Health, Fitness, and Popcorn

"Health is a consummation of a love affair of all the organs in the body"  --------Plato

POPCORN

Isn't it great when you find out there is a food you enjoy eating that is actually healthy for a change!  If you didn't already know, popcorn is one of those foods. It's good for health and fitness because of the vitamins it provides.  It's over weight with healthy benefits and is so easy to prepare eat at the same time.  Another great thing about popcorn is that it is versatile and can be eaten in a variety of ways.

Popcorn, believe it or not, is a wholegrain and consists of 3 different parts:

• Bran
  contains antioxidants, Vitamin B, and Fiber
  
• Endosperm
  contains starchy carbohydrates, proteins and small amounts of vitamins and minerals.
  
• Germ
  contains B vitamins, some protein, minerals and healthy fats. 

Popcorn Health Facts

Popcorn has more iron than eggs, roast beef, codfish or milk.

Popcorn has calcium and although not as much as milk, the more foods with calcium we eat the better.

Popcorn is rich in vitamins thiamine, riboflavin and niacin,as well as, all of the B Complex vitamins.

Popcorn provides protein, which as you know, helps in building strong muscle.

Popcorn is low in calories and fat.

Popcorn is a versatile food and can be enjoyed in many different ways, with many different flavors.

3 cups of popcorn will give you your daily requirement of wholegrain.

Reach for health and fitness and consume popcorn as a healthy snack during the day or night, for party nibblers, kids' snack box at school and for party treats and favors.

Wellness with Tulsi

Tulsi, the "Queen of Herbs", more commonly known as Holy Basil is a healing balm for the body, mind and spirit and bestows an amazing number of health benefits.

• Used for thousands of years to prevent and minimize the symptoms of cold and flu, support upper respiratory health, and reduce fevers.
• Relieves stress / adaptogen
• Boosts immunity
• Enhances stamina
• Provides support during cold season
• Promotes healthy metabolism
• A natural immuno-modulator (an agent that balances and improves the immune response of the body in fighting disease causing agents such as bacteria, viruses, microbes, allergens etc.)

Tulsi can be consumed as an herb in foods, as a hot or cold tea, as capsules, or rubbed directly into the skin as an essential oil, or as part of steam therapy by adding the oil to hot water.  Even one cup a day has immense benefits, especially if you keep it regularly in your diet. Increase the cups of Tulsi tea per day when you are down with cold or flu.

Related Links

Tulsi Recipes

Wellness With Lavender

Lavender and wellness go hand in hand.  Offering

exceptional sedating qualities, as well as delicious culinary taste, lavender is beautiful to the sight, heavenly to the nose and senses, and delicious to the taste.  It is safe to say that one can find peace and wellness with Lavender.

Lavender In Medicinal Use

Lavender Tea is referred to as a natural sedative. It is helpful for headaches, stress, and faintness.

Lavender balm is used for inflammations, cuts and burns. This is highly effective in treating bug bites, bee and wasp stings. It helps eliminate itching and swelling. Bee Sting and Bite Bite First Aid and Natural Remedies

Medicinal Use For Wellness, Relaxation and Distressing

Lavender  oil for the bath is most everyone's favorite.  Add a few drops of lavender oil to the bathwater to distress and promote wellness.

The burning of lavender essential oil helps to relax and induce feelings of well being.  This is commonly known as a form of aromatherapy, and is used often in spa treatments and the home. It is also very helpful in naturally relaxing baby at bedtime.

Other Uses of  Lavender

English Lavender is the most commonly used in cooking. It has a sweet flowery flavor.

Dried lavender  is often used in combination with other herbs and spices for robust meat dishes like mutton or game.  It is very potent, so use carefully. 

Fresh lavender flowers make a colorful and edible garnish. Desserts can be decorated with crystallized lavender flowers.

Lavender, a member of the mint family and is close to rosemary, sage, and thyme, so lavender can be used in most recipes in place of rosemary.

The dried flowers can be put in sugar and kept sealed for a few weeks to create a lavender scented sugar to use in cakes, custards and shortbread.

 Related Links

Lavender and Strawberry Sorbet Recipe

Natural Medicine - Health Wonders of Turmeric

Turmeric has been used for healing in Ayurvedic Medicine for centuries and in today's world is considered by some to be the jewel of all spices.  It's anti-inflammatory properties is useful as an antiseptic.  It is also considered to be skin candy for it's high healing value to the skin.  

Consumption of Turmeric is a powerful healer in the following areas:

• Liver and stomach by endorsing healthy mucus membranes and skin 
• Stiff joints and arthritis 
• A digestive aid 
• Draws out toxins, eliminates secretions and heals
• Reduces pigmentation
• Strengthen bones
• Skin Softener
• Improves elasticity of the skin (using a home remedy on the abdomen area throughout pregnancy will considerably reduce the onset of stretch marks)
• Stabilizes free radicals that lead to ageing and various other diseases such as cancer. 
• Turmeric fights the bacteria that causes diarrhea  
• Cancer prevention
  
• An effective treatment for inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Helps with Cystic Fibrosis
• Relief when fighting a bronchial asthma cough and works to prevent further attacks.
  

 Turmeric has also found it's way into the world of medicine through it 's contribution in aiding in some of today's diseases that are finding their way more and more into society.

You can use home remedy recipes to help with a soar throat, stiff joints, arthritis, stomach and digestive problems.  Turmeric is also useful for skin conditions such as eczema, poison ivy, chicken pox, scabies and shingles, soars and wounds, and even as a  douche. You can use turmeric as a beauty aid as well, to soften and shine the skin, as well as prevent wrinkles, crows feet and fine lines that come with ageing.

Now you might be wondering how to get this spice jewel into your diet and how to use it as a home remedy.  

Related Links

Turmeric For First Aid - Remedy Recipes

Turmeric For Beauty - Homemade Recipes

Turmeric Salad Dressing

Health and Cinnamon

Cinnamon is another common kitchen spice that offers health benefits with healing powers, as well as adds wonderful flavor to savory and sweet dishes. It is also kid friendly and smells fantastic as home incense.

Studies have shown the following benefits from the consumption of cinnamon.

• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon per day can lower LDL cholesterol.
• Have a regulatory effect on blood sugar
• Ability to stop medication-resistant yeast infections.
• Copenhagen University patients given 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon powder combined with 1 tbls of honey every morning before breakfast had significant relief in arthritis pain after one week and could walk without pain within one month.
• Smelling cinnamon boosts cognitive function and memory.
• Researchers at Kansas State University found that cinnamon fights the E-coli bacteria in unpasteurized juices.

Facts 

• Cinnamon has been used for years in traditional Chinese medicine for colds, nausea, diarrhea, and painful menstrual cramps. They also believed it to improve energy, vitality and circulation.  

• Cinnamon has an anti-clotting effect on the blood.

• Cinnamon is a natural food preservative.

• Cinnamon is a great source of manganese, fiber, iron, and calcium.

Other facts about cinnamon

• True cinnamon is called Ceylon cinnamon and is native to Sri Lanka.
• Cassia is a relative spice and sometimes sold as cinnamon but it is not "true cinnamon. Most powdered cinnamon sold in the United States is cassia.
• Two teaspoons of cinnamon has about 12 calories.
• In Ancient Egypt, cinnamon was used in the embalming process.
• In the Middle Ages, cinnamon was only affordable to the elite of society. A person's social rank was determined by the number of spices they could afford. 

Use cinnamon to spice up your health, taste buds, and atmosphere in your home through aromatherapy.


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Cinnamon for a fat burning skinny food


Cinnamon and Diabetes

Cinnamon Toothpicks Recipe