Health: Olive Oil

Olive Oil

Traditionally, olive oil, a yellow to greenish vegetable oil, was produced by crushing olives in mortars or beam presses. Modern processing involves mixing a ground olive paste with water, and extracting the oil using a centrifuge. The olive tree is native to the Mediterranean basin, where olive oil has been used for millennia as lighting fuel, anointing oil, and in food preparation. Recent scientific evidence suggests olive oil may reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes; how? More… Discuss

macerate

 

Definition:	(verb) To make soft, usually by steeping in liquid, and cause to disintegrate as a result.
Synonyms:	soften
Usage:	The stale bread was left to macerate in a bowl of milk for a few hours. Discuss.

this pressed: Glycemic index diet: What’s behind the claims – Mayo Clinic (with additional chart and data from wikipwdia)

Graph describing the rise of blood sugar after meals.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Classification

GI values can be interpreted intuitively as percentages on an absolute scale and are commonly interpreted as follows:

Classification	GI range[9]	Examples[9]
Low GI	55 or less	beans (white, black, pink, kidney, lentil, soy, almond, peanut, walnut, chickpea); small seeds (sunflower, flax, pumpkin, poppy, sesame); most whole intact grains (durum/spelt/kamut wheat, millet, oat, rye, rice, barley); most vegetables, most sweet fruits (peaches, strawberries, mangos); tagatose; fructose; mushrooms; chilis
Medium GI	56–69	not intact whole wheat or enriched wheat, pita bread, basmati rice, unpeeled boiled potato, grape juice, raisins, prunes, pumpernickel bread, cranberry juice,[10] regular ice cream, sucrose, banana
High GI	70 and above	white bread (only wheat endosperm), most white rice (only rice endosperm), corn flakes, extruded breakfast cereals, glucose, maltose, maltodextrins, potato, pretzels, bagels

***********************************************************************

excerpts from Mayo article:

Understanding GI values

There are various research methods for assigning a GI value to food. In general, the number is based on how much a food item raises blood glucose levels in healthy research participants compared with how much pure glucose raises their blood glucose. GI values are generally divided into three categories:
Low GI: 1 to 55
Medium GI: 56 to 69
*High GI: 70 and higher

For example, raw carrots have a GI value of 35. This means that if you eat enough carrots to consume 1.8 ounces (50 grams) of digestible carbohydrates (sugars and starches), your blood glucose level after eating the carrots will be 35 percent of the blood glucose level after eating 1.8 ounces (50 grams) of pure glucose.

Comparing these values, therefore, can help guide healthier food choices. For example, an English muffin made with white wheat flour has a GI value of 77. A whole-wheat English muffin has a GI value of 45.

via Glycemic index diet: What’s behind the claims – Mayo Clinic.
******************************************
Related articles

• Healing the Body with Whole Food Eating
• 10 Ways Eating Plant-Based Can Improve Your Mood (and Your Health)
• Nutrition – Healing Foods
• Diet Detective’s Cereal Investigation: Health rankings for 301 cereals
• 8 Tasty Ways to Get Your Whole Grains On

this pressed: Pan Fried Brussels Sprouts Recipe – Allrecipes.com

Recipe by NJChick

 

Pan fried Brussels sprouts

“Don’t be afraid of Brussels sprouts … yes, they are green, but they are so delicious! Pan frying them brings out their flavor. Use as a side dish … or if you’re like me, an on-the-go breakfast item!”

via Pan Fried Brussels Sprouts Recipe – Allrecipes.com.

Related articles

• 8 Delicious Brussels Sprouts Recipes
• 20 Ways to Use Brussels Sprouts
• 5 Ways to Get Anyone to Love Brussels Sprouts
• 10 recipes for Brussels sprouts that will make them your new favorite vegetable
• Heirloom Breakfast Potatoes

Cooked Beef Liver With Mushrooms And Bell Pepper

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

This is an original recipe: I do not use a cook book, nor did I copied the recipe, but since I find the dish very palatable, I decided to share my recipe with the world.

Ingredients:

1. One large onion,
2. 6 large mushrooms,
3. one tablespoon of extra light olive oil
4. Tarragon,
5. Ground pepper,
6. Rosemarie,
7. Garlic and herbs spice,
8. 4 hot peppers,
9. 1 bell pepper (I prefer red).
10. 3 fl oz. of red wine (Merlot will do)
11. A1 steak sauce,
12. ½ lb of fresh beef liver (thinly cut).
13. Preparation:

            Warm up the oil in the cooking pan, while finely cutting the onion.

Add some spices #4, 5, 6, 7 and the chopped bell pepper. Stir often, so the onions brown evenly.

When the onions are ready add the mushrooms, broken or cut, in not too little pieces, stems and all, and stir so the mushrooms are on the bottom of the pot. When you start smelling the mushrooms, add the liver, in direct contact with the pan (you may need to move the vegetables aside. Add again spices # 4, 5, 6, 7, on top of the liver.

Skin the hot peppers with a potato peeler, and spread them.

After few minutes, turn the liver on the other side and add again the spices.

After one minute poor the red wine, so the liver gets to soften up. After another minute turn it over again, and cover it with the vegetables. After another minute, turn the liver over once again and add, on top A1 steak sauce, or your choice of steak sauce, remove from stove , and let rest for 5 minutes. Your natural source of iron is now ready to consume. Have a serving of beef liver once a week.

You can have salad, or half a baked potato. Avoid junk food, it would be a pity, and unhealthy too.

And now:

Bon Appétit!

George.