Richard Ducharne asked:


If you have suffered from yeast infections as a woman, you may have come across several suggestions that yogurt for a yeast infection is a very effective treatment option. Women have been using yogurt for many generations and have passed it down through the years as a wonderful treatment option that can be used instead of the costly medications your doctor may prescribe you.
Natural yogurt contains active cultures that seek out and kill yeast cells in the body, which explains why so many women turn to yogurt for a yeast infection.

You can use yogurt for a yeast infection in two different ways, one of which is to eat some yogurt each day. As the yogurt is digested, your body absorbs the live cultures that will then kill off any excess yeast you may have in your body. You can use this method to treat and prevent yeast infections, which makes this a perfect treatment option for those who suffer from recurrent yeast infections.

You can also use yogurt for a yeast infection in another way that is quicker, but can be a little messy. You simply apply the cool yogurt to the area affected by the yeast infection and allow it to stay on there overnight before rinsing it off the next morning. By doing this, you place the infection fighting enzymes directly on the source and help it fight the infection more quickly. If you use the yogurt right out of the refrigerator, it soothe and cool, instantly relieving painful itching and burning.

There is a surefire natural treatment that is guaranteed to get rid of any type of yeast infection in less than 12 hours. If you have been desperately searching for an effective yeast infection cure then you need to read this important message – Click Here Now



ART

Chris Alleny asked:


Making chocolate is a long process, beginning with the growing and cultivating of the cacao trees and to molding the liquefied cacao in the chocolate factories, and finally designed and added with different types of flavors and confections. From the plantation of cacao trees in South and Central Americas as well as from other cacao growing countries like Brazil, Nigeria, Indonesia, Ecuador, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Papua New Guinea, Cameroon, and Dominican Republic, to the wonderfully lined chocolates in chocolate shops, chocolate is a world-wide production that goes through a lot of hands.

Three main cacao varieties

There are three main varieties of cacao trees that are cultivated for making chocolate and distributed all over the world: the Criollo, the Forastero and the Trinitario. The Criollo cacao tree comes from Central America and makes up about ten to fifteen percent of total cacao trees in the world. They are small trees that are hard to grow but develop beans that are rich in aroma and flavor. The Forastero cacao is a lot easier to grow and this make up almost 70 percent of cacao world production. Its beans have a bitterer flavor than the Criollo cacao beans. The Trinitario is a cross-breed of the Forastero and the Criollo cacao. It takes the aroma of Criollo and the resilience of Forastero against diseases and pests.

Growing under shade
In general, cacao trees shoot up as high as sixty feet when grown in the wild. Farmers who cultivate cacao trim them to about 20 feet so that their pods can be easily reached come harvest time, which usually happens twice a year. Cacao trees prefer to grow in shaded areas, particularly under the shade of taller trees and thus, in the orchard, cacao trees are planted beside banana trees, coconut trees, or rubber trees.

Harvesting cacao beans

The cacao pods take about five to six months to develop before they can be harvested. When the pod turns orange or red from a green or yellow color, then this means that it is ripe and ready for harvesting. Once the farmers harvest the pods using a machete, they place the pods in large wooden boxes covered with banana leaves. The pods are then left to ferment for days, depending on the type of cacao plant. Criollo beans ferment in around two to three days while trinitario and forastero need three to seven days to ferment. In the process of fermentation, the beans become wrinkled and darker in color, and its extremely bitter taste diminishes.

Distributing in chocolate factories

After fermentation, the beans are then dried under the sun for another several days. After drying, they are packed in sacks and shipped to factories all over the world for making all kinds of chocolate, from dark chocolate to white chocolate. The chocolate factory then sorts and cleans the beans then roasts them at 250 to 350 degrees for as long as two hours or as little as thirty minutes. The beans are then removed from their outer shell, crushed, melted, and ground to a thick paste until it becomes what is called, chocolate liquor, the main ingredient of chocolate. Depending on whether the production is for dark or milk chocolate, sugar, vanilla, and lecithin are then added.



ALEXANDER

Mike Fletcher asked:


How are we as Christians supposed to look at alcohol today, in our time and culture?

Nowhere in the Bible is it taught that drinking wine or alcohol is a sin. It is, however, taught that drinking too much alcohol IS a sin.

I am not going to lecture you about drinking. But I am going to say this: In our society, there are few problems worse than alcohol abuse. Alcohol kills 25,000-plus people in highway accidents every year. The greatest single cause of death among young people between 18-25 is being killed in a traffic accident caused by a drunk driver. Five hundred thousand people are seriously injured in traffic accidents caused by drunks.

Countless thousands other die from alcohol-related disease. Alcohol has been linked to heart disease, cancer, hypertension, liver disease and scores of other ailments. It is literally a poison. Alcohol abuse causes families to be torn apart, relationships shattered. Sexual abuse, crime, violence, scores of other problems have their root cause in alcohol abuse.

But in our society, unlike the society that Jesus lived in, we talk about alcohol abuse as a disease, instead of a sin. Alcohol addiction is indeed a disease. It is a disease that has its origin in a conscious decision to drink. No one becomes an alcoholic at the first sip.

Drunkenness is the result of a conscious decision. Alcoholism results from continued abuse. Alcoholism is a disease that starts from sin.

Now in Jesus day, it was hard not to consume alcoholic beverages. There were not a lot of alternatives. But the wine was usually diluted to avoid or minimize its intoxicating effects.

Now follow me: In our society, alcohol is totally unnecessarty. We have plenty of alternatives, non-alcoholic fruit drinks, pop, good, clean water. But WE produce it intentionally to enhance its intoxicating effects. Some of it we age FOR 35 years to make it particularly potent.

See the difference? Then, it was very difficult to make fruit juice without alcohol. They had very limited control over fermentation and wine was a staple, a food, but something which was often diluted so as to cut down its intoxicating effects.

We, today, have many other non-alcoholic drinks available to us and the alcohol we do have is brewed, distilled and fermented TO intentionally be intoxicating.

I am not telling you it is a sin to drink alcoholic beverages. But I am saying you can not accurately defend your indulgence by trying to show how wine was used and viewed in Jesuss day. There is a difference.

The Bible talks a lot about self-control. And often it is related to drunkenness and excell alcohol consumption. For example, consider Job 12:23-25, which says: “He makes nations great, and destroys them; He enlarges nations, and guides them. He takes away the understanding of the chiefs of the people of the earth, and makes them wander in a pathless wilderness. They grope in the dark without light, and He makes them stagger like a drunken man.”

Want more” Check out See Proverbs 20:1; 23:29-32; 1 Samuel 1:13-16; Genesis 9:21-27; 19:30-38 plus references below regarding drunkenness. In the New testamant, consider Galatians 5:22-23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22, 23).”

Being under self-control means that that if we use alcohol, which easily upsets our ability to control our behavior, it must be carefully consumed in great moderation.

Here’s one more verse: “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18).

That’s the best advice I can offer. So while it may not be a sin to drink alcohol, it is dangerous ground to tread.



EMMANUEL

Muna wa Wanjiru asked:


Bacteria were the only living organism that existed on planet Earth twenty billion years ago. They quickly settle in different environmental conditions. They reside in the bodies of the live organisms and all over the universe on the ocean floors, ice glaciers etc. Bacteria are mainly linked with disease, death and dirt; they are associated with the many bacterial infections in children and are regarded as the main cause for any disease. They are associated with unclean environment and are believed to spread only infections as well as diseases wherever they reside. However, many beneficial bacteria are used in the production process of many food products.

Bacteria are distinguished in various groups and are usually found in three different shapes i.e. spiral (spirillum), round (coccus) and rod (bacillus) shaped. They are also found in incomplete spirals. The rod shaped and the spiral shaped bacteria are mobile and are seen swimming around in whisking movements. The other bacteria are stiff and are called pilli that serve as a binding. Some of the bacteria can move only in the presence of natural oxygen and the other bacteria cannot function or grow in the presence of natural oxygen. They are found living on other living organisms while some species are found living on natural dead matter. These are disease causing as well as beneficial bacteria.

Bacteria are independent living cells with a membrane that part them from the outside world. They are not viruses and are not harmful and do not cause any health problems. Human body is a home for millions of bacteria and they normally reside on the skin, nose, gut and mouth. Although the stomach and the mouth form the inside, parts of the human body they are in straight contact with the outer world and are the main carriers of the bacterial diseases.

A human cannot live without bacteria, as they are beneficial for the functioning of the body. Bacteria help us in digesting the food, producing vitamins etc. Some diseases like diarrhea are caused by the harmful bacteria, but are soon taken over by the beneficial bacteria so as to lessen the side effects of the medicines which are taken when a person falls sick. Beneficial bacteria are seen growing until any outside factors disturbs them.

From ancient times, people have been eating food that contains bacteria and have been using different types of bacteria in the preparation of food. The oldest and the most famous example of bacterial usage in food preparation are fermented milk products and yogurt. Prime industries contribute in producing bacterial food products like various drinks, milk powder and milk products etc that are beneficial and healthy. Various species of bacteria are need for the preparation of food and food products. The variety of cheese available in the market is mainly produced by using bacteria in the production process. Sauerkraut and sausages are produced by fermenting the bacteria and are also help in obtaining the needed flavor of the coffee beans and cacao. Bacteria are beneficial in many ways and are used by various industries thus helping the world grow healthier



ALVIN

Kali asked:


They look like cauliflowers, Do naturist shops sell them? I’ve heard some people make them at home by letting a portion of milk in a warm place for hours until a culture grows. They are used in Mexico, Europe or other countries to make fresh yogurt every day. Any advice on how to find them?
All right, I finally found it.
Name is “KEFIR” for those interested in making yogurt every morning, I can assure this is delicious plus is the best form or drinking milk.

BRANDON

Gen Wright asked:


Milk Yogurt and Cheese Food Group Guide

I don’t know about you, but I grew up drinking a lot of milk, and it was always whole milk. That’s fine for kids, because they can burn off the extra calories and need the vitamins, minerals, protein, and even fat that milk and dairy products offer. But, as adults, we may not have the same needs.

Milk and dairy products are great sources of calcium and other minerals, many B vitamins, and milk is often fortified with Vitamins A and D, so don’t ignore this group. Calcium is a key element in helping to prevent osteoporosis, while vitamin D is necessary for calcium to be absorbed properly. Postmenopausal women are especially prone to osteoporosis and loss of calcium. Dairy products are also good sources of complete proteins.

The problem with this food group is that it is often accompanied by a large entourage of fat! And most adults don’t need that kind of entourage hanging around! Choose to consume lower fat choices such as skim milk or low fat milk, low-fat cheeses, and non-fat yogurts.

My recommendation is to include this food group in any well balanced diet, but try to wean you from the high fat choices. Choose skim milk or low fat milk, low-fat cheeses, and non-fat yogurt.

The Food Pyramid Guide

You may be saying to yourself, “The Food Group Pyramid Guide – how boring!” Hang on to your shorts, folks, I’ll let you in on a little, but very important, secret. The Food Pyramid is the best guide to achieving healthful, long-term eating habits. There’s no magic diet for losing weight or achieving better health. It isn’t about eating a truckload of grapefruits, carcasses of beef, or even forty acres of vegetables.

For most of you, a well balanced diet which encompasses a variety of nutritious foods eaten in moderation is the best and healthiest way to lose weight. The Food Pyramid Guide can be just that for you – a guide. It makes life easy for you, because it doesn’t exclude any types of foods and its daily serving recommendations mean “on average.” It is flexible and not an absolute formula. Eating a variety of healthy foods ensures you will get balanced nutrition and that you’ll be satiated and satisfied by those foods.

I don’t know about you, but I’d get really sick of any diet that would only let me eat one type of food – or very little of anything! Any diet has to be flexible and wide ranging enough to be interesting and healthy – so you can happily follow it for the long term. So really it isn’t a diet but a lifestyle change. And creating the habit of a healthier lifestyle is what this article is all about. The Food Guide Pyramid can help.



FREDDY

Eddy Patterson asked:


The origin of tequila began with the Aztec populace making a fermented drink from the agave plant which they called octli (afterward and more commonly called pulque). This happened long before the Spanish arrived in 1521. After that, in the 16th century when the Spaniards arrived in Mexico, the Conquistadors brought the development of cleansing with them and the citizens of Tequila were rapid to locate it to good use. They were aware that the blue agave plant included sugars that might be fermented. As soon as the Spanish conquistadors ran out of their personal brandy, they started to condense this agave drink to make North America’s first native distilled strength.

By fermenting as well as distilling the sweet juice of the blue agave plant, they created liquor with a typical taste. For many years tequila was just consumed nearby and the majorities were sold approximately wholly at the distilleries. By the 90’s, it became rather trendy to taste tequila and its production soared. Novel brands were being introduced to a rising and discerning market. People started asking more authentic tequilas, mainly those made following artisan custom and Premium Tequilas created 100% with the juices of the blue agave plant.

With the beginning of the new millennium, more brands appeared in the market and tequila has become one of the highest three best seller liquors on the planet. Wide areas filled with blue agave plants were planted where it was not harvested before. Traveling in the western part of Mexico, there are striking rolling hills with pale blue agave that seem to last for miles. Owing to the high demand of tequila Mexico and the United States signed a union that allowed the sustained bulk introduce of this very product into the US.



DONNY

lisa m asked:


And now for something different;

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081002/ap_on_fe_st/odd_fermented_milk;_ylt=Ap1ISm5HZk3kG7qLiHHlaGGek3QF
The workers from South of the border would milk out some of the QH mares and drink it and they said it was very sweet and sickly almost like condensed milk. Not for me, I’m afraid!

AUGUSTINE

Bardnurz Sham asked:


Benefits of friendly bacteria were noted the Nobel Prize laureate, E. Metchnikoff as far as early 1900, when he observed Bulgarians living significantly longer and healthier than people of other countries. He attributed this to the friendly bacteria in the fermented milk products that they consumed regularly. Today, many scientific research and clinical trials have confirmed the endless health benefits of friendly bacteria.

We need friendly bacteria to remain healthy and vibrant, to enjoy clear, blemish free, complexion, robust digestive function, stronger body resistance, and to reduce the risk of colon and ****** cancer. There are around 100 trillion bacteria in our intestinal tract itself – that’s more than the number of cells in our entire body. Ideally, probiotics should make up 80% of the total intestinal inhabitants. Unfortunately, it is often not the case for most of us.

Some common symptoms of bad bacteria overgrowth include:

- constipation

- elevated cholesterol level

- headaches

- flatulence

- diarrhea

- body odor

- bad breath

- white vaginal discharge

- food intolerance

- allergies

Left untreated, they can become chronic, as in irritable bowel syndrome and can impair the immune function, leading to other serious illness such as a cancer.

Did you know that 70% of immune functions are actually found within the small intestines? Probiotics function as watchdogs in the intestines to active macrophages and lymphocytes, the white blood cells, to attack and destroy diseases-causing microbes. They also produce several natural antibiotics to inhibit the growth of disease-causing bacteria.

Bad bacteria attach onto the intestinal wall, causing a condition known as “leaky gut”. When this happens, the small, sieve-like holes in the lining of the wall, which normally allow only nutrients to pass through, become enlarged. This allows larger molecules, including partially digested foods to seep into the bloodstream. The immune system then springs into action attacking these larger molecules, causing food intolerance and even allergies. This also burdens the immune system leaving it less resilient against other serious foreign invaders.

The liver binds and neutralizes toxin so that they can be excreted. However, bad bacteria in the intestines are able to break this bond, causing the toxin to be released and reabsorbed into the blood. This can contribute to the development of cancer, not limited to colon cancer, but ****** cancer too. Fortunately, friendly bacteria are able to prevent the bad bacteria from breaking down this bond, and help to neutralize toxic metabolites. In addition, probiotics also produce butyric acid, which may curtail cancer caused by dietary nitrosamines found in preserved meats, or produced naturally in the intestinal tract.

Good digestion and absorption is the first and most important path to buoyant health. Probiotics help your body get the most of everything you eat. They clear the spaces between the microvillus, the hair like projections along the wall of the small intestines, thus, enhancing the absorption of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and amino acids from the food. Not only does good intestinal flora promote efficient digestion and absorption, it can help inhibits gas and bloating.

Probiotics, when present in sufficient strength, may help reduce cholesterol by inhibiting excessive production of cholesterol, metabolizing cholesterol for energy and breaking it down for easy removal and excretion. They also assist in the breakdown of bile salts to further lower blood cholesterol.

Lackluster eyes, poor skin tone, dull hair or excessive wrinkles are all subtle signs that the body is lacking in probiotics. A healthy elimination system is absolutely essential to good health and beauty, and probiotics effectively improve bowel movement for better waste elimination. When intestinal health is restored, the entire exterior of the body virtually glows and skins problems such as eczema, skin irritations, pimples and breakdown soon subside.

Antibiotics tend to kill indiscriminately – it kills the friendly bacteria along with the bad. Whenever you are prescribed antibiotics you need to take probiotics as well, to counter the negative effects on your digestive system. Drinking chlorinated water, carbonated drinks and coffee, eating meat and poultry laden with antibiotics, processed foods, high fat, high protein diets, low fiber intake, taking antacids and living a stressful lifestyle all destroy the friendly bacteria in the intestinal tract. Hence to enjoy all round radiant health, you should take probiotics supplement daily.



IGNACIO