McCartney Says Vegetarian Diet and Romance Keep Him Young

McCartney Says Vegetarian Diet and Romance Keep Him Young.

15 Reasons Why Coconut Milk Is Great for Your Health

Coconut milk is a crucial part of a plant-based diet because it is a vegan replacement for milk that doesn’t require much compromise — it boasts a creamy consistency and a delicious taste.

Coconut milk is extraordinarily versatile and serves a variety of purposes in the kitchen. From breakfast to dinner and savory to sweet, coconut milk has a place in your diet. It  is packed with vitamins C, E, B1, B3, B5, and B6 as well as iron, selenium, sodium, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. And its benefits don’t end in the gut. Coconut milk makes for an effective beauty product as well. The following 15 uses for coconut milk are sure to convince you to make it a daily fixture in your life.

To prepare coconut milk, crack open a young Thai coconut, place the water and the scooped-out flesh into a blender and mix until smooth. If you are using a packaged version of coconut milk, make sure it comes in a BPA-free can or a milk box. Aroy-D and Native Forest Organic package coconut milk in a BPA-free can and Coconut Dream is a popular boxed brand.

1. Substitute for Coffee Cream
Nix the dairy and opt for a healthier, animal-friendly alternative. Use coconut milk to replace the cream you pour into your morning cup of joe, and you’ll get a boost of energy not just from the caffeine but also from the electrolytes provided by the coconut milk itself. Coconut contains potassium, sodium, magnesium and chloride, all of which help to keep the body hydrated and properly functioning. What more could you ask for at the start of a busy work day?

2. Braise Meat
Coconut milk may not be the first ingredient you associate with chicken and meat, but it actually adds a sweet, delicious touch to the meal. Mix about ½ cup of coconut milk into the liquid of braising meat or chicken and watch as the milk absorbs the flavors of the dish and makes for a creamy, full-flavored sauce.

3. Be Calm and Drink Coconut Milk
Coconut milk contains 89 milligrams of magnesium per cup, which makes it a rich source of a mineral that helps to calm the nerves and maintain normal blood pressure. Magnesium blocks nerve cells from becoming overactive by virtue of becoming stimulated by calcium. Calm nerve cells reduce contraction of muscles and make you feel more relaxed.

4. Build Strong Bones (Without the Dairy)
Coconut milk is not a good source of calcium. It contains just over 38 milligrams of calcium per cup compared to regular milk’s 300 milligrams in the same serving size. But while it may not be able to give dairy a run for its money in terms of calcium, it is a rich source of phosphorus. With 240 milligrams of phosphorus per cup, coconut milk contributes to strong bones.

5. Moisturize Skin
Whether ingested or applied directly to the skin, coconut milk is helpful in hydrating the skin and keeping it soft and smooth. Its fat content locks in moisture. Simply apply a thin layer of coconut milk to a cleansed face, let it sit for 15 minutes, and then rinse clean. Pat dry to reveal supple, soft skin.

6. Fight Infection
Coconut milk contains a fatty acid called lauric acid, which is quite valuable to the human body. When it enters the body, lauric acid is converted to monolaurin, which is a compound that has antiviral and antibacterial properties. For this reason, coconut milk consumption could fight infections and viruses.

7. Control Weight
Because coconut milk contains saturated fats, it is often shunned by dieters as a fattening agent. However, because of its fiber content, coconut milk makes you feel fuller longer and, in moderation, can help to control weight.

8. Maintain Blood Sugar Levels
Coconut water is a source of manganese, which is vital for regulating blood sugar levels. One of manganese’s most important functions is to help metabolize glucose in the human body. Manganese is also essential for metabolism function, treating inflammation, preventing osteoporosis, alleviating PMS in women, aiding vitamin absorption and maintaining the health of the digestive track.

9. Remove Makeup
Mix 1 part coconut milk with 2 parts olive oil and use the concoction as a gentle way to remove eye makeup and moisturize skin at the same time. There is no need for harsh, alcohol-ridden chemicals to get rid of makeup around the most sensitive area of your face. Coconut milk does the trick just right!

10. Lower Cholesterol
Despite its saturated fat content, coconut milk can actually help to reduce cholesterol levels if you are used to cooking with butter and dairy-based creams. The truth is, not all saturated fats are created equal. Coconut milk raises cholesterol levels, but its lauric acid boosts HDL (good) cholesterol, which improves the HDL-LDL (bad) cholesterol ratio. So while the better option may be to reach for an unsaturated fat, if choosing among saturated fats, coconut milk is the best of the bunch. The fats in coconut milk are also easier for the body to break down and metabolize and contain healthy fats including omega 6 essential fatty acids.

11. Prevent Wrinkles
Improve skin elasticity with the consumption or application of coconut milk due to its copper and vitamin C content. Copper and vitamin C maintain flexibility and elasticity of the skin and blood vessels, slowing the aging process of your skin and body.

12. Treat Sunburns
After a long day in the sun, it’s never a bad idea to continue the tropical theme, even in the form of a remedy. Apply a thin layer of cool coconut milk to the sunburned area and the coconut milk with soothe and moisturize the skin.

13. Get Baking
For those who have lactose intolerance or are opting for a more animal-friendly diet, try using coconut milk in place of milk in baked dessert recipes. While other nut milks on the market do a good job of replacing dairy milk, sometimes they have a watery consistency that does not to the dessert much justice. Coconut milk packs with it a viable bulk that can bring the decadence back to vegan baked goods.

14. Treat Arthritis
Coconut milk contains selenium, which is an antioxidant that relieves arthritis symptoms. Selenium controls free radicals and decreases the risk of joint inflammation.

15. Condition Hair
Benefit from the nutrients and fats in coconut milk with a hair treatment. Massage coconut milk into your scalp and use your fingers to brush the milk through hair strands. Once covering your hair and scalp, wrap your hair in a towel and let the coconut milk sit for an hour or two. The longer it sits, the more deeply the moisturizing and strengthening effects of coconut milk will penetrate. You could also warm the milk up prior to application to jump start the assimilation of nutrients.

           

Choosing Compassion Over Killing

Our everyday food choices have far-reaching impacts that can’t be ignored. Each time we sit down to eat, we make a choice: do we want to support kindness and mercy, or do we want to support cruelty and misery?

The animals we eat can suffer just like the dogs and cats we welcome into our homes and families. Yet, if the abuses endured by farmed animals were forced upon dogs and cats, the perpetrators would be prosecuted for cruelty to animals.

We can help make the world a better place, every time we sit down to eat. By choosing vegetarian foods, we take a stand for compassionate living.

             

              

Guide to Non-Dairy Milk

Milk might be a dish best served cold, but that isn’t stopping non-dairy milk’s popularity from being white hot. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that sales of non-dairy milks have exploded in recent years, and are expected to keep growing. Made from nuts, grains, beans, and seeds, there are options for every palate and price point. Below is a handy guide for those looking for a sauce thickener, the best coffee creamer, or just wanting to kick the dairy habit.

So-y Delicious
Perhaps the most well known of the milk alternatives, soymilk was first documented being made by the ancient Chinese as early as 220 AD. A popular alternative to cow’s milk because of its high protein content and low levels of saturated fat, soymilk, like all plant-based foods, contains no cholesterol. Soymilk makes a great creamer and base for milkshakes or smoothies.

Nuts for Almond Milk
Almond milk, which is quickly gaining popularity with grocery store shoppers, is often the least expensive non-dairy milk. Its mild, nutty taste enhances morning coffee and is perfect for cookie-dunking. It is also the least caloric of the bunch at around 60 calories per one-cup serving and is a great source of calcium, magnesium, and vitamin E. It’s even easy to make at home.

Loco for Coco(nut)
Thick, smooth, and perfect right out of the carton, coconut milk is made when the meat of a coconut is blended with water. The thicker consistency, which makes coconut milk a great substitute for whole milk, is attributed to its higher fat content—there are five grams in a one-cup serving. Make sure to get it out of the carton though—canned coconut milk has been used in many tropical cuisines for centuries to create delicious curries and desserts but is higher in fat and harder to gulp from a glass.

Healthy Hemp
No longer just a hippie buzzword, hemp milk (made from hemp seeds that are soaked and ground with water) is a healthful alternative to dairy. Unlike other substitutes, hemp milk contains all ten amino acids, providing a complete protein in a glass. Additionally, hemp milk contains omega-3s, calcium, and iron. While harder to find than some of its counterparts, hemp milk is nutty, earthy, and provides a serious nutritional bang for your buck.

Grain on the Brain
Rice, oats, spelt, rye, and quinoa are but a few of the grains that are now being made into milk. While these milks are higher in carbohydrates and lower in calcium and protein than soymilk, those who enjoy grain milk’s thin texture and light taste can find many brands which are fortified with vitamins and minerals including calcium and vitamin B12. Great in a bowl of cereal or oatmeal, grain milk is a perfect choice at morning meals.

Source: http://vegweb.com/

Tostones! A good snack from Venezuela.

“Tostones”, green plantains, are a favorite snack and side dish in Venezuela.It is also one of the most common ways to eat unripe plantains, and easy to make as well.  Because they use green plantains, the texture of Tostones is dry and hard, and their flavor is salty.   The simplest way to serve these plantains is sprinkled with salt.Usually they are served as a side dish in other Venezuelan dishes

Ingredients:

• 1 Green platano o banana
• Oil
• Salt

Preparation:
Peel the platano o banana
Cut into 2 cm cylinders.
Fry these cylinders until the banana is a pale yellow colour.
Remove from the heat.
Place on a non-porous surface and using a glass or a plate you squash the plantain to make circles about half a Cm. thick.
Use salt to your own taste and fry until they are crispy.
Serve hot with guasacaca sauce or garlic “mojo”.
         

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Teaching Kids Compassion Toward Animals

Teaching kids to have compassion and empathy for their furry, feathered, and finned friends is vital for preventing cruelty to animals as well as in raising them to respect and treat those who are different from them with kindness. According to the National PTA Congress, “Children trained to extend justice, kindness, and mercy to animals become more just, kind, and considerate in their relations to each other. Character training along these lines will result in men and women of broader sympathies; more humane, more lawabiding, in every respect more valuable citizens.”

Live by and teach the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Since young children naturally identify with animals, and because animals are living beings like us, we can use our interactions with animals to teach children how to behave toward other people. Teaching our kids to respect and protect even the smallest and most despised among us is one of the most important life lessons that we can pass along to them. It helps them learn to value one another—and it prevents violence.

Empathy Training Prevents Violence
Decades of evidence show that a child’s attitude toward animals can predict future behavior. According to published reports, in every highly publicized school shooting, one warning sign appeared consistently: All the young killers abused or killed animals before turning on their classmates.

According to FBI profilers, psychiatric professionals, law-enforcement officials, and child advocacy organizations, people who hurt animals may eventually direct violence toward humans. Cruelty to animals is considered one of three symptoms that predict the development of a psychopath, and it is included as a criterion for a conduct disorder in children by the American Psychiatric Association.

People who are capable of such acts have a severely underdeveloped sense of empathy—they lack the ability to comprehend or care about the distress or agony that they are causing. Without empathy, it is easy to think of others as unfeeling machines. Teaching kindness and respect for animals is the first step in teaching children empathy.

Teach Kindness by Example
Incorporating simple concepts of kindness and respect into kids’ daily lives is simple and fun! The easiest and most important way to teach your little ones empathy is to lead by example.

• Listen to yourself with new ears—don’t yell “shut up,” “stupid dog,” or other hurtful things.
• Never hit animals.
• Show that you value animals’ lives by being patient with them, making sure that they all wear an ID tag, spaying or neutering them to prevent unwanted litters, giving them plenty of clean water, and providing regular veterinary care.
• Include your animals in your life. Allow your dog to live inside with the family, and spend time with your animal companions daily, brushing them, playing with them, and walking them.
• Sometimes tiny creatures wander into our homes—help them find their way out nonviolently.
•  Avoid statements that demean animals—even those made in jest—such as “I hate cats” or “Chickens are stupid.”
• Remember that toys influence children. Don’t buy toys that even hint at animal exploitation, such as video games that allow children to kill animals or model zoos or circus trains.