Articles by Marty Richardson on ArticleSnatch.com

New Food Sprinkle Convinces the Brain to Stop Over-Eating

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:20:56 -0500

A California Company has recently launched an interesting new product which may signal a major breakthrough in weight loss. The company, Sensa, came up with an innovative way to convince the brain to stop overeating. First the theory behind the product. The obvious fact is that we eat too much. But why? It turns out that’s the way our brains are programmed. Throughout our evolutionary history, food has been scarce, so in order to ensure survival, humans have been conditioned to eat as much as they can whenever food is available. Unfortunately, when food is abundant and rich in calories, as it is today, the results can be ugly. Enter Dr. Alan Hirsch, an intrepid doctor and scientist, whose lifelong specialty has been understanding how our senses, and in particular, smell and taste affect the brain’s functioning. Dr. Hirsch noticed that many patients who had lost their sense of smell and taste due to illness or accident experienced rapid weight gain. Certain smells and tastes seemed to be acting on the brain to control the appetite. **End Summary** Topics: Cooking Help]]> creating dinner menu]]> dinner menu plan]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Marty Rich has been a professional chef for more than 27 years. He is dedicated to helping everyday people, like you and me, learn to create easy, simple meals with the freshest of ingredients. For more information on organic living please visit http://www.chefmartyrich.com .

Kitchen Secrets - The Tool You Shouldn't Do Without

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 08:21:42 -0400

There is something to be said for collecting kitchen tools. My mother cannot throw any gadget away! Needless to say, the drawers are so full of tools that you can't even open them. Then, when you wiggle the drawer open, you have to empty half of the drawer to even see what's in there....and there's no way you can get them all to fit back in after you're finished! Can you relate? But I digress. The most important tool in your kitchen is a knife. After 27 years of chopping, slicing and dicing around the globe, and owning two dozen assorted knives...I have a suggestion for you regarding the most important tool in your kitchen drawer. My mom has a knife drawer, which you enter at your own risk, because knives are pointing in both directions and some of the blades are facing up! On the other side of the kitchen is a knife block filled with a knife set, most likely purchased for a Mother's Day long gone by. Enough bustin' on my Mom's kitchen! The point of this article is to tell you that it only takes three really good knives to perform most kitchen jobs. **End Summary** Topics: kitchen tools]]> kitchen knives]]> knife set]]> chef's knife]]> paring knife]]> professional chef]]>]]> About the Author: ]]>

Food Savings - Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:39:13 -0400

Today, I read a government report stating "a middle-income family with a child born last year will spend about $221,000 raising that child through age 17." Housing was the biggest expense followed by food. Why they stopped at 17, I don't know...the child is still in high school at that age and the parents are still looking at college tuition! With that kind of expense looming, how can you cut costs? As soon as someone brings up the topic of saving money, you know the "B" word is not far behind - budget. OK, I said it! And the first step in creating a budget is finding out where the money is going now. So, for one month, collect all of your receipts from all of your meals. Even two weeks worth of receipts will be revealing. Not only will you find out how much money you are spending on food, you will also discover where you are spending your money. Don't believe what I say about which food is cheaper, your receipts will tell the story. A part of this exercise is to not only look at the total bill, but also what VALUE you gained. **End Summary** Topics: food savings]]> chef marty rich]]> grocery savings]]> food expenses]]> save on food]]> save on groceries]]>]]> About the Author: ]]>

Organic Baby Food - Reasons Behind Why You Would Make the Switch

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:31:43 -0400

Most parents shop the baby aisle of their health food or grocery store looking for baby food, see organic baby food and then purchase their preferred brand, or the one they have a coupon for, without giving it another thought. Most of us grew up on regular baby food and we are, more or less, healthy and whole. Having suffered no evident negative effects from commercial varieties, it can't be that bad, right? However, it's less about what you grew up with and more about raising a healthy baby in a world where hormones, pesticides and other chemicals in food are the norm. As we are all too aware, today's world is not the one we grew up in. Do chemicals found in the baby foods really affect your child's health? Many people mistakenly believe that chemicals in our food are digested and expelled as waste; however, in reality, they get absorbed by the body and accumulate. It is safe to assume that, if it happens in adults it happens in babies, too. **End Summary** Topics: organic baby food]]>]]> About the Author: ]]>

Organic Food Health Questions - The Facts and Myths of Organic Food

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 01:10:49 -0400

Is Organic Food Really the Healthier Choice? A Look at the Benefits and Concerns of Conventional Foods Versus Organic Products In the 1990's Since the advent of organic food, and its subsequent rise in popularity in the late 1990's, people have been skeptical about its purported superiority. Skeptics and makers of conventional foods claimed that the benefits of organic foods were based in theory, not fact. Others claimed the superiority of organic products over traditional products were baseless and unproven. The truth behind all of the controversy is that during the 1990's there had not been enough testing done to substantiate the purported benefits of organic products or confirm the drawbacks of traditionally produced food. Organic Facts Today Since the '90s there have been various studies done to show the improved nutritional value of organic agriculture by researching and analyzing the vitamin, nutrient and mineral content of both organically and traditionally grown produce. **End Summary** Topics: organic food]]> organic foods]]> organic products]]> organic living]]> healthy living]]> organic food health]]>]]> About the Author: ]]>

More Food Savings - More Tips on How to Save on Your Grocery Bill

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 01:00:14 -0400

So we've talked about the greater value gained for your wallet and your health by avoiding most fast foods. Growing your own food is next on the list. I know, you..."don't have time, and you don't have space", but the exercise you get is a wonderful by-product, and vegetables can be grown in planters or container gardens when space is limited or soil conditions are poor. A diet that revolves around fruits, vegetables and grain is cheaper than a diet that revolves around meat. Legumes (beans and peas) are very inexpensive and provide the necessary protein. There is something to be said for knowing where your food comes from...before it gets to the produce section! If you can't grow your own, make an effort to use locally abundant foods. The price usually drops when local produce comes in. Don't be afraid to strike up a conversation with the produce manager at your local grocer - they can be your window into knowing what's freshest on the shelf and what will be coming into season next month. The quality and quantity are at the peak, so stock up! **End Summary** Topics: food savings]]> chef marty rich]]> grocery savings]]> food expenses]]> save on food]]> save on groceries]]>]]> About the Author: ]]>

Losing Weight Eating Organic Foods

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:55:40 -0400

Today it seems like everyone is looking for the weight loss secret, the so-called silver bullet, the one diet, pill or exercise that will help them drop lots of weight with very little effort. Whether it's the water diet or the latest exercise craze, people just want to lose weight quickly. Dropping 20 pounds overnight is neither healthy nor realistic. However, there are weapons that can give you an edge in the weight loss battle. Drinking more water, getting a lot of rest, exercising with weights, doing cardio and eating an organic diet food are just a few of the many available 'weapons' you can use effectively to win the weight loss battle. Organic food, grown without pesticides, hormones, preservatives and other harmful chemicals, is designed to work naturally with your body and can help you lose your excess weight naturally. When organic fruits or vegetables are compared to their traditional counterparts, the beneficial vitamins, minerals and other nutrients found in the organic produce far exceed those of their traditional counterparts. In some cases, the amount of certain nutrients is as much as three times higher in organic fruits and vegetables than in their traditional counterparts. **End Summary** Topics: organic diet]]> organic diet food]]> organic living]]> lose weight eating organic food]]>]]> About the Author: ]]>

Organic Pet Food - Why Natural Does Not Mean the Same As Organic?

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:44:37 -0400

Organic food enjoys an ever-widening consumer base and rightly so, as it is better for people and the environment. However, when it comes to feeding your pets, most people don't know organic pet food exists. Most people treat their pets like 4-legged children, some going so far as to literally clothe their pets. However, they feed them generic food which is billed as 'natural' and good for your pet. But be warned, further investigation is often needed to uncover some much needed facts. Unlike food for human consumption, pet food is not strictly regulated which means if a dog food contains organic vegetables, the producer can then use non-organic beef and chicken, add preservatives and other toxic chemicals, and still label their dog food as "organic". While some certifiers have seals for organic pet foods, that doesn't mean the food is 100% organic. For example, if there is a USDA seal on a cat food package, that means that 70%, or more, of the ingredients in the food are organically produced. However, there is a good-for-your-pet alternative, organic pet food. These typically contain very few ingredients. In one case, there is one fat, one protein and one carbohydrate. **End Summary** Topics: organic pet food]]> organic pet foods]]> organic food]]> benefits of organic pet food]]>]]> About the Author: ]]>

Eating More Raw Food - The Facts and Benefits Behind the Latest Trend to Eat Healthy

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:11:40 -0400

One of the latest diet crazes is the raw food diet. It may seem like an odd idea to eat all your food raw, but it's really only natural. All the animals on the planet eat raw food except for humans and those raised by humans. And those that eat cooked food tend to have a shorter lifespan and more widespread disease. Before you dismiss raw food as the latest fad diet, take a look at the benefits it has to offer. When you cook food, you get rid of a lot of the benefits it has to offer. The most important thing humans need to live is water. Our bodies are made up of mostly water; if you are lacking nutrients, you may feel sick, but if you are lacking water, you die. Cooking foods removes a large majority of their water content, making them harder to absorb and digest and increasing the amount of water you need to drink. Cooking food also eliminates significant amounts of protein, vitamins and other vital nutrients. While you don't always think of it that way, cooking is a chemical reaction. **End Summary** Topics: raw food]]> raw food diet]]> eat raw food]]> raw food benefits]]> orgainc living]]> eating raw food]]> fad diet]]>]]> About the Author: ]]>

Organic Food Delivery

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 19:47:43 -0400

When you're trying to eat organic, one of the hardest things about following an organic diet, depending upon where you live, may be finding the foods. While many grocery stores in larger, urban areas, because of demand, carry a wide assortment of organic foods. Many cities have co-ops or Whole Foods stores that are almost exclusively organic. However, if you don't live in an area where grocery stores carry a selection of organic foods or if you do but your life, like so many today, doesn't allow you free time to shop, organic delivery might be an option for you. Do you want or need your organic food delivery fresh to your home? Regardless of whether you want your food delivered to you out of convenience or necessity it's possible. Some websites are exclusive in that they only sell produce or dairy products, for example. There are organic farms with websites that deliver their organic product directly to your doorstep, too. While organic farms are located throughout the country, their delivery areas may be local only, even if they have a website boasting delivery services. **End Summary** Topics: organic delivery]]> organic food delivery]]> organic diet]]> organic living]]>]]> About the Author: ]]>

What is the Future of Organic Foods?

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 19:34:00 -0400

The organic food craze has gotten a solid footing and has spread across the world like an errant wildfire. While more people are switching to healthier, organic versions of their favorite fruits, vegetables, meats and other products, does this mean that traditional food and farming will become a thing of the past? Will organic food be as popular in ten or twenty years as it is today or will the organic food craze fade away, leaving people to revert back to traditional food? Chances are high that traditional agriculture is here to stay as it is much more profitable than organic agriculture and it has worked well for more than 300 years. Since commercial fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides increase yields and decrease losses, they increase profits; therefore, as long as farmers work the land using traditional methods and means, commercial farming will exist. At some point in the future, people might be forced to choose between the easy option and the environmentally friendly option. However, as the world's population increases, the need for larger amounts of food increases, too. Were we only employing organic farming methods, we would quickly run out of space for crops. **End Summary** Topics: organic food craze]]> organic agriculture]]> organic foods]]> organic living]]>]]> About the Author: ]]>

Why Buy Organic? Beyond the Health Benefits

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 10:56:24 -0400

People have heard that organic food is better for them because it contains more vitamins and minerals and fewer chemicals than traditional food; however, when people buy organic they don't think about the side benefits of their purchase such as their positive effect on the environment. Additionally, organic products put fewer pesticides, fertilizers and other dangerous chemicals into the environment which means they benefit your family, as well as other families now and in the future. Organic farms also have better soil quality on organic farms, compared with soil on traditional farms, which proves it a major benefit of reducing chemical use in agriculture. Organic farming works to build the soil naturally through companion planting and crop rotations, another great reason to buy organic. By comparison, traditional agriculture uses fertilizers to enhance soil which fixes the immediate problem but doesn't repair the actual problem, nutrient deficient soil. Where do all the chemicals used by farmers go? Unfortunately, water from rain and irrigation runs off into lakes, rivers and streams, taking all the chemicals used to farm the land with it. This water also seeps deep into the soil and enters underground water supplies. **End Summary** Topics: organic products]]> organic food]]> organic farms]]> organic farmers]]> organic farming]]> organic living]]>]]> About the Author: ]]>

Is Organic Food Really the Healthier Choice?

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:31:50 -0400

People are exploring the world of organic food and discovering the many benefits of eating organic health foods. Many people try every diet possible to lose weight and many different food combinations in feeble attempts at eating better without changing much in terms of the actual food. The newest trend in food is eating organic food and for good reason. Eating organic means, in English, that you are being better to yourself and the earth because you're putting cleaner food in your mouth. Let's discuss organic health food as a better food choice. You may be asking yourself why "organic" matters in terms of it being a healthier choice. It means produce has been raised without pesticides, fertilizers and other chemicals commonly employed on commercial farms to ward off pests, inject nutrients into the soil and encourage growth. Dairy products are raised without the hormones, such as bovine growth hormone, or BGH, that some commercial farms employ to get more milk out of their dairy cows, which translates into buttermilk, cream and cheese among other products. Cows, goats, chickens and other farm animals are raised in clean environments, fed organic, mineral rich feed and permitted to roam freely. **End Summary** Topics: eating organic food]]> organic food]]> eating organic]]> organic health]]> organic health food]]> organic living]]>]]> About the Author: ]]>

What's Green Living All About? Facts and Myths About Organic Living

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 03:46:05 -0400

When you hear someone say 'green living' or 'go green', are your eyes alight with curiosity? Or do you think that since you 'reduce, reuse and recycle', you're living green? If you're like most people today, you do the standard 'green' things, almost entirely unaware that there's a greener, cleaner world of options available to you. The truth is, opportunities to live better, cleaner and healthier abound. Cleaning green, eating organic, being kind to the environment, urban gardening and incorporating organic ingredients into your everyday life are all aspects that you can adopt in whole or in part. Even if you only chose to adopt one aspect of living greener, such as cleaning green, you're a leap ahead of where you were before. Let's discuss some aspects of organic living. The biggest myth about eating organic is that, if you're eating organic, your diet consists of sprouts, roots and berries, in that order. The fact of the matter is there are different levels of eating organic, so your diet can contain a wide variety of foods, all of which will be healthy and good for you, without sacrificing taste. **End Summary** Topics: organic living]]> green living]]> eating organic]]> cleaning green]]> living green]]> eat organic]]> standard green]]>]]> About the Author: ]]>

Organic Gardening - Healthy Living Through Growing Your Own Fruits and Vegetables

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 02:52:11 -0400

Do you love organic vegetables and fruits? Have you considered buying organic produce, deterred only by the prices? If you have the time, space and the light available, you too can learn how to grow your own organic vegetables. Start your own organic garden and grow your own vegetables. Do some cursory research on organic gardening and you will discover many websites offering hundreds of tips, trick, ideas and resources that will help you get your garden started. Important decisions you will soon be making include where to locate your garden, how to prepare the soil and what vegetables to grow. When you plan your garden, first determine which vegetables you want to grow and make sure you have the space, in the right light, for your garden. Once you've done this, it is vital to know the pH of your soil so you can compost and prepare the soil accordingly, to get it ready to grow abundant organic vegetables for you. **End Summary** Topics: organic garden]]> organic vegetables]]> organic produce]]> organic gardening]]> organic living]]>]]> About the Author: ]]>

Getting Started Eating Organic Foods

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 01:00:01 -0400

Everything, including eating healthier, starts with a first step. Very few people jump into new things with both feet, which is good because transitioning slowly with anything, including a new way of eating, ensures a much higher success rate in the long run. Before your next weekly shopping trip, do a full inventory of your refrigerator and your pantry. Go to the grocery store and peruse the produce section to see if yours carries organic produce and then explore your grocery store to see if it has a natural or organic foods section; many do thanks to high demand for them. Once you've done these first two steps, you can move on to the next steps to get yourself started eating organic foods. If you already eat fruits and vegetables, make buying organic versions of basic produce like apples, oranges and celery your first step in the transition to eating organic foods. While they are pricier, they are free of pesticides and herbicides and grow in naturally nutrient-rich soil so they will taste better and they are better for you. Usually introducing organic foods to your body and your pocket book is a good place to start; **End Summary** Topics: organic foods]]> eating organic]]> organic foods section]]> eating organic foods]]> organic living]]> go organic]]>]]> About the Author: ]]>

The Benefits of Organic Produce

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:11:04 -0400

Consumption of organic produce has become increasingly trendy in recent years. Many people buy it because they want to eat natural foods and help the environment; most people don't research the benefits of the foods they eat. When you buy organic produce you are helping your family live a healthier lifestyle while simultaneously protecting the environment. Regardless of what traditional produce farmers tell you, organic produce tastes better. Organic fruits and vegetables outperform regular produce in taste tests and have been scientifically proven to be sweeter and firmer. Conventional produce farmers tend to grow genetically modified crops which are bred to look good, at the expense of flavor, which chemicals mask. Organic produce contains more vitamins and essential nutrients than regular produce. Tests have shown organic produce to have significantly higher amounts of essential vitamins, minerals and other important nutrients that promote a healthy lifestyle. Eating the recommended daily amounts of organic fruits and vegetables provides nutrient levels higher than most multivitamins which keeps your system functioning at optimum levels and contributes to your overall feeling of well-being. Organic fruits and vegetables are grown using only natural ingredients including homemade compost, natural pesticides and purified water. **End Summary** Topics: organic produce]]> organic produce farmers]]> buy organic produce]]> organic fruits]]> organic living]]>]]> About the Author: ]]>