Category: Foods

Filipino people are known for their affection with street food, almost every person on all walks of life has an inclination for eating street food. Everywhere you look, it is common to see people flocking together eating street food, it could a barbeque from Chicken intestine or pork fat or Fried fish ball and squid ball offered using a portable cart.
For average Filipino, street food seems so appetizing. The colorful Tokneneng fried egg offered in the street looks so tempting to us, the truth tokneneng is so delicious especially when newly cook and eaten with vinegar dipping. Fish ball and squid ball has its own place when it comes with the popularity, Fish ball has been offered in the street before I was born and Squid ball find it place in some of the big super market in the Philippines, you could always find kiosk that sells squid ball along with other dim sum and Filipino beverages locally known as gulamin on those supermarket. Taho is another popular street food in Philippines, compare with other Filipino street food taho is more healthy and nutritious, it is a byproduct of soya bean and within the family of tofu and soya milk. Taho is usually served with a sugar caramel in the top locally known as arnival, the looks of taho is comparable with soya milk but with jelly like consistency. Before, it is Chinese peddler that usually sell Taho in the street but now a days it become a booming Filipino business. Balot is another popular street food in Philippines, for some it might be an exotic food but for Filipino Balot will always be a part of our culture. Balot is known for its aphrodisiac effect and also known for its high protein content, taking too much balot might cause a high blood pressure because of its high protein and cholesterol content, so be wary when taking some. Dimsum or siomai is a well known Chinese food in the Philippines, before it is just offered on big Chinese restaurant on Metropolis but now a day siomai is also offered in the street, you can always people using a improvised pedalized tricycle with a built in gas stove selling while steaming siomai. And same with siomai, Pizza is also offered using same improvised tricycle with oven on it.
Truly, street food bas become a booming industry through the time, it is become so popular because of the availability and affordability for common Filipino. But proper government authority should implement strict law in regards for selling food in the street, they have to make sure that the food that are being offered is proper for human consumption to protect public health.

There are some newcomers to the MLM (multi-level marketing or network marketing) business these days aside from the many cosmetics, vitamins, nutritional drinks, travel, long distance phone service, and other types of companies which already exist. Emergency preparedness and food storage companies have joined the area of MLM.

Network marketing, as they prefer to be called, allows people to own their own business for a nominal start up fee as compared to regular brick and mortar businesses. It also provides a compensation plan which pays the person for bringing others into the business to share in the work and the profits. The people in several lines downward or sideways may bring cash earnings to the person who brought them into the business. They earn money from the efforts of others instead of only on their own work.

During these difficult economic times when many people throughout the world are suffering and with the natural disasters which are striking whole communities, people are seeing the value of emergency preparedness and food storage. As grocery store shelves become quickly depleted when a natural calamity hits, it becomes apparent that families would do well to be prepared with some basic essentials.

Some organizations and churches have long admonished their members to prepare themselves for emergencies and disasters. Indeed, the motto of the Boy Scouts of America is: Be Prepared.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which has received quite a lot of press in the past several years because of all the natural disasters such as Katrina which have hit the United States, recommends that people have enough food, water, and first aid for three days. If a natural disaster strikes, it usually takes at least three days before government and charitable aid is able to help sufficiently.

The bad economy has caused people to lose jobs and paychecks for long periods of time. Getting government or charitable help is not always easy or quick. Having a supply of food on hand (or food storage) can help alleviate the pain and suffering which can come. Companies which provide this service are now available in network marketing. Plans can be made through them to build up a food supply for emergencies by a small investment each month from the food budget. People can earn money through the network marketing aspect, and the companies are helping people to be prepared for whatever comes.

Everyone loves looking at pictures. Whether they are photos of nature or wildlife, photos of family and friends, cooking experiences, or even pictures of fun events, people take pleasure in living vicariously through other individuals via these photographs. This has come to include the interest of seeing a delicious meal that another food enthusiast was able to sit down and enjoy. Over the previous few months, I have really begun to see the affect that Instagram has had on the food industry, whether it is home cooking, eating out or trying new restaurants, people’s photographs have proven to be a unique promotional tool for anything food related. Often times, I have had to make a mad dash towards the kitchen cupboards in order to satisfy my cravings after seeing one of these mouth-watering photographs. Chefs that are cooking from home or individuals that have visited a certain restaurant are able to snap quick photos from their phone and post them to social media resources like Instagram for the world to see. As a result, it can spark another’s interest in trying that recipe, visiting that food establishment or it may just simply activate that person’s hunger for any food.

I have been on Instagram for about one year now and during this period I have really enjoyed seeing the lives of friends and family through pictures and short videos. However, during this time frame, one trend that has really stood out to me was how proud these cuisine fanatics were about their food orders they put in or the meals that they had prepared. Eating is one hobby or activity that is going to be a part of everyone’s life and why not share your favorite recipes or cooking experiences with the social world? Any individual with access to the internet can snap photos of their appetizers, main dishes, desserts or even fancy beverages that they were able to consume, upload it to Instagram and within seconds, that tasty photo will be potentially visible to thousands of followers on some of the largest social media resources around the world. In addition to that, there are numerous different apps that will enhance these photos or even dozens of filters that will make the food and beverage item look even more mouth-watering. Even the most unappealing of food items can be made appealing through some of these fancy advancements in technology.

Another fun perk of using Instagram for meals is that this photo app also works with another app called Foursquare, which allows the user to share their location on a map with their followers. Individuals can “check-in” at certain food venues, buildings or other locations to let their friends know what they are up to. From this partnership, I see Instagram as being a unique marketing tool not only because restaurant goers and food consumption specialist are able to take appealing photos of their food and drinks, but they can also attach a location with that photo so if other interested parties want to experience that same menu item then they know right where to find it. Even if Instagram is not considered one of the most effective forms of media right now, I would recommend the free application to any chef, group or small business owner that is looking to promote any product or service.

Over the past year, this unique photo-related application has at times, proved to be sort of a motivator for me by seeing others accomplishments, it has helped me better engage in people’s lives that I do not see on a regular basis and it has even brought some awareness to me on certain things like local events or charity information. For example, I have found myself saying things like “well I didn’t know they served that food there”, or “wow that healthy meal plan has really paid off for that person” or maybe even “dang, I did not know that bar had that fun promotional there last weekend!” and by seeing photos of individual’s experiences in this situations, it has lead me to want to try new things, get more involved or not miss another similar event. Now is this going to be the feeling that everyone has who sees these photos? Not likely, but for being a free tool that anyone can use, why would groups and businesses not want to use Instagram as a marketing method? It definitely would not hurt the business or group at all!

Instagram can be a fun tool to utilize for any small business or non-profit that may not be looking to spend tons of money on marketing. For example, I began a kitchen related retail business recently with a blog, Twitter and Facebook page and as a fun marketing method I created a separate Instagram account from my personal account that was strictly for this ecommerce business. It allowed me to upload unique photos to all my other web sites as a way of interacting with my followers and visitors and my website has seen an increase in activity and engagement because of it. Now showing fancy photos of recipes that I prepared or menu items that indulged in will not necessarily sell products or make me a ton of money, but it can promote user engagement on all my pages and that is something that I want for my business.

The promotional photo options are endless and that is why I would really recommend including this resource in one’s marketing plan. Business owners like myself can snap and upload pictures of basically anything associated with their business, such as people having a great time using their products, the reactions of individuals tasting new foods, specials or discounts that are being offered for a period of time, or just photos of all the different menu items or product lines that managers and owners want to promote more. In my opinion, Instagram has not become as utilized of a free marketing tool as Facebook and Twitter, but I do think it could eventually reach that point, especially with the ease at which these users can integrate their Instagram with these other major social media sites. From all of this, restaurants and bars can promote their menu options through their visitors at no cost as long as those hungry patrons enjoyed their meal.

Almonds and Cholesterol: Are Almonds Really a Heart-Healthy Snack?

It seems that many people are experiencing confusion over almonds and if they should or shouldn’t be included as part of a heart healthy diet. On one hand, almonds are reported to lower bad LDL cholesterol. On the other hand, almonds are a calorie-dense food that’s also high in fat.

Numerous studies, including one by the British Journal of Medicine, has shown convincing evidence that regular almond consumption helps lower bad LDL cholesterol. And not just any LDL, but it’s been shown to reduce the small dense LDL particles that do the most damage to your arterial walls and puts you at a much higher risk of cardiovascular disease.

So what about the question of almonds being high in fat? Over 60% of the fat content in almonds is monounsaturated fats. (This is the same type of fat that is found in olive oil.) Monounsaturated fat is widely accepted to be a key ingredient to reducing the risk of heart disease and part of a heart-healthy diet.

But the health benefits of almonds doesn’t stop with having healthy natural fat and it’s ability to lower low-density lipoproteins. Almonds pack an antioxidant punch with it’s high levels of Vitamin E. And with over 60 mg of magnesium in a quarter-cup of almonds, that’s just more good news for your heart. You see, magnesium has been shown to help improve blood flow and make things ‘easy’ on your veins and arteries. (Translation: Less stress and work for your heart.)

Concerned about adding too many calories if you start eating almonds? Truth is, almonds have been shown to be beneficial at helping aid weight loss. But if you are just a little too ‘scared’ to add more calories, do this…

Substitute almonds for other foods vs. adding almonds to your existing diet. In fact, it’s been estimated by some researchers based on date from a Nurses Health Study that replacing carbohydrates with healthy nuts like almonds may low the risk of heart disease by as much as 30%. The risk may be lowered as much as 45% if you substitute nuts with saturated fats like those founds in meat and dairy.

Looking for some ways to add almonds to your diet? Try these…

– Add almonds to your salad instead of meat or croutons
– Add to your morning cereals (hot or cold)
– Add to yogurt for a tasty crunch
– Add sliced almonds to vegetable dish (great with green beans)
– Eat with a sandwich as a crunchy substitute for chips
– Two words: Almond butter!

And not surprising, eating almond as a “whole food” is optimal for maximum health benefits. The antioxidant punch mentioned previously is more than doubled when the skins are combined with the meat of the almond, compared to either one separately.

As you well know a good food warmer is beneficial and a dime a dozen, too. There are plenty of types of those out there such as stoves, ovens, microwaves, broilers, and toaster ovens. The benefits are widely known because you could get sick if you eat foods raw. However, there are finally strides that benefit the younger generations too. The electric baby food warmer is beneficial in a lot of ways.

You may use the baby food warmer to warm milk and actual baby food. For years we have been content to make the baby food warmer with the microwave or counter top stove, but that no longer is good enough. What about when you’re running around and the baby begins to cry for its bottle? Do you really want to give the baby cold milk within the winter? No! Naturally you don’t! Take out your baby food warmer and plug it into your car lighter’s outlet. You aren’t always in the know in regards to how well done the food or milk is warmed but with this apparatus you can tell the food is warm just by being alerted with sensors.

On top of that this new type of food warmer also has an ability to use batteries based on the design of that make and model. This is truly a fantastic invention, however there are actually downsides.

The downsides vary and may be annoying or even dangerous. Inferior products will melt baby bottles due to them getting too hot. Then there are the ones that don’t get hot enough. That means that the foods aren’t going to be warmed completely and as finicky as babies and small kids are we can’t even contemplate risking which will we? Our children deserve the absolute best and it is fantastic that we are becoming so technologically advanced (although I do feel we are a bit behind on that as it is so terribly basic) enough to be able to make sure that the kids will probably be enjoying warm foods. Buying the absolutely best and proven device will insure that the child will not deal with a burnt mouth or tongue and on top of that if something is warm on the outside and cold on the inside a child will scream up a storm.

Nothing is more soothing than heat during the times of teething and colic. It will sooth an upset belly and it will most of all sooth gums that are in some serious pain. Growing teeth doesn’t come easily, it is a level of pain that babies and young kids can’t handle. While teething rings tend to be cold, heat also helps as long as it isn’t too hot.

Make sure when you are going to buy a food warmer you do research first. Be sure that the reviews are positive, don’t skimp on the money, and remember the reality that you get what you pay for. We can all find fantastic deals via the internet, but always be careful to ensure you’re getting a food warmer from the most reputable dealers you might.