Earl Grey Tea in Popular Culture

There’s a certain mystique about Earl Grey. It’s distinctive flavor and colorful, mystery shrouded origins make a good story, and it’s probably the best known of all English teas, and possibly the best known tea, period.

Repeated references to the blend in popular culture (most commonly, music, movies, television, and books), have only reinforced the image, and made the drink even more widely known than ever. You don’t have to look far to find references to the blend, for example:

Probably the best known character in American television to drink the tea regularly is none other than Captain Jean Luc Picard, of the USS Enterprise (Star Trek, the Next Generation), but it doesn’t stop there. In an episode of Star Trek spinoff, “Deep Space Nine” there’s a reference to “That Earl Grey fellow,” and teaching him a thing or two about tea leaves, so Earl Grey in the Star Trek universe is well represented indeed! Continue reading “Earl Grey Tea in Popular Culture”

Kentucky Fried Chicken Changes to KFC

The Myth KFC Kentucky Fried Chicken Changes to KFC

KFC

Version One: The story about why Kentucky Fried Chicken, founded by Harland Sanders, changes it name to KFC is to remove the word “fried” in it’s name. The word “fried” has negative connatations like being unhealthy, having high cholesterol, causing obesity and many more. Therefore, as an effort to rebrand themselves as a healthier family restaurant that caters for people of all ages, including health conscious people, Kentucky Fried Chicken renamed itself as KFC.

Version Two: The US food and drug administration reviewed the operations of Kentucky Fried Chicken and found out the they are rearing genetically modified chickens, with extra huge breasts and extra legs to harvest the meat from(the number varies from 4 to 6). The US food and drug administration declares that these creatures cannot be marketed as “chickens” and Kentucky Fried Chicken, unwilling to lose such a lucrative operation to adhere to the rules, decided to change its name to KFC instead to eliminate the word “chicken”.

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Fish Skin – Trash or Luxury Item?

Do not be fooled by fish skin – it is much more than a waste product of the fish and food industry. Craftsmen, artists and fashion houses appreciate its beauty and robustness, turning it into exquisite cloth, accessories, pictures or even book covers. Once treated, the skin is known as fish or ocean leather, a name that better reflects the quality and attractiveness of the material.

Memories from the past

For centuries fish leather has been used for practical and decorative purposes. With more than 6,000 years of history, the people from the Hezhen ethnic group (northeast China) are known as “the fish-skin tribe” because their clothes made of large fish, usually salmon. Their bridal dresses are particularly remarkable. Although the craft has almost disappeared in modern times, some have rescued it and, in June 2006, the skill of processing fish skin was one of the first listed as an intangible cultural heritage of China. Continue reading “Fish Skin – Trash or Luxury Item?”

The Cholesterol Conspiracy – The Truth About Statins And Nutritional Supplementation

“All truth passes through three stages.

First, it is ridiculed.

Second, it is violently opposed.

Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.”

Arthur Schopenhauer

(1788 – 1860)

What is the true cause of heart disease, and how can we truly reduce the risk of death?

Atherosclerosis, or Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), is the leading cause of death in both men and women. In the U.S. alone, there are more than one million heart attacks every year, one third of them resulting in death. The majority of men and women currently have, or are actively developing, atherosclerosis. By age 20, most people already have a 15-25% narrowing of their arteries due to plaque formation. By age 40, there is a 30-50% clogging of their arteries. Continue reading “The Cholesterol Conspiracy – The Truth About Statins And Nutritional Supplementation”

Treatment of Low Blood Sugar for Autism

Low blood glucose levels on blood tests is something I have seen from time to time in children on the Autism spectrum. Glucose is a fuel source, in the form of simple sugar, that our body and brain need to function appropriately. And while most test results come back in the normal range, which is between 80 and 100, occasionally they do come back higher, 105 to 110, and periodically I do see them in the 60’s.

Hypoglycemia or low blood glucose, can be a temporary issue or it can be an ongoing, debilitating issue. Of course people with diabetes have the situation where their blood sugar goes very high and then goes very low when they have imbalances in insulin. Low blood sugar can impact many things in an individual including cognition, attention, focusing, it can even affect behavior and mood. If you see that your child gets moody throughout the day when they don’t eat frequently, they may have reactive hypoglycemia or low blood sugar issues.

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Tasty Recipes of Jowar Flour, Tur Dal, and Moong Dal

The health benefits of Jowar flour, Tur dal, and Moong dal are many. Jowar is also known as white millet. It has a low-fat content and is a rich source of protein and carbohydrate. Also, Jowar flour is gluten free as well as cholesterol free which makes it an ideal food for diabetic patients and those with celiac disease or patients with gluten sensitivity.

Dals are commonly used all over the world. Tur dal which is also known as Pigeon pea is the most common type of dal. It is rich in folic acid. It is an excellent source of plant proteins and nutrients. Tur dal is also low in fat content and is a rich source of dietary fibre. In addition to this, it contains complex carbohydrates which have more nutritional value and are more beneficial than simple carbohydrates.

Moong dal is the healthiest among all dals. The tiny legumes are packed with vitamins, minerals, proteins and carbohydrates. It has low Glycemic Index (GI) and hence a perfect choice for diabetic patients.

Recipes to Incorporate Jowar Flour, Tur Dal and Moong Dal in Daily Diet:

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Jowar Flour – A Guide to Its Uses and Health Benefits

Jowar is known to humankind since ancient ages. It belongs to millet family. Jowar is the Indian name for the millet Sorghum. The grains were a staple diet of farmers in many parts of India. However, with the passage of time and with the introduction of other grains, Jowar lost its prime position on the dining table. But modern research and its time-tested health benefits are restoring its past glory.

These white millets can be consumed by preparing various delicious recipes. Jowar grains can be boiled and stews or soups can be prepared. The white grains can be ground into fine powder and can be used as flour for making bhakris or bread. Jowar flour is used to make sumptuous omelette and dosa which are easy to digest by both the children and elderly alike.

Health Benefits of Jowar flour:

The nutritive value of Jowar is high. It is a rich source of vitamins and minerals. These gluten-free millets are loaded with high amounts of fibre. Fibre helps keep the stomach full and aids in maintaining the proper functioning of the digestive tract. A fibre rich diet lowers the risk of obesity, stroke, etc. Continue reading “Jowar Flour – A Guide to Its Uses and Health Benefits”

Cinnamon and Diabetes – Is There Any Benefit?

Research has indicated that cinnamon – the common aromatic spice – can help regulate blood glucose levels in persons who suffer diabetes. According to a 2003 study of cinnamon and diabetes that involved type 2 diabetics, ingesting as little as one gram (roughly one-half teaspoon) of cinnamon per day may lower one’s blood glucose levels by 18%; and perhaps as much as 29%. Cinnamon contains chemical substances (polyphenols) believed to enhance one’s sensitivity to insulin. As such, cinnamon may be beneficial for both type 2 diabetics and prediabetics with impaired insulin sensitivity. This link between cinnamon and diabetes stirred widespread interest.

Another small study of cinnamon and diabetes was performed in 2006. Postmenopausal type 2 diabetic women took 1.5g of cinnamon daily for six weeks. No improvement in blood glucose levels was observed; contradicting the first study. The authors stated that the different outcomes may be attributed to several factors; including that the types of anti-diabetic prescription medications the women were taking were different from the first study’s subjects, and that the women’s food intake during the study was controlled and standardized. Continue reading “Cinnamon and Diabetes – Is There Any Benefit?”

How Eating MORE Chocolate Is Something You Should Be Doing

If you were to ask past girlfriends if given the chance would they have traded me in for some chocolate? Well I don’t want to know the answer to that question…

Chocolate, and peoples love of chocolate, go back thousands and thousands of years. The Aztecs some 4-5000 years ago were grinding up cocoa beans and combining them with other ingredients to make drinks and porridges. Even the name of ‘cocoa’ comes from the ancient Nahuatl language meaning “bitter water”

Clearly the use of chocolate has evolved into the modern era but a standard drink of hot chocolate shares similar traits with those early beverages.

And just like Miley Cyrus there are good and bad versions of the same thing.. Continue reading “How Eating MORE Chocolate Is Something You Should Be Doing”

Foods that Promote Inflammation

“The more severe the pain or illness, the more severe will be the necessary changes. These may involve breaking bad habits, or acquiring some new and better ones.” -Peter McWilliams

You are not helpless in your fight against inflammation! Your diet plays a major role in activating or suppressing a protein called cytokines that causes inflammation. I can’t stress this enough. For that and other reasons that will be discussed shortly, I would like you to start thinking in terms of: “Is what I’m swallowing making me healthier or sicker?” There is little if any neutral ground. It is as if everything that you swallow is sending a signal to your immune system to either cause more inflammation or less.

The following are groups of foods that you should avoid because they send a signal to your body to produce more inflammatory cytokines. They are also toxic to your body in multiple ways, polluting the internal terrain of the body and promoting inflammation.

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