Chocolate Mania

Forget love … I’d rather fall in chocolate!” – Anonymous

Ever since I watched the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I childishly envisioned myself in a chocolate world..where everything was made of chocolates of different kind…And even though my obsession with chocolates dated back to my birth (figuratively) the idea this film inculcated in me added more bars to that obsession. With Ammi and everyone asking me to cut on my chocolate craving, I was all the more tempted to devour just one more, to end my day’s quota.

Precisely, this fatal attraction has moved me to write about the munchy delight I am head over heels in love with.

Chocolate is made by fermenting the seeds from the cacao tree, grounded to cocoa mass, liquified into two components cocoa solids and cocoa butter, which are then processed for the different kinds of chocolates.

“There are four basic food groups: milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and chocolate truffles.” – Anonymous

Types:

Dark chocolate: made by mixing fat, sugar and cocoa has an almost zero milk component. It is used for eating and cooking alike.

Semisweet chocolate: a dark chocolate with half as much sugar as cocoa, and is frequently used for cooking purposes.

Bittersweet chocolate: An Unsweetened chocolate or chocolate liquor to which some sugar (less than a third), more cocoa butter and vanilla is added. Usually used in baking and cooking.

Milk chocolate: is solid chocolate made with milk in the form of milk powder, liquid milk, or condensed milk.

White chocolate: Sometimes, not even called a chocolate as it is a confection based on sugar, milk, and fat without the cocoa solids.

Health benefits:

“It has been shown as proof positive that carefully prepared chocolate is as healthful a food as it is pleasant; that it is nourishing and easily digested… that it is above all helpful to people who must do a great deal of mental work.” – Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

While we are tempted by such a range of choc -variety, let’s also see how we can justify our chocolate cravings to our parents.

The much cursed chocolate which my mother would’nt let me have because she feared it would rot my pretty teeth. But there’s so much more to it..let’s go down in the nitty gritty of things.

The following studies have been presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s Annual Meetings. One study with more than 44,000 participants found that those who ate a weekly serving of chocolate were 22 percent less likely to suffer a stroke than those who ate no chocolate.

· A 2008 study showed a small bar of dark chocolate a day lowers the levels of protein, associated with inflammation, in blood. 

· Recent studies show that blood platelets clump together more slowly in chocolate eaters. This in turn prevents the formation of blood clots, that leads to heart attacks. Chocolate intake also lowers blood pressure, and help prevent formation of artery plaques and improve blood flow.

· Eating chocolate may even help with numbers. A study report in 2009 revealed that people became good at counting backwards in groups of three after they had consumed a hot cocoa drink containing large amounts of a compound found in chocolate. These compounds, called flavonoids, which may increase blood flow to the brain.

· Anti-cancerous benefits of chocolates are also worth mentioning because flavonoids are linked to help reduce the cell damage that promote tumor growth. Antioxidants protect the body from aging caused by free radicals, which can cause damage that leads to heart disease. Dark chocolate contains a large number of antioxidants (nearly 8 times the number found in strawberries. They also help relax blood pressure through the production of nitric oxide, and balance certain hormones in the body.

Wow…all these benefits… aren’t you already to devour some chocolates now. Go and do that..but I’ll sure catch up with you soon with some great chocolate recipes…How about that?

There’s more to life than chocolate, but not right now.
– Author Unknown

Eat Healthy Foods during Tough Times

Organic, free-range, grass fed, non-gmo, dye-free and gluten-free are some of the popular labels that accompany certain healthy food choices these days. Sadly, along with these labels come high prices. According to global organic farming statistics, in 2009 the United States was the number one country (followed far behind by Germany and France) with the largest domestic markets for organic food.

During economic downturns many people need to tighten their belt and re-assess their purchasing habits. Eating healthy when times are tough can be a real challenge. It takes a little ingenuity, patience and research to find where and how you can obtain many of the healthy foods you’ve come to love and appreciate.

Organic vs. Non-Organic

Advertising campaigns can really sway consumers into thinking that what they are purchasing and what they need to purchase are two completely different things. Do not get sucked into the hype. Although organic farming has created a gold rush of business for many corporations much of it is overtly sensationalized, so much so that even the word ‘organic’ has been considerably stretched thin. To compare what may be best to purchase and avoid when considering healthy food choices, it is best to consult the “clean 15” and the “dirty dozen” lists of foods that are susceptible to pesticides and which should be bought organic.

The Dirty Dozen

During tough times you may want to avoid these fruits and vegetables unless you want to buy them organic. The following non-organic foods have been cited as testing positive for between forty-seven and sixty-seven pesticides:

• Sweet bell peppers
• Domestic blueberries
• Lettuce
• Imported grapes
• Cherries
• Apples
• Nectarines
• Potatoes
• Strawberries
• Peaches
• Kale, collard greens and spinach
• Celery

The Clean Fifteen

These fifteen foods present very small amounts to zero traces of pesticides and can be purchased as inexpensive as possible without compromising your health:

• Cabbage
• Kiwi
• Asparagus
• Sweet onions
• Cantaloupe
• Watermelon
• Eggplant
• Sweet peas
• Pineapples
• Sweet corn
• Mango
• Onions
• Avocado
• Grapefruit
• Sweet potatoes

Buy in Bulk but Buy Smart

With so many warehouse shopping opportunities these days it is worth the initial yearly membership fee to get in on some of the ground floor bargains. By purchasing food in bulk you can still make healthy choices without paying exorbitant individual prices. Assess what you or your household consumes on a regular basis and purchase those items in bulk accordingly. It is important to not let your wide eyes do your shopping when you enter these havens of everything or before you know it you will be leaving with four hundred dollars worth of cases of pickles, candy and mayonnaise.  Stick to what will be used quickly so it does not sit in your refrigerator and spoil or take up necessary shelf space.

Go Easy on the Flesh

Meat, poultry and fish prices are on the rise almost daily. In addition, many of these animal products are tainted with antibiotics and irradiation. Cutting back on your meat consumption and replacing your meals with pasta, rice and beans or salads will not only go easier on your pocketbook but will definitely add to more quality health. Legumes alone are high in protein, fiber and minerals that the body has an easier time digesting and assimilating.

Store Brands

Store brands have become savvier in competing with name brands by improving their ingredients, packaging and especially, price. Do not be afraid to try store brand pastas, salsas, snacks, frozen foods and more. You may be surprised at the comparable quality as well as savings.

Coupon-Mania

Do not get caught up in the coupon traps so many stores are apt to set up. It may seem like a good deal at first to purchase three of the expensive name brand items at what seems to be a lower price but after checking the weight or amount it may not hold up. Slow down when you shop and if possible shop alone with your own music in your headphones. This will enable you to concentrate better and not be confused by outside disturbances.

Junk Foods are Less Expensive but Can They Be Healthy?

This is a fine line because junk foods have become more inconspicuous with their packaging and ingredients. Stay away from sugar, high fructose and corn syrup and instead look for things such as pretzels, crackers, rice or soy ice cream and the like. These items can be less expensive while at the same time healthful.

Hopefully some of these tips will help you eat healthy when times are tough. Preparing food at home and keeping vigilant will go a long way and just may stick, even when tough times subside.

FATTY BRANDS

Now how culture and eating habits change in just a decade. This is one of the analysis :

1. Mc Donald’s

Why Mc Donald’s ? Mc Donald’s is the initiator in producing a surge of Fast Food , and that wave took human beings towards life time diseases.  Ultimately , makes people unfit , unhealthy,  fatty and diabetic.

1. Pizza Hut

Another additional thing for making people fatty , unfit and unhealthy.

1. KFC

1. Domino’s Pizza

1. Subway

US Health Ad Target Mc Donald's

Us health Ad target Mc Donald’s , for its factory system and ignoring everything just for the business. On the other side Guardian posted something on it :

“Unhappy meals: American doctors’ TV ad features a corpse holding a hamburger and the line ‘I was lovin’ it’. McDonald’s, which has thrived in the recession, isn’t laughing”

Now we must draw few lines before we begin to step up into practical lives, whether Healthy life is important for us or recession. Mc Donald’s who is the basic cause of FAT , Diabetes and other heart diseases not in just USA but in other major countries . Big Question just arises why Mc Donald’s ? Why not others? Because Mc Donald’s was the initiator of this system , they produced a factory system rather than Fresh food system.

Today , a person is seems to be like chicken in case of recession. I want to ask you , than why you are earning ? to whom you want to grow up? if healthy life is less important than recession.

A hard-hitting US television commercial bankrolled by a Washington-based medical group has infuriated McDonald’s by taking an unusually direct shot at the world’s biggest fast-food chain this week, using a scene filmed in a mortuary followed by a shot of the brand’s golden arches logo and a strapline declaring: “I was lovin’ it.”

The line is a provocative twist on McDonald’s long-standing advertisingslogan, “I’m lovin’ it” and a voiceover intones: “High cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart attacks. Tonight, make it vegetarian.”

MC DONALD’S Spokesman:

“This commercial is outrageous, misleading and unfair to all consumers. McDonald’s trusts our customers to put such outlandish propaganda in perspective, and to make food and lifestyle choices that are right for them.”

You Should have to decide what type of life style you want? Do you want to be a burger or FREE as SALAD?

Kis ne Kaha tha Pepsi pe 5 Rupay kam Kerdo

Simple , Pepsi Cola ad for Ramadan rocks the whole Pakistan. Just one phrase of ad dominates all advertisements in Ramadan “Kis Ne kaha tha pepsi pe 5 Rupay Kam kerdo!”.

Many Jokes , Teasers and fun made of this ad. Actually Pepsi is offering 5 Rupees discount on retail price.

Have a look at the video and jokes.

Mujrim ko phansi ki saza sunai gai to judge ne pucha marny sy pehly koi akhri khwahish ?
Mujrim : judge sahib marny sy pehly bus ye bata dain k
” kis ne kaha tha  pepsi pe 5 rupay kam kar do ” ?

Joke 2:

Us bechari pr sy ab ye zulmat k badal khatm kardo
Qisa ye purana hua ab esy bhasam kardo
Ye ilzam bhi me apny sar leta hun fraz…

Me ny hi kha tha k
PEPSI PR 5 RS KAM KRD?

Joke 3:

Eid ki khushiu se mulk me pyar bhar 2,

Bhool jao nafratai,jhagray khtam kr2

Ae doston mjhe tum bus itna btao

Kis ne kaha tha Pepsi py 5 rupy kam kar do 2.

Joke 4:

AB TO mujay Dar lgta ha k kahe board k paper ma ye swal na ajai
.
.
FARAZzZz

K Ks ne kaha tha k pepsi pay 5 rupy kam kr do. . . ? ? ?  ;o)

Joke 5:

Itna Heran mat ho
China Se sMs Tha
Poch Rahe Thay
K
Kisne Kaha Tha K Pepsi Pe 5 Rupay Kam Krdo :p

Joke 6:

Breaking news,
“Kis ne kaha tha k pepsi par 5 rupe kam kr 2?” ke maqboliyat daikhty howy talban or lashkar-e-tayibah ne zimidari qabol kr li,

Joke 7:

Ajab pagal c lrki the,
mujy her khat me likhti the,
mujy tm yad krty ho,?
Mujy takti he rehti the,
koch kehna tha shahid us ko,
jany kis se darti the,
ek roz chand taly us ne,
mujy bahon me ly kr wo,
ankhon me daly ankhen wo,
bhot masum lehjy se,
me bola jan ab bus b kro,
jo kehna hai wo keh dalo,
wo sharma bhag gai ,
phir palti or ye keh dala,
“kis ne kaha tha k pepsi par 5 rupe kam kr 2?”;-)

Joke 8:

Rat bhar jag kr ye sochta rehta hn faraz,
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Kis ne kaha tha k pepsi par 5 rupe kam kr 2,

Joke 9:

BREAKING NEWS:

Pak Betting Scandal men pakre jane wale Mazhar Majeed ne Investigation k duran bataya k unhon ne Amir aur Asif ko no balls krne ko kaha
aur aisa hi hoa.
Is k bad unhon ne is Ramazan k sb se bare raaz ko be’naqab krte hoe bataya k
.

.

Main ne hi Pepsi pe 5 Rupay kam krne ko bola tha or aisa hi hoa 

Ab mil gaya jawab sb ko. . . .

Arabic Mandi

People may sometimes be very anxious to try new type of food. Arabian cuisines are the best thing if you really want to try something different. It’s different, has ingredients that may be very different from the norm. Some ingredients you may have never heard of!

There are many benefits to eat Arabian food. You just have to take the leap, open your mouth and your sense, and taste your way through tradition and history to what is called Middle Eastern cuisine.

5 reasons for Eating Arabian Food :

1. Healthy

You won’t find a lot of fat like butter and lard in Middle Eastern cooking or food preparation. Many recipes use only olive oil, and in very small quantities. Very few dishes are fried, also. You will find many foods are grilled and baked.

2. Rich in Veggies

Middle Eastern food is a natural choice for vegetarians. Veggie only kebobs, appetizers likehummus and baba ghannouj, and meatless soups and stews give vegetarians so many options. Middle eastern salads are filling and served with many types of veggies and spices.

3. New Food Starts Your Journey to Learn More.

In college, I had a friend who had never eaten any type of ethnic cuisine. I took him to a Middle Eastern restaurant and although he was wary of trying something new, he did and loved it. Today, my friend speaks enough Arabic to carry on a conversation and has visited the Middle East three times. All because of a little kibbeh…

4. Bring Your Family Closer Together.

Don’t believe me? Try it. So much can be said and learned over a 45 minute meal. Learning about a new culture can be such a family building exercise. Each week, one of my children cooks a meal from another country. Under my supervision, they chop vegetables, set the table and serve the meal. This time allows me, as a father, to interact with my children productively.

5. Cooking Requires Very Little Skill.

You don’t need a degree from the Cordon Bleu to cook up some kebabs or tabouleh. Middle Eastern cooking is about improvisation, using whatever cooking skills you have. Veggies and meats don’t have to be perfectly sliced or served a certain way. It’s all about what you know how to do!

Antioxidants help preserve memory by protecting brain cells against damage from free radicals, research stated.

Besides helping your memory and protecting your brain, apples have also been shown to lower your risk for many cancers.

Research recommends consuming two-to-three apples or one-to-two 8 ounce glasses of apple juice each day.

Organic Foods

A recent research found out that expensive organic foods may not healthier than traditional ones.

Researchers of The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Health pointed out that there is no stable proof that organic foods – which don’t contain chemicals and genetically modified materials – are more efficient. According to the authors who published this report in the American of Clinical Nutrition magazine, there is no real difference between organic and conventional foods.

Vegies

The researchers found only twelve publications in which the organic food health effects in long term were analyzed. In one case the researches found connection between organic food consumption and the appearance of allergic skin reactions. In the research 2800 – 2 years old Dutch baby took part and the parents were interviewed from time to time about their children’s feeding habits and about how often appeared eczema on their skin. Based on their answers, the researchers concluded that those children who unlike their fellows consumed only organic dairy products, had less eczema.

However, the downside of the investigation is that the symptoms of children were declared by their parents and it didn’t get revealed if the allergic reactions became less frequent because of the organic food consumption or some other reason.

Broccli Green Veg

Scientific Name: Brassica aleracea

Biological Background: Broccoli is a dark-green vegetable with small, tight heads (curds) mounted on stem-like buds, and is a member of Brassica family of the Cruciferous vegetables. It is one of the most popular vegetables and was originated in Italy.

A broccoli compound may help prevent or treat breast cancer by targeting cancer stem cells, according to a new study.

Stem cells are the small number of cells that fuel a tumour’s growth.

The study from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center tested sulforaphane, a component of broccoli and broccoli sprouts, in both mice and cell cultures.

Researchers found sulforaphane targeted and killed the cancer stem cells and prevented new tumours from growing.

Food dangerous for health

Eating too  much saturated fat (like the kind found in this meal) can cause high cholesterol. You will find this unhealthy fat in foods that come from animals. Beef,  veal, milk, eggs, butter, and cheese contain saturated fat. Packaged foods that contain coconut oil, palm oil, or cocoa butter may have a lot of saturated fat. You will also find saturated fat in stick margarine, vegetable shortening, and most cookies, crackers, chips, and other snacks.

Increasing weight rapidly or even much is dangerous

Your beer belly isn’t just bad for your social life. Being overweight may increase triglycerides and decrease HDL, or good cholesterol. Losing that gut can go a long way toward improving your beach bod, too.

Your activity level

Activities which makes you dull

Hey, get off that couch and get moving. Lack of physical activity may increase LDL, or bad cholesterol, and decrease HDL, or good cholesterol.

Your age and gender

This matters are you male or female?

After you reach age 20, your cholesterol levels naturally begin to rise. In men, cholesterol levels generally level off after age 50. In women, cholesterol levels stay fairly low until menopause, after which they rise to about the same level as in men.

Your overall health

How healthy is your life to maintain your health

Don’t skip your annual physical, and be sure to have your doc explain your heart disease risk. Having certain diseases, such as diabetes or hypothyroidism, may cause high cholesterol.

Your family history

Family history matters incase of any disease

Aren’t they cute? But they can be dangerous, even when they’re not gossiping about each other. If family members have high cholesterol, you may also.

Cigarette smoking

Smoking the Worlds Biggest Cause of Death!

You  already know this one. Smoking can lower your good cholesterol. And it can kill you with time or with Cancer. So why not quit smoking?