Posts Tagged ‘vegetable’
Polluted Vegetables Photo Essay
Use of pesticides has made the Fruits and Vegetables toxic and they are the most polluted Food to-day.
Fruits and Vegetables, specially those with tender skins allow the pesticide to permeate into them.
As a general rule these are to be avoided.
As tot the rest, wash them at least thrice in warm water and wherever possible boil or steam them
Below are a host of fruits that are polluted. looks like the whole lot Fruits!
“Strawberries are very tender and very delicate and grown close to the soil,” says Chensheng (Alex) Lu, Ph.D., assistant professor of environmental exposure biology, Harvard School of Public Health. That’s also where insects live, so farmers often resort to pesticides. To prevent mold and extend shelf life, they also use fungicides, even after harvest.
Celery. Buy organic or frequent farmers’ markets with small growers who can’t afford or choose not to use expensive pesticides, says Lu. (Don’t be afraid to ask the sellers about their use of pesticides.) Or try a cleaner green veggie alternative, like avocado or asparagus, both of which have low exposure to pesticides, according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG).
Peaches.
Nectarines.
Apples.
Blueberries.
Sweet bell peppers,
Spinach.
Greens.
Cherries.
Grapes.
Related articles
- Dirty Dozen: EWG Releases 2013 List Of Most Pesticide-Heavy Fruits And Veggies (huffingtonpost.com)
Daily Eating The Traditional Indian Way
Eating plays an important role in Indian Homes(or used to Be important)
Dishes were planned systematically.
In South India, two items are standard,Dhal and Ghee
Daily Menu would be,
Sambhar(Gravy like)
Rasam(watery gravy, more like a soup)
Kaikari(vegetables cooked with spices)
Koottu(Vegetables, Spice,coconut mixed in a semi solid state)
Appalam( a wafer like eatable made of pulse and roasted in Direct Fire)
Pickles(a Variety are available, one of them is served daily)
The food is served in plantain leaf.
Sambhar and Rasam have Dhal in them.
They will be cooked thrice a day in a week .
For two days there will be Vathal Kuzhambu(Sambhar like minus Dhal, this is a special recipe)
One day there will be the Menu of Morekuzhambu(made of thick butter Milk)
Thogaiyal(type of chutney made of Coconut/Brinjal/Dhal)
This completes a week.
South Indian Lunch.
These items will be rotated in such a way that the same type of dish will not be prepared the next day.
The vegetables used are.
Raw Banana, Brinjal,Pumpkin,Bitter Gourd, Snake Gourd Bottle Gourd, Ribbed Gourd,Cluster Beans,Lady’s Finger,Potato,Yam,Pumpkin,Curry leaves,Coriander leaves., Green chilies,Capsicum,Greens, Amaranth Stem(Stem of the Greens), Ash Gourd.Radish.
Tomato, Cola cassia, Cabbage,Lime,Mango, Goose berry,Banana,Cucumber’Plantain Stem,Vitis,Plantain Flower,Pumplemoses(பப்ளிமாஸ்), Green peas.Honey
The way of preparation is also varied , the spices change.
If one looks at the combinations one can understand the nutritious value of the Food.
And of course the taste.
This is for Lunch or Dinner.
Breakfast menu us different and equally varied .
No cold cuts, No fast food but tasty healthy Food.
This is routine cooking and does not take into account the special cooking with more dishes for festivals, Religious occasions, there will be usually three to four a month.
I will be posting on the special dishes and the way they have to be served.
How To Buy Fresh Vegetables,Fruits.
Of late the habit of buying Vegetables and Fruits and stocking them up in the Refrigerator is on the rise.
This is dangerous as Fruits and Vegetables also have expiry date.
In addition fruits and vegetables are artificially ripened.
The chemicals used include Carbide and Ethylene gas.
These are highly toxic and may even cause death in extreme case, minimum damage is stomach upset and Diarrhea.
It is better to buy afresh daily than stocking up in the Refrigerator.
Some tips to buy Vegetables and Fruits.
Cabbage leaves should be firm. When selecting, choose only the heads that are compact and firm. They should have fresh, crispy leaves that do not contain any markings or browning, which may be an indication of worm damage. The head should only contain a few loose outer leaves.
The coloring of the leaves should reflect the variety you are purchasing. In general, the darker green the leaves the more flavor they have. The stem should be trimmed and look fresh, not dry and cracked. Avoid purchasing precut or shredded cabbage. Once the cabbage is cut it begins to lose its vitamin C content, even if it is tightly packaged or well wrapped.
Carrots
When purchasing carrots, look for firm, plump carrots without rootlets. They should be small, bright orange and smooth, without cracks. Buy carrots in bunches, with their leafy green tops still attached. Carrots lose moisture through their leafy green tops, so if you purchase them this way, remove the tops before wrapping carrots in plastic and storing. Instead of throwing away the tops, which are full of nutrition, try adding them to soups or chopping them and adding to your salads.
Carrots.
Storing fresh carrots: Carrots keep will for weeks in the refrigerator, although you will sacrifice sweetness and flavor if stored too long.
Cauliflower
Cauliflower
When purchasing cauliflower, look for a clean, creamy white, compact curd in which the bud clusters are not separated. Spotted or dull-colored cauliflower should be avoided, as well as those in which small flowers appear.
Heads that are surrounded by many thick green leaves are better protected and will be fresher. As its size is not related to its quality, choose one that best suits your needs.
Eggplant
Smaller, immature eggplants are best. Full-size puffy ones may have hard seeds and can be bitter. Choose a firm, smooth-skinned eggplant that is heavy for its size; avoid those with soft or brown spots. Gently push with your thumb or forefinger. If the flesh gives slightly but then bounces back, it is ripe. If the indentation remains, it is overripe and the insides will be mushy. If there is no give, the eggplant was picked too early. Also make sure an eggplant isn’t dry inside, knock on it with your knuckles. If you hear a hollow sound, don’t buy it. NOTE: Whether or not there is an appreciable difference, I don’t know.
Garlic
When selecting garlic, it should be big, plump and firm, tight silky skins with its paper-like covering intact, not spongy, soft, or shriveled. Why buy small ones that are a pain to peel? As with all ingredients for cooking, buy the best garlic you can afford.
Fresh garlic is readily available year round. Garlic is available in forms other than fresh, such as powder, flakes, oil, and puree.
Also remember that a single bulb of garlic usually contains between ten and twenty individual cloves of garlic. The individual cloves are covered with a fine pinkish/purple skin, and the head of cloves is then covered with white papery outer skin.
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Vegetables/VegetableBuyingGuide.htm
Here’s how one buys Fresh Fruits.
Fresh Fruits
| Fruit | Fruits to choose: | Fruits to avoid: | Tips: |
| Apples | Firm, well-colored, feels crisp; scald (tan spots) is okay, hardly affects the taste. | Shriveled, bruised, yields slightly to pressure, or lacks color. |
Store in perforated plastic bag in refrigerator. Apples soften fast if left at room temperature. |
| Apricots | Plump, juicy-looking, golden-orange and uniform in color, yields slightly to pressure. |
Underripe: pale, greenish-yellow, very firm; Overripe: soft, mushy, dull-looking. |
Ripe: store in refrigerator for up to 1 week. Unripe: ripen in closed paper sack at room temperature. |
| Avocados | Slightly soft when pressed if want to use at once; firm if want to use in 3-5 days. | Cracked, broken, or patched with sunken spots. | Ripe (soft): use immediately. Unripe: ripen at room temp. for 3-5 days or until soft. Refrigerating slows down ripening process. |
| Bananas | Firm, without bruises or other injury; tasty when peel is specked with brown. | Bruised, discolored, or grayish (exposed to cold and won’t ripen properly). |
Ripen green bananas at room temp. May refrigerate, uncovered, for a few days once ripe. Peel will turn black, but banana still tastes good. Green tipped fruit is not ripe. |
| Blueberries | Plump, firm, deep blue berries with their natural waxy silver coating; dry, uniform. | Mushy, soft, or leaky berries or ones with leaves or stems still attached. |
Store in a loosely covered, shallow container in refrigerator for up to 10 days. |
http://www.cookbookpeople.com/blog/2008/08/13/how-to-tell-if-fruit-is-fresh/
From 222Kgs. To 95 Kgs. In A Year. No Starving/Pills.
BEFORE THE DIET
Breakfast: White toast with butter
Mid-morning: Bacon and egg sandwiches
Lunch: Sandwiches, crisps, chocolate bars
Mid-afternoon: Crisps (sometimes 15 packets a day)
Dinner: Chinese takeaway or spaghetti Bolognese made from a pre-prepared sauce with garlic bread
Snacks: Crisps and chocolate
AFTER THE DIET
Breakfast: Weetabix or porridge with chopped banana
Lunch: Jacket potato, beans and cheese with a mixed salad of lettuce, tomato, cucumber, pepper, onion and celery
Dinner: Roast dinner with vegetables or pasta dish made with chopped vegetables, lean smoked bacon and passata
Snacks: Fat free yoghurts, fresh fruit or fresh fruit salad or Alpen light bars
Zelda, left, in 2006, and, right, last month. She used to regularly eat 15 packets of crisps a day Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1373914/Slimmer-year-Zelda-Haxby-sheds-half-body-weight.html#ixzz1IprhE2vE
Note the Diet.
It has more of vegetarian Diet.
Had she cut non-veg., she could have made the transition swiftly.
Another important factor is her fear of ridicule.
Anxiety and Fear has a telling effect on weight, though I would not recommend it.
I have personal experience of this.
I dropped 8 kg in a month because of worry.
( stone to kg conversion Link-http://www.convertunits.com/from/stone/to/kg)
Story:
A 35-stone mother who used to gorge on up to 15 packets of crisps a day and struggled to even walk up the stairs has lost 20 stone so she could live to see her two sons grow up.
Zelda Haxby, 47, was so overweight she refused to leave the house for fear of being ridiculed and could not manage everyday tasks like doing the shopping.
But after being hospitalised five years ago the mother of two from York vowed to turn her life around for the sake of her boys, Liam, 19, and 15-year-old James, and has now been crowned Slimming World’s Greatest Loser 2011. In the process she dropped from 35st 7lb to 15st 7lb and from a dress size 36 to a 14-16.
She said: ‘When I was in hospital that was the final straw for me. I hated being away from my two boys and I realised that if I didn’t lose some weight I might leave them without their mother for ever.
