Eat Thai to Stay Healthy and Keep Slim

By Julie B Brown 

People often ask me why so many Thais remain thin despite our very obvious passion for food. In fact, this used to puzzle me, too, until I started researching and writing my books on Thai cooking. The answer is now clear: it's the ingredients, it's the preparation, it's the way we cook, and it's the way we eat. Let me explain!

First, I must warn you that my remarks are all about traditional Thai cooking, with just a few minor variations to accommodate Western taste. I am not referring to any of the current fads that you'll currently find in Bangkok, where thin teenagers are turning into plump adults on a diet of hamburgers, Cola and Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Yes, obesity is becoming more prevalent in Thailand, but it's mainly because the lifestyle has become more westernised. Fortunately, the majority retain their figures by eating traditional foods.

It's the ingredients: In Thailand we're fortunate to have a huge variety of fruit and vegetables. This means we can buy them fresh, rather than eating, say, peaches or pears preserved in syrup. We also like to choose ingredients carefully - and this often means walking around the street markets to find the best mangoes, durian, or coconuts. If you walk a mile to buy fruit, that will help to keep you slim!

The main energy source, the staple of the Thai diet is rice, which "bulks up" during cooking and so tends to be less dense, and less fattening than potatoes. Thai diners are more likely to fill up with leafy vegetables and other side dishes, rather than eating vast quantities of rice.

We make everything palatable by adding fresh herbs, including coriander, basil, lemongrass and chillies.

Most important of all, we love seafood. Fish should be part of everyone's diet, at least once a week, but do make sure you choose a sustainable species. Oily fish is the best source of Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids which all experts say are vital for normal metabolism.

In my various books I've listed the health benefits of just about all typical Thai ingredients. Here are three examples:

* Ginger, one of the most popular Thai ingredients, is well-known as a digestive aid. 

* Water chestnuts contain no fat whatsoever and very few calories. 

* The white meat of chicken is lower in calories, lower in fat and higher in protein than dark meat.

So how about using all the above ingredients to make Chicken with Water Chestnuts and Ginger? You can find this recipe, which also includes dried black fungus, in my e-book Ginger & Galangal Secrets (from ThaiFoodSecrets.com).

It's the preparation: Because we like to chop and slice most of the ingredients, Thai food takes quite a lot of preparation. But this, too, has health benefits. Instead of serving half-chickens or large steaks of beef we serve finely-sliced meat in bite-sized pieces which can be savoured individually. Only fish are frequently served whole, often as a communal dish from which each diner takes small helpings.

It's the way we cook: Long on preparation, but quick to cook: that's the traditional way of food in Thailand. In all my books I emphasize the importance of pan-frying rather than deep-frying, whenever possible. In stir-frying, using a wok, the key to success is knowing how long to cook each ingredient. Be careful not to overcook vegetables. Add light vegetables at the end: for example, beansprouts take only about 3 minutes when cooked with other ingredients.

It's the way we eat: Buddhist tradition teaches us to savour our food rather than to wolf it down quickly. Does this have a health benefit? I think it does. If you take your time to enjoy the food that you (or someone else) has prepared and cooked, you won't be in danger of overeating because the body starts to signal "satisfaction" before the end of the meal. We call it "im" (full). If you hear Thai diners protesting "im!" it means they really can't eat much more.

Final word: British, European or American people will never eat exclusively Thai, except perhaps on a trip to Thailand, but maybe they can apply some of the principles of traditional Thai cooking to their own cuisine. The keys are: greater variety of ingredients, smaller cuts of meat, more fish, avoidance of overcooking, and taking time to enjoy the result.

Why You Should Love Dried Mango

By Stephen Pillo Unato 

In today's world, being easily persuaded to eat a juicy and fatty burger and that slice of pizza loaded with beef, cheese and the other heavenly food choices on earth than your leafy greens for lunch is an understatement. People, even though they do not know it yet, love to live their lives on the edge. A week may go by with people not giving a care about the food that they inject inside their bodies and not realizing that they are slowly becoming a ticking time bomb with an unwritten death notice. That is why going for organic food is so important, and learning how to appreciate it will definitely impact one's life on a positive light. An example of an organic food that everyone should appreciate and love is a pack of dried mango.

These fruits are popular organic treats that are mostly coming from South East Asian countries. Given the abundance of sunlight and the right amount of moisture needed for the photosynthetic processes required in order to grow mango delicacies in these nations. However, dried mangoes have conquered not only the tropical countries, but also the places on its north and east side. If you buy dried mango whether out of interest or not, you are bound to have a wonderful snacking experience. Instead of choosing that pack of potato chips or that bowl of pretzels, go for a pack of dried mangoes. Here are some reasons why you should:

1. It has the good calories your body needs. A teeny tiny serving of 20 pieces of potato chips will cost you and your body around 147 calories with 86% calories from fat. However, one-third cup of dried mangoes, which is probably enough to entertain you for a full-length comedy movie will cost you only 160 calories with 0% calories from fat. In fact, the calories that come from mangoes come from carbohydrates that are inherent in mangoes. Snacking need not be a tortuous experience for your body. You can turn the tides around by choosing organic food options and writing it in your grocery list.

2. It has the vitamins your body needs for daily functioning. Mangoes are a rich source of vitamins A and C plus potassium and beta carotene. If you are not extremely fond of eating natural mangoes because of the pulp and the fiber that gets stuck in your teeth, dried mangoes is definitely a better option. Munching on at least 5 pieces of dried mangoes in a day can give you the vitamins and minerals you need.

3. A better snacking alternative! Again, when it comes to snacking, it has to be guilt-free while giving you the advantage for vitamins and minerals that you need in order to stay fit and healthy. If you are conscious about your weight and your daily calorie intake, substituting your fatty snacks with a pack of fruits can do a lot for your confidence and figure. Also, since it is dehydrated, you can be sure that the shelf life of a pack of these products can last long and will not be stale even after a few weeks of storing it inside your refrigerator. Go ahead, buy dried mango and enjoy its benefits.

Fruit Diet Recipes

By Robert N. Perry 

Nowadays, there is a general increase in the interest in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This entails regular exercise and eating a healthy diet. Both these things go a long way in reducing the chances of acquiring lifestyle diseases like coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, obesity and cancer. A healthy diet must constitute of the four food groups, carbohydrates, proteins, fats and vitamins. Fruits are a good source of all the essential nutrients and they are delicious in the bargain. This means everyone should eat lots of fruit and have some good fruit diet recipes on hand.

A change in lifestyle for health reasons may require some detoxification and losing some weight. Going on a detoxification diet will almost always cause some weight loss. Eathing a lot of fruit is an excellent way to detoxify your body. Fruits are low in calories and are filled with lots of nutrients the body needs. They also have fiber which is essential for good digestion. Fruits are a good choice for detoxification because they are very effective in flushing out toxins that build up in the body from daily living and eating junk food, carbonated drinks, highly processed foods and foods with high sodium content. Fruit diet recipes can be a big help when it comes to detoxification.

Starting a fruit diet will require some planning. There are some fruit diets that are supposed to last for only 3 days while others are supposed to last up to 30 days. To make the fruit diet not seem long and interminable, you will require several different types of fruit diet recipes.

A 30 day fruit diet for detox can be especially difficult to stick to if you do not have a large variety of fruit diet recipes to try and make use of. It is a good idea to eat fruits fresh so it is best to incorporate fruits that are in season into your fruit diet recipes.

When choosing fruit for your fruit diet recipes, you should choose fruit that you enjoy. This makes the diet much easier to stick to. No matter what type of fruit you choose, always pick good quality fruit. Try to incorporate fruits like oranges and other citrus fruits because they are very good for detoxification.

Here are a couple of simple fruit diet recipes.

Fruit salad - This is a very simple and easy to make recipe. All you need is to get a couple of apples, red, green or both, some pineapple slices, peaches, mangoes, grapes, bananas or any fruit that takes your fancy. Cut all the fruits into small cubes and mix them together in a bowl. Sprinkle some cinnamon on top of the fruit mixture. You can pop this mixture into the refrigerator for about half an hour and eat it chilled. Add some low fat yoghurt for some variety. Another option is to pop the mixture into the oven and grill the fruit salad for about five minutes. This makes a delightful snack anytime of the day.

Fruit smoothie - Slice some strawberries and bananas put them in a blender. Add orange juice and low fat banana or strawberry yoghurt. Blend these ingredients together and after pour the mixture into a tall glass.

As you may have noticed, our website has a large selection of good articles on fruit health benefits as well as some good fruit recipes. Be sure and bookmark us as we regularly add others.

Top 5 Tips for Creating Your Very Own Diet Plan

By Mohsin Majeed

There are thousands of diet plans available online but they are somehow difficult to follow, especially if they include those food items which you almost hate. So, instead of following any of those, why shouldn't you design a customized and healthy one for yourself? You can do that according to your taste and the foods you like. Nutritionists recommend that your diet should include all the foods in a balanced way. It means that the food should not only be high in vitamin alone but also balance all the necessary proteins and carbohydrates.

For the past two to three years, I have been creating diet plans for myself. These proved very effective for my body and provided great results. Following are some of the important tips that I picked up. These points need to be considered while creating your own healthy diet plan.

It must include different fruit and vegetables. These are the basic source of vitamins, proteins and other essential nutrients required by our body. The skin or outer covering of fruits and vegetables is also full of nutrition, so avoid peeling it.

Your diet should be rich in fiber. Whole grain, fruit, and vegetables are all rich in fibers. Dietary fibres are very important and help in metabolism of our body.

Prefer using vinegar, lemon juice, and natural herbs instead of artificial spices in your food. Artificial spices are not good for your health because they increase the acidity level of the stomach and cause different diseases.

Avoid eating food items having higher proportion of fats or cholesterol in them. Such foods contain saturated fats which are not good for our health. So stop using cookies, cakes, pastries and other related stuff right from today.

When it comes to healthy diet, then you must take care of how much you eat and how much you burn. If the calories you consume through food are equal to the calories you burn then, you have lesser chances of obesity and other dangerous diseases.

Making a healthy diet plan is not so problematic but following it punctually and maintaining it is the difficult part. You should also start having exercises. Exercises not only keep you physically fit but also keep you fresh all over the day.

These points will enable you to create a healthy diet plan which will keep you from obesity and other heart diseases. Now, when you know about the essential ingredients of a healthy diet, why not take a paper and a pen and create your diet plan, all by yourself?

Fruit Diet Recipe

Nowadays, there is a general increase in the interest in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This entails regular exercise and eating a healthy diet. Both these things go a long way in reducing the chances of acquiring lifestyle diseases like coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, obesity and cancer. A healthy diet must constitute of the four food groups, carbohydrates, proteins, fats and vitamins. Fruits are a good source of all the essential nutrients and they are delicious in the bargain. This means everyone should eat lots of fruit and have some good fruit diet recipes on hand.

A change in lifestyle for health reasons may require some detoxification and losing some weight. Going on a detoxification diet will almost always cause some weight loss. Eathing a lot of fruit is an excellent way to detoxify your body. Fruits are low in calories and are filled with lots of nutrients the body needs. They also have fiber which is essential for good digestion. Fruits are a good choice for detoxification because they are very effective in flushing out toxins that build up in the body from daily living and eating junk food, carbonated drinks, highly processed foods and foods with high sodium content. Fruit diet recipes can be a big help when it comes to detoxification.

Starting a fruit diet will require some planning. There are some fruit diets that are supposed to last for only 3 days while others are supposed to last up to 30 days. To make the fruit diet not seem long and interminable, you will require several different types of fruit diet recipes.

A 30 day fruit diet for detox can be especially difficult to stick to if you do not have a large variety of fruit diet recipes to try and make use of. It is a good idea to eat fruits fresh so it is best to incorporate fruits that are in season into your fruit diet recipes.

When choosing fruit for your fruit diet recipes, you should choose fruit that you enjoy. This makes the diet much easier to stick to. No matter what type of fruit you choose, always pick good quality fruit. Try to incorporate fruits like oranges and other citrus fruits because they are very good for detoxification.

Here are a couple of simple fruit diet recipes.

Fruit salad - This is a very simple and easy to make recipe. All you need is to get a couple of apples, red, green or both, some pineapple slices, peaches, mangoes, grapes, bananas or any fruit that takes your fancy. Cut all the fruits into small cubes and mix them together in a bowl. Sprinkle some cinnamon on top of the fruit mixture. You can pop this mixture into the refrigerator for about half an hour and eat it chilled. Add some low fat yoghurt for some variety. Another option is to pop the mixture into the oven and grill the fruit salad for about five minutes. This makes a delightful snack anytime of the day.

Fruit smoothie - Slice some strawberries and bananas put them in a blender. Add orange juice and low fat banana or strawberry yoghurt. Blend these ingredients together and after pour the mixture into a tall glass.