How to Prepare Quinoa

Quinoa is here to stay. The nutritious litte seed tastes great and is fast and easy to prepare.

It tastes somewhere between rice and lentils with a nutty flavor. And it is a very good, healthy replacement for rice, pasta, couscous or potatoes. Our search for alternative grains have started and we are no longer content with the “old” grains.

I cook quinoa all the time. Every time I serve it my four year old says “I like this rice”. I think it’s cute and I love the fact that all my kids eat quinoa. And honestly it’s so much tastier than rice so who wouldn’t like it.

Not too bad for the cook either since it only takes about 10 minutes to prepare it. Since I always try to use healthy food I have a serious issue with rice.  40 minutes to prepare rice! Sorry that does not fit into my daily cooking schedule. 10 minutes for quinoa is more my style.

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Brain exercise can give you super power

The other day I read about a guy called Daniel Arthursson. He is the founder of Xcerion, a company that will revolutionize how we use software.

Anyway, when Daniel went to college he had an accident. The accident forced his to use his left hand instead of his right. This changed his life.
His brain switched to “dual core“.
He could listen and follow a lecture and at the same time read and learn a book. The guy finished 4 full time college studies in 4 years. This should have taken at least 10 years.

Amazing! Can you imagine what it must be like to truly be able to to 2 things a once?

We know we use only a small part of our brains. Imagine if we could use it to its full potential.
Maybe increasing our brain power like Daniel did is the best way to surviving in our fast-paced society.

Many people talk about memory training and brain exercise today. But they are mainly focused to elderly and people suffering from memory loss. But this story shows us that anyone can benefit from brain exercises.
There are many exercises that you easily can fit into your daily schedule. Read more on my post Easy Exercises To Improve Your Memory.

The simple trick of using your “other” hand is really something you can do whenever. Start with something basic like brushing your teeth.
When you feel that you are up to it, do more complex things like writing.
After all you have that “other” have with you all the time. Why no use it?
I had a friend in elementary school who switched hands when he started on a new line as he was writing. I wonder what he is doing now..

Healthy foods for the climate and your wallet

Many people think that it is expensive to buy healthy food. To some extent this is of course true.

• Organically grown produce is more expensive than conventional produce.
• A loaf made of only whole grain or spelt cost more than a bread only baked on white flour.
• Cookies cost a lot less than fresh fruit.
• And so on.

But it doesn’t have to be more expensive to follow a healthy diet. If you are prepared to change your habits just a little you can save money AND eat better.

Are prepared to make ONE single change in your diet? One change that has a big positive impact on your health, your wallet and the climate.

Then swap meat for dried beans, lentils and peas.

Start with one day a week. If you like it then add another day. Take one step at the time.

Why are dried beans, peas and lentils so good?

• They are really inexpensive
• They are very nutritious
• You can boost their nutritional value even more by sprouting them
• They are many, many variations

Another benefit of course is that you then eat less meat. Meat is really bad for global warming. Too much meat is bad for you healthy (and yes we eat too much meat). Meat is expensive especailly if you by “good” meat that is not filled with antibiotics and additives.
Preparing dried beans, lenses and peas is very easy and consumes very little time. The only thing you need to do is plan ahead. Many need to soak for a day or two. And they need to cook for quite awhile. But during this time the need practically no attention.
How long time does it take to put some peas in a bowl and pour over water? 2 minutes.
How long time does it take to put beans, canned tomatoes, spices, water, onion and some vegetables in a pan at put it in the oven? 10 min
You can even use a slow cooker and skip the soaking.

Try different recipes. Pots, salads, soups, chilli, hummus or burgers. Make dishes with inspiration from India, Mexico, Brazil.

A bit of meat or ham can be used a spice but it is not the main, belly filling ingredient, like in a pea soup.

For the climate. Meat production adds to global warming; 3 times more fossil fuels are needed to produce a meat centered-diet vs a meat-free diet

Emergency pack. Keep an emergency can of you favourite beans at home at all times.

Never use baby wipes on your baby

Baby wipes are loaded with chemicals. Have you ever turned the package around the looked at the ingredients label? It’s disgusting. But what can you expect from a paper tissue that stays wet for years. Not very natural is it.

But baby wipes are great to:

• remove stains
• give your baby a diaper rash

I use baby wipes to clean the table and the kitchen floor after my kids have had a drawing session. It works great. A friend of mine even removed an oil stain on the car seat with baby wipes.

But would I use them on my baby’s skin? No way!

Instead I just wash her with water. I hold her under the running tap. Of course I’m very careful with the temperature.

At first I kept a small pack of baby wipes in the diaper bag. Just in case I ended up changing my daughter somewhere where there was no water. Well as it turns out that after nine months it still hasn’t happened. 

Once there was no running water. But paper tissue and water from a water bottle did the job. So the last couple of baby wipes are in the bin too.

Natural Cure To Tinnitus

Can tinnitus be cured?

Groundbreaking studies show that tinnitus is curable. And the cure is easily available to everyone.

Tinnitus is common said to be caused by damage to auditory cells in your inner ear. People suffering from tinnitus hear different sounds: ringing, crickets, pulsing, whooshing, ocean waves, dial tones, buzzing, even music. The sounds can appear every now and then or 24 hours a day. The sound can be so loud it interferes with the ability to concentrate or hear properly. It can cause high psychological stress.

The causes are believed to be damage due to noise; age related hearing loss or injury. But are these experts be wrong?

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Why MSG makes us fat

Is MSG the missing piece to understanding the fat epidemic?
Is MSG the reason that we eat much more than we need?

No one would put MSG on the ingredients label today. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not there.
MSG is toxic to our nerves cells. I don’t think that anyone really debates that. The pro-MSG side claims that the limits in food are so low that it does no harm. But what if we eat many of those small amounts? Don’t they all add up?

Well of course they do.
MSG is present in a frightening amount of foods. It never says MSG. No, it is hidden under its less known real name monosodium glutamate or in Europe E621. Or simply in ingredients that usually contain MSG such as bullion, broth, spices and natural flavoring.

A professor in neuroscience in Sweden injected MSG in baby rats (horrible but the animal rights discussion is for another day) for only 5 days. The rats grew up fat, blind, short and brain damaged.

Scientists now think that MSG may be one of reasons to the fat epidemic spreading over the western world. MSG is toxic to our nerves cells. It attacks brain cells that take care of hunger, the sense of feeling full and growth. So when we eat many foods with MSG our brains are damaged slowly but surely. After a while we won’t know when anymore when to stop eating.

Many of our foods are fatting and unhealthy. Add a brain that doesn’t know when to stop eating. What do you get? ..

The result is devastating.

How do you avoid MSG?

• Read the ingredients label
• Avoid processed foods, fast foods, Chinese foods, cans and frozen foods
• Cook your own food with fresh ingredients

Educate yourself and read more about hidden sources of MSG.