Beat The Heat And Ensure Good Health With A Cup Of Iced Tea!

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You can say the concept of drinking iced tea was serendipity by a plantation owner Richard Blechynden in the year 1904. Since then the practice of drinking tea topped with ice continues. The beverage has been brewed in many different ways and has been served differently to enhance taste. So, if you are looking for a refreshing anti-oxidant boost, you know what to order for. You can also make such rejuvenating beverage at home without any difficulty. Nevertheless, you should know that drinking a cup of tea topped with ice is not just a thirst quencher; it has loads of health benefits too like –

1. It comprises anti-oxidants, vitamins C and E, and amino acids. These substances strengthen the immune system of the body and prevent against cell damages. The beverage is also good for maintaining a sound cardio-vascular health. Anti-oxidants like flavonoids present in the tea reduce the possibilities of heart attack and cardio-vascular stroke. Anti-oxidants are also effective in combating blood circulation problems as they can reduce inflammatory processes.

2. According to a recent study, catechins present in iced tea can prevent cancer. Such substances work by inhibiting enzyme activities that lead to cancer. The effect of catechins is most pronounced in cases of liver, skin, and stomach cancers.

3. Flouride content in iced tea maintains tooth enamel perfectly. Moreover, researchers have found that there are substances in iced tea, which are known to prevent bacterial growth inside the mouth thereby preventing bad breath and plaque.

4. Experts say that bone health is enhanced by drinking such a beverage. People who drank iced tea throughout their life are found to have more bone density during their old ages than non-drinkers. Therefore, to ensure healthy teeth and bones, you should switch to drinking iced tea.

5. According to the Nutrition Research Journal, presence of compounds like L-theanine, improves the immune response of the body to infections like cough and cold and flu. Intestinal health is also enhanced by drinking iced tea regularly.

While there are loads of benefits of iced tea, you should make it a point to consume tea freshly brewed from the leaves. Avoid using powdered instant and ready-made bottled teas. Nevertheless, it is also important to ensure that you are buying the best quality leaves from a reputed dealer. As, by doing this you will be able to experience the aroma and flavor of unadulterated tea leaves and above-mentioned health benefits.

Almonds and Cholesterol – Are Almonds a Heart-Healthy Snack

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Almonds and Cholesterol: Are Almonds Really a Heart-Healthy Snack?

It seems that many people are experiencing confusion over almonds and if they should or shouldn’t be included as part of a heart healthy diet. On one hand, almonds are reported to lower bad LDL cholesterol. On the other hand, almonds are a calorie-dense food that’s also high in fat.

Numerous studies, including one by the British Journal of Medicine, has shown convincing evidence that regular almond consumption helps lower bad LDL cholesterol. And not just any LDL, but it’s been shown to reduce the small dense LDL particles that do the most damage to your arterial walls and puts you at a much higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

So what about the question of almonds being high in fat? Over 60% of the fat content in almonds is monounsaturated fats. (This is the same type of fat that is found in olive oil.) Monounsaturated fat is widely accepted to be a key ingredient to reducing the risk of heart disease and part of a heart-healthy diet.

But the health benefits of almonds doesn’t stop with having healthy natural fat and it’s ability to lower low-density lipoproteins. Almonds pack an antioxidant punch with it’s high levels of Vitamin E. And with over 60 mg of magnesium in a quarter-cup of almonds, that’s just more good news for your heart. You see, magnesium has been shown to help improve blood flow and make things ‘easy’ on your veins and arteries. (Translation: Less stress and work for your heart.)

Concerned about adding too many calories if you start eating almonds? Truth is, almonds have been shown to be beneficial at helping aid weight loss. But if you are just a little too ‘scared’ to add more calories, do this…

Substitute almonds for other foods vs. adding almonds to your existing diet. In fact, it’s been estimated by some researchers based on date from a Nurses Health Study that replacing carbohydrates with healthy nuts like almonds may low the risk of heart disease by as much as 30%. The risk may be lowered as much as 45% if you substitute nuts with saturated fats like those founds in meat and dairy.

Looking for some ways to add almonds to your diet? Try these…

– Add almonds to your salad instead of meat or croutons
– Add to your morning cereals (hot or cold)
– Add to yogurt for a tasty crunch
– Add sliced almonds to vegetable dish (great with green beans)
– Eat with a sandwich as a crunchy substitute for chips
– Two words: Almond butter!

And not surprising, eating almond as a “whole food” is optimal for maximum health benefits. The antioxidant punch mentioned previously is more than doubled when the skins are combined with the meat of the almond, compared to either one separately.

Food And Wine Pairing Made Easy!

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If you like to follow the rules then here are two basic ones that should get you through the night:

Rule One: Drink red wine with meat, white wine with fish and poultry.
Rule Two: Disregard rule one and eat and drink what you like. You will hear this over and over again and it’s so true. Always go with your personal preference first!

Of course, there are some classic matches that satisfy again and again and bring out the best in both wine and food. Wine can often enhance the flavors of your food tantalizing your taste buds in ways you never knew possible and vice versa. A prime examplemy husband HATES white wine. When he tries it he makes a face like someone just gave him a spoonful of cough syrup. One day we went to a wine and cheese paring and he was given Blue Castello and Sauvignon Blanc. It was then that I heard words I never though would come out of his mouth, “This wine is not bad. I actually like it.” It was a breakthrough among breakthroughs! It was his first true experience of food enhancing wine and bringing out flavors in the wine he had never experienced before. Food can have that sort of magical effect on wine and when you find that magic you just can’t help but searching for more of it.

Here are some of our favorite and classic food and wine pairings. I also like to say if you don’t know what to serve, then serve champagne or sparkling wine. It’s fun and extremely food friendly.

APPETIZERS & STARTERS
ANTIPASTO – Pinot Grigio, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, Malbec
ARTICHOKES – Usually a no no with wine, but I love them with Chardonnay
ASPARAGUS – Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc
CARPACCIO (beef) – Pinotage, Shiraz, Shiraz/Pinotage blend, Malbec
CARPACCIO (tuna) – Sauvignon Blanc
CAVIAR – Chenin Blanc, Champagne!
COLD MEATS – Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay
NUTS AND/OR OLIVES – Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc
OYSTERS (raw) – Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc
PASTA SALAD – Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc
PASTA WITH CREAM SAUCE – Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc
PASTA WITH SHELLFISH – Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay
PASTA WITH TOMATO SAUCE – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz
PASTA WITH VEGETABLES – Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Pinotage, Malbec
PATS – Chenin Blanc, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon
QUICHE – Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinotage Ros, Merlot
SCALLOPS – Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio
SMOKED FISH (Trout, Herring) – Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc

SEAFOOD
CRAB – Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio
LOBSTER – Chardonnay, Chardonnay/Sauvignon blend, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc
MUSSELS – Chenin Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc
RED SNAPPER – Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio
SALMON – Pinotage Ros, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio
SASHIMI, SUSHI – Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio
SHRIMP – Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio
STRIPED BASS – Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc
SWORDFISH – Sauvignon Blanc, Pinotage, Pinot Grigio
TUNA – Sauvignon Blanc, Pinotage, Merlot, Shiraz, Chardonnay
OTHER WHITE FISH – Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc

MEAT & POULTRY
CHICKEN – Chardonnay, Merlot, Chenin Blanc, Pinotage
CHICKEN SALAD – Chenin Blanc, Pinotage Ros, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio
CHICKEN (smoked) – Pinotage, Merlot, Malbec
DUCK – Pinotage, Merlot, Pinotage Ros, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Malbec
HAM – Shiraz, Merlot, Pinotage, Malbec, Pinotage Ros
HAMBURGER – Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage, Shiraz, Malbec
LAMB (grilled, broiled) – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinotage
PHEASANT – Pinotage, Shiraz, Malbec
QUAIL – Pinotage, Malbec
RABBIT – Pinotage, Merlot, Shiraz, Malbec
SAUSAGE – Chenin Blanc, Pinotage Ros, Shiraz, Merlot, Malbec
STEAK (grilled, broiled) – Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinotage, Shiraz, Malbec
TURKEY – Merlot, Chardonnay, Pinotage Ros
VEAL – Chardonnay, Merlot
VENISON – Shiraz, Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec
COUSCOUS – Merlot, Shiraz, Pinotage Ros
CURRY, FISH or CHICKEN – Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinotage Ros
PIZZA – Merlot, Pinotage Ros, Pinotage, Chenin Blanc, Malbec
SPICY CHINESE – Savignon Blanc, Pino Grigio, Merlot, Pinotage Ros
SPICY MEXICAN – Chenin Blanc, Shiraz, Malbec
THAI – Chenin Blanc, Pinotage, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio

CHEESES
*GOAT – SOFT: Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinotage
– HARD: Pinotage, Merlot, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon

*COW & SHEEP – MEDIUM: Pinotage, Shiraz
– HARD: Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Chenin Blanc, Pinotage, Sauvignon Blanc

If you are a true rule follower here are some more:

Generally, wines and foods belonging to the same culture are compatible; for example, think Italian wines with Italian food.

Good red wines tend to be dry and rich, sometimes with a tart or astringent quality. They will go better with hearty or highly seasoned foods such as beef, pork, game, duck, goose and pasta dishes. The ‘red with red’ rule works well because the astringency of the tannins cuts through the viscosity of the fat. Reach for a tannic Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage, Petite Syrah or Zinfandel, especially if the meat is served with a heavy sauce. Rare prime rib tastes almost sweet, so it’s perfect with a lighter bodied Merlot or Beaujolais.

White wines are usually lighter in body and flavor and can range from dry and crisp to sweet and fragrant. Serve these wines with foods such as chicken, turkey, fish, shellfish, ham and veal. Pair a honey or brown sugar glazed ham with a white wine that’s not too dry – possibly a Chenin Blanc, Gewurztraminer or Riesling.

Ros wines are in fact pale red wines; their lighter color is due to the shorter time the skins are left with the juice during fermentation. Ros, or blush, wines can range from dry to sweet. These wines should compliment ham, fried chicken, shellfish, cold beef and picnic style foods.

Ahhh, holiday stress. In my opinion if you can’t decide what wine to serve, then serve Champagne. You can find a great budget friendly champagne that will really get the festivities kicked off in the right way. Gloria Ferrer has some really nice sparkling wines to try that won’t hurt your wallet. ORIf you serve turkey with sweet side dishes like glazed carrots or sweet potatoes, choose a white wine with a hint of sweetness, like Chenin Blanc, Riesling or Gewurztraminer. If some dishes have a more savory flavor, try Sauvignon Blanc or a lighter bodied Chardonnay. For a bird with spicy sausage stuffing, serve Pinotage or a try a Pinot Noir.

Don’t match strong to delicate. Pairing a big, powerful, high-alcohol or high-tannin wine with a light, delicate dish (and vice versa) is rarely a good idea.

Acidity is your friend. People tend to be wary of wines described as “high acid,” like Sauvignon Blanc or Muscadet. But there’s no better quality in a wine for matching rich, creamy or cheesy sauces, deep-fried foods or fish dishes; also note, tart wines go better with tart foods.

Follow the don’t-upstage-the-star rule. If you have an amazing bottle of wine you want to show off, especially an older vintage (they tend to be more subtle, their flavors less flamboyant), don’t serve a wildly complex dish with it. A simple dish will allow the wine to be the center of attention.

Dessert, or fortified wines, are heavier and sweeter than table wines and frequently have a higher alcohol content. They are usually served alone or with cheese, nuts, fruit or sweets at the end of the meal.

If you don’t like rules, like me, then toss all of these out the door and start experimenting. I’d love to hear about combinations that have worked for you that you can’t get enough of. My rule-breaking favorite is steamed artichokes dipped in butter and a nice oaky California style Chardonnay. Send me your favs and I’ll post them here!

CHEERS!

Why Food Hygiene Courses Are Important For The Modern Workforce

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The demand for food hygiene courses have risen continuously over the years. Businesses involved in food manufacturing, catering and retailing are required by the laws to undertake health and safety certificate courses to stay complaint with the industry regulations. Food safety is therefore an important issue within the modern workforce.

You now can’t open any food outlet if you don’t comply with the food safety guidelines. Hence, catering and restaurants have made it mandatory for their employees to undertake safety training course to ensure proper food handling.

Food related illnesses are a common phenomenon but when you are running a restaurant or catering business you can’t afford the diners to fall ill because of your food. This would not only be detrimental for your image but in the worst case scenario you can even get sued or have your licensed revoked. Food hygiene training courses are, hence, essential for your business.

The members within the food industry are, therefore, required to train their workforce about proper handling of food items, whether raw or cooked. They must also ensure that all workers stay up-to-date with the changing requirements of food safety.

Why is it Important to Train Employees?

A question may, however, arise why it is so important to have employees trained in food safety for the catering or restaurant industry.

Well, to run a catering business efficiently you probably would require workers to carry out different jobs. You need to set up a supply chain, maintain cash flow and also serve great food at the same time. Hence, it becomes important that you have a competent team of workers to assist you in running the business. Food hygiene courses have been designed to help you identify areas of how you can manage your workforce better.

Further, you also need to ensure that the food served from your kitchen comply the health and safety standards. If your customers suffer illness after consuming food in your restaurant, you are likely to receive negative publicity. This can be exceedingly strenuous for you as owner of the business.

The food hygiene training also deals with training employees with proper waste management, which is another important factor for food manufacturing and restaurant businesses.

How to Find Food Safety Courses?

You are therefore required to find a comprehensive food safety course for your workers. There are now suppliers offering both offline and online food safety courses. An online food safety course is designed to cater to the needs of busy professionals where the professional can receive the required training without compromising with his earning opportunities.

An online food hygiene course is precise and hence doesnt take as much time to complete. Therefore, professionals are not required to deal with large volume of course materials. Also these are quick and you can take the examination immediately after completing the course.

It is also important to consider the accreditation and credibility of the online food hygiene course provider to avoid being scammed. If you are not careful at selecting the right food hygiene course online you may run into a great risk of getting your licensed revoked and losing your business.

Quick View To Civilization Of Chinese Food

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Chinese food now holds a popular place among the entire population of the world. You can find a Chinese restaurant in every major city and in many smaller areas of the world as well. Why is Chinese food so popular? Is Chinese food healthy? What is the history of Chinese food?
Firstly Id like give a brief introduction of the development of the Chinese food culture.
In China, food and its preparation has been developed so highly that it has reached the status of an art form. Rich and poor, the Chinese people consider that delicious and nutritious food is a basic necessity. There is an old Chinese saying Food is the first necessity of the people.
Many scientists believe that Chinese food history dates back to the Peking Man which started using fire for cooking about 400,000 years ago. Others claim that Chinese cuisine was established during the Chinese stone age when people began to produce noodle and to cultivate rice.

Chinese food history is remarkable for its variety. Almost each Chinese Dynasty introduced some new innovations, enriching unique Chinese food history. Thus, the Zhou Dynasty is responsible for the appearance of a such well-known Chinese food tradition as chopsticks, and the Qing Dynasty is associated with most of today’s Chinese food popular dishes. Another feature of Chinese food history stir-frying (a famous Chinese food cooking technique) was created during the Tang Dynasty to conserve valuable fuel.

Chinese food history has a deep philosophical background which influenced Chinese food recipes, cooking tips and menus. Thus, in Chinese culture preparation of food is considered not just a craft but an art. Most Chinese food popular dishes require special experience and talent of the chef, however many of them were much modified for western Chinese food restaurants.

Some Chinese food history experts think there are two basic philosophies that had the biggest effect on Chinese food Confucianism and Taoism. After Confucius standards of etiquette food is cut into small pieces before being served, and there should be no knives on the table. The followers of this Chinese food history movement propagated harmony during both cooking and eating.

Taoism which had also a great influence on Chinese culture, and particularly on Chinese food history, focused on such important concepts as healing powers of food and its healthiness. In this way, the Chinese discovered that using ginger as a garnish is a good remedy for upset stomach and cold.
However, the consumption of food is a vital part of the chemical process of life is to state the obvious, but sometimes we fail to realize that food is more than just vital. The only other activity that we engage in that is of comparable importance to our lives and to the life of our species is sex. As Kao Tzu, a Warring States-period philosopher and keen observer of human nature, said, “Appetite for food and sex is nature.” But these two activities are quite different. We are, I believe, much closer to our animal base in our sexual endeavors than we are in our eating habits. Too, the range of variations is infinitely wider in food than in sex. In fact, the importance of food in understanding human culture lies precisely in its infinite variability -variability that is not essential for species survival. For survival needs, all men everywhere could eat the same food, to be measured only in calories, fats, carbohydrates, proteins, and vitamins. But no, people of different backgrounds eat very differently. The basic stuffs from which food is prepared; the ways in which it is preserved, cut up, cooked (if at all); the amount and variety at each meal; the tastes that are liked and disliked; the customs of serving food; the utensils; the beliefs about the food’s properties -these all vary. The number of such “food variables” is great.
Chinese food, when authentic is probably the healthiest food in the world. Some restaurants, which are not authentic, prepare their menu with highly saturated fats or with meats that contain unhealthy amounts of animal fat. These Chinese restaurants are not recommended and they are both neither authentic nor healthy.
Good Chinese food however, is prepared and cooked with poly-unsaturated oils. Authentic Chinese food does not require the use of milk-fat ingredients such as cream, butter or cheese. Meat is used, but not in abundance, which makes it easy for those who love authentic Chinese food to avoid high levels of animal fat. Many believe that authentic Chinese food is really the ideal diet.
Nowadays people are attracted both by Chinese food exoticism and its medical aspects. According to Chinese food history specialists, Chinese cuisine has never been so widespread as it is today.