You're just hours away before family and friends arrive for your Thanksgiving dinner. Your pumpkin pie is cracked. Your turkey is cooking unevenly. You knew it wasn't completely defrosted when you started cooking it, but figured getting it in the oven would speed up the defrosting process. And you've lost the recipe for the traditional string bean casserole. What are you going to do?
Here's some helpful hotline numbers to keep posted when November 27 rolls around:
Crisco Pie Hotline: 877-367-7438
Butterball Turkey Talk-Line: 1-800-BUTTERBALL (288-8372) or http://www.butterball.com/
Empire Kosher poultry customer hot line: 717-436-7055 or http://www.blogger.com/www.empirekosher.com Fleischmann's Yeast Baker's Help Line: 1-800-777-4959 or http://www.breadworld.com/
Foster Farms Turkey Helpline: 1-800-255-7227 or http://www.fosterfarms.com/
General Mills: 1-800-248-7310
King Arthur Flour Co.'s Bakers Hotline: 802-649-3717 or e-mail questions to bakers@kingarthurflour.com
Nestle Toll House Baking Information Line: 1-800-637-8537
Ocean Spray consumer help line: 1-800-662-3263 or http://www.oceanspray.com/
Reynolds Turkey Tips Hotline: 1-800-745-4000 or http://www.blogger.com/www.reynoldskitchens.com
U.S. Department of Agriculture Meat and Poultry Hotline: 888-MPHotline (674-6854)
Stay calm. Everything will work itself out.
Let me share with you one of our most memorable Thanksgiving dinners, which looked like it wouldn't happen. It was many years ago we had a power outage on Thanksgiving at 10:30 in the morning. I had just gotten my turkey in the oven. Calling the electric company, we got the bad news that this was going to be a long day for them and us. They had no idea when they'd be able to get the power back on. As it turns out, it didn't come back on until 10:30 that night.
At first, I panicked. Then we did the next best thing - started thinking of options to get the meal made. At the time this didn't look like an opportunity but a disaster. But it was a marvelous opportunity to show to ourselves we were clever and resourceful. A neighbor up the street had a huge barbecue, so we took our turkey up there to be cooked. We had a little mini-motorhome with 2 small propane burners. That's where I cooked the vegetables. Our little barbecue worked nicely for the yams. And fortunately our friends, who brought the pies, never lost their power and so had pumpkin pie ready for our feast.
We set a beautiful table in the dining room (which actually is really the living room with a fireplace). So we lit a fire, had candles lighting our table and had the greatest dinner we've ever had. And, by the way, the most memorable.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Visit www.advantagediets.com for more health and wellness information
Copyright 2008 - Advantage Diets
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Bugs in My Breakfast
As I was eating my breakfast this morning, I was thinking how happy my gut would be when my breakfast finally arrived. That may sound like an odd thought, but you should first know what I had for breakfast. I started out with 1/2 of an orange and 1/2 of a banana, which took care of the fruit portion of my breakfast. Then I had 1 cup of cooked steel-cut oatmeal with 1/4 cup of Greek style plain yogurt with active cultures. I added 1/4 cup of 1% milk to moisten the cereal plus about 1 tablespoon of a flavored non-dairy coffee creamer.
Now you may be wondering why my gut would be so happy. The yogurt with its active cultures is considered a probiotic. As per wikipedia.com - "Probiotics are dietary supplements containing potentially beneficial bacteria or yeasts. According to the currently adopted definition by FAO/WHO, probiotics are: ‘Live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host’.[1] Probiotic bacterial cultures are intended to assist the body's naturally occurring gut flora, an ecology of microbes, to re-establish themselves. Claims are made that probiotics strengthen the immune system to combat allergies, excessive alcohol intake, stress, exposure to toxic substances, and other diseases.
So now I have these great little microorganisms running around in my gut. But these little critters like to eat the same as you and me. The oatmeal I had is very high in fiber, especially soluble fiber, something which these microorganisms love to feed on. The more good guys I can have swimming around in my gut the better.
The idea of eating foods high in probiotics and prebiotics is to increase the number of beneficial microorganisms in the gut in an effort to push the harmful ones out. Research is pointing to inflammation as a participant in such diseases as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Eating probiotics and prebiotics can potentially decrease inflammation in the body,
It's so simple to do so much for yourself. Give my breakfast a try. If nothing else, you will find it is so satisfying and filling that it keeps you going until lunch.
Visit www.advantagediets.com for more health and wellness information
Copyright 2008 - Advantage Diets
Now you may be wondering why my gut would be so happy. The yogurt with its active cultures is considered a probiotic. As per wikipedia.com - "Probiotics are dietary supplements containing potentially beneficial bacteria or yeasts. According to the currently adopted definition by FAO/WHO, probiotics are: ‘Live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host’.[1] Probiotic bacterial cultures are intended to assist the body's naturally occurring gut flora, an ecology of microbes, to re-establish themselves. Claims are made that probiotics strengthen the immune system to combat allergies, excessive alcohol intake, stress, exposure to toxic substances, and other diseases.
So now I have these great little microorganisms running around in my gut. But these little critters like to eat the same as you and me. The oatmeal I had is very high in fiber, especially soluble fiber, something which these microorganisms love to feed on. The more good guys I can have swimming around in my gut the better.
The idea of eating foods high in probiotics and prebiotics is to increase the number of beneficial microorganisms in the gut in an effort to push the harmful ones out. Research is pointing to inflammation as a participant in such diseases as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Eating probiotics and prebiotics can potentially decrease inflammation in the body,
It's so simple to do so much for yourself. Give my breakfast a try. If nothing else, you will find it is so satisfying and filling that it keeps you going until lunch.
Visit www.advantagediets.com for more health and wellness information
Copyright 2008 - Advantage Diets
Friday, August 29, 2008
Coffee Perks
Are you one of those people who can't seem to get their day started without a cup of coffee, but have been feeling a little guilty when hearing that it may be bad for your health? Have a second or third cup without guilt. At least that's what the latest study out of Spain is saying. It might even be good for you since the study showed a trend toward decreasing risk of death from cardiovascular disease, chronic liver disease and diabetes.
What's great for us decaffeinated coffee drinkers, it's not the caffeine that's providing the protection. There must be something else in coffee beans that has yet to be found. I'm sure Howard Shultz of Starbucks was pleased with these results. I wonder if Starbucks will start pushing coffee as the next "health" food.
Visit www.advantagediets.com for more health and wellness information
Copyright 2008 - Advantage Diets
What's great for us decaffeinated coffee drinkers, it's not the caffeine that's providing the protection. There must be something else in coffee beans that has yet to be found. I'm sure Howard Shultz of Starbucks was pleased with these results. I wonder if Starbucks will start pushing coffee as the next "health" food.
Visit www.advantagediets.com for more health and wellness information
Copyright 2008 - Advantage Diets
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Is Gaining Weight Due to Your Taste Buds?
I was just reading an interesting article from the National Institutes of Health titled, "Research Uncovers Little-Known Impacts of Smell and Taste on Health". They're trying to determine if we are genetically predisposed to want certain flavors. Did you know that there are 5 types of taste buds in your mouth? We can sense the presence of sweet, salty, bitter, sour, and the newest one, savory (also referred to as umami)?
I always wondered why many Americans have taken to eating spicy food. Is spicy food a bitter taste or is it a savory (umami) one? I honestly don't like spicy food because I find that the spicy ingredients added to dishes overpowers the taste of the ingredients in a dish. But I think I'm in the minority when you watch television cooking shows or see what restaurants are the most popular in your area. Do you think that more and more Americans are eating spicy food because they need a jolt from their food, a way of telling their body they're eating?
One of the interesting points in the article is that sweet foods, when they enter the intestine, send a signal to the body to crank out some insulin. That's because insulin is needed to move the glucose from that sweet food into the cells of the body and keep the blood sugars at an even level. The hormone that's produced in response to sweets in the gut modulates sensitivity to sweet tastes. Is it possible that eating sugar substitutes triggers the same hormonal reaction, stimulating the release of insulin, which in turn removes glucose from the bloodstream, and thereby actually makes us hungrier? Would we be better off eating small smounts of sugar than to overload on sugar substitutes? Some studies have shown that eating sugar substitutes can actually cause people to crave more sugar or sweet foods.
Do you like beer, dark chocolate, coffee, and leafy greens like bok choy? If so, it means your sensitivity to "bitter" flavors is greater than what other people may experience. It would be an interesting study to see if people, who are sensitive to bitter foods, find they can eat less of these bitter foods and still be satisfied. If someone isn't as sensitive to that taste, he or she may need to eat more of it, trying to get a bigger taste sensation. I know that I can eat a very small piece of dark chocolate and be satisfied, yet eating milk chocolate would cause me to eat more in my attempts to be satisfied with the taste.
The NIH study also found that someone's occupation could adversely influence their sense of smell and therefore, their sense of taste. Fire fighters, for example, often destroy some of their sense of smell while fighting fires, and, in turn, destroy some of their sense of taste. People with chronic sinus problems also experience similar effects. These factors can influence a person's choice of food and the amount eaten.
Visit www.advantagediets.com for more health and wellness information
Copyright 2008 - Advantage Diets
I always wondered why many Americans have taken to eating spicy food. Is spicy food a bitter taste or is it a savory (umami) one? I honestly don't like spicy food because I find that the spicy ingredients added to dishes overpowers the taste of the ingredients in a dish. But I think I'm in the minority when you watch television cooking shows or see what restaurants are the most popular in your area. Do you think that more and more Americans are eating spicy food because they need a jolt from their food, a way of telling their body they're eating?
One of the interesting points in the article is that sweet foods, when they enter the intestine, send a signal to the body to crank out some insulin. That's because insulin is needed to move the glucose from that sweet food into the cells of the body and keep the blood sugars at an even level. The hormone that's produced in response to sweets in the gut modulates sensitivity to sweet tastes. Is it possible that eating sugar substitutes triggers the same hormonal reaction, stimulating the release of insulin, which in turn removes glucose from the bloodstream, and thereby actually makes us hungrier? Would we be better off eating small smounts of sugar than to overload on sugar substitutes? Some studies have shown that eating sugar substitutes can actually cause people to crave more sugar or sweet foods.
Do you like beer, dark chocolate, coffee, and leafy greens like bok choy? If so, it means your sensitivity to "bitter" flavors is greater than what other people may experience. It would be an interesting study to see if people, who are sensitive to bitter foods, find they can eat less of these bitter foods and still be satisfied. If someone isn't as sensitive to that taste, he or she may need to eat more of it, trying to get a bigger taste sensation. I know that I can eat a very small piece of dark chocolate and be satisfied, yet eating milk chocolate would cause me to eat more in my attempts to be satisfied with the taste.
The NIH study also found that someone's occupation could adversely influence their sense of smell and therefore, their sense of taste. Fire fighters, for example, often destroy some of their sense of smell while fighting fires, and, in turn, destroy some of their sense of taste. People with chronic sinus problems also experience similar effects. These factors can influence a person's choice of food and the amount eaten.
Visit www.advantagediets.com for more health and wellness information
Copyright 2008 - Advantage Diets
Thursday, July 3, 2008
N.E.A.T. activity
If we all did a little N.E.A.T. activity, we'd be pounds lighter by the end of the year. N.E.A.T. stands for "non-exercise activity thermogenesis". It's activity that isn't intentional exercising. Just walking up a flight of stairs or parking your car as far away from the mall as you can helps you burn NEAT calories.
I just recently got a mini exercise bike, one of those pedal machines that you put in front of your chair and pedal like a stationary exercsie bike. I put it under my desk so that as I work at the computer, I can keep my metabolism revved up and improve the circulation to my legs.
So many of us have sedentary jobs that we've got to make up for the lack of exercise some way. While I ride my bike outside when the weather is nice (which isn't often enough when you live in the Seattle area) or use the treadmill when the weather is inclement, it still is just an isolated piece of exercise. I do it for an hour and then go sit for 8 hours (with, of course, some breaks for lunch, etc.). This way with a mini exercise bike, I can get a lot more activity while sitting.
Finding the right type of mini exercise bike was a bit of a challenge. There are many types available, from the very inexpensive to the way-too-much-for-me variety. In doing research on the web, I found out that when you go too cheaply, the bike can overheat. But more importantly, the inexpensive ones have a jerky movement that can eventually affect your joints. I ended up getting a mini bike with magnetic resistance by MagneTrainer. It uses magnets to adjust the tension and because of that, gives a smoother pedaling.
When you get something like the mini exercise bike and put it in front of the sofa while you watch television, you can no longer be called a "couch potato". You'll find it actually increases your energy levels, far better than a candy bar will do. For some who haven't yet accepted that exercise is good for you, this is a nice way to start.
Visit www.advantagediets.com for more health and wellness information.
Copyright 2008 - Advantage Diets (all rights reserved)
I just recently got a mini exercise bike, one of those pedal machines that you put in front of your chair and pedal like a stationary exercsie bike. I put it under my desk so that as I work at the computer, I can keep my metabolism revved up and improve the circulation to my legs.
So many of us have sedentary jobs that we've got to make up for the lack of exercise some way. While I ride my bike outside when the weather is nice (which isn't often enough when you live in the Seattle area) or use the treadmill when the weather is inclement, it still is just an isolated piece of exercise. I do it for an hour and then go sit for 8 hours (with, of course, some breaks for lunch, etc.). This way with a mini exercise bike, I can get a lot more activity while sitting.
Finding the right type of mini exercise bike was a bit of a challenge. There are many types available, from the very inexpensive to the way-too-much-for-me variety. In doing research on the web, I found out that when you go too cheaply, the bike can overheat. But more importantly, the inexpensive ones have a jerky movement that can eventually affect your joints. I ended up getting a mini bike with magnetic resistance by MagneTrainer. It uses magnets to adjust the tension and because of that, gives a smoother pedaling.
When you get something like the mini exercise bike and put it in front of the sofa while you watch television, you can no longer be called a "couch potato". You'll find it actually increases your energy levels, far better than a candy bar will do. For some who haven't yet accepted that exercise is good for you, this is a nice way to start.
Visit www.advantagediets.com for more health and wellness information.
Copyright 2008 - Advantage Diets (all rights reserved)
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