anonymous asked:


Copyright (c) 2008 Charles Carter

Proteins are very necessary for human’s health. The muscles of the body, hair, fingernails and many other body parts are made up of partially or wholly of protein. It is the common belief of the person that that the main source of proteins are only the non-vegetarian food substances. They think that vegetarian food normally lacks in protein. Now the question emerges, is their belief right? Well you can get the answer of this question by your own while reading this article on vegetarian protein food.

It is a fact that vegetarian food stuffs are also best in providing proteins and that too in high quantity. It is even revealed out of several surveys that those who are vegetarian are more healthy and fit as compared to those who are not. The only important thing to keep in mind is that the healthy vegetarian should take care to have adequate amount of protein in his diet for sure. It is worth to state that vegans require having more sensitivity regarding their body’s protein requirements.

Here is a list of pure vegetarian protein food stuffs for vegans:

Spirulina:
It is rare and pure vegetarian complete protein that contains all essential amino-acids. It is 85-95 percent digestible and easy for body to assimilate and digest. You can enjoy spirulina in dressing or smoothies.

Bee pollen:

Bee pollen has approximately 40 percent of proteins and packed with vital vitamins and minerals. It is count as nature’s super nourishing vegetarian protein food. Bee pollen has more proteins as compared to any other animal sources like beef, eggs, meat etc.

Soy products:

Cooked soybeans (1/2 cup) have 10 grams of proteins and tofu (1/4 cup) also contains same quantity of proteins. Soy products are involved in small quantum in Asian diets while they are completely new for west. Select best quality of organic tofu as well as unsweetened soy milks. Fermented products of soy are very easy to digest.

Legumes and Beans:

Cooked chickpeas (2/3 cup) have 10 grams proteins. Incomplete proteins are present in beans. This means you can make them healthier by cooking them with other protein rich vegetables. Eating grains and beans together is classic combination that provides complete proteins.

Dairy:

Dairy products are very rich in proteins. Raw milk straight from the cow has very high content of proteins. Thus, raw organic as well as fermented milk food products are far better than homogenized and pasteurized milk.

Process of homogenization breaks milk into very smaller particles. These particles cause lactose intolerance. Pasteurization mainly sanitizes milk but also kills its goodness too. The enzymes present in raw milk help in digestion.

However, if you have treated organic-milk as a last option then do not worry. Here are some guidelines to make proteins present in homogenized and pasteurized milk more digestible.

Eat yoghurt.

Warm the milk with some digestive spices like cinnamon, ginger and cardamom.

Cottage cheese would become more digestible when it added with little yoghurt.

Try sheep and goat products.

Protein powder:

Whey protein-powders are processed proteins. However, smoothie protein-powder is very fine to take as occasional snack or in breakfast. Quality is key factor for complete health. So, from above vegetarian protein food stuffs you can get high quality protein. If you require more proteins then switch towards several other things available as well. It is not that the above mentioned are only the protein rich vegetarian food. In addition there are several other sorts of vegetarian foods available that can provide you with right quantity of protein. Some other sorts of choices that are available for you are bee pollen, legumes, spirulina etc. Hence, from the above food stuffs you can have rich protein diet without any non-vegetarian food.

In addition, if you are concerned with the cost aspect, then too you need not to worry at all. It is so because if you would go for such sorts of foods then the best part is that you would get vegetarian food cheaper as compared to the non vegetarian food. So what’s the deal in not going for vegetarian protein food? Also you are not required to worry about various problems or diseases than can happen because of eating poor quality non vegetarian food.

Being vegan is itself a special and better choice. Thus, take high protein containing vegetables and fruits in your diet with other vegetarian protein food in order to have protein as per your physical requirements.



CORY

R. Fredriksen asked:


When we have a stomachache or are sick, we are often told we have a bug. It is true that there are ‘bugs’ that live in our digestive systems. But there are good bugs and bad bugs.

First of all, bugs are living microorganisms. Within our bodies there must be a balance with those microorganisms to keep us healthy and feeling at our best. This is where Probiotics come in. Probiotics are the good bugs.

Scientifically, Probiotic bacterial cultures are intended to assist the body’s naturally occurring gut flora, ecology of microbes, to re-establish themselves. Doctors sometimes recommend them, and, more frequently, they are prescribed by nutritionists after a course of antibiotics, or as part of the treatment for gut related candidiasis. Claims are made that Probiotics strengthens the immune system to combat allergies, excess alcohol intake, stress, exposure to toxic substances, and other diseases.

When we take antibiotics, for instance, the good bugs that work well with our bodies decrease in number, an event that allows harmful competitors to thrive, to the detriment of our health.
Probiotics, which means “for life”, have been used for centuries as natural components in health-promoting foods. The original observation of the positive role played by certain bacteria was first introduced by Russian scientist and Nobel laureate Eli Metchnikoff, who in the beginning of the 20th century suggested that it would be possible to modify the gut flora and to replace harmful microbes by useful microbes. Metchnikoff, at that time a professor at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, produced the notion that the ageing process results from the activity of putrefactive (proteolytic) microbes producing toxic substances in the large bowel.

Proteolytic bacteria such as clostridia, which are part of the normal gut flora, produce toxic substances including phenols, indols and ammonia from the digestion of proteins. According to Metchnikoff these compounds were responsible for what he called “intestinal auto-intoxication”, which caused the physical changes associated with old age. It was at that time known that milk fermented with lactic-acid bacteria inhibits the growth of proteolytic bacteria because of the low pH produced by the fermentation of lactose.

Metchnikoff had also observed that certain rural populations in Europe, for example in Bulgaria and the Russian Steppes who lived largely on milk fermented by lactic-acid bacteria were exceptionally long lived. Based on these facts, Metchnikoff proposed that consumption of fermented milk would “seed” the intestine with harmless lactic-acid bacteria and decrease the intestinal pH and that this would suppress the growth of proteolytic bacteria. Metchnikoff himself introduced in his diet sour milk fermented with the bacteria he called “Bulgarian Bacillus” and found his health benefited. Friends in Paris soon followed his example and physicians began prescribing the sour milk diet for their patients.

The term “probiotics” was first introduced in 1965 by Lilly and Stillwell, when it was described as growth promoting factors produced by microorganisms (protozoa). In the 1960s the dairy industry began to promote fermented milk products containing Lactobacillus acidophilus. In subsequent decades other Lactobacillus species have been introduced including Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus casei, and Lactobacillus johnsonii, because they are intestinal species with beneficial properties.

In most circumstances, people use Probiotics to prevent diarrhea caused by antibiotics. Antibiotics kill “good” (beneficial) bacteria along with the bacteria that cause illness. Taking probiotic supplements (as capsules, powder, or liquid extract) may help replace the lost beneficial bacteria and thus help prevent diarrhea.

A decrease in beneficial bacteria may also lead to development of other infections, such as vaginal yeast and urinary tract infections, and symptoms such as diarrhea from intestinal illnesses.

Because many of us don’t eat the foods that put the good bugs back in our bodies, a course of Probiotics can help put our system back on track. The best part is, you have nothing to lose.



REUBEN

Yousef Julaidan asked:


Everybody has heard about the great benefits of green tea, but still we drink beer! Green tea has a lot of great benefits and contains a lot of medicinal and nutritional properties. These really deserve to be known because it can save your life one day!

For thousands of years, the Chinese have been drinking green tea and enjoying excellent health benefits. They even used to drink green tea for its medicinal properties, as the Chinese were able to avoid and even treat different kinds of illnesses. It is also linked to the long life that the Chinese have enjoyed and became renown for. They have the highest rate for people living over the age of a hundred. That should be enough proof! Although the Chinese have been drinking this kind of tea for centuries, it was only recently that green tea has been introduced and became popular throughout the planet. I have to through the blame on Coke on this one!

Scientists and nutritionists have found that this incredible drink does indeed have medicinal properties that can help prevent several types of illnesses including this age’s plague, cancer. In fact, there are even doctors who recommend green tea for any kind of illness and insist that drinking it regularly plays a great role in maintaining good health. What is it exactly that makes this magical drink such a miracle that it even perplexed health professionals from all over the world?

First, this tea contains high levels of antioxidants, which are called Polyphenols or Flavonoids. Why do we need antioxidants anyway? We need to understand that the body does millions of processes that are happening at all times. Even when you are asleep, the brain, cells, organs and every part of our body is active building and repairing. This magnificent building operation requires oxygen in order to be done properly. Somebody might ask, what’s wrong with Oxygen? The oxygen that we breathe isn’t hundred percent pure and clean and can contain a lot of oxidants like dust particles, smoke, pollutions, germs, viruses and all kind of harmful micro particles. These oxidants or commonly known as free radicals and are penetrating our system every single day. These free radicals are known to be one of the main stimuli in the growth of cancer cells.

So, in order to fight or reduce the effect of oxidants or free radicals, we will need to introduce antioxidants in our body, very powerful ones in the case of some people! And guess what, green tea has a lot of them. Although some other natural herbs and fruits do have antioxidants, you will see that green tea has a lot more. In fact, the antioxidants found on green tea are much higher than that found in grape juice and red wine.

Second, this amazing drink also contains vitamins, such as vitamin B6, which plays a vital role in the metabolism of the body. That’s why everybody drinks green tea to lose fat and weight. Additionally, vitamins B1 and B2, which are essential for releasing energy from food, which is actually good because it converts directly into energy that you can use in your daily exercises and your work. Another great thing about this tea is that it has key minerals such as magnesium, which is essential for bone growth and body development as well as potassium, which helps in keeping the heart pumping normally and maintain the body’s fluid levels. I thought only milk has such minerals and bone supporting nutrition!

Green tea has caffeine though just like coffee. You may put it as a “disadvantage” but compared to coffee and other teas, it is the best caffeine you can put into your body system! Let me explain, the caffeine that we get from coffee and regular teas has immediate effects on our nervous system. It can raise blood pressure and make our heart beats faster than normal due to its instant stimulating effects. Surprisingly, caffeine in green tea is more beneficial than the caffeine taken from coffee. It works through the body in a different mechanism. It alerts our system, but in a prolonged kind of and effect so we don’t experience sudden spikes in blood pressure, heart beat rate and nervousness. And again, it helps you lose that extra fat in your body, without the harmful caffeine effects!

To experience the utmost health benefits, green tea is preferably brewed rather than fermented. Fermentation is most likely used in black tea but never in green tea. There are basically three important reasons why brewing is used in green tea.

Reason # 1 – Brewing doesn’t eliminate the important nutrients, vitamins and components that comprise green tea. On the other hand, fermentation wastes a lot of the nutritional tea components leaving more and less an enjoyable beverage.

Reason # 2 – Brewing can bring out the best in Catechin and Theanin, the two elements that contribute to a lower level of caffeine in your green tea.

Reason # 3 – Brewing enhances taste and aroma. Indeed, brewing has a very enticing smell that can’t be found in fermented beverages.

Brewing green tea is easier contrary to what people might think.

Here are the tips for the best brewed green tea:-

Tip 1 – The type of water

Choosing what kind of water to use is a very important detail that you have to take note of. Ideally, manufacturers would prefer brewing green tea using soft mineral water or natural water. If you can’t afford purchasing bottled water daily, you can take into consideration tap water. If you’re planning to use European bottled water, don’t. It’s because this kind of water is considered hard water that is not suitable for brewing green tea.

Tip 2 – Chlorine free water

Chlorine must not be mixed with the process. To remove it, just leave your water in your pot for a couple of hours before finally boiling it.

Tip 3 – The boiling process

Depending on how much water you have put, it will be the time that you have to boil. Whenever the water starts to boil, take off the lid of the pot and let it boil continuously for a few more minutes.

Tip 4 – Temperature

It is said that correct temperature of boiling water will vary on the kind of tea that you are about to use. This is the moment when the extraction of Polyphenols takes place. When you buy green tea, usually there will be there some instructions on the temperature to use.

Tip 5 – Steep

Let your tea steep for about three to five minutes. With longer steeping time, the Polyphenol level increases while if steeping time takes only a couple of seconds, it will result in more caffeine content in the tea.

Tip 6 – Tea leaves

Research shows that it is better to brew green tea leaves that are smaller because of the fast infusion. Choosing large leaves or ones that are tightly curved can have a longer infusion time.

Tip 7 – Teabags or loose leaves?

It is more advisable to use loose green tea than green tea teabags. Loose green tea enables Polyphenols to freely float inside your cup of green tea instead of locking them inside teabags.



GUY

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

Nicky Pilkington asked:


To understand what lactose intolerance are you must first know what lactose is. Lactose is a type of natural sugar that is found in cow’s milk and milk products, it is also added to some processed foods, some medications, baby formulas, and candies.

In a child or person that is, lactose intolerant does not digest the lactose properly. It remains in the intestines applying osmotic effects. This pressure pulls fluids and salts into the stomach, which moves very quickly to the large intestines. This causes an amplified level of fluids and salts in the colon and this helps the bacteria to ferment the lactose into hydrogen, hydrogen sulphide, carbon dioxide, and short-chain fatty acids. Hydrogen is one of the gases that are associated with bloating. Hydrogen is very small and it can break out through the walls of the intestine and find its way into the bloodstream, which is then expelled into the lungs.

The fermentation that occurs in the colon can lead to the symptoms that lead to lactose intolerance. The common symptoms are cramping, abdominal bloating, pain and flatulence. Some people also have diarrhea, nausea, rumbling, gaseousness, and in many cases especially children vomiting.

What the doctor will look for before making the decision that your child is lactose intolerant include abdominal pain, bloating, flatulence, borborygmi, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, weight loss and malnutrition. If your child is an infant, your doctor can give you a list of baby formulas that are especially designed for babies that are lactose intolerant. Children can still enjoying drinking milk by adding Lactase Enzyme or by drinking soymilk.

The major problem with infants is that they can become malnutrition if they are not consuming enough formula. However, when an infant is lactose intolerant he or she will not normally eat as much and may be prone to vomiting or spitting up what they do eat.

If your child has lactose intolerance then the symptoms will begin within 15 minutes to an hour after consuming milk products.

Not every person that is lactose intolerant has the same degree of symptoms and many times lactose intolerance is often confused with an allergy to milk. The best way to learn if your child has lactose intolerance it would be best to compare the symptoms between a milk allergy and lactose intolerance to see which symptoms are more prevalent with your child. You should also discuss all of your concerns with your child’s doctor.



RODERICK

Dennis R. Ward asked:


If you have a yeast infection and you have tried everything including Monistat or even Diflucan, and still can’t get rid of it, then you need to try some natural remedies. Many times people with chronic yeast infections do not respond well to typical treatments for yeast. Below is some information to help you learn how to get rid of a yeast infection.

Yeast or Candida albicans, as it is sometimes called, finds its home in your digestive tract. When it comes to infection or overgrowth of yeast, women often get vaginal yeast infection and men generally get yeast of the mouth. When your diet and lifestyle is not balanced then you will have an overgrowth of yeast. In order to cure the infection you must change your diet.

Removing all the sugar from your diet, and the foods based on yeast and alcohol is one way to battle the cause but not always very practical. Chronic yeast infections are mainly due to sugar. That is why most diabetics have such a hard time with yeast infections. If they do not watch their sugar, the yeast increases rapidly in their system.

Some other things that need to be eliminated are white flour, honey, and fruits containing sugar. Once your yeast infection starts to become better, you can add sugar slowly to your diet.

Foods containing yeast is believed to contribute to the fungus in your body. The yeast-based foods that you might consider eliminating are bread made with yeast, tomato, cheese, mushrooms, cheese, and beer.

Alcohol is not good because it produces fermentation in the body. This in turn grows yeast in your body. Red or white wine, whiskey, gin and beer can also cause yeast to grow. Other foods to avoid are peanuts, peanut butter, coffee, black tea, moldy foods and processed foods.



AUGUSTINE

fmhweb asked:


We have long known that yogurt, a fermented milk product with live bacteria, is a healthy food with plenty of calcium, protein, and other nutrients like probiotics that we need for health.  Now, human clinical studies have confirmed that a new yogurt fights the bacteria that cause gastritis and stomach ulcers, caused by Helicobacter. Pylori.  The new yogurt, out of Japan, is a unique approach to fighting ulcers, which affect 25 million people in the United States.  Already on store shelves in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, it may soon arrive in the U.S. too.

So how does it work?  Well we know that H. pylori or over-use of aspirin and or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, causes most stomach ulcers, and while the ulcers can be effectively treated and eliminated with antibiotics and acid suppressants, that simple regimen is unavailable to many in developing countries who are infected with H. pylori.  In this new study, the researchers found that H. pylori seems to rely on a protein called unease to attach to and infect the stomach lining.  So they used vaccine-making technology and injected chickens with unease then allowed the chickens’ immune systems to produce the antibody, and harvested it from their eggs.

They then tested the theory on 42 people who tested positive for H. pylori, who volunteered to eat two cups daily of either plain yogurt or yogurt containing the antibody for four weeks. The results indicate that the suppression of H. pylori infection in humans could be achieved by drinking yogurt fortified with urease antibody, which was eventually destroyed by stomach acid, but not before its beneficial effect was made. Although the yogurt appears less effective than antibiotics for reducing levels of H. pylori, it is a lot easier to take than medicine and can be eaten daily as part of regular dietary routine.



CLARK

Fran Black asked:


A trip down the baking aisle in a grocery store presents the pastry chef with more options for chocolate than the candy counter. But if you’re stuck in a pinch, is it okay to substitute semi-sweet chips with a bittersweet bar? What can a glimpse at the list of ingredients tell you about a chocolate bar? Besides color, is there any real difference between white chocolate and milk chocolate? And why does European chocolate feel different in your mouth than American? After reading this article you will be able to answer these questions. However, we can’t guarantee that you’ll make a better chocolate mousse!

There are six basic kinds of chocolate. While all six are products of the cocoa bean, they differ immensely in flavor and purpose. Knowing how the cocoa bean is processed and used to make chocolate will explain the different kinds of chocolate, and also reveal why some brands are better quality than others.

Cocoa beans come from trees grown in the tropics of South and Central America and Africa. Pods containing the beans are harvested, and the beans together with the surrounding pulp are removed and placed in bins to ferment. After three to seven days the fermented pulp is dried quickly to avoid molding. Then the beans are roasted, graded and ground into a liquid called cocoa liquor. From the liquor, a fat called cocoa butter is extracted, leaving cocoa powder. These are the raw ingredients used to make chocolate.

Most people are surprised to learn that pure cocoa is very bitter. Cocoa must be sweetened with sugar, and sometimes vanilla and milk to produce that ever-popular chocolate flavor. The amount of cocoa in the blend determines the type of chocolate. Unsweetened or Baking Chocolate is the solid form of chocolate liquor. It is used in baking, when sugar or other sweeteners are called for in the recipe. Similarly, Bittersweet chocolate is primarily used for baking, with a minimum of 50% cocoa liquor. A third type of chocolate used in baking is Semi-Sweet, with a minimum of 35% cocoa liquor. Semi-sweet morsels are best known as the key ingredient in chocolate chip cookies.

While bittersweet has a stronger chocolate flavor than the sugary semi-sweet chocolate, these can sometimes be used interchangeably in recipes. In fact, since the amount of sugar is not regulated, what one manufacturer calls semi-sweet may be called bittersweet by another. Europeans, whose regulations are higher than Americans, tend to use more bittersweet. As a general guideline it’s best to note that the higher the content of chocolate liquor, the richer and more flavorful the chocolate.

Both bittersweet and semi-sweet chocolate are considered Dark Chocolate, which is any chocolate that does not contain milk or milk solids. American regulations set a minimum at 15% cocoa liquor in dark chocolate (European rules 35% minimum); however the finest dark chocolate has between 60-70%. There has been hype in recent years that the antioxidants present in dark chocolate may protect the heart; however, much of the processing destroys these healthy properties. Also, the high fat content in chocolate largely negates the benefits.

When milk solids are added to the blend, you get creamy Milk Chocolate, which has at least 10% cocoa liquor. Finally, White Chocolate, made with cocoa butter, milk, and sugar is usually made without any cocoa solids at all.

While chocolatiers have their own blends, the best quality chocolate is that made with high cocoa content. Cheaper blends may use fats other than cocoa butter, and many inferior mass-produced chocolates have less than 7% cocoa! Checking the ingredients list is a good idea if you are searching for a high-quality chocolate. Other than that, the feel of the chocolate in your mouth and the best flavor are largely a matter of personal taste. It is recommended you taste test different brands until you find the chocolate you like best—a task that will hardly be a burden to anyone!



HAROLD

Rene Graeber asked:


Although it is not the cure for the common cold, many people certainly hail the benefits of this remedy as being heaven sent. As a relief from the burning, itching, rash, and vaginal discharge, yogurt yeast infections remedies are the number one thing on many people’s minds.

It can be messy, it can drip, and it can feel downright silly and maybe even naughty to be doing this, but to the tens of thousands of yeast infections sufferers yogurt it is the one thing that can stop them from going over the edge.

There are of course other remedies that will work on yeast infections, and raw garlic clove suppositories is one of them, but most people will first try their hand at one of the methods of the yogurt yeast infections cure.

As was mentioned it can prove to be a messy business, so if you are a woman suffering from a yeast infection then you might want to think about wearing a pad to ward off incipient messiness.

For a man suffering from yeast infections the best advice that comes to mind is to try this remedy when you are at home, and where it will not be commented upon if you have a large wet patch on the front of your trousers!

The first choice of many sufferers using the yogurt yeast infections remedy is to go it direct. This entails you applying the unsweetened yogurt to the infected area. For a man, lather your ***** lavishly with yogurt, and for a woman, you need to coat the vaginal walls with the yogurt.

This yogurt yeast infections remedy can be done in many ways. The first of which is to use a plastic speculum to open the ****** whereupon you can coat the vaginal walls.

Another method is to use a tampon. All you need to do is to coat a tampon in the unsweetened yogurt and insert into the ******. This takes care of the whole situation most effectively.

You also have the option of freezing yogurt in disposable gloves, thereby creating yogurt fingers or frozen yogurt tampons. The first time that you insert one of these frozen yogurt yeast infections remedies into your vagina, it is admittedly a bit of a shock, but on the whole it is very soothing.

Of course if these messy methods of yogurt yeast infections remedies do not appeal to you, you can always just do away with it and have your yogurt in pill form. These come in the guise of lactobacillus acidophilus tablets as this is the main ingredient in the yogurt yeast infections cure which helps to fight against yeast producing bacteria.



BRETT