Spicin' up my Garlic

Do you consider some of the spice a remarkable health builder or often referred as Super Food?

What if I tell you the garlic is one of them? And it's a good news to all!

According to some studies and research, this astonishing bulb has been recognized in the scientific world as an anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-bacterial. Having a potential germ-killing and disease-fighting properties, its sure a great help for a home remedy.

Here are some of the summary how amazing this small bulb can be:

The compound controls the spread if diseases like typhoid, dysentery, diarrhea and strep throat.
Best for disease prevention and management.
Garlic extract us able to reduce blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
It also helps reduce the systolic blood pressure drop of 20 to 30 points and diastolic drop of 10 to 20 points.
It influences the manner in which fats are metabolized.
Reduces the levels of blood fat and blood sugar.
As a diet pill and appetite inhibitor.

How about the remedies?

Rubbing the soles of your feet with cut or crush garlic.
Drinking a tonic of honey and garlic for 10 days to cleanse the blood
Place one silver of garlic in tooth cavity to relieve pain and draw out the pus.
For a pimple cure, one drop of its extracts (coming from the crushed garlic) plus two drops of virgin coconut or olive oil, placed on the affected area will bring down the infection.
As a sprain balm, place three to four cloves of crushed garlic and place a thin oil of oil (baby, olive or VCO) on top of it. Bandage well.

Garlic is not so bad at all, except for giving us a breathe of a dragon. Just be on the safe side always!

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Announcement!

Hi everyone!

We are happy to announce that we will also be having an account on tumblr.

Our tumblr account will consist of our short posts such as recipes, pictures, random tips and information and much more. Our tumblr account is also more updated than our blog. But don’t worry, our old blog would have our long posts.

Here is a screenshot of our tumbr page. We hope that you could also visit and follow us there. You can click on the picture below to go directly to our new tumblr account. Smile Until then, Bye!

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On The Plate: Oreo

Hi everyone! How have you all been? I know it has been a while since our last post and we are very sorry but we promise that we will be back on track soon.

Anyway, as I was browsing over my liked posts on tumblr, I noticed a lot of recipes that involves oreos on my list. So I thought of sharing it with you guys. Although I haven’t tried them all yet but they are all be definitely on my baking bucket list! Enjoy and give it a try if you can! Smile

Click on the links below for the complete recipe.

Yes, yes, I know I exceeded the 10 recipes for on the plate but come on, I like oreos!
If you are an oreo addict just like me, I found this blog on tumblr that exists in the oreo world. There are more oreo recipes if you still want more. I am a follower too! Smile

. http://everythingoreos.tumblr.com/

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On The Plate: Iced Tea

Since summer is here, what could be more refreshing than a glass of iced tea. A drink that does not only quench your thirst but also provides antioxidants for your body (Click here to learn more about tea).
Here are 10 recipes that will give your usual iced tea exciting twists that will keep you cool for the summer.

Click on the following links bellow for the recipe of each iced tea.

Blueberry Lemon Iced Tea – A refreshing combination of a fruit and tea.
Spiced Peach Lemon Iced Tea Frosty - Level up this summer’s coolness by making a tea smoothie.
Smooth Sweet Tea – Quench your thirst with the smooth texture of this iced tea.
Sweet Lime Iced Tea – Not a fan of sweet iced tea? Try this recipe for a drink that would not spoil your sweet tooth.
Thai Iced Tea – Experience tea with herbs that will help you relax by the pool or in your kitchen.
Iced Ginger Green Tea – Garnish your iced tea with ginger for a different kind of tea.
Chamomile Lavender Mint Iced Tea – Enjoy another glass of a relaxing iced tea. A perfect drink while reading on a summer afternoon.
Orange Earl Grey Iced Tea – A glass of flavonoids is good for your. Enjoy this tea while maintaining a healthy body.
Mango Iced Tea – Enjoying the summer also needs some creativity. Be experimental and garnish your usual iced with something new like mango.
Boston Iced Tea – A touch of cranberry juice to your usual iced tea.

We hope you liked this week’s on the plate. Watch out for more :).
Enjoy the summer everyone!

None of the recipes above belong to allfoodsallowed.blogspot.com. :)

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On The Plate: Chocolate

Hi there! On behalf of All Foods Allowed, I would like to welcome you to this new section of our blog – ‘On The Plate’. This will feature 10 recipes with one common ingredient per week. We hope that you would learn something new as we dig into recipe books and websites with scrumptious and mouthwatering dishes.

For the first edition of ‘On The Plate’ we will be serving you one of the all time favorites – chocolate. Aside from being a comfort food, chocolate is also known for its health benefits such as being a good source of antioxidant. So eating chocolates is not only pleasurable but healthy as well.
So without further ado, here are the easy (most of them) chocolate recipes for you. Enjoy!

1. Chocolate Covered Strawberry
This refreshing and sweet combination of a fruit and chocolate would just do the trick.
Click on the image for the recipe :)

2. Chocolate Nut Bark
A heavenly bar of chocolate and nuts is on your way.
Click on the image for the recipe :)

3. Easy chocolate truffles
Chocolate with the hint of orange? Now that’s interesting!
Click on the image for the recipe.

4. Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge
The perfect combination for chocolate and marshmallow lovers.
Click on the image for the recipe.

5. Chilled Hot Chocolate
Hot chocolate for only for rainy days? Not anymore!
Click on the image for the recipe.

6. Chocolate and Caramel Flapjack
Oozing caramel topped with chocolate, definitely a must try!
Click on the image for the recipe.

7. Chocolate Cake Pop
Make your own chocolate pop!
Click the image for the recipe.

8. No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars
An easy mix of peanut butter and chocolate.
Click the image for the recipe.

9. Chocolate Macaroons
A perfect partner for your morning coffee.
Click the image for the recipe.

10. Chocolate Mint Milk Shake
A refreshing mix for the summer!
Click on the image for the recipe.

Disclaimer: None of the recipes above is ours. They belong to their respective links attached the corresponding image. :) If it is ours, then we will say so :).
credits to: as16online for the beautiful chocolate bars picture! :)

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Mallow World

By Tenten

Ever wonder how this little sweets with a fluffy texture and easy squeeze invented? Would you still believe if it has its own tree? Guess what if it can be made out of this easy ingredients?

Want to know the answers? Then read the rest that follows...

Dang! Marshmallows! What's with this food? This is a type of confection made from sugar, corn syrup, water, soft gelatin, dextrose, flavorings (usually vanilla) and usually with food colorings. this is whipped to make a spongy consistency. This is consider as the modern version of a medicinal confection made from Althaea officinalis, the marshmallow plant.

Back to the Past

Way back, it was used as a medicinal substance and was used as a remedy for sore throat. Concoctions of other parts of the plant had medical uses as well. Egyptians antiquity in a honey-sweetened confection includes the roots of the plant used as a treatment for sore throat.

The use and making of marshmallow as a confection dated back to ancient Egypt where they extract the sap from the plant and it will be mix with nuts and honey. Another recipe is using the pith part rather than the sap. the stem was peeled to reveal the pith, which was boiled in sugar syrup and dried to produce a soft and chewy confection.

Early 19th century, candymakers in France made some innovations by whipping up marshmallows sap and sweetening it, making it like the similar and popular marshmallow today. Another development of the modern marshmallows was the extrusion process which produces the famous, soft and chewy texture of marshmallows.

Maybe simple food like this can be helpful and do good things on us. Since it was used by the ancient people to cure mild allergies and disease, I think further studies will be a good thing.

So lesson learned today: Do not under estimate the wonders and benefits of the Marshmallows.

Source;

Marshmallow from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

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GARDEN of EDEN

By: Tenten

Nothing can beat the satisfactory tastes that a

vegetable brings from you own garden. This can be one of your life’s simplest pleasures. So why not start planting and be bold and brave to serve it on the table.

Top 5 Vegetables on the Rise

Since we are only starting to grow our own garden, mayb

e starting at the best

1. Radishes ten plants might be a helpful start kick.

- Radish is a good crop because it tolerates many conditions like frost and heat. It can also be successfully grown in containers. It also tolerate many soil conditions but make sure o have a soil worked so there are not large clumps covering the seeds. Since it can be planted so close together, it is a c

andidate for extensive planting techniques like row planting, raised garden beds or square planting.

- Radishes mature quickly, usually form 20 to 40 days, and are gone almost as quickly as possible. Usually they germina

te quickly from 3 to 10 days.

2. Salad Greens (lettuce, spinach, arugula and corn salad)

- This is what we called soilless or hydrophonic salads greens because they are now cultivated as a gourmet crops. Salad greens have the distinct advantage of being relatively low light, cool season plants,

making winter or cool production possible. Optimum temperature for most salad greens are in the range of 16° - 22°C, however will still grow slowly under 5° - 10°C and will still survive as low as 2°C for a lim

ited time. Many of the more ‘heat-resistant’ greens will also well grow in temperatures of up to 30°C, and some of them can grow under tropical conditions.

3. Green Beans

- Green bean is one of the most popular home garden vegetable aside from the famous tomatoes. Why? Because it is relatively easy care and give off a good yield. Green beans like warm soil and full of s

un location. To give a better result and overall healthier plants, you have to wait until the soil is at 70°F.

- Greens beans should be harvested before you notice any bulge in the pod. The pods should be crisp and firm and should be easily ‘snap’ when broken in two. And the growing season for this is between 45 to 75 days.

4. Onions

- Growing onions is a satisfying project, at first it is hard but once you get in touch, it will add more fun to your garden. Onions

grow in layers which are essentially an extension of the leaves of the onion, the more inside the onion layers there are, the big onion it is.

- Onion planting season fro set starts when the temperatures get to be around 50°F. Choose a location that get at least 6 = 7 hours of sun a day. And set 2’ and 4” apart so the onions have the space to grow bigger.

5. Strawberries

- If you consider growing strawberries in your garden you must have the following basic ‘ingredients’ for this:

Ø A garden location that receives at least six hours of direct sunlight

Ø Well drained, loamy soil or sand

See? The ingredients is as easy as A-B-C.

- Just like an ordinary project, preparation is the key ingredients. So preparation is a must especially for the soil. This plant prefer a soil pH of 5.8 – 6.2. in planting this, it must be set 3 – 4 feet apart. This will

allows ample root for the runners to spread.

- There are basically three types of strawberries: June bearing, Everbearing and Day neutral. This first one usually produces t

he larger fruit. Second produces crop in the s

pring and second crop in the fall. And the last one produces fruit all throughout the season.

With these tips, you can now start planting and making your own garden of eden.

Sources:

http://howtogardenguide.com/2009/03/16/growing-radishes/

http://www.greenbeansnmore.com/how-to-grow-green-beans.html

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/vegetable/find-how-to-grow-onions-in-your-garden.htm

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Diet No-No!

Are you on a diet? And did you consider eating carrots and drinking orange juice for this? But let me first tell you something, this might help you a little with that.

According to the book South Beach Diet by Dr. Agatston, both orange juice and carrots have a high glycemic index and they can raise your blood sugar to very high levels immediately. Through some scientific process that goes in our body, this causes your insulin levels to rise then drop abruptly, making you hungry and giving your cravings that make you reach for another cupcake or that chocolate mousse cake. in other words, these two food you thought could help you drop that fats and calories is a traitor to your diet plans.

So next time, try not to splurge yourself with these two. Taking a bite or sip can do a trick but on moderation.

Remember, you are on a DIET for this year!

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Health Beverage Craze: Coconut Water

Drinking coconut water has taken the world by storm. Hollywood celebrities like Madonna and Demi Moore were not only consumers of the world’s newest beverage craze but investors as well, according to a newspaper article in America.
So what does these people go gaga for coconut water? Well, here are the possible reasons:
1. Hydrates your body. Forget your usual energy and sports drinks! Coconut water is nature’s best rehydrating beverage. It contains sugar, electrolytes and minerals that helps your body bring back the fluids that would keep your body going. These components give you that refreshing feeling after drinking. In fact, coconut water is recommended to people who are experiencing diarrhea as it rehydrates the body from fluid loss from the gastrointestinal tract. Drinking coconut water lessens the the need for intravenous therapy.
2. Weight loss. If you are on a diet, then coconut water should be added into your menu. Coconut water is said to be low in calories, 99% fat free and low in sugars that could help you lose weight. It also contains bioactive enzymes that is good for digestion and metabolism.
3. Stronger immunity system. It is believed that coconut water could help you boost your immune system. It contains Vitamin C that is known as an antioxidant and B-complex vitamins. It can also detoxify. Furthermore, it is also a good antibacterial agent that can help fight viruses like HIV and herpes.
4. Good for blood circulation. It helps people with poor blood circulation. It helps in carrying nutrients and oxygen to the body’s cells.
5. Prevent urinary problems and treat kidney stones. Coconut water aids your urine flow freely. It also helps in breaking kidney stones making them easier to excrete. Regular consumption of coconut water and following the prescribed medication is recommended by experts.
6. Blood transfusions. Experts say that coconut water is almost identical to the human plasma. This is why coconut water is used during blood transfusions.
7. Control vomiting. There have been claims that drinking coconut water is an effective hangover beverage. It is because it can help settle the stomach. Aside from hangovers, it is also used by people who are suffering from typhoid and malaria.
8. Eliminate intestinal worms. Drinking coconut water combined with 3 tablespoons of olive oil helps kill intestinal worms.This should be done for three consecutive days to take effect.
9. Good for babies. Coconut water contains lauric acid. This acid can also be found in human mother’s milk.
10. Cure for cataracts. A doctor claims that coconut water can help eliminate cataracts. Washing the eyes with coconut water could do the trick. Coconut water contains minerals that could help the denatured protein in the eyes relax making the lens transparent again.

These are only some of the many benefits from drinking coconut water. You can click on the links below for more coconut water benefits. So what are you waiting for? Grab a glass of coconut water and spoil your body with its goodness!

Sources:
Coconut juice | by Nelly Favis-Villafuerte
Coconut water
Seven Benefits of Coconut Water | by Tommy Fassbender
Health Benefits of Coconut Water ; Coconut Water Benefits
Health Benefits of Coconut Water The Coconut Water Craze - What do the Stars Know that We Don't?

Photo from: homelykid.com

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Fun Food Fact: Sweet Long Life

Did you know that people who eat candy regularly live longer?
A study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health showed that candy consumption of once to thrice a month can give you more benefits compared to those who do not.
Although they were not able to differentiate sugar candy and chocolate, they were able to give possible explanation for this trend. According to researchers, the phenols from chocolates that could act as antioxidant did the job of prolonging life. They explained that the amount of phenols found in chocolate is the same with the amount found in a glass of red wine and alcoholic beverage. Phenols are said to have the ability to lessen the risk of cardiovascular diseases. On the other hand, they also found out that greater consumption of candy does not guarantee the same or better effects, thus the mortality rate is higher than those who consume it less often. They warned consumers that moderation is still necessary.

Sources:
The Superpowers of Candy
Life is sweet, candy consumption and longetivity

Technorati Tags: fun food facts

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BLACK IS BOLD and HEALTHY?

By: Tenten

Recently, Silkie’s or black chicken begun viral on the net saying it has a health benefit and can cure all types of diseases. Even selected restaurants here in metro has this in their menus. So what’s with this chicken? Is it really safe to eat and consume?

Silkie is a kind of chicken breed which is typical has a fluffy and silk- feeling plumage. It also has unusual qualities compared to a regular chicken such as dark colored flesh and bones, blue earlobes and five toes on each foot. Th

ey come in different colors like red, blue, black, white, gold and partridge.

AT THE KITCHEN

The meat of a Silkie is considered unusual to European and American cuisines. But in several Asian countries, it is considered as a gourmet food. In China, they considered this as a special breed of chicken. This is also a common ingredient in some Japanese, Cambodian, Vietnamese and Korean dishes. The usual methods of cooking include making broth, braising, and curries. Traditional Chinese soups made with Silkie uses ingredients such as wolfberries, white yam, orange peel and fresh ginger.

Here in the Philippines, it is considered as exotic since it is unusually seen on a regular market. Restaurants that offer this cuisine can be expected to be expensive yet taste so good.

In the Mountain Province, Ifugaos raised and breed this type of chicken. They usually prepare this on their ritual days and celebration of marriage on their tribe. Deep frying and sautéing is the common menu. Sometimes the chicken broth is use for offering to their Gods.

A HEALTHY OPTION

Recently, Silkie’s is now considered as a “superfood.”

Why?

Because it has a high level of anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants slow down the oxidation of other chemicals in the human body. And the dominant anti-oxidant present in Silkie’s is carnosine.

Carnosine can be found in the human brain and muscle tissues at high concentrations. This holds many anti-oxidant properties which are currently being studied for their positive effects on human development. The levels of carnosine in Silkie’s are two times higher than those traditional chickens. Turkeys also has carnosine as well in supplements offered in the market.

In history, this chicken was eaten as a medical cure and said to have a positive effect on the yin, blood, lungs and stomach. In China, this is most commonly served as a part of a stew or soup cooked with other Chinese medicinal herbs.

Eating is healthy but must be in moderation. Anything less or excess will greatly affect our healthy lifestyle, healthy mind, and healthy body.

Photos courtesy of Google Images

http://herbal.recipes.webs-sg.com/recipes_11.html

http://farmville.wikia.com/wiki/File:Black_Chicken-icon.png

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Alcohol You Can

By: Tenten

Ever wonder why alcohols are so minty and tingy? Why it also give us a slight headache when we woke up the next morning? It makes you a little bit tipsy? Maybe a little chat with Mr. Alcoholic Beverages will give us all the answers.

An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol which is commonly known as alcohol. It is divided into 3 classes or categories: BEERS, WINES and SPIRITS. The minimum age for drinkers varies in different countries and type of drinks, usually between 16 – 25 years. But most nation set it at 18 years of age.

Alcoholic beverages that have a lower alcohol content are produced by fermentation of sugar or starch containing plant (fermentation is the “aging” of the beverages to produce its natural alcohol content). Higher alcohol content beverages are produced by fermentation and followed by distillation.

THE CLASSES

v BEER

- One of the world’s oldest and widely consumed beverages and considered as the third most popular drink. It is produced by brewing and fermentation of starches from cereal grains (usually form malt, maize, and rice). Two main types of beer are lager and ale. The latter has also different varieties such as pale ale, stout and brown ale. The strength is usually 4 to 6 % alcohol by volume, but maybe less that 2% or as much as 12%.

v WINE

- This is produced from grapes while fruit wine is produced from fruits like plums, cherries or apples. It involves longer fermentation and aging process than beer. Usually it takes about months or years to age which results with a 9% to 16% alcohol content (ABV).

v SPIRIT

- Spirits are produced by distillation of a fermented base product. Unsweetened alcoholic beverages that has an alcoholic content of at least 20% ABV. Sometimes this is called as hard liquor. It does not contain added sugar. These include brandy, fruit brandy, gin, num, tequila, vodka and whisky.

THIS IS HOW WE ROCK: Philippine Beers and Liquors

An adult party won’t be complete without throwing or having alcoholic beverages. Typically, we gather in circle and share the same glass and make ‘tagay’ with each other. We drink an alcoholic mixture of all the beverages and along with some pulutan, we really enjoy the ‘kwentuhan’ and even karaoke.

Here are the lists of some popular drinks for the Filipinos:

(Note: I am not advertising anything. This was just based on purely observation.)

1. San Miguel Beer

- The best ever selling beer in town! If you will be coming here, you better try this (pale pilsen one).

Why the favorite of all?

According to Ted Morris of Diego Garcia Base, this drink makes every man a tiger and every woman beautiful.

2. Red Horse Beer

- The Filipino worker’s beer. I notice this in my aunt’s office, every Friday, when her ‘tao’ got paid, they will go straight at the store to buy this one. According to them, is has a high alcohol content and strong ‘tama’. ]

3. San Miguel Light

- The beer for the yuppies. This is the crowd favorite to drink after a long exhausted day. Also good for the party goers.

4. GSM Blue

- A popular drink among teenagers in Manila. This can be mix with any fruit concentrate powder and with ice, then off you got it. Don’t forget to chunk in your foodies or pulutan.

5. Emperador

- This is for the average guys. The beer that defines a quality of man and their sexiness. A usual beverage at home or if you are alone.

Whatever you choose, it is your responsibility to drink in moderation. As to what the commercial said, DRINK MODERATELY

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My Type of Candy

by Veronica

Commonly known as a sugar-filled delight, this tasty treat continues to surprise us with its unending evolution on its appearance and flavor. Although a larger variety of candies are offered in market today, we can still categorize these candies according to their types that could help us identify them easier. These are the general types of candies:

Hard candy
This type of candy is usually sucked because the force required in breaking it is greater than the other types of candy. Chewing this type of candy is not advisable as you may break your teeth instead of the candy itself. Example of this type of candy are lollipops and jawbreakers. Aside from the hard candies, brittle candies such as the famous peanut brittle of Baguio fall under this category . It is crisp and could break easily.
Soft candy
Unlike the hard candy, this is a chewable type of candy. It can be so soft that the pressure from your fingers could cut it. Its ingredients may include butter, chocolate, milk or other ingredient that could be used as a source of fat which can soften the sugar mixture of the candy and bind in the large crystal formation. Stirring is an important stage in manufacturing this type of candy so that finer crystals may be produced and the ingredients would be blended well to achieve its smooth and soft qualities.
Aerated candies
In making this type of candy, incorporating air through beating is done to achieve its sponge-like and fluffy characteristics. Marshmallows and nougats are included in this category.
Jellies, gums and Marzipans
This type of candy is considered to be part of another another group of candies. Although some may say that jellies, gums and marzipans should fall under the soft candy category due to its finished product qualities, experts say that the nature and method of manufacture of this type of candy is totally different from that of the soft candies. This type of candy is usually used as fillings and toppings.
Glazed fruit candies
This type of candy uses fruit pulp and peel as its raw materials. It is famous among fruit cake makers.The plumping stage in this candy’s process is very important as the fruit absorbs the sugar from the syrup through the process of osmosis.

There you go. Different types of candies that may help you classify your favorites and could help you make some. Who knows?

Source:
M. Gatchalian & S. De Leon. (1992). Introduction to Food Technology. Philippines: Merriam & Webster Bookstore, Inc.

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A Sugary World

Is your goal to stay fit is cutting down calories and turning to artificial ingredients? Maybe understanding artificial sweeteners composition may be helpful for you.

By: Tenten

If you want to reduce sugar and calories in your diet, you may turn to artificial sweeteners. If you think you are alone in this idea, not anymore. The use of artificial sweeteners is on the rise and manufacturers seek to satisfy as to what the consumer needs.

Artificial sweeteners are low caloric food additives used to replace table sugar or sucrose. It is helpful in controlling weight and insulin levels in our body system. They are also known as intense sweeteners because they are many times sweeter than sucrose. Today artificial sweeteners are found in a variety of food and beverages. They usually have the logos as “sugar-free” or “diet”. Some of these are soft drinks, chewing gums, jams and jellies, marmalades, baked goods and ice cream.

Let us list all the artificial sweeteners currently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA):

· Acesulfame

- This is 180 -200 times sweeter than sucrose, as sweet as aspartame, about half as sweet as saccharin, one quarter as sweet as sucralose.

- This is also stable under heat and even under moderately acidic or basic conditions.

- It is also used in baking or products that require longer shelf life.

- Sunnett and Sweet One

· Aspartame

- Approximately 200 times sweeter than sucrose.

- The sweetness of aspartame lasts longer than sucrose which is often blended with other artificial sweeteners such as acesulfame.

- It is used in diet sodas, instant breakfasts, breath mints, cereals, sugar-free chewing gum, cocoa mixes, frozen and gelatin desserts, juices, laxatives, chewable vitamin and pharmaceutical drugs supplements, milk drinks, shake mixes, tabletop sweeteners, teas, instant coffees, topping mixes, wine coolers and yogurt.

- Equal, NutraSweet and Canderel

· Neotame

- This is between 7,000 to 13,000 times as sweet as sucrose.

- It is moderately heat-stable, extremely potent, rapidly metabolized, completely eliminated and does not accumulate in the body. It provides fewer “empty” sugar calories and a lower impact on blood sugar.

- Found commonly in fruit and vegetable juices.

- NutraSweet

· Saccharin

- This is much sweeter that sucrose, but has a bitter or metallic aftertaste in high concentrations.

- It is unstable when heated but it does not react chemically with other food ingredients. Also not water – soluble.

- It is often used together with aspartame in diet carbonated soft drinks. For diabetic people, in goes directly through the human digestive system without being digested. It can also trigger the release of insulin.

- SugarTwin and Sweet’N Low

· Sucralose

- It is approximately 600 times as sweet as sucrose, twice as sweet as saccharin, and 3.3 times as sweet as aspartame.

- Stable under heat and over a broad range of pH conditions.

- It is used in baking or in products that require a longer shelf life.

- Splenda, Sukrana, SucraPlus, Candys, Cukren and Nevella.

With this information, may we be guided thoroughly in using artificial sweeteners. In the end, it will still be use who will decide what we will do with our healthy lifestyle.

SOURCES:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/artificial-sweeteners/MY00073

http://www.greenfacts.org/en/aspartame/artificial-sweeteners.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_substitute

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Onions: The End Of A Tearjerker

By Veronica

Chopping onions is one of the kitchen tasks I avoid the most. Apart from the odor that will stick on my hands all throughout the day, tears flow endlessly from my eyes to the point I can’t even open them. So I did a little research and here’s what I’ve found.

I’ve read that there is a compound that is released once the onion is cut called propensulphenic acid. This compound immediately reacts with the air and forms another compound which is known as propanethial oxide. This substance is volatile and when dissolved, it forms sulfuric acid which irritates our eyes.This causes weeping as our eyes try to wash away its irritant.

Some say that this problem can be solved as soon as you get used to it but would we still wait for that time to come so that we can stop this tear jerker? I don’t think so. Here are some tips on how to avoid tears during an onion-chopping session:

Peel or chop onions under water
The molecules that causes those tears are water soluble so putting them under water would dissolve those molecules and would wash them away immediately once it’s released.
For me, this really works but I do not necessarily chop the onions under water. Instead, I would peel then chop the onion in half (lengthwise) then soak it in water for about 5 minutes. After which, I would drain the water off and it is ready for more chopping, no tears guaranteed!
Chill the onions before chopping
This method lowers the volatility of the molecules released by onion.
Using a good, sharp knife
The blade of the knife easily glides through the onion damaging less cells, releasing less compounds.
Burn a candle adjacent to where you are chopping
The tear-causing substance is drawn to the heat.
Do the chopping in a well ventilated place
So that the gas from the onion would be drawn away from your eyes. You can also use an electric fan to push the gas away from your face. Remember to make sure that direction of the wind from the electric fan that would carry the gas of the onion is not going towards your face. You should also be able to cut fast.
Use goggles
Protect your eyes from the onion’s gas. Some are claiming that contact lenses can also do the job.
Smear some lemon juice on the knife before cutting
The lemon juice prevents the smell of the onion. I guess if there is no smell, means no gas and no gas means no tears for you. Remember to do this periodically as this is only effective for a certain amount of time.
Use pre-chopped onions
If you don’t want to do all the tips above and don’t have the time for some onion drama, you can definitely do this.

These are only a few of the many methods that you can do to prevent those tears when chopping onions. Can you still add tips on this list? Let us know by commenting below .

References:

Kaye, B. (1995). Science And The Detective. Germany: Wiley-VCH.
How Not To Cry When Cutting Onions --Quick Dish by tablespoon
Cooking With Onions Without Crying by Henneman, A. of University of Nebraska-Lincoln

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Spicin' up my Garlic

Announcement!

On The Plate: Oreo

On The Plate: Iced Tea

On The Plate: Chocolate

Mallow World

GARDEN of EDEN

Diet No-No!

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Fun Food Fact: Sweet Long Life

BLACK IS BOLD and HEALTHY?

Alcohol You Can

My Type of Candy

A Sugary World

Onions: The End Of A Tearjerker

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