Cooking for Pleasure?

Are you someone who stresses when it comes to cooking?. Of course this isn't limited to stovetop cooking. There are many men and women around the world who find baking to be an extremely pleasurable pastime in addition to traditional stovetop cooking or even barbecuing on a grill. The main distinction occurs in how you perceive your cooking projects.

How Do Your View Cooking?

While this question is asked somewhat rhetorically, it is a question you should ask yourself and answer. Do you view cooking as a chore or duty or do you view it as a project? There is something much more exciting about embarking on a new project than getting around to a loathsome chore. If you do view cooking as a chore the more important question might be why?

Some common reasons that people dislike cooking include the following: lack of skill, lack of confidence, boredom, or you could simply dislike the inevitable clean up far more than you enjoy the process of cooking. For each of these, there are solutions if you are willing to make the effort.

A lack of skill when it comes to cooking can be easily corrected in most cases by taking a few cooking classes. Classes are offered for varying degrees of skill sets and are meant to help you develop your cooking talents while teaching you the basics of meal planning and preparation. You can increase your skills by taking more classes down the road.

While a lack of confidence is a little more difficult to address having a few 'dinner parties' in which your quests can compliment your culinary talents can often solve this particular dilemma. The key in this process is to plan your menu carefully and remain well within your comfort zone. You will be amazed at the wonderfully rich and delicious meals that can be prepared with very little effort if you are willing to sift through the recipe books in order to find them.

Boredom in the kitchen is perhaps one of the easiest problems to fix there is. The solution is exceedingly simple–find a challenge. Try cooking Thai or Indian cuisine. Try more difficult recipes. Try making only meals from scratch or simply try broadening your use of spices and seasonings. There are many things you can do in order to bring some excitement back into your kitchen. You may even discover hidden talents and tastes in the process.

There will always be clean up. My suggestion is to make a deal with either your partner or your children and they can draw straws over who cleans up. Of course if this won't work in your family, you could always turn over a new leaf and clean as you go whenever possible. This makes the clean up process after dinner so much simpler to handle that it is well worth a few extra minutes during meal prep.

Cooking for pleasure is really the only way to cook. If you have difficulties when it comes to finding the enjoyment and entertainment value of cooking, perhaps it's time you bring some fun back into your kitchen. If you're barbecuing, put on some Jimmy Buffet and dance around your kitchen. If you're cooking Italian find some nice Italian music to set the mood. Cooking is about having fun in the kitchen and enjoying the fruits of your labor.


 

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Sports Nutrition and Quick Food Fixes

Athletes are busy people. They try to balance training with work, school, family and other activities. With all these responsibilities, athletes consume a lot of energy each day. Food preparation can become a challenge but it is a challenge that athletes need to face since good sports nutrition help to adequately fuel work-outs and improve performance and recovery.

Eating well should be a part of an athlete's overall training plan. But buying well is a requirement for eating well.

Nutritious meals begin at the grocery store. If you purchase the right ingredients, it's a cinch to whip up a nutritious and flavorful meal. Stocking up with healthy staples is critical to good sports nutrition and will give you many options when you get home from a workout. Here are some foods busy athletes must be armed with.

Freeze Health

* Frozen foods are time-savers. Many prepackaged frozen items let you use the exact amount you need thus cutting cleaning up time. Leftovers are also instant meals on a busy night.

* Freezing is an important method of preserving most nutrients. Frozen vegetables are a lot of help because they require no washing, chopping, or peeling. Serve vegetables as a side dish, or incorporate into soups, sauces, or pasta dishes.

* Frozen fruit has longer shelf-life and are easily available if supply of fresh ones is low. Frozen blueberries, mixed berries, and mangoes can be blended into a smoothie with fruit juice and milk or yogurt or used as cereal topping.

* Chicken breasts or fish fillets that are frozen in individual packing are a good protein source for your meals. Frozen meatballs provide variation and can be easily mixed with pasta.

Pantry Staples

Canned products don't compromise nutrition. Upon being harvested fruits and vegetables are processed to keep nutrients locked in.

* Beans that are canned are nutrient dense, and will load you with the important fuel for maximum growth and sports performance.

* Canned tuna and salmon are rich in protein and omega-3 fats, which have been shown to help conditions of cancer, heart disease, arthritis and mental health. Pasta dishes, salads and sandwiches can be given another character by including these in the recipe.

Peanut Butter is a good source of calories, and for busy athletes, an easy fill. Use this as sandwich spread and top with a banana or enjoy with carrot strips. Peanut butter is packed with healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fats and vitamin E.

Popular among athletes is the use of tomato sauce. Processed tomatoes are concentrated with protective compounds. One half-cup of tomato sauce, for instance, contains six times more of the antioxidant lycopene than a medium fresh tomato.

Tomato sauce is usually cooked with pasta which is a staple of many athletes' sports nutrition diet. If available, use the whole grain variety because refined pasta has been stripped off of its vitamins, fiber and other nutrients. Frozen bell peppers and tuna can boost protein content of meals with tomato sauce.

A wide variety of whole grains must be explored, examples of which are brown rice and red rice. Whole grains take a little longer to cook so cook in medium batches just enough to have leftovers for the next day.

In the Fridge

Fridge wonders include prewashed and ready-to-eat salad greens and carrots, cheese, eggs, milk, and yogurt.


 

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The Role Of Vitamin B3 Niacin

Vitamin B3 niacin is an essential vitamin for your body, and it is just one of the eight water soluble types of B vitamins. Nearly all of the B vitamin classes will help the body convert carbohydrates into sugar or glucose, which can then be burned to produce energy. Also known as complex B vitamins, B3 niacin are essential in helping the body break down protein and fat.

Complex B vitamins also play an important role with maintaining muscle tone within the digestive tract, along with the health of the skin, nervous system, live, eyes, hair, and mouth. Even though a lot of people associate creative with the aspect of muscles and muscle tone, vitamin B3 niacin is as equally important – if not more important.

B3 niacin is also important with getting harmful or toxic chemicals out of the body. It can also help the body produce different sex and stress related hormones within the adrenal glands, among other parts of the body. The vitamin is also useful for helping with sexual dysfunction as well. This can be great news for those who have problems with pleasing their mate.

Also very effective with improving circulation, B3 niacin can also help to reduce cholesterol levels found in the blood. Even though vitamin B3 niacin is great as a stand alone supplement, it should also consumed with foods that contain protein, due to the fact that the body is able to convert the amino acid known as tryptophan into niacin.

The higher doses of B3 niacin, which are available only through prescription, have been proven to prevent and also improve a variety of different symptoms and ailments. Due to the high risk of toxicity, individuals should always consult with a doctor first, before they decide to start higher doses of B3 niacin.

There are also niacin skin care products that are being developed as well, which contain anti-aging products, helping to treat acne and also aid in the prevention of skin cancer. A lot of dermatologists expect that these products will become really popular over the next several years. Even though they are still in development stages, research has proven them to be very effective when compared to the other types of products.

The best sources for vitamin B3 niacin include beef, pork, turkey, beets, veal, fish, chicken, salmon, tuna, and peanuts. You can also get supplements that contain B3 niacin as well, which can give your body the amounts it needs. This is a very important vitamin, as it does a lot more for the body than most think. By consuming foods that contain it or taking the proper supplements – you'll get the amount of B vitamins that your body needs on a daily basis.


 

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Antioxidant Red Grapes

A New Orleans study has revealed a new antioxidant that is believed to be more potent that vitamin C, E, and beta-carotene. This new disease-fighting substance is said to be found in red grapes, whose juice and skin may offer more than just wine.

The antioxidant red grapes are contained in the seeds of the fruit. Scientists say that these antioxidant red grapes may offer significant protection against certain types of cancer, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, cataracts, and many other chronic and degenerative diseases.

The new study on antioxidant red grapes, released in April 9, was conducted by researchers at Creighton University in Omaha. The group of researchers who conducted the study say that a compound extracted from the seeds of red grapes called Activin ™ is that substance with powerful antioxidant red grapes properties. Because of its apparent powerful benefits, Activin was dubbed as the "super" antioxidant red grapes.

During the research, the group tested the ability of the antioxidant red grapes Activin in neutralizing and inhibiting the damage caused by fee radicals in the brains and livers of mice. Afterwards, they then compared the effects of the new antioxidant red grapes compound to the more popular antioxidants – vitamins E, C, and beta-carotene.

Lead researcher of the Creighton team, Dr. Debasis Bagchi, announced that Activin seemed to exhibit more powerful potential compared to the other antioxidants.

"Our studies show that Activin is a more potent antioxidant than vitamins C, E, and beta-carotene – up to seven times more potent," Bagchi said when he reported the findings of their study at the Experimental Biology conference in New Orleans.

"Activin is a powerful inhibitor of free radical induced lipid peroxidation and DNA fragmentation," Bagchi further explained. "This is significant because free radicals can destroy cell membranes and damage DNA, and may be a root cause of certain types of cancer, heart disease, and even the aging process itself."

The findings of this study on antioxidant red grapes may also help explain the scientific logic behind the French paradox – why the French have less risk of heart disease even when they eat the richest types of food. Red wine has always been considered more beneficial compared to white wine in preventing heart disease. Apparently, the antioxidant red grapes are the reason for that since red wine is fermented with the seeds while white wine is not.

This most recent discovery of significant antioxidant red grapes adds to the growing reputation of the red grape as a healthful food. It also follows on the recent wave antioxidants are generally making in the scientific community these days.


 

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Juicearian

Many people have heard of juice fasts as a means of detoxifying the body. Followers of a raw foods regimen also include juices as part of their nutrition. Nearly anything can be juiced – fruits and vegetables, primarily. It's a form of concentrated nutrition. Some raw foodists drink only fresh fruit juices.

In addition, fruit and vegetable juices are good sources of the traditional nutrients. Citrus fruits (grapefruit, oranges, etc.) provide a healthy portion of vitamin C. Carrot juice contains large quantities of vitamin A, in the form of beta carotene. A number of green juices are a good source of vitamin E. Fruit juices are a good source of essential minerals like iron, copper, potassium, sodium, iodine, and magnesium, which are bound by the plant in a form that is most easily assimilated during digestion.

While fruit and vegetable juices are the most common form of juice, wheatgrass juice has been getting a lot of attention lately because of the denseness of nutrients it contains.

The primary advantage of truly fresh wheatgrass juice – juice made from raw, live, soil-grown wheat grass, is the apparent high level of life force energy that it contains. It is one of the few truly fresh foods available (sprouts are another). The grass is alive and growing right up to the time it is juiced, and hopefully you are drinking it within a few minutes or so of juicing. Most of us get our green veggies from markets, and they were picked days ago and refrigerated – losing vitality the whole time.

(It is an even worse situation for fruit, which may be picked weeks before you eat it, and in some cases, held in cold storage for months – losing vitality the whole time.)

In contrast, one can grow wheatgrass indoors, and enjoy it when it is truly fresh.

In conclusion, drinking plenty of fresh fruit juices daily will cleanse your system, make you feel completely energized and last but not least, you will look beautiful. People will wonder what you are doing differently!


 

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