Chinese herbs are used to ward off variety of illnesses and to strenthen a person’s constitution. There are two types of constitution: liong (cool) and yeit (heaty). A person with cool constitution can consume heaty food without much trouble, while too much heaty food – fried food,durians and certain herbs; can be bad for those with a ” heaty” constitution.

Thus eating and drinking the right things can help one retains his or her normal balance Yin ( representing the female, dark and cold qualities and Yang ( male, hot and dry). The herbs are valued for their curative, or nuritious … read more

Raw food advocates believe cooking destroys the “life force” in food, leaching nutrients, phytochemicals such as antioxidants, and destroying valuable enzymes. Cooking does indeed reduce the vitamin C and B in vegetables because both are water-soluble. Vitamin C and some B vitamins are also heat sensitive, says Christine Scaman, a food, nutrition and health researcher at the University of B.C. Boiling a vegetable can remove as much as 50 to 80 per cent of its vitamin C.

But at the same time, cooking any fruit or vegetable breaks down indigestible cellulose in the plant cell walls, making the nutrients easier … read more

Nutmeg is the actual seed of the tree, roughly egg-shaped and about 20–30 mm long and 15–18 mm wide, and weighing between 5 and 10 grams dried, while mace is the dried “lacy” reddish covering or arillus of the seed.

Nutmeg and mace have similar taste qualities, nutmeg having a slightly sweeter and mace a more delicate flavor. Mace is often preferred in light-coloured dishes for the bright orange, saffron-like colour it imparts. Nutmeg is a flavorsome addition to cheese sauces and is best grated fresh (see nutmeg grater).

In Indian cuisine, nutmeg powder is used almost exclusively in sweet … read more

Now for some yummy and healthy fruit sauce to go with your pancakes.       

Ingredients:

1 kiwifruit/mango/peach or strawberry
20 gm butter
20 gm sugar
20 gm whipping cream

Method:

Clean the fruit and mash in a blender until very fine . Add in butter and sugar. Bring to a boil for two minutes. Keep stirring to prevent burnt. Reduce heat and simmer for one minute and add in whipping cream.

With big cities like New York requiring restaurants to eliminate trans fats from their foods, restaurateurs and consumers alike are seeking a healthful, versatile alternative to oils high in harmful trans fats. Increasingly, they are finding the solution in an age-old natural product – palm oil.

In 2006, governing bodies in New York passed laws requiring restaurants to eliminate trans fats from the oils they use in food preparation. According to the Food and Drug Administration, trans fats – which are made when manufacturers add hydrogen to vegetable oil to prolong shelf life and improve the flavor and stability of foods … read more