Natural or Organic?

The term "Health Foods" include natural and organic grown fruit and vegetables, various pills and herbs. Some of these foods are nutritionally good and some such as herbs and ginseng are unproven. The term "Health Food" is very misleading since it implies that all other foods are unhealthy.
Vegetarianism: There is nothing nutritionally wrong with being a vegetarian, in fact most nutritionist recommend this type of diet because it is high in diet fibre, low in fats, more fruit and vegetables. Many vegetarians eat eggs and drink milk, on the other hand some don't use animal products at all and are as far as known very healthy.
Whole Foods: Whole foods are better than refined foods. This means that wholewheat bread and flour are healthier than white bread and flour. Choosing unrefined rice and maize rather than refined. Brown sugar is very little different from white sugar.
Organic Grown Foods: Most farmers and gardeners fertilize their soil with sulfate of ammonia, potash and phosphate ect. They also add manure and compost as much as they can find. Advocates of organic farming claims that the use of chemicals is artificial and that foods that are grown naturally are more superior. In fact there is no difference between them. Organic farmers avoid the use of chemicals, weed killers and pesticides. A few tasting trials that were carried out, could not distinguish which are organically grown and inorganically fertilized foods. Nutritionally they are the same.
Sea salt: Most salt comes from underground mines and is highly purified. It usually have some magnesium carbonate (a harmless mineral salt) added to make it flow freely. Sea salt contains natural Iodine.

Honey: Honey is simply sugar and water with very small traces of several vitamins and mineral salts. The food value of a teaspoon of honey is the same as a ¾ teaspoon of ordinary table sugar.
Cider Vinegar, Kelp, "Live" Yogurt and Ginseng: Cider vinegar is made of re-fermented cider, meaning, it is made in a similar way as wine vinegar. Nutritionally it provides a few calories and nothing else.
Kelp is a seaweed and a source of iodine which is an essential nutrient with a few mineral salts of lessor importance. It has no special food value.
"Live" Yogurt contains the bacteria which turned the milk into yogurt, whereas ordinary yogurt has usually the bacteria killed by pasteurisation. If it was made of full cream milk instead of skim milk powder, it would have tasted better and of nutritional value, not because of the bacteria that are still alive. The bacteria do not survive inside the human intestines and do not provide any benefits.
Ginseng is the root of a bush that grows in China and Korea. A vast range of magical properties is attributed to it, again no evidence or truth that it works has ever been found.
Balanced Vitamins: Most health shops sell tablets of balanced vitamins that have been extracted from wheat, yeast or liver instead of being synthesised in a factory. They were balanced so far as the wheat plant or the yeast or the animal's liver were concerned BUT they are not balanced for Human needs. Wheat contains very little B2. Vit B1 in yeast extract steadily falls while it sits on the shelf. The B vitamins in the liver extract will depend on how the animal was fed.
Herbs: Herbs have a mystical appeal since they were used as medicines for centuries. Some of them have no effect, some contains poison like Comfrey and Rhubarb and some contain small amounts of drugs like Fennel. Some modern medicines are extracted from herbs, quinine was originally extracted from tree bark. Pleasant drinks can be made from some herbs, leaves and petals but they have no beneficial effects.
Healthy Eating at a Restaurant: Is it Possible?
If you and your family love to eat out, you may think that this lifestyle is not good for a healthy diet. In many cases, you would be correct. You can still enjoy eating out at restaurants and maintain your healthy diet. It's all about making good food choices, which starts with learning about the nutritional value of the food you eat and what your body needs to stay physically healthy, mentally stable, and active.
When you pick up the menu, start by skipping over the alcoholic drinks section. Although you may be tempted to enjoy a beer or mixed beverage with your dinner, these usually have many "bad" calories, which is not good for your body. The exception to this rule is when it comes to wine, especially red wine, which can be fine if you have a single glass.
Skip the appetizer menu, unless it's a salad. The appetizers at restaurants are usually high-fat foods that are not meant to fill you up and can in fact make you crave for more. Examples of these are mozzarella sticks, potato skins, and chicken wings. Simply focus on the main course or if you must indulge, share a single serving with someone at your table.
Choosing the main dish is very important. Look at the ingredients of the dish. Anything with cream sauces or high-fat meats should be avoided and pass the potatoes and onion rings. Instead order side dishes like green salad and vegetables or ask for just the main course when possible.
Remember that portions is everything. Try to order from the lunch menu whenever you can, and ask for a doggie-bag right away. Split your meal in half from the start, so that you are not tempted to eat the entire plate, which is usually enough for two or three portions.
SKIP the desert menu, just like you did with the appetizers. If you have to have desert share or split your portion in half. Many fancy desserts at restaurants have more calories than your entire meal, so keep this in mind before you flag down the waitress to put in an order! Of course, on special occasions, it's alright to cheat a little, but overall healthy eating requires lots of resisting temptations around you.



Source:

Table Salt Vs. Himalayan Salt: Which is Better?

Sea Salt Vs Table Salt - Which Is Better?

You've probably heard that sea salt is so much healthier for you than table salt. You may have also heard that it has less sodium than table salt. I've heard these claims too. I wanted to see if they were really true, so, I decided to check them out.

Where does sea salt come from?

Most people are likely aware that sea salt comes from, well, the sea. Or, at least, it can. You get this salt from the evaporation of ocean water; you also get it from the evaporation of saltwater lakes. Yes, some lakes are actually saltwater. Usually, once the water has evaporated, there is very little processing done to the salt before it goes to the consumer. This means that certain minerals and elements stay in the salt and don't get processed out.

Where does table salt come from?

Table salt also comes from the evaporation of saltwater. However, it is different because it is mined from underground deposits where there was originally a body of salted water. It is also different in that it is heavily processed so that they can get rid of the minerals (American Heart Association, 2013, para. 7).

What about those minerals?

Sea salt has trace levels of the minerals magnesium, potassium, and calcium. Since those are healthy, we should get as much as we can, right? Unfortunately, the amounts are very small. You can easily get those amounts, and much more, from eating other healthy foods.

Does table salt have anything good in it? Most has iodine added to it. This is a good thing. Since the 1920s they've been adding iodine to table salt - they've been doing it to prevent goiter, a disease you can get from not having enough iodine. Sea salt does not have iodine (AHA, 2013, para. 9).

Do they add anything else to table salt? Yes, there is a tiny amount of harmless additives which prevent clumping. The powder form of coffee, tea, sugar and milk, also have non-clumping additives.

So, what's the difference?

Sea salt can be coarse, fine, or flaky; it can also come in various colors and have a unique flavor. It's great for food that's already cooked. However, once it's cooked or dissolved it loses its distinctive flavor. Table salt has a fine texture and it's perfect for using in recipes.

Bottom line

Both of these salts have the same amount of sodium by weight. Yes, they have the same amount of sodium! If you think that sea salt is healthier and has less sodium, you may use more of it and thereby increase your sodium intake. This is bad. We should have no more than 2300 mg of sodium per day. If you're over 51, black, have high blood pressure, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease, you should have only 1500 mg per day (Zeratsky, 2013, para. 4-5). The US National average is 3300 mg per day!

Some sea salt has a stronger taste than table salt so if you truly do use less, then it could be a good choice. Just keep in mind that they both have the same sodium content, and you can easily get sea salt's trace amounts of minerals from other food. So, there is no health value to using sea salt over table salt if you're using the same quantity.

Speaking of value, have you noticed how much sea salt costs?!





 Source:

Salt, Sea Salt or No Salt?

Sea salt and table salt both contain sodium chloride. Sea salt also contains small amounts of magnesium chloride, magnesium sulfate and calcium sulfate, which are nutritionally insignificant. Sea salt, kosher salt, monosodium glutamate, and seasoning salts are all treated the same way in your body.

You need to eat foods that contain iodine for your body to be able to make thyroid hormone. The best sources are iodized salt and seafood. Plants can be a good source, but only if they are grown on iodine-rich soil. A study in the Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism (September-October 2003) showed that vegetarians are at increased risk for iodine deficiency that causes low thyroid function. In this study, 25 percent of vegetarians and 80 percent of vegans had low blood levels of iodine, compared to only nine percent of people who eat both meat and vegetables. While iodized table salt is a good source of iodine, sea salt often is not. If you don't use table salt or eat ocean fish or kelp, get a blood test for iodine. If your iodine level is low, you need to eat more seafood or iodized salt, or take iodine pills.

Many people go on low salt diets because they think that it will improve their health, but a low-salt diet usually does not lower high blood pressure. The most healthy diet contains lots of whole grains, vegetables, seeds and nuts, and they all taste better with salt. You cannot exercise in the heat without taking extra salt.

If you want to reduce the amount of salt in your diet and fool your taste buds, try adding tart flavoring such as lemon juice or vinegar.






source