Category Archives: Food

LOCAL FOOD:: “how to make it happen in your community” by Tamzin Pinkerton and Rob Hopkins



The next book in my transitioning series will help with local foods. Local foods are important because they are fresher, more likely to be organic and purchasing helps keep money in the community.

Local Food provides inspiration and practical advice for creating local food initiatives – showing how to restore and establish community networks to generate healthy, locally produced food.

Many people already buy their vegetables as locally as possible, eat organic and seasonal food when they can, and are perhaps even getting to grips with managing an allotment. However, with current economic pressures and mounting concerns about climate change and peak oil, there is a growing feeling that we need to do more to reduce dependence on the global market.

Local Food offers an inspiring and practical guide to what can be achieved if you get together with the people on your street or in your village, town or city. It explores a huge range of local food initiatives for rebuilding a diverse, resilient local food network – including community gardens, farmers’ markets, Community Supported Agriculture schemes and projects in schools – and includes all the information you will need to get ideas off the ground.

Drawing on the practical experience of Transition initiatives and other community projects around the world, Local Food demonstrates the power of working collaboratively. In today’s culture of supermarkets and food miles, an explosion of activity at community level is urgently needed. This book is the ideal place to start.

Click here to download a free 12 page leaflet

Earth Day:: Picnic For The Planet



Picnic For The Planet
500 communities and 695 Picnickers

This Earth Day, celebrate the planet we live on with great people and good food. Choose a favorite outdoor location, round up some friends and take the planet out to lunch!

Sign up for your local Meetup and collaborate here with other attendees to figure out a location and what kind of picnic you want to have in your neighborhood.

We’re partial to picnics, but potlucks rule too. Or maybe there’s a community garden you can enjoy together? Whatever the Meetup, get the conversation going now and start planning!

Find more details and ideas at http://earthday.nature.org/about/

Re-Energize Your Chi:: Does Your Diet Include Probiotics?



I am halfway through re-energizing my chi. I’m breathing better, my body is getting stronger and healthier. My mind and thoughts are becoming clearer. My natural supplements will run out soon and then I will rely fully on the choice of food that I put in my body. A new beginning.

Today we talk about probiotics and how they can help the body. Probiotic food is beneficial for health and capable of boosting immunity. Lisa Antao of The Times of India will tells you more about its growing popularity.

Does your diet include probiiotics?

Did you know there are over 400 distinct species of microorganisms inhabit the various regions of the adult human digestive tract, making up nearly two kg of total body weight? Few of these bacteria, such as lactobacilli species and bifidobacteria, are beneficial to our health and are capable of boosting immunity. In recent years, there has been a lot of curiosity and interest in probiotic foods because of their ability to benefit one’s health. The term probiotic means ‘for life’. There are two types of bacteria, good bacteria and bad bacteria. Harmful bacteria are those microorganisms, like yeast, fungi and parasites, that cause diseases. Probiotics are organisms that contribute to the health and balance of the intestine tract and are commonly referred to as the good bacteria. Continue reading

Why World Food Prices May Keep Climbing



The Guardian UK

In February, world food prices reached the highest level on record. Soaring food prices are already a source of spreading hunger and political unrest, and it appears likely that they will climb further in the months ahead.

As a result of an extraordinarily tight grain situation, this year’s harvest will be one of the most closely watched in years. Last year, the world produced 2,180 million tons of grain. It consumed 2,240 million tons, a consumption excess that was made possible by drawing down stocks by 60 million tons. To avoid repeating last year’s shortfall and to cover this year’s estimated 40-million-ton growth in demand, this year’s world grain harvest needs to increase by at least 100 million tons. Yet that would only maintain the current precarious balance between supply and deman Continue reading

Re-Energize Your Chi:: Nutrition Tips



We continue our re-energize your chi series with the next chapter, Nutrition.

Our diet has the greatest impact on our well-being. Our friend at TheLifeCo.com are egar to help us discover delicious and simple things you can do to make your eating habits more vibrant. Make sure you stop by their site to get more heath facts to help with your re-energize plan.

It’s easy to make healthy nutrition habits part of your life. Incorporate these into your daily routine:

Nutritional Tips

Wonderful water
Water plays an important role in flushing impurities from our bodies, but most of us don’t drink enough. 2 liters per day is a good start, depending on the climate you live in and your activity level. Drink enough water to produce 8 to 10 copious urinations per day.

When possible, go organic
Choose organically grown and non-genetically modified produce, nuts and grains over conventionally grown food whenever possible. Organic food has more nutrients, fewer impurities and tastes better.

Avoid processed foods
Include more fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet and reduce the use of pre-packaged foods. Have a salad for lunch instead of a sandwich. Choose an apple or some carrots as a snack instead of cookies or a chocolate bar. Fruits and vegetables have more nutrients and fiber than processed foods.

Choose healthy oils
The purest, healthiest oils are cold-pressed, organic, extra virgin oils. Olive, flax, sesame, sunflower, assorted nut oils and hemp oil have more nutritional value than conventional cooking oils which are damaged from over-processing. They are known to improve skin tone as well as reduce the chance of heart disease. Heating any oil breaks down its structure and makes it rancid, so rather than cooking with them, enjoy these oils sprinkled over vegetables for added flavor.

Curb caffeine cravings
The caffeine in coffee or black tea may increase your energy, but soon afterward your blood sugar levels decrease, causing an energy crash. Begin to alternate these beverages with herbal teas and water. Drinking herbal teas or water instead can fulfill your emotional need to drink while helping cut your cravings for caffeine.

20 Healthy Ways To Lose Weight After The Holidays



Guilty of overeating during the holidays? Here are 20 simple ways to beat weight gain.

1. Drink water. People often mistake thirst for hunger, so next time you feel like noshing, reach for water first. Drinking also helps you feel full. Some experts suggest sipping water (or iced tea) just before you sit down to a meal. Continue drinking as you eat to add volume and weight to your meal.

2. Set realistic goals. One or two pounds a week maximum is doable. Top weight-loss programs advocate stopping after the first 10 pounds and maintaining that loss for about six months before trying to lose any more.

3. Build in splurges. If you allow yourself to eat whatever you want for 2 meals out of every 21, you won’t inflict enough damage to subvert your weight loss. And you’ll feel less deprived.

4. Count to 10. Studies suggest that the average craving lasts only about 10 minutes. So before caving in to your urge, set your mental timer for a 10-minute time-out. Use the time to tackle an item on your to-do list; choose one that will give you a sense of accomplishment — and get you out of the kitchen.

5. Eat more often. People who have kept their weight off for more than a few years tend to eat an average of five times a day. Light, frequent meals curb your appetite, boost your energy, improve your mood and even speed your metabolism, since the process of digestion itself burns calories.
Continue reading

2010 Philadelphia Food and Wine Festival



Taste, Taste, Taste, is what it is all about this fall at The 2010 Philadelphia Food and Wine Festival, presented by Gourmet Shows and being held at the Valley Forge Convention Center. This year’s Festival showcases the finest in wine, spirits and gourmet foods…along with the talents of local chefs and culinary personalities.

Gourmet Shows is excited to welcome Bravo’s Top Chef: Las Vegas’ Michael Voltaggio (winner, Season 6) along with Top Chef: New York’s Fabio Viviani (finalist, Season 5). Also, joining us will be Food Network’s own Aaron McCargo Jr. of Big Daddy’s House; and Christina Pirello of Christina Cooks. Culinary demonstrations by these and other celebrity chefs — including Ron Duprat and Michael Giletto — will tantalize your taste buds and provide you with a myriad of ways to enhance your own dining experiences. Ticket on sale at the following link::
Buy Tickets

Sippin By The River Philadelphia



The 16th annual Sippin’ by the River will take place on Sunday, October 3 at Festival Pier at Penn’s Landing located at Columbus Boulevard and Spring Garden Street. The event runs from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. and benefits the Philadelphia/Delaware Valley Chapter of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America. For tickets check out:: Sippinontheriver.com

Volunteers Needed:: A Million Meals For Haiti



PHILADELPHIA, PRNewswire/ — As part of a nationwide effort to get nutritious food to the starving people of earthquake-ravaged Haiti, The Salvation Army of Greater Philadelphia (www.salvationarmyphiladelphia.org) will partner with Drexel University, the PA National Guard and Numana Inc to host a city-wide Million Meals for Haiti event Friday, May 21 and Saturday, May 22 at the State Armory at Drexel University, 33rd Street between Market and Arch Streets.

To volunteer for the Million Meals for Haiti event, please register online at:: www.SalvationArmyPhiladelphia.org.
Continue reading

2010 Philadelphia Wine Festival May 8th


The Philadelphia Wine Festival is an exquisite experience for all who love the wonderful world of wine. Featuring nearly 200 of the world’s finest wineries, this is an event not to be missed. This unique wine and food fest comes to Philadelphia just once a year, so please join us on May 8th.

Some of the world’s most famous wines as well as hard-to-find vintages and rare blends will be among the highlights of this extraordinary evening. Click here for a complete list. The Philadelphia Wine Festival will also feature signature dishes from some of Philadelphia’s finest restaurants: The Capital Grille, Garces Trading Company, Barclay Prime, Penne Restaurant & Wine Bar and The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College. So come prepared to enjoy culinary creations that will compliment the vast wine selection.