Down Home Kitchen

I found this article on bloating and thought I’d share it with my readers…………
Contrary to popular belief, bloating is not a result of consuming too much water, it’s just the opposite.  If you’re dehydrated, your body actually holds onto water, increasing puffiness and bloating. Drinking water helps prevent constipation by flushing waste out of your system and keeping your digestive tract moving. Drink at least eight glasses daily, and steer clear of alcohol; it acts as a diuretic. Exercise helps gas pass through the digestive tract, so you’ll experience relief faster. Start with a 15-minute walk, something so simple could work wonders.  Sorbitol and maltitol are commonly used sugar substitutes cause gas and bloating.  If you’re addicted to diet soda or sugarless gum, try to kick your habit.  An added bonus to kicking your cola habitis cutting carbonation which  equals less bloating.  Dairy products can cause bloating in those who have a deficiency in lactase . Try eliminating dairy products from your diet and see if you notice a difference. If you’re a notoriously fast eater, you might be more prone to bloating and gas. When you eat quickly, you swallow more air, which results in bloating.  Consuming too much food in one sitting by eating quickly will only add to your abdominal discomfort. Chinese-take-out connoisseurs and potato-chip lovers beware, excess salt bad for your heart, and is also a notorious bloating culprit. Sodium causes our bodies to retain water, inevitably resulting in a puffy, uncomfortable stomach.   Fiber works wonders for your digestive system.  It keeps your tummy full and your digestive system regular. But as with most things in life, balance is key. Bloating can actually be caused by consuming too much fiber AND too little fiber.  Try to stay between 20 and 25 grams a day, make sure to drink enough water, and remember to increase your consumption gradually.

Many people eat too much salt and think they can’t live without it.  Actually, they can’t live with it, if it’s too much. It is no secret that too much salt can be bad on your health. It causes the body to retain water, which can lead to heart disease, kidney stones, fluid retention and high blood pressure. Low-sodium diets are often prescribed to help keep these conditions under control.  The American Heart Association recommends that healthy adults limit their sodium intake to 2,300 milligrams a day. A quarter teaspoon of sodium contains 600 milligrams of sodium. To avoid getting too much sodium, read labels.
One of the biggest problems is that sodium is hidden in foods that many would call healthy. Low-fat frozen entrees and canned foods are among the biggest…Most sodium, comes from regular table salt.  I think this is a good article, an thought you would benefit from reading it.

1  head iceberg lettuce, chopped

1/2 head romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 c. shredded carrots

1 1/2 c. grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

1/2 c. corn kernels, fresh or frozen.

2 T. fresh snipped chives or scallions

1/2 c. barbecue sauce

1/4 to 1/3 c. beef broth

3 c. med. rare steak or pork tenderloin, cut in bite size pieces

3 ozs. blue cheese, crumbled

Ranch dressing or preferred dressing

In lg. bowl, toss lettuce, carrots & tomatoes.  Add corn, chives and toss, this can be made in advance.  Heat BBQ sauce, over med. heat, with beef broth to thin it.  Add steak/pork pieces and toss to season, warm meat for 2 min.  Divide lettuce mix, on 4 serving plates or bowls.  Sprinkle with blue cheese, place steak/pork in center of each salad.  Serve with dressing.

Makes 4 servings.

With the heat being so horrible these days, I find myself using the slow cooker, many times in one week. Today, I put 2 New York Strips in the cooker with a can of mushroom soup and later it will be nice and tender, and the gravy will have been used to season it.  I’ll probably make a salad to go with it, and there you’ll have a nice dinner, on a hot day.

Conquer The Buffet: Here’s How
If you’re trying to reduce your food intake, probably the worst meal choice you can pick is a buffet - after all, they call it “all you can eat.” However, if you end up at one for lunch, or at a work or social function, decide on only three or four items and make at least one a salad or vegetable (excluding potatoes!). If it’s a party, don’t stand near the buffet the whole time, and under no circumstances should you wear loose clothes! If you’re uncomfortable, then you’ve eaten too much.

This was sent to me in an email and I thought it was good information………wanted to share it  with you.

Here they are……the green tomatoes, that you can fry up with cornmeal and have a tasty delight.  

Then if that’s not to your flavor, you can fry up some summer yellow squash……there are several ways, to fix these babies……..     Now for the “gran-daddy” of all vegetables……the wonderful fresh cabbage that is so easy grown, in a garden……..hey, slaw, or steamed ……cabbage is great and chocked full of  and good nutrients.   

Every time I get into a relationship, I get fat. It never fails, that I start cooking and eat and eat, until I fill so miserable, I can’t breathe. Why do we do this? We seem to want to try to satisfy the other partner at first with our expertise, in cooking. So, we try everything out on them. Before we know it, a few pounds pop up in the wrong places. There goes the waistline and a few other place I don’t like to mention. It’s just a mess, cooking, eating and gaining weight. I hate it, but I love to eat…….lol Is that what they call, being happy and content? Yuck!

This is interesting . . .

Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten
turkeys. When it killed the turkeys, the people who had put all the
money into the research wanted a payback so they put their heads
together to figure out what to do with this product to get their money
back. It was a white substance with no food appeal so they added the
yellow coloring and sold it to people to use in place of butter. How do
you like it? They have come out with some clever new flavorings.

DO YOU KNOW the difference between margarine and
butter?

Read on to the end; it gets very interesting!

Both have the same amount of calories.

Butter is slightly higher in saturated fats at 8  
grams compared to 5 grams.

Eating margarine can increase heart disease in
women by 53% over eating the same amount of butter, according to a
recent Harvard Medical Study

Eating butter increases the absorption of many
other nutrients in other foods.

Butter has many nutritional benefits where
margarine has a few only because they are added!

Butter tastes much better than margarine and it
can enhance the flavors of other foods.

Butter has been around for centuries where
margarine has been around for less than 100 years .

And now, for Margarine…

Very high in trans fatty acids.

Triple risk of coronary heart disease .
Increases total cholesterol and LDL (this is the
bad cholesterol) and lowers HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol).

Increases the risk of cancers up to five fold.

Lowers quality of breast milk.

Decreases immune response.

Decreases insulin response.

And here’s the most disturbing fact; HERE IS THE
PART THAT IS VERY INTERESTING !

Margarine is but ONE MOLECULE away from being
PLASTIC.

This fact alone was enough to have me avoiding
margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated (this means
hydrogen is added, changing the molecular structure of the substance).

You can try this yourself:

Purchase a tub of margarine and leave it in your
garage or shaded area. Within a couple of days you will note a couple of
things:

* no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies
will go near it (that should tell you something)

* it does not rot or smell differently
because it has no nutritional value; nothing will grow on it. Even
those teeny weenie microorganisms will not a find a home to grow. Why?
Because it is nearly plastic . Would you melt your Tupperware and
spread that on your toast?

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I’m passing this award to the ff: Juliana, Lotis, Ric, RJ, Rosemarie1 and Sassy Posted by Avee on Wednesday, April 16, 2008