes and get advice on Atlanta bbq catering.



The Therapeutic Effect Of The Gingko Tree

The Gingko Biloba tree is a true living fossil in the vegetal world of our planet. Growing all over Earth 270 million years ago, Gingko trees have partly gone extinct and they are now limited to some vast regions in Asia, particularly China. Some extraordinary 1,500-year old Gigkos have been discovered close to Taoist temples in Asia, but they are not uncommon now in Japanese and Korean regions either. Nowadays, the Gingko is grown in various parts of the world as a decorative and urban resistant tree as it adapst very well to pollution in crowded city areas. Or in very exotic gardens it can even make an excellent bonsai, trimmed and cultivated for centuries, as it is easily adaptable to whatever environment conditions.

Admired as a great decorative tree thanks to its fan-shaped leaves, the Gingko has some amazing therapeutic effects too, being used for millennia in the treatment of affections of the circulatory and nervous systems. The main properties of Gingko leaves are due to the high content of flavonoid glycosides in the leaves that are used pharmaceutically in supplements as memory enhancers and anti-vertigo remedies. Studies have proved that Gingko extract improves peripheral capillary circulation by the extended blood flow it stimulates at the brain level. People who suffer from cold feet and hands symptoms as well as people in old age with memory problems are the first to benefit from the advantages provided by the Gingko.

Medical studies indicate that Gingko extract protects against the damage of the free radicals at the cell level, eliminating blood clotting that is held responsible for a large number of renal and cardiovascular health problems. American research in the field have brought encouraging news that the Gingko extract is useful in the treatment of the early symptoms of Alzheimer disease, while also preventing strokes and macular degeneration. The medical world is now mostly familiar with the use of the Gingko leaves against heart disease and cerebrovascular insufficiency. For further information on herbal remedies and homeopath cures, please subscribe to the silver bulletin e-news magazine.

Peter Salazar's source for quality supplements is http://www.utopiasilver.com

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Sugar - The Truth!

Let's talk about the not-so-sweet truth about sugar and how it sabotages your health. First of all, did you know that the average American gets 20% of their calories from sugar? It is estimated that the average person eats a whopping 136 pounds of sugar a year! Unfortunately many young people eat an even greater amount. Sugar is an empty calorie food, meaning that you are taking in calories that have no nutritional value to fuel your body.

Have you ever noticed that once you have something sweet it leaves you wanting more and more? You've just hopped on the sugar treadmill. You get the sugar high and then crash, as your blood glucose levels swing wildly up and down. Sugar is the drug of choice for many people and it is not without consequences.

Refined sugar depletes your body of all the B vitamins; it also leaches calcium from your hair, bones, blood and teeth. If that is not enough, sugar also affects your body's digestion. Sugar ferments in your stomach. It stops the secretion of gastric juices and inhibits the stomachs ability to digest. Weight gain, mood swings and irritability are a few more side effects from consuming too much sugar. Sugar plays a major role in altering one's mood. Refined sugar has a chemical reaction on the brain, releasing serotonin, the 'feel good' hormone; this tricks the body into a temporary lift as well as causing a rise in blood glucose levels. This 'feel good' lift is then followed by the crash where you feel tired, irritable and even depressed. So what do you do about it?

Removing sugar, or at least reducing the amount, from your diet can and probably should be done in steps. First of all, make a decision to cut out all added sugar that you use from the sugar bowl. If this sounds impossible, please give it a chance. When you stop adding extra sugar to your foods you can actually taste the food your eating. Give your taste buds a week to adjust and I'll bet you will actually appreciate the flavors of your food more without the sugar. Another step to take is to read your labels. Food manufacturers add high fructose corn syrup to most packaged foods. You can start by cutting out all foods with this dangerous ingredient. This may seem daunting but let's face it; real food does not come in a box anyway. Packaged and processed foods are rarely a wise choice for optimal nutrition. When you get a sugar craving try to satisfy it with a natural sugar source like fresh fruit or dried fruit.

You want to avoid the processed sugars that have become so common place in our society. They are white sugar, brown sugar, blackstrap molasses and corn syrup. There are better choices out there like maple syrup, honey, cane juice, rice syrup and sorghum molasses. Many people use artificial sweeteners to avoid sugar. I'm sorry to say that this is no better. Many artificial sweeteners have been proven to have negative side effects. Studies have also shown that eating an artificially sweetened item will still leave you wanting something sweet just as if you had eaten real sugar.

There is no reason to use artificial sweeteners. The right way to deal with our natural desire for sugars is to get them from whole foods, from starches, vegetables and fruits. So I would like to challenge you to reduce your sugar intake. Give it just one week and you will see that you can do it and that you will feel better and more balanced.

Barry Lovelace is creator of Exercise4 Every Body circuit training DVD's. Co-owner of FitQuest Fitness in Allentown, Pa.. a personal trainer, speaker and all around fitness enthusiast.

Visit Barry's website: http://www.fitquestlv.com Contact Barry: barry@barrylovelace.com



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