Health benefits of dehydrating foods for storage and use

The art of dehydrating foods dates back many thousands of years. It has persisted over the ages, and its popularity is well-deserved. Dehydrating foods is one of the very best methods for preserving food and making it portable. Here are some compelling health benefits of dehydrating foods that will convince you to give a dehydrator a permanent home in your kitchen.

Dehydrated foods contain all of their original nutrients.

Virtually all of the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other beneficial compounds remain in a food when you dehydrate it. By contrast, cooking a food rather than drying it can destroy some of its nutrients and enzymes. Dehydrating is a great way to preserve food, give it a longer shelf life, and make it more portable while keeping it just as nutritious as the original. This is the ultimate health benefit over other, less nutritious snack foods out there.

Dehydrated foods can make healthy replacements for sweets and candy.

 

When a food is dehydrated, the lost water content causes the flavor of the food to be more prominent. This means that dehydrated fruits are tasty and extra-sweet. If you like to snack on sweet things, consider making a switch to dehydrated fruit slices. They are just as sweet and delicious, while providing you with tons of vitamins and other nutrients that candy doesn't contain.

The possibilities are endless. You can dehydrate virtually any type of fruit and thus have a wide variety of sweet snacks on hand all the time. Another great option is fruit leather, which is made by dehydrating fruit puree. This fruit puree can contain any combination of fruits you like, and even spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, or chili powder.

Dehydrated foods have a long shelf life, with no preservatives.

There are many benefits to making food last longer. If you have a bumper crop in your garden or find a great sale on fruits, you can dehydrate it all so it won't go to waste. If you store your dehydrated food in a cool, dark, and airtight place, it can last many years. Fruits, vegetables, and grains that have been dehydrated have been known to last up to three decades. With almost no water present in the food, no microbes will colonize it and it will not rot.

Dehydrated food lasts a very long time yet is all-natural. It doesn't contain any artificial preservatives. This is great news for people who like to eat natural whole foods and avoid preservative chemicals.

More Benefits of Dehydrating Your Food

 

The health benefits of dehydrating foods are not the only type of benefit. You'll also see financial benefits and added convenience.

Dehydrating foods yourself is much, much more economical than buying them pre-made in a store. If you love dehydrated fruits, trail mix, or jerky, consider making it yourself for a fraction of the cost. Another financial benefit is that, as mentioned earlier, you can pick up large amounts of food when you see it on sale and dehydrate it at home. By taking advantage of produce sales you can save a good deal of money.

On average, dehydrated foods are less than one-sixth as bulky as their original form. Not only do they take up a lot less space, but they're also a lot lighter. This means these foods are perfect for packing as a snack before you leave for work or school, or taking them with you on a camping or hiking trip.

Dehydration is the ultimate method of food preservation. What other method improves taste, portability, and shelf life while also potentially saving you a lot of money? Once you give dehydrating your own food a shot, chances are you'll never go back. Try an effective, high-quality food dehydrator from a reputable brand like Sedona®.

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Sanitary-Health Benefits of Automatic Soap Dispensers

Automatic soap dispensers are sometimes thought of as a simple convenience. However, they are far more than just devices that save time and effort when you wash your hands.

Automatic soap dispensers can actually be thought of as the front line defense against germs and disease. These types of soap dispensers offer important benefits that bar soap and traditional pump or lever dispensers do not, because of the simple fact that the user does not need to touch anything in order to put soap in their hands.

Clean hands are a requisite for your well-being, and the right kind of soap dispenser provides a way for you to ensure consistently clean hands, at home or at work.

Protecting yourself from germs by washing your hands regularly is a must when you consider the large numbers of bacteria and viruses you are exposed to on a daily basis, usually without even realizing it.

The statistics on communicable diseases suggest that up to 20% of people develop a case of influenza during the winter flu season. Far from being a harmless disease, influenza kills 36,000 people in the United States alone every year. The common cold can infect the same people several times a year, because your body's immune system cannot detect different strains of the virus when they first enter your body.

Even more sinister diseases like Streptococcus infections can be caused by touching surfaces contaminated with bacteria and viruses that can survive outside the human body for several days.

Everyone knows that washing your hands with plenty of soap and hot water serves as a preventative against sickness. What you might not know is how important this simple prevention measure is for your health. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control have estimated that half of the deaths caused by gastrointestinal germs could be avoided with proper hand washing.

Respiratory and even many food-related diseases could be drastically reduced as well. Globally, estimates have suggested that better hand-washing habits could save up to a million lives from being lost to disease. Truly, the power of soap and water should not be underestimated when it comes to keeping healthy.

If hand washing is such a powerful preventative measure, why isn't it more widely used? One problem is the way that conventional soap dispensers are designed. Conventional soap dispensers present a problem to the user, because they require you to dispense the soap by touching the device with dirty hands. In this manner, dirty water and disease-spreading germs end up on the dispenser handle, and sometimes the nozzle as well.

Even if you clean your restroom, kitchen, or hand-washing station regularly, this problem will still arise within a few uses of the dispenser. These conventional dispensers therefore become a potential liability for their users, and may even discourage some people from using soap when they wash. In turn, these issues can lead to serious hygienic problems whether at home or at work.

Automatic soap dispensers circumvent this problem by providing each person with just the right amount of soap for hand washing when they place their hands under the nozzle. A reliable motion sensor detects the movement, and dispenses the soap through the nozzle, without needing to pull a lever or press a handle. This way, you can wash your hands in a completely hygienic fashion, without worrying about whether you are inadvertently exposing yourself to germs as you clean your hands.

Soap and water can stop disease, save lives, and prevent absences from school and work. In order for this strategy to effectively prevent diseases, however, people need to have access to automated, rather than conventional, soap dispensers. Automated soap dispensers can help improve compliance with hand washing regulations at work, and better cleanliness at home.

People are more likely to wash their hands when they know they can do so without needing to put their hands on a bar of soap others have used, or pumps, levers, or handles that create a risk for spreading additional germs. Automation therefore provides convenience and improvements in cleanliness at the same time. With so many potentially preventable diseases out there, automatic soap dispensers are a must-have tool for maintaining your health and well-being.

Ready to buy an automatic soap dispenser? Check out the Umbra Otto Automatic Soap Dispenser from Digs!

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How To Make Great Tasting Smoothies In A Blender

With the seasons changing and the temperatures rising, this is a great time of year to get in the habit of making some healthy and delicious smoothies. The great thing about smoothies is that you can put anything you want in them, and leave out things that you don't like.

 

It is important, however, to watch the sugar content of some smoothies that you are expecting to be beneficial for your health, because if they have too much sugar they can cause your blood sugar level to quickly rise and then plummet. Here are some great tips and tricks for making some healthy smoothies and other healthy meals in your blender this summer.

Some great things to put in your blender to make a smoothie are seasonal fruits such as blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, peaches, and plums. There are also a lot of smoothie recipes that call for vegetables such as spinach and kale. This is a great way to increase your intake of fresh produce and it even gives you a chance to add some superfoods to your diet such as chia seeds and flax seed oil.

One great way to make sure that you always have what you need on hand is to find your favorite smoothie recipes and prepare the ingredients ahead of time. Chop all of your fruit and remove any seeds before packing each serving into a small plastic bag and sticking it in the freezer. This way, you can grab one on the go at any time for a healthy snack.

It only takes about five minutes to blend up a nutritious snack with your favorite healthy ingredients. You can easily add some protein with the addition of peanut butter or Greek yogurt as well. Here are some simple recipes to create in your blender.

Power Green Smoothie Recipe

1 cup fresh spinach
1/4 cup frozen berry mix (blueberries, raspberries, etc.)
1 medium banana (frozen)
1/2 cup almond milk

Peel the banana before sticking it in the freezer for at least two hours in advance. You can also keep them in the freezer for weeks in advance so you always have them prepared and ready to go. To make this recipe, simply add all of the ingredients into your blender and blend until it is smooth. Add a tablespoon of peanut butter or protein powder if you want to make it into a meal.

Peach Pie Smoothie Recipe

1½ cups of frozen peaches
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup of water
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1 small packet of stevia

Combine the Greek yogurt, water, stevia, chia seeds, and spices in a blender until they are mixed. Add frozen peaches and puree. Pour into a glass and enjoy.

You can also make some fun summer recipes in your blender that are more savory than sweet. For example, this gazpacho recipe is easy and perfect for a hot day. All you need to do is puree your ingredients in a blender and top it with a bit of olive oil before serving. To make this, incorporate the following ingredients into your blender:

4 large tomatoes - cored and quartered
2 slices of white bread torn into pieces
1 diced cucumber
1 medium, seeded, and chopped green bell pepper
1 clove of garlic
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt

There are a lot of great recipes you can make in your blender, and it is easy to make them all healthy. Avoid using liquids such as fruit juices or whole milk to cut down on calories and fat and replace these things while real fruit and nut milk such as almond milk.

If you want to make a recipe extra creamy without adding cream, try adding 1/4 of an avocado to smooth up your treat.

Love Mocha Shakes? Check out this video-

 

Fast Breakfast Smoothie Ideas-

 

 

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Are Expensive High End Juicers Worth The Money? Tribest Green Star Elite GSE 500 Jumbo Review

This high-end Juicer is worth every penny. Why: Awesome health benefits of juicing fruits and vegetables and some terrific recipes.

This high-end Juicer is worth every penny. Why: Awesome health benefits of juicing fruits and vegetables and some terrific recipes.

The Tribest Greenstar Elite GSE-5000 Jumbo Twin Gear Cold Press Juice Extractor is an impressive kitchen appliance. The twin gear press extracts a high quantity of juice filled with vitamins and minerals. It is does more than just extract nutritious juice from fresh fruits and vegetables.

This powerful appliance can be used to make nut butters, baby food, sorbets, sauces, and pates. Unlike other masticating juicers, the Greenstar utilizes crushing, slicing, and cutting functions, much the same way we masticate food with our mouths. The masticating twin gears are made of strong, non-corrosive, stainless steel.

The Elite GSE 500 produces more juice than some comparable machines. It is sized for use on a standard kitchen counter or for use in a commercial kitchen. It weighs approximately 24 pounds, making it portable. The GSE-5000 comes apart for easy cleaning. It has a 110 RPM motor to ensure freshness of the juice. This top juicer comes with a 12 year warranty.

The benefits of using a good juicer are many. You may be looking for inspiration to improve your health by adding more fruits and vegetables into your diet, or looking for inspiration to lose weight and gain more energy. The Greenstar Elite masticating juicer extracts nutrient dense juice from fresh fruits and vegetables by thoroughly breaking down the plant fibers to get the most vitamins, minerals, and enzymes available in the produce.

Features of This Top Juicer

The Greenstar Elite GSE-5000 is a versatile and powerful juicer. Here are some of the basic features.

• Horizontal twin gear masticating system
• Automatic pulp ejection
• Disassembles for easy clean-up
• 110 RPM motor speed
• 200 Watts of power
• Weighs 24 pounds
• Standard 120 or 220V
• Dimension are 6.5 x 19 x 12.5 inches
• 12 year warranty

Here is what is in the box:

• The basic machine with removable power cord
• Juicing and breadstick knobs
• Fine and course screens
• Jumbo twin gears
• Glass juice pitcher
• Drip tray
• Plungers
• Stainless steel strainer
• Cleaning brushes

Healthy Recipes

The best benefits of using a good juicer are all the healthy food options. You can extract fruit and vegetable juices, make food for your baby, churn nuts into butter, and make sauces for pasta. The possibilities are nearly endless with this top juicer.

A healthy green juice may be just what you need to get you going in the morning. 

You can make really creamy nut butter. Check out this video on demonstration of peanut butter with chocolate. You could replace the peanuts with hazelnuts for something resembling the ever popular kid’s spread Nutella.

The Bottom Line

This powerful masticating juicer and food mill gets 5 stars for its versatility and for the quality of the juice it produces. The health benefits provided by juicing fresh produce cannot be ignored. Being able to make nut butters, sauces, and desserts with the Greenstar Elite GSE 5000 takes this appliance to the next level.

 

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Health Benefits of Cold-Brewed Coffee

Cold brew coffee has exploded in popularity, often appearing on menus at trendy cafes and restaurants. Home coffee drinkers can also benefit from this alternative method of preparing coffee by using a home cold brew coffee maker to steep coffee grounds to produce cold brew coffee concentrate.

How is it made?

This method takes a bit longer than traditional coffee makers, with most experts recommending a soak in room temperature or cold water for 12 to 24 hours. The resulting cold brew concentrate is highly versatile and can be used to make either cold or hot coffee drinks, so cold brew coffee makers are actually multi-functional hot and cold coffee makers. Simply grind coffee beans on the finer side, and use a ratio of one part coffee to five parts cold water in your cold brew coffee maker. If you want your concentrate a bit stronger, just reduce the amount of water used. Leave the mixture to rest and brew overnight, and a batch of cold brew concentrate will be ready when you wake in the morning!

What are the benefits of cold brewed coffee?

Less Acid

Many coffee drinkers love the pick me up and taste of coffee, but have trouble managing all the acid. One of the major benefits of cold brewed coffee is that using cold or room temperature water for this method instead of hot water means that the process yields fewer acids and tannins, which are more easily released at higher temperatures. Slowing down the brewing means that the end result is easier on teeth and sensitive stomachs.

Smooth and Long Lasting Flavor

Coffee aficionados find that the cold brew process creates a smooth, mellow, and less bitter flavor, which can be a nice change in comparison to traditionally hot brewed coffee. One extra plus is that unlike hot coffee, the flavor of cold-brewed coffee is stable and does not degrade and become stale over time like cooling hot coffee. This means that you can use cold-brewed coffee concentrate over a period of many days without a significant loss of flavor!

Versatility

Cold-brewed coffee concentrate can be kept for up to two weeks in a tightly closed mason jar or similar container. Not only is cold-brewed coffee concentrate great for making iced coffee, hot coffee can easily be produced by adding boiling water. This is great for households where both hot and cold coffee makers in the same family are living under one roof. Brewing up a big batch of cold-brew concentrate at the beginning of the week will take the hassle out of coffee preparation, and having cold-brew concentrate on hand will make it simple to quickly make any kind of coffee drink. For those who adore coffee flavor, the less acidic cold-brewed concentrate is perfect for adding a hint of coffee to recipes for baked goods, marinades, sauces, cocktails, and ice cream.

Superior Iced Coffee

Iced coffee addicts will be particularly impressed with cold-brewed iced coffee because the reduction in acid means that more flavor of the bean can shine in an iced coffee beverage. Many professional coffee chains have switched to cold-brewed iced coffee particularly for this reason. However, perfect iced coffee results can be had at home with the help of a cold brew coffee maker, which could mean big savings on buying iced drinks from expensive coffee chains.

Want to cold brew your own coffee? Pick up these cold brew coffee jars and start enjoying the health benefits of cold brewed coffee! Still prefer to have the option to do both hot and cold coffee? Check out our post on "4 Best Coffee Maker Types".

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Awesome Health Benefits of Juicing Fruits and Vegetables

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Did you know that getting 6-8 servings of vegetables and fruits each day is much healthier than taking either more or less? Well, if you didn’t, don’t fret. Few people are actually aware of this.

According to most experts, juicing is one of the best ways to improve your overall body health, increase energy and vitality, and could even add a few more years to your life. Unlike proteins and carbohydrates, vitamins from fruits and vegetables get absorbed into the body in small and fixed amounts. That is why eating too many fruits or vegetables in one day doesn’t do you any good. However, if you fall among the people who hardly get time to peal an orange or slice an apple a day, you should definitely try juicing.

The name itself is a major clue. Juicing simply involves extracting the liquid from fruits. While some people consider juicing to merely offer convenience, it does come with some few perks which are discussed below.

Benefits of Juicing

It Helps You Effectively Absorb Nutrients

Effective absorption of nutrients is actually a big matter. People that have problems with their digestive systems are at times given drugs that improve the rate of nutrient absorption in their bodies. With juicing, on the other hand, absorption of nutrients will be much faster since particles of the fruit juice have already been broken down to the tiny pieces. Once in your tummy, the surface area of the fruit juice is larger than if you had ingested the fruit/vegetable naturally, and this aids in faster absorption. Therefore, one of the benefits of juicing is that it will help you to “pre-digest” all of the nutrients for you so that you in a more efficient way.

Wider Option of Vegetables and Fruits in Your Diet

A good number of people always end up including the same fruits and vegetables in their salads over time. Certainly, there’s nothing wrong with that. However, sometimes they may miss out on eating some fruits that are rich in certain vitamins. For instance, when was the last time you included carrots or pineapples in your juice blend? Juicing offers you the chance to get more out of the vegetables and fruits you should be taking, and especially the ones that you hardly ever consider because you either dislike their tastes or you just prefer not eating.

Less Tasking Compared to Eating Fruits Raw

If you are a carb person, you might have been told that you it is healthy to consume one pound of raw vegetables for every 50 pounds of your body weight each day. Well, there are people out there who stick to that rule without ever failing. On the other hand, if that seems tasking to you, then you should probably try out juicing since all you have to do is turn the fruits/vegetables it into a glass of vegetable juice and gulp it down in one go.

Finding the Best Juicing Recipes

 

While juicing seems straightforward, there are certain fruit combinations that might not be what you expected them to be after you’ve blended them together. That’s where a juicing recipe comes in handy. Juicing recipes can be found all over the internet. As such, you shouldn’t have a hard time finding the right blend that works for you. Another place that you can find juicing recipes is in health magazines and occasionally on the websites of fresh juice manufacturers.

To find a more specific recipes, just enter the juice recipe you are looking for in your search bar and hit enter to find a number of ideas. For example, “fruit juice recipes,” “healthy juice recipes” or the “vegetable juice recipes” will give you some nice pointers.

If you want to turn your juicing tactics around, be sure to try out the Tribest SW-2000-B Slowstar. In many ways, you could say that it is like any other juicer, but for someone who’s just embarking on the juicing journey, you’d be happy to know that it comes with a free 200-page essential recipe book for you to start you off the right way. That is a sure win-win. However, to get the most out of juicing, just remember to first rely on the recipe book and only choose fruits or vegetables that you are familiar to during the first few weeks.

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Creating Your Dream Kitchen Around Appliances and Accessories

Watch any home improvement show on television - most designers will include the kitchen in their remodeling plans. Often painting, flooring, and walls are the focus of the renovation. However, many homeowners don't have the time or want to deal with the mess of a total remodel.

Does this apply to you? Can you have the kitchen of your dreams without totally destroying your home? Of course! Here's how you can use appliances and ordinary kitchen accessories to make your culinary dreams come true!

So, what should you look for in new appliances, and what equipment is most important in a kitchen? For most, the cooktop and oven, refrigerator, and dishwasher offer conveniences people can't live without. These machines have also received major upgrades in recent years.

Let's look at how each contributes to your dream kitchen.
When preparing to buy cooking appliances, each homeowner should decide what hardware fits him or her best. Cooktops come individually or as a part of an all-in-one range and oven. Cooktops can be glass, ceramic, or metal. Some might prefer a wall oven to the all-in-one unit. Many times an individual will make purchasing decisions based on personal taste, price, and available space.

You will want to consider convection ovens versus a traditional oven (these appliances are powered by either gas or electricity). Convection ovens are more efficient in that they use twenty-five percent less energy to cook while cooking more quickly than a conventional oven. The convection oven costs slightly more, but you will soon recoup that money in savings on your power bill.

You will need no special kitchen accessories when using a convection oven, but once you've dirtied your pots, pans, and bakeware, you will want a dishwasher so that you won't have to wash everything by hand.

Few people enjoy hand-washing dishes (much less have the time), so a dishwasher is considered a necessary appliance. Dishwashers today are less noisy, use less water, and clean more thoroughly than older models. No pre-rinsing required! Many washers use up to fifteen percent less water than models only two or three years older. Others feature thirty minute washes to save both time and money; still others feature options that allow you to set a timer for washing at a more convenient time.

Perfect if your dream kitchen involves clean dishes with minimal effort! While the oven/range and a dishwasher are two of the most important kitchen appliances, one must include the refrigerator on the list of must-have items.

Not only is the refrigerator most likely the largest appliance in any kitchen, it is also probably the most important appliance you own. Food storage is imperative even for those who don't enjoy cooking. Today's refrigerators come in a variety of sizes and designs and offer a plethora of features. Like your ice cream a little on the soft side? Now certain models offer settings that allow homeowners to set more precise temperatures (no more setting ice cream out to thaw!).

Some refrigerators offer adjustable door compartments and shelving units. No longer will you be forced to sacrifice freezer space for the convenience of an ice maker as many new units feature smaller devices. LED lighting is present in most newer models as well. Whether you prefer an upright fridge/freezer unit or want a smudge-proof stainless steel model with a French door, there is a refrigerator to fit your style!
Finally, no dream kitchen is complete without the perfect set of accessories. Your perfect kitchen gadgets really depend upon you and your personal preferences! Those who enjoy cooking will covet cookware sets.

Health conscious individuals may seek out juicers and blenders for tasty smoothies. Coffee fanatics will demand the perfect pot whether it be a percolator or a coffee pod machine. A dining table and chairs will most likely complete the kitchen of your dreams; be sure not to ignore small items such as place mats to accentuate the colors of your dream kitchen.

Also, you can add inexpensive items such as clocks, decorative soap dispensers, even bulletin boards to brighten up your space!

Creating the kitchen of your dreams doesn't have to involve gutting your space! You can achieve your fantasy cooks'room with the right appliances and kitchen accessories.

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