I have tried this and it works! Instead of a calorie-ridden snack, try filling up with a mango instead. It is filling, full of good nutrients and fibre.

In Ghana, we had mangoes in abundance when they were in season and we had our fill of it without much thought about the nutritional value.Turns out mangoes are full of Vitamins A, B and C, beta-carotene and lycopene -- a carotene that helps to suppress certain cancerous cells and reduces the risk of cancer.

I prefer to eat mangoes straight or in a fruit salad or smoothie with yogurt and banana. Be sure to take advantage of the mango season and have your fill of it this summer.

Mangoes: Natural Weight-Loss Food

by About the Natural Weight-Loss Authors

Anyone wanting to lose weight will be sweet on mangoes. This versatile fruit is packed with nutrients, so you can eat less per meal and still meet the daily requirements for nutrition. Mangoes are also famous for their fleshy, stringy fruit, which is full of fiber and is a snack guaranteed to keep your raging appetite satiated until dinnertime.


This "fruit of India," as it is sometimes called, is unique in its wealth of nutrients and richness of flavor. Its pungent flavor is loved by most but may be an acquired taste for some. It delivers a great one-two nutrition punch.

Nutritional Values Mango Serving Size: 1/2 cup Calories: 54 Fat: 0 g Saturated Fat: <1 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Carbohydrate: 14 g Protein: <1 g Dietary Fiber: 2 g Sodium: 2 mg Vitamin A: 631 IU Niacin: <1 mg Riboflavin: <1 mg Thiamin: <1 mg Vitamin B6: <1 mg Vitamin C: 23 mg Calcium: 8 mg Magnesium: 7 mg Potassium: 129 mg Carotenoids: 381 mcg

Health Benefits
If you're limiting your calorie intake, eating concentrated sources of nutrients makes sense. And mangoes deliver. Mangoes are a superior source of beta-carotene. In fact, they are one of the top beta-carotene providers you can eat. Consuming large amounts of this antioxidant has been linked to a reduced risk of some forms of cancers.


Mangoes are rich in another carotenoid called lycopene, which is a potent antioxidant. Lycopene works to protect cells and suppress tumor growth.


Just one mango provides almost an entire day's worth of vitamin C. Unlike many other fruits, mangoes contribute several B vitamins and the minerals calcium and magnesium.


Selection and Storage

There are hundreds of varieties of mangoes in every shape, size, and color. The color of mangoes ranges from yellow to red and will deepen as the fruit ripens, though some green may remain even in perfectly ripened fruits. When ripe, a mango has a sweet, perfumey smell. If it has a fermented aroma, then it's past its prime. Choose mangoes that feel firm, but yield to slight pressure. The skin should be unbroken, and the color should have begun to change from green to yellow, orange, or red. Though it's normal for mangoes to have some black spots, avoid those mottled with too many. It's a sign the fruit is overripe. Ditto for loose or shriveled skin. If you bring home a mango that isn't ripe, you can speed the process by placing it in a paper bag with a ripe mango. Check daily to avoid over-ripening.


Preparation and Serving Tips

Mangoes are very juicy. You can peel the fruit and eat it as you would a peach, but just be sure to have plenty of napkins or paper towels on hand to sop up the juice that runs down your chin.

The best way to prepare a mango is to first slice off the "cheeks." These are on both sides of the thin, elongated seed found in the middle of the mango. Once you have two halves, lay them skin-side down on the cutting board. Cut the flesh in a crosshatch pattern, being careful not to cut through the skin. Then pick up the mango half and bend it backwards, so the cubes will pop up. Cut exposed cubes off of the skin.


Try eating chilled mangoes as dessert or as breakfast fruit. For extra zip, sprinkle them with a little lime juice. Mangoes are an indispensable ingredient in sauces and chutneys.


Complex carbohydrates, such as mangoes, help to jump-start your metabolism, so your body will burn more calories. When those midafternoon hunger pangs start to kick in, and they will, reach for that mango instead of that milk chocolate.



^©Publications International, Ltd.

Source: the Natural Weight-Loss Authors, About.  "Mangoes: Natural Weight-Loss Food"  18 April 2006.  HowStuffWorks.com.  19 July 2011.

Parsley - a herb that is full of goodness!

Lately, I have been adding parsley to the breakfast smoothie that I make using pineapple, watermelon, banana, apple, and plain yoghurt with probiotics. 

Parsley has vitamins, flavanoids and nutrients that protect our bodies from the free radicals -- toxins and other substances -- that damage our cells and organs.

Parsley has a pleasant herbaceous flavor that also helps to clean one's palate and freshen your breath too. I like the flavor of Italian parsley the best but the more common curly type parsley is also good. Add a bit of parsley to your fresh salad or smoothie this summer. 

Here is a really good article from the World's Healthiest Foods website that provides more information about parsley.

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Parsley

The delicious and vibrant taste and wonderful healing properties of parsley are often ignored in its popular role as a table garnish. Highly nutritious, parsley can be found year round in your local supermarket. 

Parsley is the world's most popular herb. It derives its name from the Greek word meaning "rock celery" (parsley is a relative to celery). It is a biennial plant that will return to the garden year after year once it is established.





This chart graphically details the %DV that a serving of Parsley provides for each of the nutrients of which it is a good, very good, or excellent source according to our Food Rating System. Additional information about the amount of these nutrients provided by Parsley can be found in the Food Rating System Chart. A link that takes you to the In-Depth Nutritional Profile for Parsley, featuring information over 80 nutrients, can be found under the Food Rating System Chart.

• Health Benefits
• Description
• History
• How to Select and Store
• How to Enjoy
• Individual Concerns
• Nutritional Profile
• References

Health Benefits

A sprig of parsley can provide much more than a decoration on your plate. Parsley contains two types of unusual components that provide unique health benefits. The first type is volatile oil components - including myristicin, limonene, eugenol, and alpha-thujene. The second type is flavonoids - including apiin, apigenin, crisoeriol, and luteolin. 

Promote Optimal Health

Parsley's volatile oils-particularly myristicin - have been shown to inhibit tumor formation in animal studies, and particularly, tumor formation in the lungs. Myristicin has also been shown to activate the enzyme glutathione-S-transferase, which helps attach the molecule glutathione to oxidized molecules that would otherwise do damage in the body. The activity of parsley's volatile oils qualifies it as a "chemoprotective" food, and in particular, a food that can help neutralize particular types of carcinogens (like the benzopyrenes that are part of cigarette smoke and charcoal grill smoke).

A Rich Source of Anti-Oxidant Nutrients

The flavonoids in parsley-especially luteolin - have been shown to function as antioxidants that combine with highly reactive oxygen-containing molecules (called oxygen radicals) and help prevent oxygen-based damage to cells. In addition, extracts from parsley have been used in animal studies to help increase the antioxidant capacity of the blood. 

In addition to its volatile oils and flavonoids, parsley is an excellent source of two vital nutrients that are also important for the prevention of many diseases: vitamin C and vitamin A (notably through its concentration of the pro-vitamin A carotenoid, beta-carotene). 

Vitamin C has many different functions. It is the body's primary water-soluble antioxidant, rendering harmless otherwise dangerous free radicals in all water-soluble areas of the body. High levels of free radicals contribute to the development and progression of a wide variety of diseases, including atherosclerosis, colon cancer, diabetes, and asthma. This may explain why people who consume healthy amounts of vitamin C-containing foods have reduced risks for all these conditions. Vitamin C is also a powerful anti-inflammatory agent, which explains its usefulness in conditions such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. And since vitamin C is needed for the healthy function of the immune system, it can also be helpful for preventing recurrent ear infections or colds. 

Beta-carotene, another important antioxidant, works in the fat-soluble areas of the body. Diets with beta-carotene-rich foods are also associated with a reduced risk for the development and progression of conditions like atherosclerosis, diabetes, and colon cancer. Like vitamin C, beta-carotene may also be helpful in reducing the severity of asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. And beta-carotene is converted by the body to vitamin A, a nutrient so important to a strong immune system that its nickname is the "anti-infective vitamin."

Parsley for a Healthy Heart

Parsley is a good source of folic acid, one of the most important B vitamins. While it plays numerous roles in the body, one of its most critical roles in relation to cardiovascular health is its necessary participation in the process through which the body converts homocysteine into benign molecules. Homocysteine is a potentially dangerous molecule that, at high levels, can directly damage blood vessels, and high levels of homocysteine are associated with a significantly increased risk of heart attack and stroke in people with atherosclerosis or diabetic heart disease. Enjoying foods rich in folic acid, like parsley, is an especially good idea for individuals who either have, or wish to prevent, these diseases. Folic acid is also a critical nutrient for proper cell division and is therefore vitally important for cancer-prevention in two areas of the body that contain rapidly dividing cells-the colon, and in women, the cervix.

Protection against Rheumatoid Arthritis

While one study suggests that high doses of supplemental vitamin C makes osteoarthritis, a type of degenerative arthritis that occurs with aging, worse in laboratory animals, another indicates that vitamin C-rich foods, such as parsley, provide humans with protection against inflammatory polyarthritis, a form of rheumatoid arthritis involving two or more joints.

The findings, presented in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases were drawn from a study of more than 20,000 subjects who kept diet diaries and were arthritis-free when the study began, and focused on subjects who developed inflammatory polyarthritis and similar subjects who remained arthritis-free during the follow-up period. Subjects who consumed the lowest amounts of vitamin C-rich foods were more than three times more likely to develop arthritis than those who consumed the highest amounts.

So, next time parsley appears on your plate as a garnish, recognize its true worth and partake of its abilities to improve your health. As an added bonus, you'll also enjoy parsley's legendary ability to cleanse your palate and your breath at the end of your meal. 

Read more:  http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=100

When I mentioned to my Naturopathic doctor that I can tell from my nails when something is wrong with my body, he was surprised. He had never heard of such a thing. I thought that was something that would be taught at Med. School -- but apparently, not!


I was glad to read the article below from Yahoo Health on how changes in your body can send out red flags when something is wrong with your health.

There are things that you can do to improve some symptoms but you should discuss your health issues with your own doctor.

However, my Naturopathic doctor suggested a foot bath with a solution of baking soda and Listerine for removal of cuticles around toe nails. It really worked. 


I also did a 30-day internal cleansing followed by a cleansing tea made from natural herbs and flowers.

Please consult your own doctor to learn more about your symptoms and obtain professional guidance for your health problems.

Please scroll down to read more!


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What Your Hands Reveal About Your Health

By Lucy Danziger and the staff at SELF
May 19, 2011

Our bodies are pretty good at sending out red flags when something’s wrong with our health—such as a fever due to infection or itchy hives from an allergic reaction. But sometimes the signs are misleading or easy to miss, even when they’re on one of the body parts you look at most: your hands! For instance, did you know that the length of your fingers, the state of your nails and even the shade of your palms can help predict you how healthy you’ll be in the future? Check out these little hand signals, and if anything sounds familiar, see your doc today—a bright and healthy future is up for grabs!

Swollen Fingers
WHAT THEY MEAN: We all know that salty snacks and PMS can cause bloat. But if you shun the shaker and your rings still don’t fit, and if your period isn’t due soon, this kind of swelling could suggest hypothyroidism, which means the thyroid gland is underproducing the hormones you need to regulate your metabolism and keep your body functioning properly. Thyroid problems can lead to a sluggish metabolism, weight gain and water accumulation, explains Jenny Kim, M.D., a dermatology professor at the University of California in Los Angeles. Untreated hypothyroidism can cause fatigue, low libido and even (at extreme levels) heart failure. A simple blood test will show if your thyroid is underperforming, and doctor-monitored synthetic hormone pills can help your hormones—and your fingers—return to normal.

Red Palms
WHAT THEY MEAN: Itchy, burning red palms may point to eczema, a chronic skin disorder that can worsen when you’re stressed; to limit irritation, avoid potential chemical triggers by opting for soapless cleansers and wearing gloves when cleaning or gardening. If those don’t help, redness could indicate an allergy to nickel in jewelry, chemicals in products, or antibiotics (and symptoms might show up on other parts of your body beyond the palms of your hands). Such allergies are usually more annoying than ominous, but your physician can tell for sure by doing a patch test and pinpointing what to avoid, Dr. Kim says. One exception: If you’re pregnant, don’t sweat red palms. During pregnancy, blood flow increases throughout the body, causing temporary redness in more than half of expecting women.

Pale Fingernails
WHAT THEY MEAN: “Nails should turn white when you press on them, then return to pinkish when you release,” says Anthony Martinez, M.D., assistant clinical professor of medicine at the University of California in San Diego. “If your nail stays white for more than a minute or two, you may have anemia or low iron.” Iron deficiency can lead to fatigue or, in serious cases, heart problems, so you’ll want to alert your doctor. To dodge a deficiency, fill up on iron-rich foods (such as lean meats, spinach and other dark green veggies, legumes, and nuts and seeds like almonds and pumpkin seeds) and foods with vitamin C, which aids iron absorption.

Numb, Blue Fingertips
WHAT THEY MEAN: Blue-hued fingers may signal a condition called Raynaud’s disease, a temporary blood vessel spasm that constricts blood flow to the fingers (hence the numbness) and occurs in five to ten percent of all people. “It’s more common in women and typically triggered by cool temperatures or stress,” Dr. Martinez says. Raynaud’s is chronic, but it’s not a huge health worry unless numbness lasts more than an hour, in which case your fingers are actually imperiled—head to the ER! Stave off a crisis by keeping circulation healthy: Cut out cigarettes and go easy on caffeine, as both constrict blood vessels, and hit the gym regularly to keep your blood pumping.

Discolored Nails
WHAT THEY MEAN: Off-color nails can result from fungus but may also warn of diabetes. “Diabetics’ immune and vascular systems can be impaired, creating an environment that allows bacteria and fungi to flourish,” Dr. Kim says. Look for green discoloration (yikes!) or thick, dark-yellow nails that detach from the bed (double yikes!). Your M.D. can tell you about habits that keep blood sugar in check, such as swapping out processed foods for healthy complex carbs. If there’s fungus, prescription meds can help clear it up; it not, nails might be yellow from dark polish. Applying tooth-whitening products to nails can help.

Read more: http://health.yahoo.net/experts/healthieryou/what-your-hands-reveal-about-your-health

I am not a fun of beans! I used to love beans -- "Makpor" -- beans and palm oil ("Zome" - seasoned palm oil) with "Gari" (processed cassava meal or flour); beans stew with fried plantain (aka "Red, Red"); bambara beans (or garbanzo beans cooked like baked beans with onions, tomato sauce, chili peppers, ginger and other spices and sweetened with sugar) with fried plantain fritters (aka "Aboboi and Tatale" or as I like to say -- "Bobs and Tats"); and beans and rice (aka "Waakye") with meat stew. Just loved it all!

Now I can't tolerate any kind of beans! It literally gives me a panic attack just to think of the little beans! I kid you not! I don't want to smell, touch or taste that stuff but my nutritionist wants me to work beans into my diet.

So what is the secret for those of us who are beans intolerant? Apparently, you need to soak the beans for 6 to 8 hours; and then discard the water and rinse the beans. To reduce stomach discomfort and gas, you should cook the beans with "Kombu seaweed" a type of Japanese seaweed. Kombu is a good source of glutamic acid, an amino acid. It also contains iodine, a mineral that is essential for normal growth and development.

I am going to give it one more try and if it does not work, God knows that I tried!

Verdict? No can do! It did not fly -- gave me a major headache just from tasting a tiny little bit and smelling the beans! (See my second successful attempt below -- now I can eat beans! Yeah!)

Okay, I still wanted to give it another try so I consulted my friend Kajal Tejsinghani -- she has one of the best food blogs, Aapplemint, and she gave me the following recipe for lentils. I will give it a try and let you know how it went.

Here is Kajal's suggestion for cooking lentils: First soak "Tuwar Dal" or "Moong Dal"-- lentils available from Indian stores -- in water for 2 hours; and then either pressure cook them or boil with little ginger, salt, cumin seeds (if you can get some, very good for digestion), and a pinch of turmeric. Cook till the lentils are very soft. Then blend it all in a blender. It should not be too watery nor to thick. A soup like consistency. Return to pot, give one boil. Add some freshly chopped coriander and a squeeze of lime. Serve with steamed rice, or just dip some chunky bread and enjoy.

My Second Attempt on Lentil Soup: I cooked the lentil soup as suggested by Kajal and it was wonderful! Now I wish I can can or bottle it! An Indian friend, Karuna, came by to assist me and brought some "Asafoetida" powder which helped greatly.  The lentil soup was so fragrant and tasty as the lentils absorbed the flavor and fragrance from the spices, herbs, smoked ham hock and aromatic vegetables. It was heavenly!

Asafoetida is a powered spice that is ground from the resin from the Asafoetida plant. It is used in Indian and Asian cooking and it helps with digestion and eliminates flatulence.

Here is my recipe for Lentil Soup (using a combination of Kajal's and Karuna's recipes and my own twist with ham hock, chives, arugula, celery, carrots, rosemary, parsley and spinach. Enjoy!):

Ingredients:

1 cup lentils (soak for 2 or 3 hours and wash thoroughly until the water is clear)

4 pieces Kombu seaweed (soak for 2 or 3 hours and use the soaking liquid to cook the lentils)

i/2 medium onion (diced)

2 cloves garlic (chopped)

1 tsp fresh ginger (grated or chopped)

1/4 fresh habanero (optional, chopped)

1/4 fresh Serrano chili (optional, chopped)

1 tsp cumin (powder or seeds)

1 tbsp curry powder (in lieu of tumeric and coriander)
1 tsp sea salt or Kosher salt (add more or less to your taste)
2 small leaves of Bay Leaf

1 stick celery (diced)

1 medium carrot (diced)

2 small pieces smoked ham hock (optional -- leave out the ham hock for a vegetarian meal)

Small pinch of Asafoetida powder

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

Optional

1/4 cup fresh chives

1 cup fresh Arugula

2 cups fresh Spinach
1 cup fresh Parsley or Cilantro 
Small sprig of Rosemary
1/2 tsp of fresh cracked Black Pepper

Recipe:  

1. Soak the lentils for about 2 or 3 hours and then thoroughly rinse until the water is clear.

2. Separately soak 4 pieces of Kombu seaweed for about 2 or 3 hours but do not discard the liquid. Use the liquid to cook the lentils.

3. Cook the lentils with about two cups of water, salt and the Kombu seaweed in a slow cooker for about 2 hours. (Add the liquid that you used to soak the Kombu seaweed to make up the two cups of water.)

3. Add chopped fresh garlic and ginger,, cumin, curry powder (in lieu of tumeric and coriander), diced onions (one quarter of a medium onion), celery (one stick), carrot (one medium), bay leaves, and two small pieces of smoked ham hock to the lentils.

4. After another 30 minutes, put 1 tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp olive oil in a pan and add a pinch of Asafoetida powder to the hot oil.

5. Add the remaining diced onions, chives, arugula, parsley, rosemary, spinach, black pepper and a pinch of salt to the oil and stir fry for about three minutes.

6. Add all the stir fried vegetables and herbs to the lentil soup and let it simmer for 15 minutes.

7. Serve with steamed brown rice. (I used a blend of Trader Joe's Jasmine Brown Rice, and Trader Joe's Brown Rice Medley which is a blend of long-grain brown rice, black barley and daikon radish seeds. It is very nutritious and flavorful, and has lots of fiber!)

This is just delicious! You have to try it!

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This is what Consumer Reports "The Best of Health" has to say, "Processed soy products such as tofu are less likely to cause intestinal discomfort. Soybeans and other legumes contain carbohydrates called "oligosaccharides" which the body can't digest since it lacks the necessary enzyme, "alpha-galactosidase". So the intact oligosaccharides move on to the lower intestines, where they're broken by bacteria, producing gas.

The processing of soy products such as tofu, tempeh, miso, and soy "protein isolate" removes the oligosaccharides; all of these products are easier to digest than whole soybeans. You can eliminate most of oligosaccharides from raw beans by soaking them overnight.

You might also try "Beano", a product that provides the missing enzyme. (People with diabetes should check with their doctor before taking "Beano", since the enzyme produces a type of sugar that might hinder their blood-sugar control.)

Inside the new Dietary Guidelines: Beans

By Jennifer LaRue Huget, Tuesday, April 26, 11:32 AM

Beans are very nearly the perfect food: Packed with vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber, they’re also quite low in fat. They are known as “nutrient-dense” foods, meaning they provide a lot of nutrition per calorie. On top of that, they’re cheap.

“They’re truly the unsung heroes of our food chain,” says David Grotto, a registered dietitian and author of “101 Optimal Life Foods” and “101 Foods That Could Save Your Life!” So it’s no wonder beans are favored in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. That document, which spells out the federal government’s recommendations for healthful eating, includes beans on a short list of foods we should all be eating more of.

(iStock Photo/ ) - Beans and legumes

More on this Topic

• Inside the new Dietary Guidelines: Whole grain
• Inside the new Dietary Guidelines: Fish and other seafood
• Inside the new Dietary Guidelines: Beans
• Read more Wellness stories

How much?
The new guidelines recommend eating 1¹ / ₂ cups of beans a week. That’s half of what was suggested in the 2005 guidelines but still way more than one-third of a cup, which is Americans’ median weekly intake of dried beans and peas, according to Trish Britten, a nutritionist with the USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. That figure wasn’t available when the 2005 guidelines were written; the new guidelines reflect a more achievable goal.

The basics

What’s a bean? Legumes are plants whose seed pods split into two halves. Beans and peas are the mature, edible seeds of some such plants, according to the guidelines. Examples such as kidney beans, pinto beans, black beans, garbanzo beans (or chickpeas), lima beans, black-eyed peas, split peas and lentils all fall under the category of beans, according to the guidelines.

What’s not a bean. Green beans, which are listed in the guidelines as a green vegetable, and green peas, listed as starchy vegetables. Neither is a legume. Soybeans and peanuts are legumes but not considered beans under the guidelines.

Vegetable and protein. Beans and peas are staples of these two food groups in the Dietary Guidelines. If you get plenty of protein, feel free to include beans in your vegetable tally (2¹ / ₂ cups a day is recommended). For vegetarians and vegans, beans can be a key source of plant-based protein.

The benefits
- Fiber. Because they are so packed with fiber (a half cup delivers six grams, about a quarter of your daily need), beans make us feel full quickly and help maintain that feeling for a long time. Fiber consumption has been linked to reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, being overweight and Type 2 diabetes.

- Vitamins, minerals and more. Beans are rich sources of iron, zinc and folate, and they’re high on the list of foods containing antioxidants, which are thought to protect against inflammation and cell damage by combating stray oxygen molecules (“free radicals”) that harm our bodies’ tissues. In general, the deeper the color of their skin, the more antioxidants they offer. Plus, beans, like other vegetables, contain lots of potassium, which may help protect against high blood pressure and stroke.

- Value. When it comes to cheap eats, you can hardly beat beans. At my grocery store, for instance, a 16-ounce bag of dried garbanzos is $1.69 and yields 10 quarter-cup cooked servings (about 17 cents a serving). A 16-ounce bag of dried lentils is $1.49 and makes 14 quarter-cup servings (about 10 cents each). Even canned beans are a bargain: A 15-ounce can of black beans costs $1.29 and contains six quarter-cups (about 20 cents apiece). And a 16-ounce can of red kidney beans, also $1.29, has seven quarter-cup servings (about 18 cents each).

Consumer concerns

Sodium. Canned beans, though more convenient than dried, are swimming in sodium. Some manufacturers offer reduced-sodium versions. Draining and rinsing them in a colander cuts sodium by 40 percent, Grotto says.

Cooking. Dried beans require the extra steps of soaking and cooking. To save labor, cook a bunch at once and freeze what you don’t use.

Refried beans. These are perfectly good beans, Grotto says. They’re just cooked pinto beans that have been mashed up. Sometimes they’re cooked with lard or vegetable oil; look instead for fat-free varieties such as those offered by Ortega and Old El Paso.

The musical fruit? If beans make you toot, blame the carbohydrate raffinose, which hangs around in our digestive tracts when we eat beans (as well as cabbage, broccoli and some whole grains), Grotto says. Our bodies lack the enzyme needed to digest raffinose, which ends up fermenting in our guts. The problem’s worse when we suddenly introduce fiber to our systems, he says. To avoid getting gassy, try phasing in beans, starting with just a tablespoon a day, Grotto suggests. If that doesn’t work, try Beano or similar supplements, which contain a key bean-digesting enzyme.

Recipes on the Web
Beans are versatile and work well with all kinds of other ingredients. Find these recipes in the Food section’s Recipe Finder at washingtonpost.com/recipes.

- Black Bean and White Bean Primavera Salad
- Chicken Chili
- Chicken Tacos with Black Beans and Lime Cream
- Stuffed Peppers with Ancho Sauce
- Pan-Roasted Scallops with Mandarins and Chickpeas


By the numbers
1 ¹ / ₂ : The number of cups per week a person on a 2,000-calorie daily diet should eat. That’s just under a quarter cup a day. You can do that, right?

4: Cups of cooked beans and peas recommended each week for a vegetarian who eats eggs and dairy.

Previously in this series: Find guides to eating more whole grains and fish.

Nutrition news: Visit the Checkup blog , follow @jhuget on Twitter and subscribe to the Lean & Fit newsletter.


This column is part of a series about incorporating the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 into your diet.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/inside-the-new-dietary-guidelines-beans/2011/04/13/AFyvyIqE_story.html?wpisrc=nl_health

Practical Solutions to Everyday Problems! Please pass it on!

• Ants Problem: Ants hate cucumbers. Keep the skin of cucumbers near the place or ant hole.
• To get pure and clean ice: Boil water first before freezing.
• To make the mirror shine: Clean with spirit
• To remove chewing gum from clothes: Keep the cloth in the freezer for an hour.
• To whiten white clothes:
• Soak white clothes in hot water with a slice of lemon for 10 minutes
• To give a shine to hair: Add one teaspoon of vinegar to hair, then wash hair.
• To get maximum juice out of lemons: Soak lemons in hot water for one hour, and then juice them.
• To avoid smell of cabbage while cooking:  Keep a piece of bread on the cabbage in the vessel while cooking.
• To avoid tears while cutting onions: Chew gum. (Use can also bite on a spoon!)
• To boil potatoes quickly: Skin one potato from one side only before boiling.
• To remove ink from clothes: Put toothpaste on the ink spots generously and let it dry completely, then wash.
• To skin sweet potatoes quickly: Soak in cold water immediately after boiling.
• To get rid of mice or rats: sprinkle black pepper in places where you find mice or rats. They will run  away!

Chinese Proverb: "When someone shares something of value with you and you benefit from it, you have a moral obligation to share it with others."