Why You Should Buy Fair Trade Coffee

Here in the West we are massive consumers of coffee. And many of us think nothing of spending four or five dollars at Starbucks for a gourmet espresso, latte or cappuccino.
What few of us think about as we sip our favorite brew is that coffee is grown by small farmers in developing countries. Most of these farmers are paid less for the coffee beans they grow that it costs for them to produce and pick them.
In other words, for every gourmet coffee you and I enjoy, the grower of the beans used is descending into a deeper and deeper cycle of poverty and desperation.
It was in recognition of this cycle that the certification process for fair trade coffee was introduced in 1998.
When you buy a pound of fair trade coffee, $1.26 goes directly back to the coffee growers who grew it.
It doesn’t go directly into the hands of an individual grower, but to the cooperative to which he or she belongs. Part of the deal with fair trade coffee is that farmers are required to band together in cooperatives. The money then goes to the cooperative and is shared among all the farmers.
The issue of farmers having to join a cooperative to benefit from fair trade is a complex one, with advantages and disadvantages.
However, the big benefit is that when $1.26 goes to the cooperative, and then to the farmer...they are receiving about the double what they would get outside of the fair trade coffee system.
In other words, when you or I buy fair trade coffee, we are providing the grower with twice the income he or she would normally receive.
Over 100 million pounds of fair trade coffee have now been sold in the U.S. alone. Better still, the numbers are growing fast.
Starbucks now offers fair trade coffees and recently Wal-Mart announced that it would start offering fair trade coffee through its Sam’s Club outlets.
When Wal-Mart becomes a buyer, you can be sure that the impact on small coffee farmers in Central and South America, East Africa and the Far East will be substantial.
Yes, it will cost you a little more to buy fair trade coffee. But when you pay that little extra, you’ll be making a real difference to the lives of coffee farmers and their families and communities.

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By Nicholas H. Usborne
Nicholas H. Usborne is one of the sleuths at CoffeeDetective.com He and his colleagues take a commonsense approach to making great coffee, and give you the straight facts on coffee and coffee makers - without the marketing hype. They also write the Fair Trade Coffee News Blog

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Cooking With The Power of the Sun

Many people understand the concept of passive solar for heating a home. Fewer realize it can be used in to cook food and sterilize water.
A solar oven is pretty much what it sounds like. It is used to cook food and sterilize water. Most people do not even know they exist, but they are an effective way to cook from both an economic and efficiency point of view.
The basic idea with a solar cooking is to create a box like structure that the sun heats up dramatically. If you have sat in a car in rush hour during the summer, you know the sun can generate a lot of heat. Instead of cooking you in a car, a solar oven focuses on food.
So, how do we cook with it? The box structure is created with dark paneling and then covered with a clear glass or plastic top after pots and food or water has been inserted. The structure is sealed. Much like a car, the sunlight beats through the clear top and heats the interior of the box. As the heat rises, it cooks the items inside. Yes, it produces more than enough heat to do the job. It really is as simple as that.
There are three general types of solar ovens. A solar box works as described in the previous paragraph. A panel oven uses reflective surfaces to focus the sun on a pot to create heat and cook the material inside. A parabolic version is designed to focus the sunlight into the bottom of a concave area upon which sits pots. There are variations of these three forms, but all solar cooking designs are derived from these basic forms.
While cooking with the sun is a fun and efficient, most people will never apply it in their home because of obvious design issues. At a cabin or when camping, however, it is a perfect solution.
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By Richard Chapo

Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com, a directory of solar energy companies.

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Side Effects of Herbal Tea

Wouldn't be right of me to talk about the virtues of herbal tea drinking without looking at what the possible side effects are, especially in the amounts the experts are telling us we should drink it in order to maximize the benefits (3-6 cups a day).
Side effect of Green Tea:
• Although rare, allergic reactions to green tea may occur. Stop taking green tea and seek emergency medical attention if you experience symptoms of a serious allergic reaction including difficulty breathing; closing of your throat; swelling of your lips, tongue, or face; or hives.
• Heavy and prolonged consumption of green tea may be associated with esophageal cancer.
• Other less serious side effects have also been reported with the use of green tea. Talk to your doctor or health care provider if you experience
· heartburn;

· upset stomach;

· loss of appetite;

· constipation or diarrhea;

· nervousness, irritability, or anxiety;

· sleeplessness;

· irregular heartbeats; or

· headache.
• Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome.
• Do not use green tea without first talking to your doctor if you are taking a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin).
• Interactions between green tea and other prescription or over-the-counter medicines or herbal/ health supplements may also occur. Talk to your doctor, pharmacist, or health care professional before taking green tea if you are taking any other medicines or supplements.
Side Effects of Black Tea:
Studies of the side effects of black tea specifically are limited. However, black tea is a source of caffeine, for which multiple reactions are reported.
Caffeine is a stimulant of the central nervous system, and may cause insomnia in adults, children, and infants (including nursing infants of mothers taking caffeine). Caffeine acts on the kidneys as a diuretic (increasing urine and urine sodium/potassium levels, and potentially decreasing blood sodium/potassium levels), and may worsen urge incontinence. Caffeine-containing beverages may increase the production of stomach acid, and may worsen ulcer symptoms. Tannin in tea can cause constipation. Caffeine in doses of 250 to 350 milligrams can increase heart rate and blood pressure, although people who consume caffeine regularly do not seem to experience these effects in the long-term.
An increase in blood sugar levels may occur after drinking black tea containing the equivalent of 200 milligrams of caffeine (4 to 5 cups, depending on tea strength and cup size). Caffeine-containing beverages such as black tea should be used cautiously in patients with diabetes. People with severe liver disease should use caffeine cautiously, as levels of caffeine in the blood may build up and last longer. Skin rashes have been associated with caffeine ingestion. In laboratory and animal studies, caffeine has been found to affect blood clotting, although effects in humans are not known.
Caffeine toxicity/high doses: When the equivalent or more than 500 milligrams of caffeine are consumed (usually more than 8 to 10 cups per day, depending on strength and size of cups), symptoms of anxiety, delirium, agitation, psychosis, or detrussor instability (unstable bladder) may occur. Conception may be delayed in women who consume large amounts of caffeine. Seizure, muscle spasm, life-threatening muscle breakdown (rhabdomyolysis), and life-threatening abnormal heart rhythms have been reported with caffeine overdose. Doses greater than 1000 milligrams may be fatal.
Caffeine withdrawal: Chronic use can result in tolerance, psychological dependence, and may be habit forming. Abrupt discontinuation may result in withdrawal symptoms such as headache, irritation, nervousness, anxiety, tremor, or dizziness. In people with psychiatric disorders such as affective disorder or schizoaffective disorder, caffeine withdrawal may worsen symptoms or cause confusion, disorientation, excitement, restlessness, violent behavior, or mania.
Chronic effects: Several population studies initially suggested a possible association between caffeine use and fibrocystic breast disease, although more recent research has not found this connection. Limited research reports a possible relationship between caffeine use and multiple sclerosis, although evidence is not definitive in this area. Animal study reports that tannin fractions from tea plants may increase the risk of cancer, although it is not clear that the tannin present in black tea has significant carcinogenic effects in humans.
Drinking tannin-containing beverages such as tea may contribute to iron deficiency, and in infants, tea has been associated with impaired iron metabolism and microcytic anemia.
Side Effects of Rooibos Tea:
As rooibos has not been studied scientifically in humans, there is no information available about its safety in pregnancy or lactation or in people with kidney or liver failure. However, it is generally considered a very safe herb, and there are no known side effects, contraindications, or drug interactions.13
At the time of writing, there were no well-known drug interactions with Rooibos.
Side effects of White Tea
* none to be found, so other than the effects of caffeine with drinking large amounts of it, no side effects could be find through a Google search
* except for the impact to your pocket book. White tea right now is much more expensive than all the other teas.
Side effect of Chamomile Tea:
If you suffer from allergies to plants of the Compositae family (a large group including such flowers as daisies, ragweed, asters and chrysanthemums), you may wish to be cautious about using chamomile at first. While there have been isolated reports of allergic reactions, causing skin rashes and bronchial constriction, most people can use this herb with no problem.

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by: Gary Whittaker

Gary Whittaker is the subject of www.projectgary.com, a blog that will chronicle his loss of 100 pounds, 20 pounds at a time. Please note that the embedded links can only be seen at www.projectgary.com.

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How to Buy and Grip a Chinese Cleaver

The proper cutting technique is one the most important things you will need to learn in order to cook like a professional. Different recipes use different cutting techniques, so it’s important that you know when and how to use each one. Improper cutting can lead to food with an unexpected taste in it, or, worse, a meal that simply tastes terrible. Thus, Wok Fusion presents a guide for those of you who don’t know the difference between slicing and dicing.
It is important to consider two things before you start cutting. These are buying the right Chinese cleaver, and holding it with a proper grip. These two things can have a significant impact on the effectiveness of your cutting skills, so it’s recommended that you read more about these in the follow two sections.
Buying the Right Cleaver
In choosing the right Chinese cleaver, it’s important to decide what you are going to cut. Will it be a thick meat or some meat with bones? If so, it’s important that you use only use a heavy weight cleaver – a light or medium weight cleaver simply will not cut through thick objects without significant damage to the knife. On the other hand, if you only need a cleaver to do some light cutting – slicing, dicing, or peeling – a light weight cleaver is ideal due to its light weight size. Of course, the medium weight cleaver is the most popular cleaver; combining the ability for light cutting with the power of the heavy cleavers, the medium weight cleaver offers the best of both worlds. Thus, for people learning how to cook, the medium weight cleaver is the best choice for them to buy.
Whatever cleaver you choose, it’s important to get a cleaver that is made from high-carbon stainless steel. There is absolutely no alternative to a quality cleaver made from high-carbon stainless steel. These cleavers provide a comfortable feel, nice weight distribution, and are easy to clean and sharpen.
Other, inexpensive, cleavers are made from traditional carbon steel or, simply low quality stainless steel. These cleavers, however, have huge drawbacks: carbon steel cleavers are easy to sharpen but will rust and discolor acidic foods. As you can imagine, there is nothing worse than seeing rust and discoloration on your meals – simply put, it’s disgusting. On the other hand, stainless steels cleavers are opposed to rust, but are extremely hard to sharpen. Again, it’s very difficult to make your meals properly with a dulled blade. High-carbon stainless steel cleavers eliminate BOTH of these problems and are clean, rust proof, and easy to sharpen. Everyone who regularly cooks will tell you the same thing; high-carbon stainless steel cleavers are the perfect cleavers. So remember – there is NO substitute for a good Chinese cleaver!
How to Grip a Cleaver
Now that you’ve got your Chinese cleaver, it’s important to learn how to hold it. This is a key idea as an improper grip can lead to accidents (both painful and not) and can also cause your hand to begin hurting due to stress. Thus, the idea is to use the cleaver in a way that feels comfortable, but also gives you as much power as possible. As such, there is only grip that chefs around the world suggest as the “proper” grip.
With your writing hand, hold the cleaver by its handle. Then, move the hand all the way up the cleaver’s handle. Move your thumb onto one side of the cleaver’s blade near the thickest part of the cleaver. Move your index finger to the side opposite of your thumb. With your other three fingers, grip the top part of the cleaver’s handle. Thus, only three fingers of your hand should be holding the handle, with the other two fingers on the actual cleaver blade body itself. While it may seem a little uncomfortable at first, it’s important that you practice using this grip as it allows the highest amount of control, but doesn’t end up tiring your arm.

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by: Ala Luke

Ala Luke is the author of the #1 Rated The Definitive Chinese Cookbook. His techniques have taught thousands of beginners how to make authentic Chinese cooking better than a restaurants'. For FREE recipes, visit him at http://www.Wokfusion.com.

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Harmful Chemicals in the Meat You Eat?

Many people may not realize it, but much of the meat we eat contains synthetic growth hormones and other chemicals that may be harmful to us. Why would cattle owners want to use growth hormones? It is all about money. Ranchers today want to produce more cattle in a shorter period. A rancher may only have about 14 months to get the calf from a small size, say 80 pounds, to a selling size (around 1,200 pounds). Growth hormones help the cattle put on weight to get them ready for slaughter in record time as well as reducing the amount of fat in the meat. Nitrates are a chemical compound that can also be found in meat today, being used to cure meat and give them a healthy color. Most notably, nitrates are found in hotdogs, giving them their red color.
The use of hormones in meat is nothing new. As far back as the 1930s, research shows that estrogen affected the growth rates in both cattle and poultry. By the 1950s, a synthetic (man made) estrogen, DES, was being used to increase cattle size. However, DES was found to cause cancer and is no longer used to "fatten" up cattle and chickens.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) current approves of five different types of hormones used in food production. Of these, testosterone and progesterone are produced naturally by the animals and zeranol and trenbolone acetate are synthetically made. These hormones are approved for use only in cattle and sheep. Poultry, such as chickens and turkeys, and pigs do not gain much weight when given these hormones, so they are not given them. Most of these hormones are given to the animal by inserting a pellet under the skin of the ear. The pellet releases the hormone and the ears of the animals are thrown away during slaughtered.
The concern of scientist and consumers both is that traces of the hormones and chemicals will remain in the meat and pose a potential hazard to humans who consume it. Have you noticed that girls today seem to be reaching puberty at a younger age? It is suspected that this may be due to the steroids found in today's meat. Unfortunately, studies done on the potentially harmful ingredients in meat have proved inconclusive and further studies are needed. One problem when conducting a study is that the animals produce some of the hormones naturally, therefore making it hard to determine how much is natural versus the pellet hormones. Also, the level of hormones produced naturally varies from animal to animal, another hurdle for researchers to overcome. The concern with nitrates, used to cure meats and give them a pink or red color, is that they can be converted into nitrosamines. Nitrosamines are believed to both cause and promote cancer. However, the FDA has no studies that decisively finds nitrates used in meats harmful, therefore continue to allow them to be used in processed foods.
What should you as a consumer do? One thing you can do is purchase organic meat. Organic meat comes from livestock raised without hormones or steroids. Also, the cattle are fed grains with no pesticides involved. In 2002, the United States Department of Agriculture developed a system whereas all organic foods (including meat) would be labeled as such. So when shopping, you should see a label on organic meat that signifies that it contains at least 95% organic ingredients. Some grocery stores carry organic meat, but if not, you may have to visit a butcher shop or health food store to find it. You can even buy organic meat through the Internet and have it delivered to your home. However, if you decided to purchase meat online, you may want to first order a small amount. That way, you can determine if it meets all your specifications for delivery time, freshness, etc. before buying a larger quantity.
As ranchers strive to find ways to get more cattle to slaughter faster, consumers will continue to be concerned in the methods they are using to do it. Until more research is done, the best thing you can do it try to be aware of all the dangers out there by staying abreast of the current research being done on cattle hormones and chemicals used in processing meats, and purchase organic meat for your family.

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by: Mike Sullivan

Mike Sullivan is a grill master and meat lover. Read his most recent report on How To Marinate Steaks to put the most flavor into your next steak meal. http://www.buy-steaks-online.net/marinating-steaks.htm.

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Have A Better Life With Healthy Nutrition

Nutrition means the total physiological process whereby the body / organisms obtain the food necessary for the development and growth to secure the energy to carry on.
Nutrition means: the vital process, reconstruction of the tissues(food, supplies;). The words came from latin(nutritio), french(nutrition). The nutrition is important for all inhabitants of the planet because without the sustenance the body stops growing, gets weak and finally dies. A correct nutrition means a healthy body and also an optimistic point of view on life and not only. As the latin saying tells: ”mens sana in corpore sano”-a healthy mind in a healthy body. If the body is not happy our mind is not thinking very clear and tends to become more and more stressed and finally it creates a twisted imagine on ourselves. The nutrition is our fuel which activates the mechanism of our body. Nowadays it is important to have a well-balanced way of life and get rid of the food which damages our body and replace it with a healthy food.
The American Dietetic Association(ADA) is the nation's largest organization of nutrition professionals. It has nearly 65,000 members. ADA promotes a healthy nutrition and gives advises to those who want to change their way of life. The members of ADA are food and nutrition experts and they transpose the theories in practical solution.
In the last 30 years the nutrition has become a problem especially from the moment the rough-wrought and junk-food appeared on the market. The incorrect nutrition draws after it an unbalanced life. One of the century’s problem is the obesity which embraces like a scourge the entire world. Because of the sedentary life and the lack of moving the body deposes the surplus of calories as fats. The fats affect all the internals and cause health problems like: heart failure, blood circulation, rough breathing, and all kind of pains.
All the experts recommend a nutrition based on fruits, vegetables, and an active style of living.

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By Michael Lastun
If you find this information useful you should visit the site south beach diet recipes, body building, and nutrition facts where you will find lots of interesting articles related to this topic, all original and wrote by Michael Lastun.

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Vegetarian - Become One Easily and Become Healthier Quickly!

Vegetarianism is the custom of not eating meat, including beef, poultry, fish, or their by-products, with or without the use of dairy products or eggs.
But why would someone want to become a vegetarian? Simply you can he healthier happier lose wieght and avoid disease.
The health benefits of being a vegetarian
The reasons may be religious or ethical, economic, or nutritional, and its followers differ as to strictness of observance.
Most Hindu and Buddhist sects are strict vegetarians, as are Seventh-day Adventists. In today’s United States, vegetarianism has gained wide acceptance as a practice that lowers one's risk for the “diseases of the wealthy,” e.g., high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers.
So there may be many reasons to become a vegetarian, but most people agree, you lead a healthier life. How to become a vegetarian
Just as there are many reasons for becoming a vegetarian, there are many ways to become one.
One may eat only fruits and vegetables, thus excluding animal flesh, fish, or fowl and often butter, eggs, and milk.
A strict vegetarian, or vegan diet (i.e., one that excludes all animal products), the nine essential amino acids we need must be obtained by eating foods that include both grains and legumes (e.g., beans or tofu) at several times during the day.
Vitamins B12 and D (usually obtained by a meat diet) can be obtained through supplements or the addition of a cup of nonfat milk or yogurt to one’s daily diet. Ovo-lacto-vegetarians obtain complete proteins by including milk, cheese, and eggs in their diets.
Being a vegetarian is not new
Historically, being a vegetarian goes back to the beginning of time, and indeed, most of our ancestors did not eat meat very often, if at all.
Interestingly, vegetarians in used to be called "Pythagoreans" after the philosopher Pythagoras (6th Century BC) and his followers.
They were strict vegans that ate no meat of any kind. These people followed a vegetarian diet for both nutritional and ethical reasons. Using the Roman poet Ovid as the source, Pythagoras said: "As long as Man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of lower living beings he will never know health or peace. For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seed of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love."
Vegetarians live longer
As to the benefit of being a vegetarian, you can consider the Hunzas, a tribe of people that reside near the Himalayas. These people are known to live to be over 100 years old and have an exclusively vegetarian diet. They are known to be healthy and without illness all of their lives. There are many other examples.
Vegetarians avoid disease
Most nutritionists claim that a diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables but low in (or no) animal fat and red meat offers numerous health benefits, including a significantly lower risk of heart disease, cancer, renal failure and stroke.
The American Dietetic Association, the world’s largest organization of nutrition professionals, states on its website:
"Vegetarian diets offer a number of nutritional benefits, including lower levels of saturated fat, cholesterol, and animal protein as well as higher levels of carbohydrates, fiber, magnesium, potassium, folate, and antioxidants such as vitamins C and E and phytochemicals.
Vegetarians are slimmer
Also, and of great interest to people who are interested in a healthy life-style, vegetarians have been reported to have lower body mass indices than non-vegetarians (i.e. they are thinner), as well as lower rates of death from ischemic heart disease;
vegetarians also show lower blood cholesterol levels; lower blood pressure; and lower rates of hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and prostate and colon cancer.
“The American Heart Association's website states "Many studies have shown that vegetarians seem to have a lower risk of obesity, coronary heart disease (which causes heart attack), high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus and some forms of cancer. Various studies have shown that a vegetarian mother's breast milk has significantly lower levels of pesticide residue than a non-vegetarian's.
Do vegetarians miss out on essential nutrients?
Some criticism of becoming (or being) a vegetarian is that you miss some important nutrients, which one needs to be healthy. It is true that some vegetable protein sources lack in one or more "essential" amino acid.
For example, Grains and nuts are low in lysine and legumes are low in methionine. While everyone should eat a variety of foods (from 10 to 50 varieties per day) to ensure a balanced nutrition, the body’s requirement for essential amino acids now appears to be much less important than researchers once believed.
Vegetarians get all the protein and amino acids they need from eating a normal variety of whole grains ( such as whole wheat bread, oatmeal, and especially brown rice), and different beans, nuts, and soy along with its byproducts tofu, veggie burgers/hotdogs, and edamame etc.
Be healthy be happy be vegetarian!
The reasons can go and and on, but it takes some effort to change over from a meat to a vegetarian diet. In part 2 of this article, we tell you how and safely eat your way to a healthier and happier life.

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By Sacha Tarkovsky
For more free diet and nutrition advice including the benefits of being vegiterian go to our website and get free articles reports downloads and magazines
http://www.net-planet.org/health.html

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