Carbohydrates.... Food Facts-2

Carbohydrates are essential for our day today activities. They play the main role in providing the necessary amount of energy to carry out our activities without exhaustion. Complex carbohydrates include legumes, grains and starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, peas and corn. Simple carbohydrates are found mainly in fruits and milk, as well as in foods made with sugar, such as candy and other sweets.It is important to get 45 percent to 65 percent of your daily calories from carbohydrate foods. Emphasize complex carbohydrate foods in your diet, especially from whole grains and beans, and nutrient-rich fruits and milk. Limit sugars from candy and other sweets.

Simple carbohydrates get digested in a short time, but glucose is released into the blood stream quickly. Thus, the post prandial blood glucose levels tend to suddenly spike. These carbohydrates have a high glycemic index. Insulin which is required to remove this glucose from the blood is unable to deal with this sudden surge, especially in diabetics, so glucose remains in the blood, causing hyperglycemia. These simple carbohydrates also lead to food cravings , higher food consumption and ultimately weight gain. Simple carbohydrates are thus considered to be “bad carbohydrates”. 

When complex carbohydrates are eaten, the body takes longer to digest them, so glucose is released slowly and steadily into the blood stream. Insulin is able to deal with this slow rate of release much more effectively. These are carbohydrates with a low glycemic index and lead to better glycemic control. They have good satiety value and make the person feel fuller for a longer period of time and lead to less overeating. They make an excellent choice for weight watchers. They are considered to be “good carbohydrates”.

Here is a table of Carbohydrates and foods with the amount of fiber in each. 

Real Heroes............

Sports are valuable additions to one’s life in terms of learning self discipline and facing problems. Sports give us stability not only by means of our physical health but also by means of mental health. Usually school rivals are common mainly due to some kind of a sport but at the same time it’s good to hear that there are gentlemen among us who knows the real value of sports. Among them are two prep rowers from Philadelphia.

As reported by the Philadelphia Daily News, James Konopka and Nick Mead who are from Episcopal Academy gave up their game just to save two fellow competitors who had capsized. They all were competing in under 17 doubles race at the Head of the Schuykill regatta when the incident took place on Sunday.

St. Joseph's Prep rowers Joe Leonard and Andrew Burrichter were having particularly a hard time with struggling with their boat and treading water in the icy river, Konopka and Mead made the decision to give up their start that could have easily made them win. Instead they helped the fellow high school rowers to get to safety, waiting with them until a safety launch arrived to get the St. Joseph's pair out of the frigid water. 

Button Jewelry...Creating Fashion... Just the way you want!!! Part 4

Button Jewelry is fast and easy to make. Jewelry findings can be attached to buttons to make earrings, pins, tie tacks and stick pins. Use button pins to adorn garments, embellish purses and belts, and hold scarves in place. Button jewelry can be made inexpensively using extra buttons from sewing projects. Or showcase unusual or antique buttons by turning them into one of a kind jewelry pieces.

Old buttons offer unusual details and craftsmanship; combining one or two with new buttons can make jewelry pieces unique. Look for old buttons at flea markets, antique shops and thrift shops. When designing button jewelry, include buttons that vary in color, or texture using special buttons as focal point. Keep earrings and pins light in weight if you intend to use them on light weight fabrics. Design the button jewelry so the finished piece has a flat base to which you can secure the jewelry findings.

Button jewelry can be assembled using hot glue or jewelry glue. Buttons can be glued together, using larger buttons to form the foundation. Or glue the buttons to a decorative base such as a shell or a decorative belt buckle.

You will need:

Variety of buttons

Jewelry findings such as pin back, earring backs or stick pin

Hot glue gun and glue sticks or jewelry glue

Applying Finishes... Little Somethings For Home Part 3

In our earlier chapter of Little Somethings For Home, we discussed about the finishes and their different types. Today our article will be on applying finishes. None of the wood finishes are difficult to apply but it helps if you work in a relatively dust free environment and use clean brushes or applicators.

Preparing wood for finishing

No surface finishes, especially clear varnishes, lacquers and polishes will disguise a poorly prepared surface. Holes, dents and cracks should be filled and the wood sanded smooth. It is essential that you work in good light, preferably daylight. Some finishes exude quite unpleasant fumes so ventilate your workplace and wear a respirator.

Cellulose filler

Before applying an opaque finish, use ordinary decorator's cellulose filler to prepare the surface. Mix the powdered filler with water to a smooth ceramy paste and apply it to the surface with a flexible filling knife. Let the filler dry, then sand with medium grade garnet paper.

Soupy Scooby Do........

Soups are popular among many as liquid nutrients and healthy meals. We always eat the solid state of food and soup is a change with loads of additional advantages. Because it is in liquid form, soup is ideal for patients and kids and when talking about kids, we all know how much they hate to eat vegetables. Who can say no to a mouth watering and tasty soup just out of the stove??? Here are some soupy recipes we found especially for vegetarians. They are healthy and they are tasty. Try them out.. Your kids will love them too.

Vegetarian Bean and Barley Vegetable Soup Recipe

Ingredients

1/2 onion, diced

2 ribs celery, diced

2 carrots, diced

any other vegetables desired, 1/2 cup each

2 tbsp oil or margarine

8 cups water or vegetable broth

1 cup pearled barley, uncooked

1 cup pinto or white beans, pre-soaked if dry

1/3 cup tomato paste or crushed tomatoes

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp celery salt (optional)

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 tsp oregano or Italian spice mix

1/2 tsp thyme

1 tsp onion powder (optional)

2 large bay leaves

Getting Ready For Halloween.........

It’s Halloween on coming Friday and everyone’s getting ready for a bit of scary and ghostly adventures and festivities. Although Halloween is grandly celebrated in western hemisphere, most of the eastern countries do not. So, we thought of sharing few facts and fun ideas based on Halloween.

Halloween is a holiday celebrated on the evening of October 31 in most areas of North America and in some areas of Western Europe. It is symbolically associated with death and the supernatural. Halloween falls on the eve of All Saints’ Day, also known as Allhallows or Hallowmas, a holy day in the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. Originally a pagan festival of the dead, All Saints’ Day was established by the Catholic Church in the 9th century to honor Christian saints. All Souls’ Day, a holy day established by the Catholic Church in the 10th century, is also closely linked to Halloween. All Souls’ Day, on November 2, is observed to help purify the spirits of the dead. 

Halloween is also related to some similar folk holidays and celebrations in other countries. The Day of the Dead, a Mexican holiday that coincides with All Souls’ Day, blends Roman Catholic and Native American traditions about the souls of the dead. On the Day of the Dead, Mexicans decorate their homes with playful imagery of animated human skeletons, leave offerings of food for wandering spirits, and tend the graves of their deceased relatives.

Many of the ancient people of Europe marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter by celebrating a holiday in late autumn. The most important of these holidays to influence later Halloween customs was Samhain, a holiday observed by the ancient Celts, a tribal people who inhabited most of Western and Central Europe in the first millennium bc. Among the Celts, Samhain marked the end of one year and the beginning of the next. It was one of four Celtic holidays linked to important transitions in the annual cycle of seasons.