Food poisoning often occurs after eating a meal in a large, social setting such as a picnic, cookout, or cafeteria. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), foods in these settings are often prepared early and left unrefrigerated for long periods, allowing bacteria to form on the food. Food poisoning symptoms typically begin within two to six hours after eating the contaminated food. Signs of food poisoning are most often vomiting, fever, chills, headache, bloody diarrhea, weakness, and severe abdominal cramps. Treatment from a doctor is rarely necessary, unless dehydration occurs, says the NLM. To prevent dehydration, drink plenty of fluids, but avoid milk or drinks with caffeine. You should also avoid solid foods while severely nauseated. And antibiotics aren't usually needed to manage food poisoning.
I'm sure most of us have experienced food poisoning at some sort of summer get-together. We likely pinpoint the sickness to something we ate, often that strange tasting potato salad that looked good on the outside. The association of our discomfort with eating certain foods may then last a lifetime. Just as important, however, we may experience some sort of generalized bad feeling toward an activity, such as future church socials or family reunions. I wonder if anyone can trace the loss of their religious faith to a rancid salad... Just thinking.
According to research, it you are going to pig out it should be on regular food, not fast food. In a study where monkeys were fed a diet consisting mostly of trans-fats, the types of fats most commonly found in fast foods, the primates gained more weight than those fed the same number of calories containing unsaturated fats.
Trans-fats, or partially hydrogenated oils, are bad news. They are found in many fast foods, baked goods and processed snacks. They have been shown to significantly increase the risk of heart disease, even more than saturated fats found in animal products.
After maintaining the monkeys on the fat laden diet for six years, the trans-fat-fed monkeys had gained 7.2% of their body weight, compared to just 1.8% in the group who ate unsaturated fat. CT scans showed that the trans-fat monkeys carried 30% more abdominal fat, which is a risk factor for diabetes and heart disease. Although the data might prove informative to some fast food eaters, I can't help but feel bad for those poor monkeys.
After a week of summer vacation and trying to feed anywhere from four to five constantly ravenous teenaged boys everyday, I lost it. For six consecutive days I trudged to the grocery store stocking up on boy friendly foods, and spent the greater part of my food budget on the ungrateful oafs. In an effort to combat this problem, we decided to use our new Costco membership card and make the trek to the land of economy sized packages.
A Costco visit is no small effort on our part since we must drive about 175 to the nearest store; but when I weighed the one time trip against standing in the grocery line everyday while my toddler tried to pull everything within reach off the shelves, it seems like a swell idea.
I've heard it a number of times either in a friend's kitchen or at the drop off line at school, it's always mentioned in somewhat hushed tones. "She's a vegetarian now, you know." Or, "No, he won't eat that anymore, he's a vegetarian all of a sudden."
These comments are usually met with eye rolls and knowing nods of the head. For many households, the switch of a teenager's diet means two different meals to prepare, more shopping to do and yet another battle with the resident teen. Statistics show that many teens currently classify themselves as vegetarians. The reasons vary widely: health, religion, ethics, weight, fashion, environment. Whatever the case, the trend is growing.
Evidence that vegetarian eating is more and more abundant: veggie burgers, edamame and soy products are available at more grocery stores. Fast food restaurants are offering more vegetarian options.
I became a vegetarian when I was 15. By the time I was 19, I was a full fledged vegan. I read John Robbin's Diet for a New America and became inspired to abandon all animal products. However, when I had a child at age 22, the efforts of preparing vegan meals became too much and I fell off the wagon and stopped by a KFC. If my teenager were to suddenly give up ham and pepperoni, I think I would support him and maybe even join him.
Before I was a mother I would never have imagined using vodka for anything other than cocktails. But having long ago gone over the edge of maternal madness, most anything goes. I recently ran across a recipe for a vodka antiseptic hand gel that you can make yourself. The recipe involves the following:
Hand Gel Recipe
1 part vodka 1 part aloe vera gel 10 drops (give or take) fragrance oil
Stir. Store in a plastic bottle.
By purchasing a large bottle of vodka, you could likely enjoy a relaxing afternoon while maintaining very clean hands at the same time.
The lengths to which I will go to ensure that my children will eat are sometimes ridiculous. But as a mother I believe one of my duties is to feed them and feed them well. I never force my children to eat but I do sometimes resort to food entertainment in order to encourage their interest. One way I have found success is by using cookie cutters to create sandwich shapes. A sandwich is a sandwich is a sandwich, but cut that boring old square into small stars, pigs or flowers it becomes just a bit more intriguing for my brood.
Over the years I have collected a giant box of cookie cutters for this exact reason. I find that the seasonal shapes go a long way towards mealtime enticement. Also fun are the very tiny cookie cutters, my favorites are from a long ago Tupperware party. The set of four, which includes a sun, star, flower and clover, never fail to bring a giggle of delight and the sound of slurping from the table.
One of the best things about Google is that you have the world at your fingertips; depending on your mood you can find just about anything -as long as you can manage to spell it correctly. This afternoon one thing lead to another and before I knew it I had found a match for the words chocolate and shoe.
These beauties are available at Gayle's Chocolates. Seven inches long and six inches high, these lovelies come in pink, milk, white or dark chocolate. No too are alike and all are delicious. For the shoe shopper or chocolate lover in all of us, these are stunning gifts.
Zapatista coffee offers not only an amazing cup of joe, but a chance to do something good for those who have less. Cafe Rebelion, formerly know as The Human Bean Company, aims to develop a direct market for products from the Chiapas area of Mexico. Indigenous producers participate in all levels of advice, consent and participation of the coffee project.
Cafe Rebelion eliminates the middle man of the coffee production and enables the farmers of the Zapatista co-operatives to receive the maximum profits for their labors. The coffee is grown among the natural vegetation on indigenous communal land, as opposed to harsh, chemically produced coffee from the large, deforested coffee plantations.
Many people initially buy the Cafe Rebelion products, honey or coffee, in an effort to help with a worthy project. But after experiencing the purity of both the coffee and honey they come back time and again for the smoothe taste. I bought a bag of the light roast at our church and am now 100% devoted to the company and the coffee. I will never again be able to purchase Folger's or Kroger brand coffee. And with the added knowledge that this is a genuinely socially minded company, I can feel good about my addiction.
Elaine, on Seinfeld, had her Big Salad. I like the Fun Salad. Summer is an optimal time for the Fun Salad since there are so many fresh items available, especially for those of us who live in out of the way, God forsaken and produce challenged areas. There is no set recipe for a fun salad, just lots and lots of ingredients. Ice berg lettuce, I feel, is a no-no, but if that is what fires your salad fancy, then so be it.
Fun salads can be had at most restaurants, by either requesting that the kitchen combine a few on the menu into one festival of roughage happiness or by ordering an offered item and suggesting many items the cooks might be willing to toss in for giggles. My favorite current favorite Fun Salad that we make at our house involves fresh, organic baby lettuce greens (yes, I use the mixture in the bag), shelled, organic edamame, sugared walnuts, organic smoked salmon and Marie's Blue Cheese Vinaigrette dressing. Heaven in a bowl.
Sometimes science is entertaining enough to make one stop and ponder the endless possibilities of being truly resourceful. A group of researchers at University of Birmingham, UK, have discovered a way to create power by using the waste generated by a chocolate factory. Microbiologist Lynne Mackaskie and her colleagues at the university fed Escherichia coli bacteria a diluted chocolate waste. Upon consuming the sugary mixture, the bacteria produced hydrogen, which is produced with the enzyme hydrogenase, and organic acids. The hydrogen was then used to power a fuel cell, which generated enough electricity to drive a small fan.
If not used, the candy waste ends up in a land fill after the production line. The idea of recycling in such a manner is akin to the idea behind bio-diesel fuel. This could be an exciting alternative energy source to consider as we face the facts of our quickly disappearing fossil fuels.
Lipton drink mixers for the busy body on the go have recently expanded to iced tea, and not a moment too soon. With the heat of summer breathing down our necks, those of us who are short on time and containers will truly appreciate these small packets of pre-measured iced tea mix. The simplicity of opening the non caloric mix and dumping it into 16 ounce bottle of water is so simple that even my toddler could mix himself a cool one for some thirst quenching tea. The flavors range form the traditional to a variety of green tea mixtures. These are ideal to keep in your glove compartment, diaper bag or office drawer to help give any plain bottle of water a little zip.
As a mother, I can deeply appreciate Anna Dilemna's culinary efforts in the birthday cake arena. It's no easy task creating a desert delight that the other mothers will admire while also satisfying the sugar needs of screaming wee ones. But Anna has constructed an amazing bit of culinary beauty with her duck cake.
Using the Joy of Cooking's recipe for banana cake, Anna then mixed up a basic cream cheese frosting and covered the bird with coconut to give the look of ruffled feathers. She doesn't mention if she used a duck mold or cut and pasted the duck into shape. Either way, it's a super cute desert.
Prince has been voted as the World's Sexiest Vegetarian by the folks at PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). The online poll involved such stars as Natalie Portman, Nicollette Sheridan and Joaquin Phoenix and attracted over 40,000 voters.
The purple clad singer shares this year's nomination with Kristen Bell, the 25-year-old star of the US television show Veronica Mars. A strict vegan, Prince recently added to the liner notes of his newest CD, 3121, the Gandhi quote, "To my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being." This passage is especially dear to Prince as he is against the means used in mass wool production.
As pointed out by Nicole, backyard barbecue grills are fast becoming more and more exotic. This trend, first started in 1995 with the introduction of the Dynamic Cooking Systems DCS Professional Grill. The 48-inch-wide cooking behemoth hit the market with a $5,000 price tag, it included H-shaped cast-iron commercial-quality burners, a heavy-duty side-burner and more B.T.U.'s per square inch than any other grill then available.
Monster grills are similar to luxury sport cars in that the fancier, bigger and more gadget encrusted, the more impressive and popular. In the beginning of the luxury grill trend, it was the ultra-rich people who were purchasing them and spending anywhere up to $6,500, plus more for backyard renovations to showcase their grills. But in the past few years the luxury trend has filtered down to the more modest homes, where for $2,500 a machine with accessories like rotisseries, warmer drawers, side burners and hand lights can grace your backyard patio.
These new grills have something to offer to just about everybody in the family. For the "have meat, must cook it" fellows these stoves are a dream come true. For the barbeque aficionado, the one who ponders which sauces will best compliment the mood of the day, the type of meat etc, this trend is a gift to his artistic cooking expression. And for those of us who just want to sit down and eat, the increased cooking power means the meal will be finished that much faster.
Friday Playdate recently revealed what she really likes to do with her martini shaker in the hot months of the year. Sure she might prefer to shake herself a smooth, cool martini during the dog days, and children filled afternoons, of the summer. But she uses her shaker in a much more multi tasked manner. She shakes up a nice iced coffee in the noon hours.
By adding sugar, ice cubes, milk, cold coffee (either left over from the morning or chilled in the fridge) and a few bicep improving shakes, Friday is able to produce a caffeinated treat that doesn't run her the typical $6 tab at Starbuck's and that will help her endure the afternoon with the children. She also adds that by adding cinnamon or vanilla, or a flavor of your choice, the drink takes on that extra special bit of zing. Plus, after five o'clock the shaker can then be used for its original designated drink purposes.
Food poisoning often occurs after eating a meal in a large, social setting such as a picnic, cookout, or cafeteria. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), foods in these settings are often prepared early and left unrefrigerated for long periods, allowing bacteria to form on the food. Food poisoning symptoms typically begin within two to six hours after eating the contaminated food. Signs of food poisoning are most often vomiting, fever, chills, headache, bloody diarrhea, weakness, and severe abdominal cramps. Treatment from a doctor is rarely necessary, unless dehydration occurs, says the NLM. To prevent dehydration, drink plenty of fluids, but avoid milk or drinks with caffeine. You should also avoid solid foods while severely nauseated. And antibiotics aren't usually needed to manage food poisoning. 
According to research, it you are going to pig out it should be on regular food, not fast food. In a study where monkeys were fed a diet consisting mostly of trans-fats, the types of fats most commonly found in fast foods, the primates gained more weight than those fed the same number of calories containing unsaturated fats. 
After a week of summer vacation and trying to feed anywhere from four to five constantly ravenous teenaged boys everyday, I lost it. For six consecutive days I trudged to the grocery store stocking up on boy friendly foods, and spent the greater part of my food budget on the ungrateful oafs. In an effort to combat this problem, we decided to use our new 
I've heard it a number of times either in a friend's kitchen or at the drop off line at school, it's always mentioned in somewhat hushed tones. "She's a vegetarian now, you know." Or, "No, he won't eat that anymore, he's a vegetarian all of a sudden."
Before I was a mother I would never have imagined using vodka for anything other than cocktails. But having long ago gone over the edge of maternal madness, most anything goes. I recently ran across a recipe for a vodka .jpg)
The lengths to which I will go to ensure that my children will eat are sometimes ridiculous. But as a mother I believe one of my duties is to feed them and feed them well. I never force my children to eat but I do sometimes resort to food entertainment in order to encourage their interest. One way I have found success is by using cookie cutters to create sandwich shapes. A sandwich is a sandwich is a sandwich, but cut that boring old square into small stars, pigs or flowers it becomes just a bit more intriguing for my brood. 
One of the best things about Google is that you have the world at your fingertips; depending on your mood you can find just about anything -as long as you can manage to spell it correctly. This afternoon one thing lead to another and before I knew it I had found a match for the words chocolate and shoe. 
Zapatista coffee offers not only an amazing cup of joe, but a chance to do something good for those who have less. 
Elaine, on Seinfeld, had her Big Salad. I like the Fun Salad. Summer is an optimal time for the Fun Salad since there are so many fresh items available, especially for those of us who live in out of the way, God forsaken and produce challenged areas. There is no set recipe for a fun salad, just lots and lots of ingredients. Ice berg lettuce, I feel, is a no-no, but if that is what fires your salad fancy, then so be it.
Sometimes science is entertaining enough to make one stop and ponder the endless possibilities of being truly resourceful. A group of researchers at University of Birmingham, UK, have discovered a way to create power by using the waste generated by a chocolate factory. Microbiologist Lynne Mackaskie and her colleagues at the university fed Escherichia coli bacteria a diluted 
Lipton drink mixers for the busy body on the go have recently expanded to iced tea, and not a moment too soon. With the heat of summer breathing down our necks, those of us who are short on time and containers will truly appreciate these small packets of pre-measured iced tea mix. The simplicity of opening the non caloric mix and dumping it into 16 ounce bottle of water is so simple that even my toddler could mix himself a cool one for some thirst quenching tea. The flavors range form the traditional to a variety of green tea mixtures. These are ideal to keep in your glove compartment, diaper bag or office drawer to help give any plain bottle of water a little zip..jpg)
As a mother, I can deeply appreciate Anna Dilemna's culinary efforts in the birthday cake arena. It's no easy task creating a desert delight that the other mothers will admire while also satisfying the sugar needs of screaming wee ones. But Anna has constructed an amazing bit of culinary beauty with her 
Prince has been voted as the 
As 
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