The different kinds of nuts and their nutritional value

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Nuts are one of our oldest foods and remains one of our best. In fact it was possibly nuts, along with berries and a few roots that were mankind’s first food. These are known as hunter-gatherers foods and were being utilized many centuries before wheat was ever grown as food. These remain a rich source of food and without them our diets would truly be deficient.

Each region usually is known for its particular kind of nuts and often is named for the country or region where they are grown:

Almonds:

Almonds, of the family family are native to SW Asia. Now they are enjoyed for their food value and are highly prized for their use in the baking and in candy making. Nutritionally they are a good source of protein, have a high fat content and are good sources of thiamine, riboflavin and niacin. (B vitamins)They are high in calories as well. They are the source of marzipan, a candy concoction highly prized,especially in Europe.

Brazil nuts:

These South American nuts are hard shelled and are sold worldwide. Actually the nut as we know it a seed that comes in a pod somewhat resembling a coconut. There are from 8-24 seeds in a pod. Supposedly, these tri-walled seeds are arranged in the pod somewhat like the lobes of an orange. In taste there is a resemblance to almonds or coconuts, or possibly a blending of the two. Nutritionally these oily nuts are a good source of protein,fat, calcium and iron.

Cashews:

Cashews are of the sumac family and native to Central and South America. This nut, being a relative of poison ivy and poison sumac is gathered with care. According to the encyclopedia, this two layered nut has a brown oil in-between the shells and will burn the skin if touched. This part of the nut is used as a lubricant and in the production of plastics. It is about equal in nutrition to the other nuts and likewise as high in calories.

Chestnuts:

Chestnuts are not as plentiful in North America as they once were. A fungus blight several years ago all but destroyed them. The trees, four different species of large trees with lance-shaped leaves are the vanished American chestnut, the European chestnut, the Chines chestnut and the Japanese chestnut. All varieties produce edible nuts.It is a rich source of protein, fat, carbohydrates, calcium and potassium.

Coconuts:

Coconuts are grown on tropical palm trees. These large nuts may well be the largest of the edible nuts. Inside the hairy hard shelled nut is a white sweet meat that is somewhat sweet. This is most often sold shredded and sold in packages and used in various ways in the kitchen. In the cavity is a fluid that is known as coconut milk. This makes a good drink and can be used in cooking. The shells are used in many ways in manufacturing in ropes and as a carving material.Nutrition wise it has protein, carbohydrates fat, calcium and iron.

In the nut department there are Hazelnuts pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts. As a group and as snacks these excellent as snacks and as additives in cooking and in baking and in candy making.

Source:

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Encyclopedia

Taber’s Encyclopedia Medical Encyclopedia

Pork Recipe – Sweet Shredded Pork Sandwich

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I love slow crock pot cooking. It’s simple, easy, yet the food tastes so good! Last week I made these sweet shredded pork sandwiches for dinner, and my husband loved them!

Shredded meat sandwiches to me have always been the perfect representation of summer. They are portable and great for picnics and family get-together. They are messy enough to intrigue kids. Last but most definitely not the least, they taste even better grilled with barbecue sauce.

As it’s not quite warm enough yet for us to grill, for this sandwich I mixed equal parts chicken stock and apple juice. I threw whole uncooked center cut pork in the crock pot, and forgot about it for most of the day.

An hour before we were ready to eat, I transferred the dish to the stove, pulled the pork apart with a fork (so easy!) and added my fruit chutney to the mix.

After the juices had cooked down, the sandwiches came out tender, juicy and bursting with flavor.

I adore fruit chutney. It’s easy to make, and stores well in mason jars. I use single size jars, and throw one in almost all my recipes. It’s such a great way to get my family to eat more fruit, and it stretches out our meat.

Recently I made a pineapple, papaya, apple infusion chutney that just came out perfect. It’s super sweet, and is great for bland recipes.

Topped off with a vegetable salsa with lettuce stacked inside self baked buns we picked up at the grocery store, this was a beautiful tasty meal I can’t wait to make again.

The vegetable salsa was very easy to make and you can make it the night before. I threw in chopped carrots, red onion, cilantro, red peppers and just a bit of shredded red cabbage and marinated all together with a bit of olive oil and vinegar.

Sweet Shredded Pork Sandwich

Serving Size: 2

Ingredients

3 carrots chopped

1/2 cup red onion chopped

1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped

1/c cup shredded red cabbage

1 red bell pepper chopped in small bits

1/4 cup olive oil and vinegar dressing

1/2 cup canned drained pineapple chunks

2 apples cored peeled and chopped

1 payapa seeded, peeled and chopped

2 cups sodium free chicken broth

1 tsp cinnamon

2 boneless center cut pork chops

1 cup sodium free chicken broth

1 cup apple juice

Instructions

1. Mix together the first six ingredients and store in an air-tight container overnight to make salsa.

2. Combine the next five ingredients in a medium sauce pan.

3. Bring to a boil and immediately turn the heat to medium low.

4. Simmer uncovered until the broth almost cooks down.

5. Store in an air-tight container.

6. In a crock pot add chicken broth, apple juice and uncooked whole pork chops.

7. Cook on low 8 hours or high 4 hours.

8. When almost ready to eat, transfer entire dish to a medium sauce pan.

9. Pull apart pork with fork and add 1 cup fruit chutney.

10. Simmer uncovered for one hour, or until sauce cooks down.

11. Place one serving on a bun.

12. Top with salsa and lettuce.

Notes

To make more, double the shredded pork ingredients per two servings extra.

Especially For Travel Yogis

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I cannot go a day without Yoga especially when I am travelling. Just don’t like sitting in airplanes trapped onto the seat. Amanda Dillon, a very close friend of mine and of course a business woman working for the Arab Emirates. She has to travel almost every day to different places either by air or rail. By the time she is back home complains of terrible back and shoulder pains. I once suggested Yoga to her which he refused at first. Then gradually started attending my class.

Now, more than ever, yoga enthusiasts have plenty of options for maintaining their routines on the road, yoga instructors and hospitality industry experts say. A number of hotels offer classes or in-room equipment. And if they don’t, yoga instructors say, there are many ways to practice the craft even on a plane, in a hotel room or outdoors at a park or beach. Yoga is one of the most feasible ways to exercise while on the road with limited amount of equipment.  You lay down a towel if you do not have a mat. It can be practiced indoors or outdoors. Yoga instructors recommend practicing some moves as soon as you arrive at the airport. For a cheaper alternative, take your mat to a local park or a towel to the beach and practice while getting some fresh air.

Bring a couple of pairs of black pants or leggings, and a variety of tops to go with them. Tank tops are nice because they don’t have armpits to get sweaty and stinky, and they’re easy to layer. What you need outside the studio depends on your destination. As for footwear, skip the high heels and bring shoes that are comfortable. You’re likely to spend much of your time in flip-flops. Flats are another good space-saving option, and if you’re planning to do any hiking or horseback riding, you’ll want shoes for that too.

Drink as much water as possible when you are en route. Just being in the airplane is dehydrating. Shorter flights only have sub-par food for purchase, so pack some healthy snacks like dried fruit and nuts that are easy to travel with. On the day of travel prior to a long haul route, eat as lightly as possible to help your body prepare to relax for the travel and pre-adjust to the new time zone. When you arrive at your destination, eat a meal on the new time zone to adjust your digestive system to the new schedule. On overnight flights, sleep or rest as much as possible. If you don’t sleep well on airplanes, use a meditation or mantra technique to concentrate the mind within instead of just zoning out and watching a dozen movies. Simply closing your eyes while giving the body and mind rest will help you feel more balanced when traveling. If you have a long layover or a long flight get up and do some Yoga Travel postures either in the galley at the back of the airplane, at your seat if you’re in business class or in the lounge area of the airport when you finally land at your connecting airport.

Be compassionate. Use your meditative mind to practice patience and acceptance, but don’t take the experience lying down. While you can and should remain calm and friendly, you must also advocate for yourself and your interests.  Search out for some good Yoga Retreats and attend them if any.

Giving Up a Dangerous Fashion Trend Has Increased My Quality of Life

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I’m giving up on the skinny trend because its dangerous and unhealthy. The only reason I ever want to lose weight now is strictly for my health. I have no interest in perpetuating the stereotype that women are only attractive when they’re thin because that’s not true.

Fat shaming isn’t cool anymore. There’s nothing wrong with being thin or being thick, as long as you’re healthy and you can totally be healthy as a plus size woman. Dropping this perception has opened up my closet to so many more possibilities and a hell of a lot more options for summer. No longer will I be ashamed of my arms.

I’m going sleeveless baby!

There’s a huge difference between trying to improve your body for others and trying to improve it for yourself and your health. I don’t care if other people have a problem with my body anymore. If I tone my arms, I tone them because I want to, not to appease any one else.

My current size is a 22/24. In the past, my attempt to lose weight to become more appealing to others has been damaging. It dragged me through an eating disorder that defined nearly everything about high school for me and how I socialized. It affected how I dressed among so many other decisions that I made. It just wasn’t pretty, because I didn’t feel pretty. I wasn’t happy with myself and how I looked. I wanted to hide. My body wasn’t something to be celebrated but something to be hidden; ashamed of and even abused.

As a happy, fairly healthy plus sized woman, I feel so free moving on from this gross point of view. I can finally feel pretty and dress like it, too. Even though I want to loss weight to further improve my health, I do not have this idea that I’m working towards a body I can be proud of and enjoy. I already have that. The increasing of my physical activity and the changing of my diet are there to make a great thing even better. And “better” doesn’t have to mean “thinner”, its what my doctor and I decide it is.

For all the other beautifully plump women out there, if you’re looking to spice up your wardrobe, let me share some of my favorite places to shop online.

Torrid, Lane Bryant , Forever 21+ and Gwynnie Bee.