Meet the Miracle Shirataki Noodles made with Konjac Root Fiber

* made of naturally water soluble fiber with no fat, sugar, or starch.

* contains  zero net carbohydrates and zero calories, no gluten -made of a healthy natural fiber called “Glucomannan”.

* Wheat & gluten free and kosher.

* Easily absorbs the flavors of any soup, dish, or sauce.

* They are instant and come in a variety of styles

* Have shown beneficial effects backed by medical studies for Type II Diabetes, Constipation, Obesity, and Cholesterol!.

 

What is Konjac Root?

Konjac root fiber is a soluble fiber and offers health-promoting benefits through its ability to form a soft gel with water.  I also contains Glucommannan which research indicates it helps lower blood cholesterol, slow glucose absorption, lowers the glycemic index and promote regular bowel movements. It creates a feeling of fullness through its water-binding effects.

There are many benefits of eating Fiber. In addition to the numerous health benefits, eating lots of fiber-rich foods can help you lose weight. Fiber itself has no calories and is passed through your digestive system intact. However, because fiber absorbs water, it provides a “full” feeling. For example, eating an apple (which is rich in fiber) is more filling than drinking 4 ounces of apple juice, even though both forms contain an identical number of calories. Foods high in fiber also often require more chewing, which makes it more difficult for you to consume a large number of calories in a short period of time.

 Uses of Glucomannan

Glucomannan reportedly alleviates constipation, reduces intestinal flora, lowers blood sugar and cholesterol and may possibly promote weight loss and inhibit cancer.

Glucomannan Dosing

Clinical studies of glucomannan in diabetes, cholesterol control, and obesity have used doses of 2-13 g daily.

Glucomannan for weight loss in an eight-week double-blind trial was conducted to test purified glucomannan fiber as a food supplement in 20 obese subjects. Glucomannan fiber (from konjac root) or placebo was given in 1-g doses (two 500 mg capsules) with 8 oz water, 1 hour prior to each of three meals per day. Subjects were instructed not to change their eating or exercise patterns. Results showed a significant mean weight loss (5.5 lbs) using glucomannan over an eight-week period. Serum cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were significantly reduced (21.7 and 15.0 mg/dl respectively) in the glucomannan treated group. No adverse reactions to glucomannan were reported.

Helps deal with Type 2 Diabetes.  Glucomannan may be useful as a therapeutic adjunct for type 2 diabetes. It has been shown to improve the lipid profile and alleviate the fasting blood glucose levels of type 2 diabetics.

Because fiber slows the emptying of the stomach, it can help people feel full and can help keep blood sugar more even. This is probably how glucomannan fiber helps with obesity and type 2 diabetes. ,Glucomannan can decrease blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes medications are also used to lower blood sugar. Taking glucomannan along with diabetes medications might cause your blood sugar to go too low. Monitor your blood sugar closely. The dose of your diabetes medication might need to be changed.

You must take glucomannan  with Water. It has Potential health risk

A health advisory states the following:  “natural health products containing the ingredient glucomannan in tablet, capsule or powder form, which are currently on the market, have a potential for harm if taken without at least 8 ounces of water or other fluid. The risk includes choking and/or blockage of the throat, esophagus or intestine, according to international adverse reaction case reports. It is also important to note that these products should NOT be taken immediately before going to bed.”

 

Don’t Fall for Fraud: promises of quick action, such as “lose 10 pounds in one week”

use of the words “guaranteed” or “scientific breakthrough”

That are labeled or marketed in a foreign language

That  are marketed through mass e-mails

That  are marketed as an herbal alternative to an FDA-approved drug or as having effects similar to prescription drugs.

 

Low Carb Heart Healthy Diet Cooking

Before cooking meat, select portions of meat, which have minimum fat. On the other hand, if you have chosen parts with meat, cut out those parts, which contain meat. Another substitute for meat is fish. Fish does contain fats, but it is low in saturated fats. In addition, fish oil is good for health. You can eat baked, boiled, or grilled fish.

Crawfish and shrimps contain higher levels of cholesterol than other seafood, but they have low saturated fats. In addition, instead of non-vegetarian food, you can switch to vegetarian food, to completely cut down the calories and fats. Try beans, mushrooms, salads, home made low fat salad burgers to cut down the fat. Try cooking vegetables with less oil for heart healthy meals. Cut down excessive use of salt in the food so that the sodium levels in the blood remain stable. Use more of heart healthy herbs and spices to make the food even tastier. Follow this heart healthy low carb diet to live longer.

Here are a few more recipes for a carbohydrate addict’s heart healthy diet. Try boiled Brussels sprouts sprinkled with finely chopped onion, salt, pepper and a dash of lemon. It is not only tasty but also nutritious. If you are ordering starters in a restaurant, which constitute of breads made from white flour, go for whole wheat bread instead. White flour bread has nothing but carbohydrates, which your body does not need. Again, instead of eating white rice eat brown rice, which is healthier. Make sandwiches out of salad leaves instead of bread. Cut down on wafers, crackers and all other junk foods. If you follow this heart healthy diet, your cholesterol levels will be back to normal in no time.

Eating heart healthy foods will also help in weight loss. As you cut down on calories and saturated fats and switch over to foods to keep your heart healthy, your weight will also be balanced. For all those diabetic patients out there, here are some diabetic heart healthy recipes. You can make carrot cake with raisins, nuts, etc. which is by the way very nourishing. A heart healthy chocolate cake recipe would me a chocolate cake stuffed with pieces of carrots, apples, etc.

If you don’t want your kids to have heart problems in the future, try educating them since childhood about the importance of eating healthy low carb diet foods. Some heart healthy activities for kids could be quizzes, which educate them about the right foods, the importance of exercise etc.

Easy Soup Recipes

Not everyone among us is a fitness freak. At young age you might not have paid attention to what mom used to say; that is – having healthy and nutritious food. For years you have consumed large quantity of burger, pizzas and colas. You found it heard to resist the temptation of ice creams, French fries and doughnuts. But if you are to join the forty-club it’s time you should start eating healthy. Try some healthy diet recipes for yourself and for your family as well. In fact a healthy mother is the pillar of a happy and healthy family.

Many of us bear a wrong notion about health food. We think that health food is always minus the taste. But that is not the case with our healthy recipes that are available on websites and online magazines related to food and recipes. You can include in your daily diet some easy to cook soups that are both healthy and delicious. These easy recipes allow you to customize the soups accordingly with seasonal ingredients. Even if cooking is not what you really like these soups are some of the easiest meals to cook at home.

Easy Tomato Soup

If you are tired of having the same old tomato soup everyday then do some experiments with it to please the entire family.

Heat the soup with 1/4th tea spoon of garlic powder and Italian seasoning each. Then add previously cooked meatballs in the soup.

Slit hero rolls and stuff the meatballs within. Top it with grated cheese. Broil it till the cheese melts. Or you can bring Italian flavor to American tomato soup by adding melted cheese tortellini to it. Finally serve the soup with grated Romano cheese sprinkled on it. And see the reaction of the people at the dinner table!

Easy Chicken Soup

We all know that chicken soups are part of a healthy diet. Make ordinary chicken soup tastier with its Mexican variation.

Cook a basic ‘all-you-can-eat’ soup first. In a nonstick saucepan pour some water and add pieced carrots, onion, celery and garlic.

Cook it for 8 to 10 minutes until the vegetables softens. Then add tomatoes with its sides slit open along with chopped cabbages and green beans. Pour more water and broth and add salt and pepper for taste.

Cover the saucepan and let it boil. When all the vegetables turn soft your soup is ready to put in boneless chicken chunks to it.

Add some cumin seeds and corns and heat the soup to boil again. When chicken becomes tender simmer it for few minutes with crumbled tortilla chips. Finally serve with sprinkled cilantro and lime juice on it.

Easy Vegetable Soup

Vegetables are low in calories and rich in vitamins. To get fresh and supple skin and flat abs vegetables should be essential part of your diet. Your must have been presenting salads and veg-soups on the dinner table for long and fed-up that your kids do not even want to taste them anymore. Try this vegetable soup that is tasty, easy to cook, cost effective and at the same time rich in nutrition values. To make this soup you only need seasonal vegetables and lentils. Regular vegetables will also do.

Chop vegetables such as cauliflower carrots and broccoli. Chop some fresh tomatoes finely and put it aside for later use.

Crush some green cardamom, cinnamon and clove together to create a spice mixture. Now pour the lentils into water and let it boil for 5 minutes. After 5-6 minutes add the chopped vegetables into it along with pinch of salt, black pepper and spice mix.

Boil the whole mixture for about 30 minutes. Stir it well so that the vegetables blend well. After 30 minutes add the chopped tomatoes in it and simmer for few minutes more. Finally, our appetizing Tomato-Vegetable soup is ready to serve.

Healthy Cooking 101

In this age of rapid-fire information it is actually easy to get confused. Just consider the big margarine versus butter debate. For years people were told that butter contained too much fat and that opting for margarine was much better. Today there is a lot of concern about the chemicals used to make margarine, and if it really is all that healthy in comparison to the basic components of a stick of ordinary butter. Now people wonder if they should cook with and use butter to be safe, or if they should still avoid the cholesterol and take their chances with margarine. These sorts of issues can make it hard to know if you are following a plan of for healthy cooking or if you are making poor choices.

To put it plainly, healthy cooking is actually a very simple issue to understand. It requires that the nutrients in the foods are retained to the largest levels possible. It also requires that few harmful substances are added to the food to make it more palatable, and this means dousing whole food ingredients in sodium or fat, among other risky behaviors. Lastly, healthy cooking also means pulling together foods and dishes that create completely nutritious combinations.

For example, someone who is interested in keeping saturated fat to a minimum, but who also wants to be sure to get enough fiber and protein is going to find the perfect solution in a dish as simple as beans with rice. Does this mean that every recipe for beans and rice will also translate to healthy cooking? No, because there are plenty of options that use everything from sodium and fat-rich ham hocks to tons of super-fattening cheese.

This means that any recipe (whether it proclaims itself to be healthy or not) should be assessed for its healthiness before being made and eaten. The beans and rice recipe that uses brown rice, dried beans, olive oil, and a variety of herbs and spices to get its flavor is going to always be a much healthier dish than the one that asks for fatty meats, plain white rice, and lots of oil or cheese.

While this is just one example, it becomes easier and easier to begin recognizing healthier recipes after only a few experiences. Most people actually develop a sort of mental checklist of the things they want to see in the recipe in order to use it on a regular basis. For instance, many people scout out healthy recipes requiring dark green vegetables because these are incredibly nutritious when eaten on a regular basis, but only if prepared in the healthiest methods possible.