Is the Olive Oil in your Cabinet Real?
There was a study done at UC Davis Olive Center in 2010 that discovered that 69% of the olive oils tested were not exactly what they said they were and did not meet legal standards in the United States.
There have been several additional studies done since then, that have shown the same thing, that a good amount of the olive oils in the united states market are mislabeled and are not what they say they are.
There are oils on the market that have been blended with older, lesser grade oils or they have been blended with vegetable or seed oils and then chemically colorized, flavored and deodorized before bottling. Some oils aren't olive at all, they are seed or soy oils that have had beta carotene and chlorophyll added to make it taste like olive oil.
Most recently, in 2016 there was a 60 Minute program aired that showed that almost all of the olive oils on the shelves are somehow mislabeled.
So how do you know whether the oil that you are buying is good? Well, there are a few ways to tell.
One way to determine a good oil, is to read the bottle and see where it comes from. Most of the time, the bottle will say that the oil is a blend from several countries, you don't want that oil, put it back on the shelf. You don't even want to buy the oil if the bottle just lists one country. What you are looking for on the bottle, is an oil that says it came from a family farm, in that case you can be reasonably sure that it is real.
Make sure it comes in a dark bottle, this helps to shield the oil from light that can cause it to become rancid.
Good brands will also put a harvest date on the bottle, this helps to ensure that it is fresh. Make sure that the harvest date is not any more than 15 months out, which means it is starting to get old.
Also look for a certification seal on the bottle showing that it passed sensory and chemistry testing.
The oil should be extra virgin olive oil and say it is a 1st processing or 1st press.
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Carrot is a root vegetable that is filled with beta carotene which is good for our eyesight. It is one of the vegetables that
you can cook and eat raw at the same time. It is very versatile. In 2005, Great Britain made carrots as their third favorite vegetable. It is commonly orange in color but there are some varieties that are red, purple, white and yellow. The orange color is produced by beta carotene and it is converted by our digestive fluids into Vitamin A which is good for eyesight. The root part or the tap root is the edible part of the carrot plant but the leaves are also edible. 3% of the beta carotene is found in raw carrots. You can pump it up to 39% after cooking, sautéing or stir frying it. You can also boil it; add into soups and stews, baby food, salads, roasted, juices and for cakes and pastries.
The possibilities are endless. In India, they normally use carrots for salads and they add lots of spices. Baby carrots are now found everywhere even in supermarkets and you can eat them as snacks. If your children are picky eaters and they don't like vegetables, you can sneak some carrots in recipes or juices together with apples and they cannot tell the difference.
One of the best recipes to sneak in carrots is carrot cake. Children like sweet pastries and cakes. This cake is very healthy because it is made up of carrots and it is easy to make. It is moist and sweet just like the cakes we love. You can add this recipe in your recipe box. Here is a simple carrot cake recipe.
Moist Carrot Cake
Dry ingredients
2 1/2 cups of regular wheat flour
2 TB of whole wheat pastry flour for kneading
1 1/2 teaspoon of tartar cream
1 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Wet ingredients
1/3 cup of pineapple juice
1 1/2 cups honey
2 egg unbeaten egg whites
2 egg lightly beaten egg whites
2 teaspoon vanilla
2 4 oz. jars carrot puree.
1 1/2 cup of peeled and grated carrots
1 cup of raisins
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325F.In a mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients all together and sift it three times to remove lumps. Set aside.
In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients and add the dry sifted ingredients until it is well blended. Add 1 cup of raisins and fold the lightly beaten egg whites. Pour the mixture into a greased cake pan or small muffin pans.
Bake in 325F for 40-45 minutes until toothpick comes out. Let it cool for 20 minutes. To serve it, you can make a cream cheese frosting by creaming caster sugar and cream cheese in a mixer.
Sneaking in carrots in your daily dishes can make your family meals healthier. Carrots are one of the super vegetables along with broccoli. Teach your children early in eating vegetables, and you will feel the benefits.
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Is it possible to eat a diet that consists of liver cleansing food without starving yourself or changing your entire lifestyle? We believe that with the proper detox diet that you can have a proper liver cleanse and have increased stamina, decrease colds and infections by reinforcing your immune system, and get restful sleep and wake up refreshed. These are some of the benefits derived from eating a diet of liver cleansing food.
So what are these foods, and how difficult will it be to incorporate them into your weekly diet? You will find these foods to be rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber, and detox diet foods that have a high presence of antioxidants. Plus, they will be no trouble at all fitting them into your weekly diet.
1. Leafy green vegetables. Because of their high quantities of plant chlorophylls, they are able to remove toxins from the bloodstream in vast amounts. As an effective liver cleansing food, they can be eaten raw or cooked. They also have the ability to neutralize chemicals and pesticides, helping the liver in one of its functions as a filter of these toxins.
2. Garlic. It doesn't take much, thankfully, to activate liver enzymes to assist in flushing out body toxins. Additionally, in detox for the liver garlic have two natural compounds that aid in liver cleansing, allicin and selenium.
3. Carrots, beets, and red and yellow fruits and vegetables. These are high in beta-carotene, important for its antioxidant qualities, which inhibit the oxidation of other molecules. These antioxidants help to prevent many of the diseases caused by oxidative stress.
4. Whole grains. These liver cleansing foods should be brown rice and whole wheat grain, not the white flour foods. These liver cleansing foods aid in liver function and decongestion, along with improving overall fat metabolization. White bread, because of its processing, offers little in the way of nutritional value as well as adding toxins in processing. If you want to go totally healthy, sprouted grain breads top them all.
5. Olive oil. When used in moderation, their lipid base literally sucks up harmful toxins, relieving the liver of toxic overload.
6. Green tea. Fast becoming known for its overall health benefits, it also helps the liver in its overall functions, as it is heavy in plant antioxidants.
7. Turmeric. Called the liver's favorite spice, it helps in liver detox by helping enzymes that actively flush out dietary carcinogens.
These are a few foods that assist in liver cleansing, and should be part of any detox diet. Obviously, there are a few that should not be included as liver cleansing food, and they would be processed foods, artificial food additives, preservatives and synthetic sweeteners, to name a few. Also, try to steer clear of those foods which are not grown organically and have been treated with pesticides and synthetic chemicals. Finally, of course, the overuse of alcohol can cause havoc with a liver detox program.
These liver cleansing foods should be in our everyday diet. If you imagine the liver as a filter, in time that filter is going to get congested with contaminants. The Master Cleanse diet, as well as other liver detox diets, can periodically give the liver a boost and clean things out. A product found on our website we are sure will provide immense benefits for a total liver cleanse.
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