A few examples to watch for: food starches, high fructose corn syrup and ever pizza dough. When is doubt contact the company who manufactures the food in question.

Coconuts are fruits of the coconut palm tree, native to the South Pacific, Southern Asia and now prolific in South America, Hawaii and Florida. Coconut water is found in the center of a fresh coconut, it is thin and almost clear with a slight almond flavor. For centuries, these tropical areas and their inhabitants have been familiar with coconut water’s health benefits.

It has less fat than whole milk with no cholesterol; it contains lauric acid [found in mum’s breast milk]. It has more potassium than a banana; it is low in sodium, low in sugars which are natural sugars and high in magnesium and chloride.

It is a natural isotonic beverage with the same level of electrolytic balance as our blood. It is rumored that in the Pacific coconut water was used as saline during transfusions during WWII.

In the tropics it is consumed fresh by drilling a hole to the center of the coconut breaking the naturally sterile barrier; you insert a straw and suck. Recently, I’ve seen a lot of buzz on the net to package this “agua de coco” elixir for consumption world wide, or least far from the tropics. Could this be an alternative to nutritional beverages?

The nutritional value of sea, table and kosher salts are all the same … the difference lies in their taste and texture. The harvest of sea salt is through the evaporation of seawater, table salt is mined from rock salt and kosher salt is made by compacting granular salt.  All are fully refined with an end result of sodium chloride.

Table salt contains iodine which is necessary for normal thyroid function and often contains anti-caking agents … “when it rains it pours” too young to remember that, huh? There is no evidence that the additives in table salt are harmful. Supporters of sea salt believe it has a slightly different taste because in comes from the Sea and prefer sea salt because it does not contain iodine or other additives. But don’t worry you can find iodine naturally in many other foods. And then there’s kosher salt … my people tell me lots of chefs are using kosher salt in cooking and baking; its structure dissolves easily, it gives a pure flavor  but mostly it enhances the overall flavor of the food. And it too contain no additives.

Sodium is not all bad, it has a purposeful function;  it balances the pH level in our body, regulates the level of water in our body, and is important in nerve conduction. The recommended intake for a healthy adult is between 1500mg-2200mg daily.

In foods, salt brine dehydrates bacterial cells, alters osmotic pressure which inhibits bacterial growth stopping spoilage.

Substitutions: 1/2 tsp. rock salt = 3/4 tsp. kosher salt = 1 tsp. table salt

Stop… you say and break out the copper sauté pan, start up the KitchenAid and turn on the oven, dinner’s in 10 minutes?! Well, no. Many supermarkets and specialty shops are now offering slow food… like sliced fruits, chopped vegetables, and whole baked chickens to cut your prep time down.

Food on the go is very common and the convenience of drive-through windows adds to our faster paced life-style. But fast foods usually contain more calories, unwanted fats, added sugars and carbs.

By adopting this lifestyle you will have more control over portion sizes and weight management. Instead of selecting the fast food window, get out of your car and walk into the food store, kids in tow! Kids love to go shopping too. So slow down, and enjoy your food, enjoy those loved ones around your dinner table by preparing and eating Slow Food.

Contrary to conventional methods this process retains more of the foods nutrients, has a longer shelf life and maintains quality without preservatives.

The cup is plastic, sterilized in a form fill seal process. The lid is a mix of paper, polyethylene and aluminum with a tight polyethylene inside which is hermetically sealed to the cup… after filling of course. Together these materials form a tight seal against microbiological organisms, contaminants, and degradation, eliminating the need for refrigeration.

The first UHT milk was introduced in Switzerland in the early 1960s. In fact, aseptic processing has been a common method for years in Europe and Asia. This process is fairly young in the United States, about 30 years but growing to include not just milk but many other liquid foods in various packages.

“Peel entire garlic clove and add to a jar of olive oil; pulling what you need when needed. After its gone you can use the flavored oil in cooking or for dipping… fresh baked bread.”

Tartrazine or FD&C Yellow 5 is an approved synthetic organic dye found in many food products as a food coloring; it is lemon in color and water soluble. Some common products containing tartrazine are soft drinks, carbonated drinks, ice cream, ice pops, jam, jelly, gelatins, mustard, yogurt and noodles.

In the late 1970s a number of documented cases were determined to be a reaction to tartrazine manifesting in asthma attacks. This led to the US government changing the food labeling laws to list all dyes on food labels.

Here is how:

Start with 1LB chocolate block or bar and chop. Place 75% in the top of a double broiler and heat to a simmer.

Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan to monitor the temperature of the melting chocolate.

Stir gently with a rubber spatula bringing the temperature to 115F for dark chocolate or 110F for milk chocolate; remove from heat.

Add remaining 25% of chopped chocolate to the pan, this will bring down the overall temperature. Hold chocolate @ 88F -89F over warm water.

Now you are ready to dip.