Quality Grocery Oakwood

Last time, we spent a while talking about raw foods. There’s few people that would argue with you if you suggested that it’s a great way to improve your diet, and in turn, your health. For years, nutritionists and the medical profession have been banging the drum about our diets, eating less fat and getting more exercise. Of course, for many it falls on deaf ears, but today we’re going to talk about something closer to many adult hearts, coffee!

So, if you’re in love with your caffeine and invested heavily in bean-to-cup coffee machines, what’s the problem? Well, for years (since 1991 in fact) scientists have linked drinking coffee with cancer, particularly bladder cancer. That doesn’t mean that a simple cup in the morning is likely to kill you, but it does mean that excessive consumption might increase your chances of developing the disease at some point in your life.

However, more recently, the World Health Organisation changed their stance on this, many people’s hot drink of choice. They said that hot drinks in general can raise risk, but not coffee specifically, and coffee in itself is no longer thought to be linked to cancer. The belief is now that it’s actually the temperature of the liquid that’s the problem, not what’s in the cup. That’s not to say that you can now safely drink twenty cups per day, as that will, at the very least, be likely to give you issues with your sleep!

What’s interesting is that despite the coffee link as a carcinogen having been made a quarter of a century ago, it came as a surprise to many people who drink a lot of coffee, so why exactly is it that people have been ignorant of that connection for so long?

To go back to the original point, the devil is in the detail. It’s never been the case that the science boffins or doctors have considered the risk from drinking coffee to be up there with smoking cigarettes or chewing tobacco, it’s simply been a risk raising factor. Similarly, there has been no quantification of what a safe or an unsafe level of consumption would be – the limited evidence just suggested a connection between the two in the early nineties. However, the latest analysis has shown that the evidence was insufficient, and more recent studies involving coffee have failed to back up the link, so on that basis, it’s effectively cancelled out the initial research without official studies ever needing to be done.

So, there you go, free and natural foods are great to build your diet around to get all the vitamins and minerals your body loves, but that doesn’t mean you can’t fire up your beloved bean-to-cup coffee maker once or twice a day too.

There are countless ways in preparing raw food diet recipes. Some kitchen equipment is necessary in order to keep the food contents intact and properly preserved. Through these examples, the people can be guided and informed well while practising this diet.

Soaking and Sprouting

Raw beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds have enzyme inhibitors that are usually disintegrated when cooking. The nutrients can be released by soaking or sprouting them. The process of germination encompasses soaking in water for a specific length of time. Although the recommended germination period may vary from 2 hours up to twenty four hours, quite a number of raw foodists claim that soaking overnight is highly sufficient and more convenient to do. It’s important to start with dried, raw, preferably organic seeds, beans, legumes, or nuts.
Rinse the seeds and place them inside a glass container. Add room temperature purified water to cover and leave it soaked at room temperature overnight. Before using it in the food, it is important to wash them for a few times in order to wash off the remnants from soaking.

Sprouting

After the germination of the seeds, they can actually be used for sprouting. After they are drained, the seeds can be already placed in a container for sprouting. Leave them at room temperature for the recommended time. The seed, bean, or legume will open and a sprout will grow from it. Rinse the sprouted nuts or seeds and drain well. They can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Blending

Most commonly used are fruits and vegetables in order to make appetizing smoothies, pesto, soup, hummus. These foods can be prepared at a very short period of time and it is definitely convenient especially when a person has a very busy lifestyle activities. Some blended preparations can be kept refrigerated and stored for future use. There are readily available food combinations that are tested and proven tandem to keep the body healthy and strong.

There are also essential things to have in the kitchen always ready for use in order to keep up with the diet schedules as well as to have prime results in the food preparation. One great example is the blender. Blenders are very useful in making delectable smoothies, fruit juices and other healthy shakes that can be used as a complimentary drink for your meal. Another would be a thermometer. This device can ensure that when heating the food, the temperature does not go beyond 118 Fahrenheit. The enzymes are then preserved properly and the food nutrients that we consume remain intact.

Basically speaking, the raw food diet recipes contains fewer transfats and saturated fats when compared with the classic Western diet. It is also has a remarkably low sodium and sugar contents while apparently being high in potassium, magnesium, folate, fiber, vitamin A, and health-promoting antioxidants that the body needs for it to carry out the metabolic processes of the cells. These properties are associated with a reduced risk of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. The raw food diet is also thought to have a favorable acid-alkaline balance, being low in acid-forming food since too much acidity in the body is believed to bring about diseases and other health problems.
Besides the immediate benefits, the raw food diet recipes may theoretically slow the aging process and reduce inflammation. This is the reason why most of the people who appreciate the effects of raw food diet are motivated to adopt it. While it is generally safe, easy to prepare and toxin-free, the person can definitely feel a life-changing experience inside and out.

Following on from last week’s article about the health implications of drinking coffee, and how scientists views have changed from believing there is a connection to bladder cancer, to arguing that there may be no link at all, we’re moving on to our preferred choice of beans, which should be great news for anyone thinking about home machines.

Lavazza are a particularly popular brand – their Qualita Rossa beans are one of Amazon’s best sellers, thank to the rich aroma they produce and the relatively low price compared to some of the other brands on the market. They’re one of the few quality brands that can be purchased under the magic threshold of £10 per kilo – when some are more than twice that price, it’s a significant saving! At the other end of their range, there’s Lavazza’s Crema Aroma. These are far more expensive but you’re buying pure Arabica beans fresh from their factory in Torino, Italy.

For a cheaper alternative, consider Taylor’s of Harrogate, who also boast an Italian inspiration but operate under a brand that’s clearly UK based, Yorkshire in fact! It’s a mid to strong level bean, which is great for people who like to drink a lot of strong coffee without breaking the bank. If you like to buy from family businesses, then Taylor’s could well be a great choice for you to consider.

If you do drink a lot of coffee, or even run a cafe or restaurant, then make sure to have a good look around for deals, as you can often get significant savings when either buying multipacks or several units at the same time. Amazon offer subscribe and save schemes which give you a small discount on each purchase for arranging regular deliveries. That can add up to savings of 5% or more per pack, which doesn’t sound much, but can easily add up to a free pack or two per year if you drink a lot of coffee.

A lot of people consider buying a coffee machine as an extravagant purchase, but the reality is that you’ll spend a lot more money on coffee over time than you did on the machine itself. That’s why it pays to do your research to find your favourite brand and where to buy it for the best price.