Top 5 Alkaline Vegetables & Their Benefits

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Fruits and vegetables are the answer to a healthy and balanced body, which functions optimally thus leading to a longer life span. Alkaline vegetables are the call of time. About 80% of our food intake should be alkaline vegetables and alkaline fruits and no more than 20% of the entire food intake should be acidic.

Alkaline vegetables help maintain the ph balance of the body at 7.3. They can easily be included to form part of the diet and should be substituted for most of the acid food. The greener the vegetable the more alkaline it is said to be. So when looking for alkaline vegetables, choosing from the greens might be a good idea.

Broccoli is a good alkaline vegetable and can be consumed in plenty by simply boiling it a bit and adding some sea iodine salt and lemon for flavor. With a small amount of butter even children can be tempted to eat this alkaline vegetable

Artichokes are also a good form of alkaline vegetables. There are plenty of ways to include artichokes in your daily diet plan. Just adding them to any other vegetable can increase the flavor of that meal. Simply boiling them and adding them to a bowl full of salad leaves can do wonders for the body also. Alkaline vegetables add to the health of the body and the taste of the dish.

Bamboo shoots also fall in the alkaline vegetables category. Though most people don't have a stomach for the smell of bamboo shoots they can still consume it by following a few basic rules. Keep the bamboo shoots dipped in some lemon syrup for about 30 min. Peel and cut a few potatoes and add a large tomatoes and a glass of water and the bamboo shoots to the vessel. All these are alkaline vegetables. Boil all the ingredients for half an hour add spices according to taste and simmer for another twenty minutes you will have a lovely soupy dish to be eaten with rice or just consumed as it is. The oriental races consume bamboo shoots and one can see that they have a longer life span and healthier bodies due to this alkaline vegetable.

Leek is also an alkaline vegetable and most French women claim that it is their secret for not gaining weight. Leek soup is easy to make and delicious to have. If a bit of garlic is added to the leek soup we have two alkaline vegetables at the same time. Garlic is very good for cleansing the body of toxic wastes and should be added to most of the meals for it's alkalizing effect.

Egg plant though not a green vegetable family member is still an alkaline vegetable. Eggplants can be consumed in a variety of ways. Cheese and eggplant bakes are tingling for the taste buds. Eggplants with a few potatoes can make a lovely alkaline vegetable dish. For children try out mashed eggplant as a side dish.

The alkaline vegetable list is unending. Cabbages, lettuce, Mushrooms, onions, peas, pepper bells, parsley, radish, cucumber and almost all vegetables are all alkaline vegetables. So go out there and skip the meat section and walk into health and vigor. With an alkaline vegetable diet plan you cannot go wrong.

Low Carbohydrate Foods for Vegetarians

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Can vegetarians opt for low carbohydrates and still be healthy? The answer is yes and there are a number of low carb vegetarian foods that anyone can include in their diet. Also, opting for a low carbohydrate diet has been proven effective for most people who wish to shed pounds. The best option is of course to go for vegetables and fruits that are low in sugars as well as to go for oils that come from fruits and certain nuts.

Vegetarians also have soy foods as the best group that is low on carbohydrates. Tofu, a top soy food product is highly recommended. Meat substitutes for vegetarians are usually soy-based such as veggie burgers, vegetarian sausages, fake cold cuts and ground beef substitutes. They have been prepared to be like meat in terms of taste and smell so vegetarians can still enjoy their taste without having to really eat actual meat. They can be incorporated in excellent vegetarian foods like in salads and stir-fry. These are excellent low carbohydrate foods for vegetarians since they contain high amounts of proteins. A new soy-based food has been developed that is also low on carbohydrates is called textured vegetable protein. This may come as dry granules or in chunks and is available in any health food store. It contains proteins and fiber with little carbohydrates. It can be prepared to make excellent vegetarian recipes that are low in carbohydrates such as vegetarian chili or to prepare it by simply boiling it and flavoring it with seasonings.

Another low carbohydrate vegetarian food is seitan or wheat gluten. However, unlike tofu and other soy-based food products, it is low in protein and has been reported to cause a number of food reactions.

For lacto-ovo vegetarians, dairy or milk products can also be a good protein source. Dairy is a common source of weight loss delay for many people and can be problematic in other ways for many others such as for those who have allergies in them. Also, it's very hard to get enough protein from dairy without going over one's daily carbohydrate limits. Use dairy products as an addition to the main foods, if you use it at all to make them more flavorful and tasteful for example. Eggs are also good protein source that are low in carbohydrates that lacto-ovo vegetarians can go for. Egg yolk is also an excellent source other nutrients so they could also be added to the vegetarian diet.

Vegetarians that wish to eat only low carbohydrate food could also opt for low carbohydrate vegetables as well as nuts and seeds. For fruits, go for those that are low in sugar. Oils that are naturally found in avocados and olives are also highly recommended as additions to a low carbohydrate vegetarian diet. Go slow on refined sugars and remember that in this case of going for low carbohydrates, vegetables are much better than fruits.

As in any diet, read labels always to get the gist on the carbohydrate content of the food that you are consuming. Avoid foods that have too much seasoning in them as seasonings could also add up to the carbohydrate content of your food. The same goes for example, for tofu that comes with flavor already. The flavor could come only from seasonings so it may be best to simply buy the tofu and flavor it yourself. In adding flavor to your food, go for seasoning like cayenne pepper, herbs, garlic, and a variety of cheeses. Theirs is not need to sacrifice flavor for as long as you are aware of what seasonings and flavorings find their way in your food. One can also never go wrong with stir fried vegetables as well as grilled vegetables. You may take these with lo carbohydrate pasta so you get the best of flavor and filling without actually going overboard with the carbohydrate intake.

A precaution however, in any vegetarian diet is deficiency in certain vitamins and minerals. Iron is one example. For vegetarians, an excellent option for iron source is beans and nuts. Deficiency in iron could lead to anemia so there is a special precaution for vegetarian women who are pregnant or if they are already anemic. This may be remedied by taking iron supplements.

Low carbohydrate food for vegetarians can also be a little bit pricey and many of them are also processed foods. These are some of the factors to consider in choosing foods that one wants to include in a low carbohydrate vegetarian diet.

Juice Diet Helps to Detox Your Body

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Those on a detoxification program can benefit from extra vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other nutrients. All of that can be obtained from freshly prepared juice. Juicing diets have been popular for ages. But, why to drink a juice when you can eat a fruit? When you eat the fruits or vegetables, most of the vitamins and minerals get destroyed while passing through the body. A juice from any fruit or vegetable has the same amount of nutrients as the fruit or vegetable. But, juice is digested faster than the food. This is how you get more nutrients while eating less!

Juicing is a consumption of two to four glasses of freshly prepared juice throughout the day while on the juice diet. The emphasis is on "freshly prepared". Juices do not store well as they lose their nutritional value relatively quickly. Juicing does not mean you should avoid drinking water. On the contrary, continue drinking 2 liters of water daily helps juicing diet work better.

How to make juices? It is advisable to use organic produce. The skin of most vegetables and fruits including lemons can be left on. However, oranges, grapefruits, kiwis, papayas, beets, and carrots should be peeled. Apple seeds should be removed, while grape seeds may be left in. In a juicer use sweet and sour fruits separately. This way, the body can absorb their juices easier. Try to mix apple, melon and carrot without the greens. This combination is tasty and easy to digest. If you have never done vegetable only juicing before, try to use combination of celery, fennel and cucumbers. It is easily tolerated by those just starting out with vegetable juicing. If find the taste too strange, try to mix them with either carrot or apple juice.

When you decide to end juicing, do not just start eating some food. Help your body to get accustomed to your regular diet. The first meal after juicing should be a salad, a juice and an herbal tea. Then you can eat a salad with a warm soup or some steamed vegetables with the juice and an herbal tea. In the next days do not stop eating salads and drinking juices. Do not substitute juice for vegetables after the diet is completed. Eat your vegetable salads and little by little begin adding some organic brown rice, backed potato, or boiled fish. Continue drinking 2 liters of water daily.

Juicing is a great addition to any kind of cleansing. But, it is especially beneficial when doing liver detox and blood cleansing. Most beneficial for the liver are beets and artichokes. Beets help to reduce harmful fats in the liver and are great antioxidants. Artichokes encourage secretion of bile and protect cells of the liver. Juices made from leafy green vegetables contain chlorophyll that can detoxify and cleanse the blood. Fruit juices are great source of vitamins and minerals that help to fight bacteria and viruses in both the liver and the blood.

Amish Soup Recipes

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Good things come to those who wait! These two Amish soup recipes do take a little time to make, but are well worth it. Each use basic ingredients which aren't hard to find, and whole chicken.

Amish cooking can be a wonderful experience, as long as you take the time to make the recipes right. Be sure to also see our website for other recipes, including more Amish recipes, soup recipes, chicken recipe ideas, and much more.

Recipe #1 - AMISH CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

3 lb. chicken

2 qts. water

2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. chicken stock

2 c. celery, chopped

2 c. carrots, chopped

1 tart apple, chopped

1 c. onions, chopped

Dash pepper

4 c. egg noodles

Place chicken in kettle with 2 quarts water. Cover until tender (about 2 1/2 hours). Remove chicken from kettle and strain broth. Debone chicken and return to kettle with strained broth. Add chicken stock, celery, carrots, apple, onions, and pepper and cook until vegetables are tender. Add noodles and cook 8-10 minutes.

Recipe #2 - AMISH CHICKEN - CORN SOUP

2 lbs. cut up chicken

5 c. water

1 med. onion, chopped

2 tbsp. chopped parsley

1/2 c. chopped celery

2 c. corn

Salt and pepper

1 c. flour

1 egg, beaten

1/4 c. milk

Simmer chicken in boiling water, remove bones and skin. Strain the stock. Return to pot, add onions, celery and corn. Simmer till vegetables are tender. Mix flour with egg and milk. Rub mixture with fork till it crumbles. Drop crumbs in soup. Cook 10 more minutes covered. Serves 3 to 4.

Need some more recipes? Be sure to see our website below for more great recipe ideas.

Enjoy!