The way to good health starts with eating vegetarian meals that are nutritious and filling. You will find that many people feel that a meal is complete when you have meats, vegetables and gravies as part of the main meal. Whenever you are planning vegetarian meals with a vegetarian main dish you should see that you have chosen one that will provide you with most of the nutrients that your body needs. Any gravies and dressings that you will be using should be light in calories and texture. These dishes can be ones like bean burritos, eggplant gratin, vegetable biriyani, Zucchini lasagna and others. For meat lovers you have a number of different main vegetarian dishes. These will mock lamb curry, Moussaka, mock beef bourguignon are among the meatless meat dishes that you will find are a perfect substitute vegetarian main dish. The different foods that you choose should complement each other. Since you will need to make sure that everyone has more than enough to eat you should ensure that you have a goodly selection of vegetarian dishes available in varying quantities. Once you have decided to have full vegetarian meals you will need to choose the foods for the meal. Since ... [more..]

The market for organic foods is growing dramatically. It is estimated that organic sales of food products through supermarkets, mass merchandisers and natural supermarkets was $3.6 billion in 2006 in the U.S., double the figure in 2000. The Organic Trade Association estimates that the total organic food and beverage sales were $13.8 billion in 2006. The organic revolution is a global phenomenon witnessed in every corners of the world and countries - Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand , Turkey, UK, USA and other countries.The primary demand driver for the increased consumption of organic food is health concerns. Consumers are increasingly interested in foods that are free of pesticides, and other health risks Organic farming is also a viable means of sustainance for small farmers in the developing countries. Most of the organic fertilizers and pesticides requirement can be met through on-farm and local production. Hence, organic farming does not involve huge capital investments in buying fertilizers and pesticides. Small farmers, therefore, find organic farming beneficial. Organic food are produced, processed and packaged wihtout using chemicals. Organic food is increasingly becoming popular due to its perceived health benefits ... [more..]

The 1970's brought a great deal of upheaval and new ideas to the forefront, and the world of cuisine was no exception. In June of 1975, the British magazine Harpers & Queen coined a term to refer to a new type of food that was sweeping the world: Nouvelle Cuisine. What is nouvelle cuisine? It is, in a word, the marriage of health-conscious California to traditional France. Consider it an updated version of French cuisine- flavorful food with a light-handed, healthy approach. It's difficult to define nouvelle cuisine in more specific terms because of its huge impact on the way food in general is prepared today. Nouvelle cuisine opened doors to a new generation of restaurant-goers who loved rich tastes and fresh combinations, but didn't want their bodies to pay for it later. With this new lighter menu came a new style of cooking as well. Chefs in nouvelle cuisine restaurants used shorter cooking times and fresher ingredients, cutting down on the multiple steps that got in the way of the natural flavors of the food. In a world that was waking up to faster-moving times and stricter diets, this new cuisine caught on with incredible speed. Like any other ... [more..]

I passed by a fast food place the other day where cars were lined up in the drive thru. I suddenly pictured, in my mind, holocaust victims lined up in front of the gas chamber. I know it was an unfair comparison. Death by gas chamber is quicker and probably more humane. Researchers have shown that fast food contributes to weight gain, insulin resistance, and other health problems that can lead to a slow death. The most noted problem with fast food is that it tends to be high in fats. Although fat can be a high-octane fuel for our bodies, the fats in fast food tend to be the unhealthy kind, Fat is also addictive; the more we eat, the more we want. Therefore, fast food consumers are inclined to consume more fuel than they can possibly use. Fast food is also a processed food, and many processed foods are over processed at the cost of nutrients. Flavor is also destroyed, so before manufacturers try to feed us this nutrient poor food, they add things like salt, sugar, and fat to improve the taste. Then they add evil stuff like artificial flavouring and colouring, and preservatives, many of which are made ... [more..]