Archive for February, 2010
Sunday, February 28th, 2010
Soft drink consumption is generally associated to severe health conditions. Although soft drinks have nutritional value and help the body rehydrate, while replenishing all its vital vitamins and minerals after intense exercising, they are, admittedly, harmful.
Heart diseases are included in the long list of severe health conditions that are associated to the consumption of soft drinks. Scientific research has shown that the added sugars contained in the soft drinks in the form of high fructose corn syrup are responsible for increased levels of both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. According to a 10-week scientific experiment, people who consume sugar-sweetened soft drinks demonstrate high levels of blood pressure. On the contrary, people who consume artificially sweetened beverages exhibit lower levels of blood pressure. (more…)
Tags: heart diseases, soft drinks
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Sunday, February 28th, 2010
Obesity is, admittedly, an intricate issue that may depend on numerous factors. Genetics, eating habits, lifestyle and exercise are some of the most commonly referred causes of obesity. Although there is no single cause for obesity, researchers have correlated the increased consumption of sugary beverages with the rise of obesity in the United States, considering the soft drink consumption as one of the top contributors to the obesity problem.
In 2005, ‘Liquid Candy’, a report produced by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), suggested that soft drinks are the leading source of calories in the diet of Americans. Soft drinks have a high concentration of added sugars, and particularly, fructose corn syrup in each can. However, as fructose is known for not affecting appetite, people who regularly consume fructose-sweetened drinks do not feel satiated and thus overconsumption is encouraged. Besides, companies produce nearly 52 gallons of soda pop per year, enough to fill up every man, woman or child. (more…)
Tags: obesity, soft drinks
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Sunday, February 28th, 2010
Advertising is always important when related to influencing consumer preferences. Particularly, when consumers are children, who are more susceptible to appealing advertisements and effective promotion of food products, advertising can have a really direct effect on how children perceive dietary habits, and even worse, on what they consume on a daily basis.
Scientific research confirms that both adults and children, who spend time watching TV exhibit poor dietary habits, decreased physical activity, poor health conditions and obesity. This happens primarily because watching TV is basically a sedentary activity that puts metabolism to sleep thus significantly reducing metabolic rates. However, watching TV is always associated with eating a snack, a pre-packaged meal or a fast food meal and drinking one or two cans of soda; and the consumption of such types of foods increases directly as people get exposed to relevant advertisements. (more…)
Tags: childhood obesity, soft advertising
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Sunday, February 28th, 2010
Sports drinks are beverages that contain high amounts of carbohydrates and vitamins to help the body replenish the fluids and nutrients burned during exercising and sporting events. The general notion that sports drinks are only beneficial to our body is wrong, for the most part because the overconsumption of sports drinks can cause real harm to our health.
One of the major advantages of sports drinks is that they replace the fluids we lose while exercising through sweating. Through sweat, we lose a lot of vitamins and nutrients that are vital for the proper functioning of our organism. By consuming sports drinks, we can replenish many of these vitamins. This is the most common reason athletes and active people consume sports drinks. (more…)
Tags: cons of soft drinks, pros of soft drinks
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Sunday, February 28th, 2010
Although soft drinks are often the culprit for a series of health issues, they are, admittedly, vital vehicles of a balanced diet. After intensive work out, soft drinks are quicker absorbed than water providing to human body hydration and energy, while replenishing all the key vitamins and minerals that the body loses during exercising. Soft drinks typically complement fast food meals or pre-packaged foods, but the can also complement a healthy diet and be real catalysts to health and fitness. Besides, their balanced taste of sweet and acid, matched with their variety of pleasant flavors makes soft drinks appealing to all ages of consumers.
Being well aware of the effect that soft drinks have on consumers and the direct effect of advertising on them, soft drinks corporations and large beverage companies target from elementary school children to elder individuals aiming to meet their tastes and increase their profitability. From their point of view, soft drink corporations have a ‘competitive advantage’ over consumers in terms of being aware of the nutritional significance of soft drinks. Although they often exaggerate in the context of promoting their products and achieve highly profitable operations, still they have a point when they stress the nutritional value of soft drinks. (more…)
Tags: nutritional value of soft drinks, soft drinks
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Saturday, February 27th, 2010
When it comes to fall baking, I enjoy making this Applesauce Cake because its easy, and I save time by not using fresh apples.
I prefer to bake mine in a tube pan, but you can certainly make it in a round cake pan. You can sift confectioner’s sugar on top of your slightly warm cake or mix up some vanilla icing and drizzle that over top. (more…)
Tags: apple cake recipes, apple dessert recipes, apples, applesauce, baking, cooking, dessert recipes, Desserts, food, holiday recipes, Recipes
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Saturday, February 27th, 2010
This Hungarian coffee cake recipe was given to me 25 years ago by my grandmother who loved to cook and bake. The cake does take some time to make…as you are making it completely from scratch. What I really enjoy about this recipe is the combined sweet and nutty taste.
When dissolving the yeast, make sure you use warm (not hot) water. If the water is too hot, you will kill the yeast and won’t get a good rise to your dough. (more…)
Tags: baking, cake recipes, cakes, coffee cake recipes, cooking, dessert recipes, Desserts, food, frugal recipes, hungarian coffee cake, hungarian recipes, Recipes, tea party recipes
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Saturday, February 27th, 2010
If you like cheese cakes and peaches, I think you will enjoy this dessert cake recipe.
The cake is very rich and sweet, and made in the 2 layer technique. The first layer is like that of a traditional cake and the second layer is more like a cheese cake. If desired, you can completely omit the cinnamon sugar topping. (more…)
Tags: baking, cake recipes, cakes, cooking, dessert cake recipes, dessert recipes, Desserts, food, peach recipes, peaches, picnic foods, Recipes, summertime desserts, tea party food recipes
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Saturday, February 27th, 2010
Back in the early 1980’s my grandmother spent a Saturday afternoon teaching me how to make her banana spice cake. I am not sure why they call it sea-foam frosting, but I can tell you…it does taste delicious!
What I really enjoy about this recipe is the right combination of sweet buttermilk, ripe bananas, along with the spices. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can substitute with regular milk. (more…)
Tags: baking, banana cake recipe, banana spice cake recipe, bananas, cake recipes, cakes, cooking, dessert cakes, dessert recipes, Desserts, food, Holiday Dessert Recipes, Recipes, sea foam frosting recipe
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Saturday, February 27th, 2010
When it comes to making chocolate cakes, I often times get bored with the classic ones. I look for recipes that have a twist or some added goodies to them.
This one is really easy to make and I love the rich chocolate flavor along with the miniature marshmallow topping. You can frost the cake with your favorite frosting, although we prefer ours with chocolate. There have been times that I have forgone the frosting and just dusted it with confectioner’s sugar. (more…)
Tags: baking, cake recipes, cakes, Chocolate Recipes, cooking, dessert cakes, dessert recipes, Desserts, food, frugal recipes, Holiday Dessert Recipes, mississippi mud dessert recipes, Recipes
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