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How To Cook Beans Easily

Sandra — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 10:44:01 +0000

Beans are about the best nutrition bargain going. Low in cost, they provide thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, iron, and calcium. When complemented by grains or dairy products, they are a main source of high-quality protein for vegetarians.

The simplest cooking directions are to sort through the beans and discard any bad ones, then rinse well, drain, and gently boil, uncovered, in three times their volume of water until tender.

For some beans, cooking “until tender” can take a considerable length of time. If you prefer, you can shorten their cooking time by soaking them according to one of the following methods.

Quick soaking: In a kettle, combine 6 to 9 cups hot water with 1 pound dry beans. Bring to a boil over high heat and continue to boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let soak, covered, for 1 hour before draining.
Long soaking: In a kettle, combine 6 to 7 cups cold water with 1 pound dry beans. Add 2 teaspoons salt, (it helps beans absorb water evenly). Let soak for at least 3 to 4 hours or until next day. Drain before cooking.

To cook soaked beans: In a kettle, bring 6 to 7 cups water to a boil. Add drained, soaked beans. Boil gently partially covered, until tender Add water if needed to keep beans covered. Add salt to taste (up to 2 teaspoons) when beans are tender. Drain excess water when done; reserve for soups or stews, if desired.

Beans double in size; 1 pound dry beans yields about 4 cups cooked beans. We prefer to cook a large quantity of beans and freeze whatever we don’t plan to use right away.

The following list of legumes (mostly beans) contains a brief description as well as recommended cooking time after soaking for each item. Note that lentils and split peas do not need soaking.

Black beans: Robust flavor; popular in South American cooking. 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Black-eyed peas: Smooth texture, pealike flavor; good mixed with other vegetables. 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Garbanzos (chick peas, ceci): Firm texture, nutlike flavor; naturals for minestrone, salads. 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
Great Northern beans: Mild flavor; good in soups, and combined with other vegetables. 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Kidney beans: Firm texture, meaty flavor; hold shape well in chili dishes and other casseroles. 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Lentils: No soaking needed. Mild flavor blends well with many different foods, spices. 40 to 45 minutes.
Limas, baby: Versatile; use like other white beans in soups, casseroles. 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Pink, pinto, and red beans: Hearty flavor; great for barbecue-style beans, Mexican cooking, soups, casseroles. 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Soybeans: Strong-flavored, near-perfect protein source. Refrigerate while soaking. 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
Split peas, green and yellow: No soaking; good for soups, side dishes. 40 to 50 minutes.
White beans (navy), small: Hold their shape when cooked; classic for baked beans. 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

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Simple Health Tips

Sandra — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 06:26:42 +0000

1. Ensure that your diet contains a wide variety of foods
2. Control your weight: avoid obesity
3. Cut down on total fat intake
4. Eat more high-fibre and micronutrient-rich foods (fruits, vegetables, wholegrain cereal products). Especially include leafy green and yellow vegetables such as spinach and carrots, and members of the cabbage family such as brussels sprouts and broccoli
5. Be moderate in using salt-cured, smoked and nitrite-cured foods
6. Limit alcohol intake:
*Because heart authorities advise a lowered salt intake in addition to the preceding recommendations, the recipes incorporate this dietary strategy.

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The Facts on Food and Cancer – Part 2

Sandra — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 07:49:55 +0000

Official cancer prevention campaigns have tended to shy away from advice about nutrition, preferring to focus on personal control of what enters the lungs and is absorbed through the skin. But the self-help anti-cancer strategy is entering a new age. A steady stream of studies, providing compelling evidence linking diet with various types of cancer, has convinced Australia’s state cancer councils that it is time to act. They have issued general advice on nutrition, summed up in the term the ‘Prudent Diet’. This advice is consistent with the dietary recommendations of the National Heart Foundation and with the national dietary guidelines of Federal Health authorities in Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States.

The Prudent Diet, is no ‘fad’ diet based on intuition about possible nutritional influences on cancer risk. Nor will it leave a feeling of perpetual hunger, the outcome of so many dietary regimes. By reducing the emphasis on fats and accentuating complex carbohydrates and fibre-rich fare, we can enjoy delicious foods that have fallen into disrepute in recent years (such as steamed potatoes, bananas and crusty grain breads) while simultaneously minimising cancer-related health risks.

Researchers have suspected for some time that diet influences the incidence of some common cancers. But it is only in recent years, with data from long-term studies of disease trends among population groups, that firm conclusions have supplanted suspicions. The researchers who conduct such studies are known as epidemiologists and, although still hazy about some aspects of the diet-cancer connection, their advice is firming up year by year. Their findings indicate that some components of the foods we eat actually promote cancer risk (a fat-rich diet heightens the risk of breast and bowel cancer, for example), while other constituents help protect against cancer (the fibre, vitamins and minerals in fruits, vegetables and grains, for instance, reduce the risk of cancers at most sites).

Despite the strong circumstantial, population-related evidence of the role of diet in various cancers, supported by laboratory findings, scientists still have some way to go before they can define precisely the relationships between specific aspects of diet and specific disease outcomes.

Nevertheless health authorities recognise there is now sufficient evidence to warrant changes in food selection, preparation and handling so that the cancer risk of all Australians will be reduced.

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The Facts on Food and Cancer – Part 2

Sandra — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 07:45:16 +0000

Nevertheless health authorities recognise there is now sufficient evidence to warrant changes in food selection, preparation and handling so that the cancer risk of all Australians will be reduced.

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The Facts on Food and Cancer – Part 1

Sandra — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 05:50:56 +0000

Take a stroll through any large supermarket . . . shelves groaning, freezer cabinets piled high, aisles stretching into the distance. While the goods on display look appetising enough, it is the labels that attract attention – NO ADDED SUGAR; HIGH IN FIBRE; SALT REDUCED; LOW IN CALORIES; NO ARTIFICIAL COLOURS, FLAVOURINGS, PRESERVERS OR ‘IMPROVERS’.

The labels are signposts of our times, reflecting the growing consensus among medical researchers that small changes to diet can have a big impact on health. Encouragingly, the same alterations that seem to benefit our hearts, waistlines and general fitness also seem to reduce our cancer risk. Indeed the three leading causes of death in Australia, heart disease, cancer and stroke, as well as prevalent debilitating conditions including adult-onset diabetes, diverticular disease, weight disorders and liver cirrhosis, can often be prevented . . . with dietary change a key strategy.
The influence of diet on cancer is considerable. Scientists estimate that diet is a major contributory factor in about 35 per cent of all cancer deaths. Thus, of the 22 000 people who die of cancer in Australia each year, no fewer than 7700 deaths are reckoned to be diet-related. The most prevalent cancer killers among Australian men are those affecting the lung, bowel (colon and rectum) and prostate. In women, the ‘big four’ are breast, bowel, lung, and reproductive organs (particularly the uterus and ovaries).
World authorities on cancer trends and causes consider that diet could play a major part in as many as 70 per cent of breast cancers, 70 per cent of cancers of the endometrium (lining of the uterus), 61 per cent of cancers affecting the bowel, and 96 per cent of those affecting the prostate. And, in the case of lung cancer – one of the biggest cancer killers of men and, increasingly, of women -dietary imbalance appears to enhance the damaging effects of tobacco. Thus smokers who neglect fresh fruits and vegetables have a lung cancer risk that is somewhat higher than that of their counterparts who regularly eat these foods.

Cancer authorities worldwide consider dietary modification to be one of the most constructive ways by which individuals can reduce their cancer risk. Based on current evidence, the measures most likely to achieve this end include eating a diet that has plenty of variety and is low in fat, minimising the intake of smoked and salt-cured foods, ensuring that meals include fruits, vegetables and whole grains every day and drinking less alcohol. For the one in three Australians who develop some form of serious cancer during their lifetime, doctors recommend a similar dietary strategy in the lead-up to treatment. Improving nutritional status prior to anticancer therapy does not guarantee success but it is certainly a practical step that patients themselves can take towards helping their bodies cope with the impact of treatments such as surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

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Why choose high-fibre foods?

Sandra — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 07:48:01 +0000

In recent years, the message from medical research has become increasingly clear; a diet rich in high-fibre foods (such as fruits, vegetables and wholegrain cereals) protects against several common disease conditions. It also assists in controlling weight as high-fibre foods are ‘calorie bargains’, that is wholesome, low-calorie substitutes for fatty foods.
Several epidemiological studies have suggested a protective effect of fibre-rich foods in populations with low rates of bowel cancer. Scientists are particularly encouraged by the findings of Japanese research based on a very large population sample showing a direct relationship between daily consumption of green and yellow vegetables and low rates of cancer at most sites.
Many Australians eat far less fibre than the 25 g to 30 g daily recommended by nutritionists. Even rich sources of fibre contain only about 6 g per serve. Thus eating the proverbial ‘apple a day’ is far from adequate; four or five servings or portions of high-fibre foods are advisable. Excellent sources of fibre include beans, dates, nuts, prunes, berry fruits, apples, oranges, pears, bananas, apricots, figs, bran cereals, corn ears, peas, spinach, potatoes, lentils, brussel sprouts, parsnips and wholegrain breads. Although it is uncertain whether fibre itself confers nutritional benefits, it clearly assists body functions related to cancer risk. In particular, fibre speeds the passage of food through the digestive system, influencing rates of nutrient absorption and of waste excretion. Such influences appear to benefit the bowel environment, apparently reducing the risk of cancer.
The vitamin A and C groups and minerals found in small quantities in many fibre-rich foods also seem to play an important role in cancer protection. Fruits and vegetables rich in these vitamins (as well as fibre) include broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, kohlrabi, turnips, spinach, squash, sweet potatoes, peaches, plums, tomatoes and watermelon.

Nutritionists consider the best way to obtain such micronutrients is within whole foods rather than separately in high dose tablets or liquid preparations. They argue that mega-doses of vitamins and minerals can create dietary imbalance and may even prove toxic when taken in excess.
To gain maximum nutritional value from fruits and vegetables, eat them fresh where possible; cook vegetables complete with skins; steam or bake fruits and vegetables, rather than boiling them; and reduce cooking time to the minimum.

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Foods that Clog the Bloodstream

Sandra — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:31:15 +0000

Poor or “fluff” foods clog up the sparkling, pure rivers of the blood, just as pollution will clog up any pond or lake. Toxic-bearing foods include: artificial sweets, white breads, pastries, crackers, macaroni, malted milks, ice cream sodas. As excess if sweets will deplete the vitamin B-complex store, so that sugars burns incompletely to pyruvic aics, rather than to carbon dioxide and water. Pyruvic acid is a form of debris and mucuslike sludge that is related to lactic acid in that it creates fatigue; it tends to choke up your free-flowing bloodstream and pollute your internal health. These should be eliminated.

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Practical Steps in Moderating Salt Intake

Sandra — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:04:34 +0000

Progressively cut down on salt in your cooking and replace it with other seasonings. To start with, you may use seasonings that your family already knows and likes. Pinch of curry powder is especially effective in soups, vegetable dishes, casseroles and salad dressings. Mustard powder and sweet paprika go well with roasts, while a little red wine, port, madeira, brandy or whisky complements gravies nicely. Fish is enhanced by the use of lemon, ginger, sherry, vinegar or white wine, and pepper can be used to season most ingredients and dishes. Of course, chopped fresh herbs, especially parsley, are wonderful. For example, you can use thyme and vegetables, fish and meat.

Read the labels on all packaged food, including bottled sauces. Select those marked LOW SALT or NO ADDED SALT and avoid using salted products. Sodium-containing compounds add to the saltiness of food. Limit your intake of salt-cured and pickled foods, salted meats and smoked foods, which both contain sodium, and monosodium glutamate.

And avoid overcooking of food, especially in a liquid, as this results in a loss of natural salts and prompts further seasoning. Similarly, avoid prickling meat and fish, and slice them at the last moment to retain the maximum flavor. Keep all meat juices, serving them with the food or in a gravy.

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Moderating salt intake at home

Sandra — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:37:16 +0000

Family members who do not yet understand fully the dangers of using too much salt may not at first be very cooperative. Many of us season our food out of habit or because we addicted, little realising that we could easily do without it.

It is a mistake to add salt to children’s food. Young children do not care for salt at all unless, of course, they have been unnecessarily introduced to it. Even our body eats and loves almost every food that is cooked simply and without salt. It is good to keep in mind that the bad habits we establish in our children’s diets may over the years contribute to the development of disease in later life. By acting responsibly from the beginning we can point our children in the right direction. They will undoubtedly be grateful to it.

To some extent the family cook can help all members of the family to cut down on salt consumption by seasoning the food with other condiments and by using cooking techniques that retain as much of the natural flavor of food as possible.

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Assimilation of Food Is Improved By Meatless Cookery

Sandra — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:20:00 +0000

Ordinarily, meat is a potent source oh highly concentrated protein. Many people are unable to properly assimilate this dynamite-source of protein and have painful digestive spasms. Their systems become overloaded with toxic wastes and residues of incompletely assimilated meat proteins. This may lead to problems of gastrointestinal distress as well as an impure bloodstream. Intestinal putrefaction is frequently caused by an overloading of such residues. To improve assimilation, meatless cookery provides a gentle form of protein that is not as highly concentrated as that found in meats but is nevertheless as beneficial when thoroughly assimilated.

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