Keep Your Health Tips

They sit left behind on relish trays. They’re often by-passed in
grocery store refrigerator shelves. Dad and Grandpa usually eat
them but later complain of belching them up. The poor radish has
gotten a bum rap. There are at least five different varieties;
but for now, the popular, red globe variety will be spotlighted.
They are a great source of vitamin C and an excellent low calorie
snack (only 12 calories in a half cup of radishes). Radishes are
root vegetables that are classified in the cabbage and mustard
family, thus their strong taste.

Most people eat them raw, with a little salt. If you’d like your
radishes to be a little crispier and a little less sharp in
taste, put them in ice water for a couple hours before you plan
to eat them. There are also a number of ways to cook them. Boil
a half inch of water, add the sliced radishes, and then cover
and simmer until tender, adding more water if necessary. Cook
five to ten minutes. To microwave, place a half pound of sliced
radishes in a microwave safe dish with 1 tablespoon of water or
broth. Cook for approximately four minutes.

If the taste of raw radishes is a little too pungent for some,
try them steamed. Their bright red skin will turn pink on steamed
radishes. The easiest way to steam them is to place whole
radishes in a vegetable steamer and cook over boiling water until
barely tender. Cook approximately eight to twelve minutes.
Another way to prepare our friend, the red radish, is to stir fry
them. Sliced radishes combine well with other vegetables and
meat in stir-fries. Don’t over cook them or they’ll become mushy.
Cook approximately three to five minutes.

As Cliff Claven would say, “It’s a little known fact that ”
radishes were first cultivated thousands of years ago in China,
then in Egypt and Greece. In Greece they were so highly regarded
that gold replicas were made. (Now that’s some serious radish
lovers!)

So the next time you walk past radishes in the grocery store or
at the market, back track a few steps and pick up a bunch or two.
Or better yet, plant some in your garden this year. Radishes
are one of the very first vegetables ready for harvest in the
spring. They will in turn, ready your soil for other veggies!
Give these little guys a chance again.

The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to medically diagnose, treat or cure any disease. Consult a health care practitioner before beginning any health care program.

Emily Clark is editor at Lifestyle Health News and Medical Health News where you can find the most up-to-date advice and information on many medical, health and lifestyle topics.

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Weight gain can be a very slow process. For most people, it is a matter of one pound here, one pound there, and the next thing you know you’re 10 pounds heavier. This is why almost everyone, at one point or another, will want to lose 10 pounds. To lose 10 pounds is very realistic for almost everyone, and is achievable though some small changes in diet and by exercising more. The vast majority of people, with their busy schedules, get little or no exercise, so even a small bit of regular exercise should be able to achieve noticeable results. If we don’t have time to exercise a great deal, though, we’re going to want to maximize the effectiveness of the exercise we do get, and a great way to do that is by exercising in the morning.

There are two main reasons why you can more easily lose 10 pounds by exercising in the morning. The first has to do with the fact that it is much easier to build into your daily routine. One of the keys to losing weight by exercise is to do it regularly, which many people find difficult: it’s always hard to find time. So a great reason for exercising in the morning is that you’ll have very little distraction. In many ways, you are literally “making time” for the exercise by starting your day earlier.

Now, in terms of your goal to lose 10 pounds, morning exercise will be more effective because you will be burning calories from fat already in your system. This principle is based, of course, on the idea that you don’t eat before you exercise. The way you’re going to lose 10 pounds is by burning fat, and when you exercise your body normally burns both fat and carbohydrates. Now it gets a little more complicated: your body’s main and preferred energy source is carbohydrates, so when you exercise you will (more or less) burn carbohydrates first, and then your body will dip into its fat reserves.

Carbohydrates come from your meals, so when you exercise at a normal time of the day your body will have plenty of carbohydrates to burn. In trying to lose 10 pounds, however, you’re hoping to burn fat. If you exercise in the morning on an empty stomach, you’re burning energy at a time when your body’s carbohydrate levels are the lowest, and therefore more fat will be burned with the same amount of exercise. There have been studies that suggest over 250% more fat is burned when you exercise in this state.

There is never any immediate way to lose 10 pounds - ultimately, losing weight requires smart dietary decisions and a well thought out routine of exercise. By exercising in the morning, however, you will be giving yourself a distinct advantage in that battle to lose 10 pounds - you will be privy to not only a physiological advantage, but also the practical one of conducting your exercise at the beginning of the day without distraction.

Ron Goodpaster is a freelance writer, an entrepreneur and a self-proclaimed health nut. He has written many health related and weight-loss articles. His website’s address: http://www.bestvitasource.com

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Does your kid often eat junk food? Chances are, the answer to that one is a resounding yes because, as all parents know, children everywhere in the world absolutely love junk food such as hamburgers, pizza, candy, soda and salty foods like potato chips and french fries. Like most parents, you probably want to wean your child away from junk food (or at least lessen his intake of it) and reinforce his diet with healthy food such as grains, vegetables, fruits and nutrient-rich foods such as meat, beans, fish and nuts.

Here are some tips to help you achieve just that. The basic strategy is to make eating healthy food fun for the kids. You probably can even think of more ways to use this strategy when feeding your child.

(1) The Sneak Attack.

Sneak in those fruits and vegetables with a type of food that your child really enjoys. One example would be making muffins out of bananas or apples. If your kids like pizza, you can sneak in a wide variety of vegetables in there that your youngsters probably won’t even notice. Another tack is to arrange the food in creative ways that will appear funny and play-like to your childe. For instance, you can arrange the food creatively on a plate or make food stand at attention like people.

(2) Funny Name Game.

Kids below the age of four always fall for this one. It’s called the funny name game and involves giving healthy foods like fruits and vegetables funny names and conjuring up interesting stories involving the food. Obviously, many of these stories will conclude with the food being gobbled up by the giant child or having the food run for cover to avoid an alien attack by ducking into a big cave that also happens to be your kid’s mouth.

(3) The Taste Test.

The main reason kids don’t like vegetables is that they can’t stand the taste. Hence, if you can add things kids love like peanut butter to celery or some ranch dressing to broccoli, your kids may go for those veggies.

The main thing is to be creative about feeding your food. I’m sure you can look into your kitchen and discover your own way to make eating healthy food a fun experience.

Kadence Buchanan writes articles on many topics including Food, Fitness, and Society

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