Watermet Foods

Introduction

Your dog’s health and wellbeing is important to you and your family. Not to mention keeping down the cost of veterinarian bills! So you need to carefully consider the food that you give your dog. People sometimes just pick the first dog food bag they see at the store. It’s easy to overlook the importance of dog food but it is essential to pick the right one for your dog.

To keep your dog healthy he needs plenty of fresh water and should be fed good quality dog food in amounts just right to meet his energy requirements. Always follow the guidelines on the dog food package for recommended feeding amounts.

Picking a dog food

The first challenge in choosing a dog food is picking one that has overall quality. The term that comes up a lot about dog food is human grade. Human grade implies that the dog food is good enough for us to eat. Many commercial dog foods are made from materials unusable or less desirable for human consumption. Often the meat that is used in dog food is of a quality considered unfit for humans to eat.

Major dog food companies try to provide balanced proportions of vitamins and minerals for maximum benefit to your dog. Although you may see that many brands of dog food have almost identical labels, a reputable dog food company will provide an explanation for each supplement and how it benefits your dog.

Always read the label to see what proteins, vitamins and minerals are being provided to your dog. Try not to use store brand dog food they may short change your dog on much needed nutrition.

Studies have shown that the primary ingredient in dog food should be meat-based protein, not corn meal, flour or corn gluten meal. According to reviews a better quality dog food results in a healthier coat, fewer digestive problems and firmer stools. Pet-nutrition experts agree that the best dog food is made from human-grade ingredients like meat, whole grains and vegetables. Premium dog food is so important because good nutrition is essential for a long, healthy life.

Types of dog food

There are many varieties of dog food to choose from. The three most popular types of dog foods are dry, semi-moist and canned products. Check the color of your dog food. Usually dog food made from natural ingredients will have soft earth tones and contain no preservatives, artificial colors and flavors.

Raw dog food is becoming more popular. More and more veterinarians recommend feeding your dog with raw dog food. They feel that this is the best choice and is the healthiest food for your dog. After all, you’ve never seen your dog enjoy commercial dog food the way he enjoys a good meaty bone.

Raw food advocates concede the diet costs more than traditional dog food, but they argue it’s worth it. You may find that locating free natural home made dog food recipes is not easy. Try making a mixture of ground turkey, rice and carrot as your own dog food. Your dog will thank you for it.

If you decide to go the commercial route, try and choose a good premium dog food since it contains more energy and protein than an economy brand. Unfortunately not all dog food brands contain high quality and natural ingredients, so always check the label. It is best if you seek advice from your veterinarian before deciding on which dog food to feed your dog or puppy. He will know your dog’s dietary needs and you will find that veterinary offices and feed stores often carry excellent and natural dog food.

All Natural Dog Food

Many natural dog foods contain only fresh, natural and wholesome ingredients for your dog. Not only are the protein ingredients digestible, but the carbohydrates in the dog food are digestible. Natural dog food has 100% nutritional value which is important for healthy strong dogs. Chicken, egg and fish are examples of protein that is provided in natural dog food. There are also ingredients in natural dog food that really help the health of your dog’s skin and also your dog’s coat. One of the main draw backs of natural dog food is that it has a shorter shelf life and may spoil before it is used.

Dried Dog Food

A good high quality dry dog food will work out to be more economical than the generic brands even though they cost more per pound. A vast majority of dog owners go for dry dog food for its convenience and ease of storage. The cheaper dry dog foods are made from soybean, corn or rice, while many premium dry dog foods are made with all-natural, human-grade ingredients.

Vegetarian dog foods

There are dog foods specially formulated for dogs that are allergic to wheat, corn, and/or chicken. There are also vegetarian dog foods marketed to owners who do not want their dogs to consume meat products. Most vegetarian dog foods use soy as a protein source. If your dog has allergies consult your vet before putting him on a specialized diet.

Conclusion

Overall it’s usually best to let dogs enjoy dog food and not our food, even though they may prefer what we’re eating! Of course you can feed your dog treats from time to time, every dog needs some TLC from time to time!

family and home

Whether you have a career in food preparation, entertain privately, or just cook for your family, food handling has some science to it that you should know. What with hearing a story in the news every other day about yet another Salmonella or E. Coli outbreak, we could all stand to hear a refresher course in the sanitary preparing of food.

Handling food
Wash and dry hands thoroughly before handling food. Always use clean kitchen utensils for handling foods. Keep raw and cooked food apart at all times. Apply this especially to raw meat, fish, and poultry. Keep these away from cooked foods and ready-to-eat foods. Wash and dry hands, utensils, cutting boards, knives, and flat surfaces thoroughly after preparing raw meat, fish, poultry and other raw foods and before contact with other food. Ideally you should use separate cutting boards for raw and cooked foods. Never put cooked food onto a plate which has previously held these raw foods until it has been washed. Do not use the same utensil to stir or serve a cooked meal that was used to prepare the raw ingredients.

Vegetables of the root family such as potatoes, leeks and carrots often have traces of soil on them which can contain harmful bacteria, so wash them thoroughly before use. As a rule you should wash other fruit and vegetables too, especially if they are going to be eaten raw. Avoid preparing food for yourself or others if you are sick.

Defrosting
When cooking packaged frozen foods always follow instructions provided for defrosting or cooking directly from frozen. If cooking from frozen allow sufficient time for food to be thoroughly cooked and check it before serving; an extra minute in the fryer won’t hurt it. When defrosting foods make sure they are fully defrosted before cooking; being sure to allow food enough time to thaw. Never re-freeze food once it has started to thaw.

Thaw food by placing it on the bottom shelf of the fridge in a container to catch any juices, or in a bin or rack over a sink. These juices will often be contaminated so wash dishes and hands thoroughly after use. Only thaw food in a microwave oven if it is to be cooked immediately. To thaw very large meat items like turkeys, leg of lamb, etc. more quickly, let them defrost outside of the fridge. Put them in a cool place and make sure they are completely thawed before cooking.

Cooking and heating
Follow recipes and label instructions on cooking times and temperatures.
Remember to preheat the oven properly – the instructions for preheating take into account that the cooking time should be at the full temperature. Cook all foods until they are piping hot. Remember that sausages, burgers, pork and poultry are cooked all the way through and they should not be rare or pink in the middle. As a test, pierce it with a knife; any juices that run out of the meat should be clear, not bloody. Lamb and beef (except when minced or rolled) can be eaten rare, but you should make sure the outer surface is thoroughly cooked to kill any germs on the surface of the meat.

Elderly or sick people, babies, young children and pregnant women should only eat eggs cooked until both yolk and white are solid and should never eat raw or partially cooked seafood. Don’t cook foods too far in advance. Once cooked, foods should be kept covered and piping hot (above 145F) until it’s time to serve them. Keep prepared cold foods in the fridge until you are ready to serve them.

When using a microwave, stir foods and drinks and allow them to stand for a couple of minutes to avoid hot or cold spots. Check that food is hot throughout before serving. Foods that are not thoroughly cooked should be re-heated for another few minutes, but when it comes to microwaves food should not be reheated more than twice.

Cooling
Never put hot food directly into the fridge or freezer, let it cool sufficiently first. Cooling should be completed within one or two hours after cooking. To speed cooling you can divide foods into smaller portions, place in a wide dish and stand this in a shallow tray of cold water.

Extra care for babies
Because babies’ immune systems are less developed than those of an adult, they are at a greater risk of illness. To take extra care for young babies, wash bottles and utensils in hot soapy water and sterilize them using a sterilizing solution or a steam sterilizer. When adding water to baby foods, milks and other drinks always use bottled water and never water straight from the sink tap. Cook foods thoroughly until piping hot and cool them rapidly until they are comfortable to eat.

Extra care with barbecues and grills
Cooking food outdoors, particularly for large groups, can increase the risk of food poisoning. It’s harder to keep foods very hot or very cold and to keep everything clean. But with a little extra care barbecues and outdoor grills can be used safely.

Light the barbecue well in advance, making sure that you use enough charcoal and wait until it is glowing red with a powdery gray surface before starting to cook. Keep meats, salads and other perishable food in the fridge, or in an ice-packed portable cooler box, until just before you are ready to cook them. Serve salads at the last minute. Ideally use separate cooler boxes for raw meats and ready-to-eat foods. Cooler boxes can only keep food cool for a limited period so cook sooner rather than later. Better still,
if possible, fully pre-cook all poultry and sausages in an indoor kitchen and then take them straight to the barbecue to add the final barbecue flavor.

During cooking, turn food often. If it starts to burn on the outside raise the grill height or reduce the heat of the charcoal. You reduce charcoal’s heat by dampening the coals slightly or partially closing the air vents. As always, cook poultry, burgers, pork and sausages throughout with no pink bits in the middle. Keep raw and cooked foods apart at all times.

Don’t handle cooked foods with utensils that have touched raw meats and don’t put cooked or ready-to-eat foods such as salad and bread on plates that have held raw meats.

Most pet owners put as much thought and care into feeding our cat or dog as we do to feeding ourselves. Browse the pet food section of your local supermarket and you will see an incredibly large choice of cat and dog food to choose from, and there are even more options if you shop at a pet store.

The wording on pet food sold in the US is regulated by the Association of American Feed Control Officials. (AAFCO) Pet food manufacturers must list the ingredients by weight – with the first ingredient being the main one. The nutritional breakdown of fat, fiber and protein indicate that the food contains the minimum amount indicated and not necessarily the full amount.

The pet food industry is entirely self-regulated and there is nothing to prevent pet food companies from using poor quality ingredients. Consider buying name brand pet foods for your cat or dog. They may be priced slightly higher than the equivalent store brand – but premium pet foods generally have higher quality ingredients as well as contain added vitamins and antioxidants.

Try to choose pet food that suits the specific needs of your pet – your cat or dog will have different dietary needs as a puppy or kitten, than when full grown. You may find that you change your pet’s food several times over the course of his or her life, especially if their health deteriorates.

You can buy pet food that is designed specifically for young or old pets, pets that are diabetic, lactating or pregnant – and even food designed for cats that have a problem with fur balls. There are cat and dog foods that are designed for the indoor or inactive pet. Never feed dog food to cats or cat food to dogs.

Perhaps your biggest decision will be whether to feed your pet dry or moist foods. There are advantages to each of these – and it doesn’t hurt to vary your pet’s diet by alternating between them. And if you are going to feed your pet the occasional treat, try to choose healthy treats – a surprising number of pet treats are unhealthy with a high fat content.

Cats have three basic types of food – dry, moist and canned food. Dry food – also known as kibble – has the advantage of staying fresh longer once it has been opened. It also tends to be the least expensive as well as the least tasty – if you have a finicky cat, he or she may not be enthusiastic about dry food. A cat eating only dry food will drink more water.

Moist cat food is similar to dry food, but is soft and chewy – most cats are able to easily eat this kind of food. Moist cat food has moisture content of around 35%, so if you are feeding your cat exclusively moist food, make sure that water is readily available. Once the food has been opened, it tends to dry out quickly and lose its taste.

Even the most finicky cat will eat and enjoy canned food. Canned food comes in an often overwhelming variety of flavors and the cost can vary, based on the content and quality of the meat. And cats that only eat canned food are getting plenty of water – most canned food has moisture content of around 75%.

Dog food also comes in the three basic types – dry, moist and canned. Dry food is less expensive, as well as being easier to buy in bulk and store. And dogs can benefit from a diet of dry food as it helps to reduce a build up of tartar and generally helps to exercise your dog’s mouth muscles.

Moist foods for dogs can often contain a large amount of preservatives and artificial colors. They also tend to be high in sugar content and are not generally considered a good source of nutrition. Canned food tends to be better quality and actually contains real meat. An older dog or a dog with sore gums or having difficulty chewing should be fed canned food. However, canned food is costlier – especially when feeding a larger dog.

If you are changing the type of food your cat or dog eats, one effective method is to gradually mix in the new food with the old over a period of several days. On the first day, the serving should consist of ¾ old foods and ¼ new food, on the nest day ½ and ½ and so on, until your pet is eating just the new food.

Always discuss your pet’s diet with your vet. It is worth taking the trouble to ensure that your cat or dog is not only enjoying mealtimes, but is being fed the right food too.

Many of us dream of having an aquarium filled with beautiful fish. Did you recently take the jump and make the purchase? If so, you are likely to have many questions. One of those questions likely focuses on aquarium fish food. Continue reading on for helpful tips that can ensure your fish are well cared for, as well as how to get the best value for your money.

There are many different types of fish food available for sale. Take a walk through your local fish or pet store and you will be surprised with the selection. Wait until you shop online, your options seem endless. Which fish food should you choose? You want to get the best value for your money, but don’t automatically think lowest price. You want to have a highly rated and recommended fish food, one that stays fresh longer, and one that provides your fish with added benefits. Depending on the contents of your aquariums, this may include frozen fish food, flake food, pellet food, and freeze-dried fish food.

Frozen and freeze-dried fish foods have the best nutritional value. Flake style fish food is often a mixture of different foods. This makes it difficult to monitor and estimate the value your fish are getting. Generally speaking, frozen fish food is best, but freeze-dried comes in a close second. You will see that frozen fish food has higher costs. This is generally due to the added nutritional benefits, long shelf life, and the resealable freezer safe package. Luckily, you can feed your aquarium fish a mixture, also keeping the costs down.

Flake style fish food is the most common food fed to aquarium fish. Your first thought may be to opt for the cheapest package available. Know however, that flake fish food comes in many different formats too. Look at your options. You can purchase vegetable flakes, those with added protein, and more. Although the nutritional value of flake fish food is not as high as frozen, keep it in mind. The proper nutrients can increase the energy of your fish and highlight their beautiful colors.

Pellet fish food is not as popular among new fish owners, but it is available. This type of fish food is ideal for carnivores. This is due the shape. In the water, it looks more like live food than fish food with flakes. You should find your fish going to the food quicker and eating a healthier diet. Pellet food is available for sale in different sizes. When making your choice, consider the size of your fish.

Know your fish’s needs. If you are a new aquarium owner, you may have done little research in terms of fish food. Now is the time to get started. As previously stated, flake fish food is the most common food feed to aquarium fish. It is cheaper and easy to find, but should not be the only food your fish eats. As mentioned above, you can mix it up between flake, freeze-dried, and frozen fish food. For marine fish, flake food is best used as a supplement, not their main source of diet.

Always consider use when buying fish food, especially flakes. Frozen, pellet, and freeze-dried food will stay better longer. You may run into a problem with open flake fish food. Your fish’s food will lose the little nutritional value it does have. There is also the risk of bacteria and mold growth. When buying flake fish food, only buy what you can use in a reasonable amount of time. Stocking up and bulk purchases can save you money at first, but not if must discard contaminated food later.

It is easy to overfeed your fish. The best approach is to divide up the feedings. Two small feedings a day is usually better for aquariums fish than one large feeding. If there is noticeable food left over in the acquarium after a few minutes, you have likely overfeed your fish. Other telltale signs include cloudy water and mold growths in the tank. These are both signs of leftover fish food.

In short, buying fish food for your aquarium fish is an important purchase. You have many choices and it may seem impossible to make the right one. Most important, know your fish’s needs. Fresh water and salt water fish not only require different aquarium setups, but different nutrients too.

Since moving to a raw food diet I have been asked by friends and family whether you can cook food on a raw food diet. What they mean of course is do you allow yourself any cooked food or is everything you eat completely raw. Going round for dinner could be a nightmare explaining what I can and cannot eat. It wouldn’t take long to become “Mr Weird Foodie” with no friends.

While some people do eat completely raw food as raw foodists I will eat cooked food. In fact I still enjoy cooked food although I do limit this type of food for the reasons I explain below.

Behind this question is a serious point about cooking temperatures and enzymes which I will try to explain. Raw foods, when cooked, start to change and breakdown. When they break down the enzymes change their structure and make it much harder for you to digest the food. Your digestive organs will have to work harder to overcome the lack of enzymes in the cooked food. Eventually your organs will wear themselves out with all the work of trying to compensate for the change in the foods structure.

The cooking temperature that all this change happens to food is 118 degrees Fahrenheit. The only way to get around this change in the foods structure is to quickly blanch food or steam it. It requires a good thermometer and some skill to cook the food and keep it below this temperature.

Once enzymes are exposed to heat, they are no longer able to provide the function for which they were designed. Cooked foods contribute to chronic illness, because their enzyme content is damaged and thus requires us to make our own enzymes to process the food. The digestion of cooked food uses valuable metabolic enzymes in order to help digest your food. Digestion of cooked food demands much more energy than the digestion of raw food. In general, raw food is so much more easily digested that it passes through the digestive tract in 1/2 to 1/3 of the time it takes for cooked food.

Eating enzyme-dead foods places a burden on your pancreas and other organs and overworks them, which eventually exhausts these organs. Many people gradually impair their pancreas and progressively lose the ability to digest their food after a lifetime of ingesting processed foods.

If you have lived on processed food for most of your life then you should be looking to change your eating towards more raw food. If you were to return to cooked and processed food then you may find that it has a greater detrimental affect on your digestive system.

For people who eat a large amount of their food there will not be too much harm done by just cooking and tucking in to your food. You can hardly expect your host at dinner to bed running round checking the food temperature. So you can eat cooked food on a raw food diet but just do not overdo it.

“Why do some pet foods have puppy food (or kitten food) and others do not? Shouldn’t I give my new pup – puppy food?”

Before I answer that question – I need to share a little pet food history. Back in the early days of commercial pet food, veterinarians noticed that when puppies were fed the same commercial food that the adult dogs were eating – they did not grow and thrive the way they should. Back then, commercial dog foods and cat foods contained very little quality meat – the protein mostly came from grains the food contained. It was determined that puppies and kittens need a higher protein food in order to develop properly. This change was important, however the bad news is that the protein was not required to come from meat sources – the majority came from inferior grain sources. The new requirements just required a higher percentage of protein for a growth food – a puppy food or a kitten food – there were no specifications as to where the protein came from (still holds true today).

Today, AAFCO has set standards for puppy foods to be a minimum of 22% protein (adult dog food minimum 18% protein), standards for kitten food must be a minimum of 30% protein (adult cat food 26% minimal protein). Besides a few other very insignificant differences – the amount of protein is the only difference between an adult dog food or an adult cat food to a puppy food or kitten food.

So, to answer the question above – you can feed a puppy food or kitten food, but you don’t have to if you are feeding the right food! Remember, except for percentage of protein, there are no significant differences in an adult pet food to kitten or puppy food.

Many pet food lines have protein percentages above the minimal requirements for puppies and kittens. Some pet food formulators have determined in their research that 18% protein for adult dogs and 26% protein for adult cats is not optimal – so they formulate their foods with higher protein levels than the required minimal. In other words – many adult foods meet the same nutritional requirements for puppies and kittens even though they are not labeled specifically as puppy food or kitten food. As an example…ABC Chicken & Rice Puppy Food has a protein percentage of 23% and ABC Chicken Kitten Food has a protein percentage of 32% – but XYZ Chicken & Rice Dog food has a protein percentage of 25% and XYZ Chicken Cat Food as a protein percentage of 35%. Both ABC brands and XYZ brands meet the required protein levels for puppy or kitten foods as well as adult dog and adult cat food. So, a puppy owner or a kitten owner could feed their new baby the XYZ pet food – even though it is not labeled specifically for puppies or kittens.

Before I go any further – I have to mention a little about canned pet foods. ANY canned or pouched pet food (a moist pet food) contains at least 70% to 85% moisture. Protein percentages in canned pet foods vary from 7% to 11% – far below the minimal requirements necessary for adult dogs and cats as well as kittens and puppies. Pet owners do not want to feed solely a canned or pouched pet food to adult dogs and cats or puppies and kittens. They simply do not provide the necessary nutrition. If you want to feed a canned pet food, feed it WITH a quality dry food. Maybe soft for breakfast and kibble for dinner.

OK, back to puppy foods and kitten foods…a common question I hear on this subject is…’Is it ok for my adult dog (or cat) to be eating a food that has such a high protein percentage?’ Many pet owners – after hearing my explanation of puppy foods and kitten foods, are then concerned about feeding an adult dog or cat a pet food that has a higher percentage of protein. The best way I can ease those concerns is from sharing the words of many pet nutrition experts. As a dog or cat goes from being a puppy or kitten, to a young adult, to a mature adult, to a senior pet – their body continually produces new cells, new tissue, and new muscle – the entire process feeds off of protein. So the pet continues to need a quality protein source throughout its entire life. (There are exceptions for senior pets and pets with illnesses – this discussion is strictly for healthy animals – consult your veterinarian if you have any questions.) Science – not speculation – has determined that a higher protein level benefits young dogs and cats as well as adult pets. I have reviewed some dog and cat foods in Petsumer Report that have protein levels as high as 50%! I’m not so confident that 50% protein in a dog food or cat food is optimal for house pets (more for a working dog – example being a working cattle dog tending to a herd) – the point is that higher protein level pet foods are out there, and not all of them are labeled as puppy food or kitten food.

The thing that makes most pet owners choose a puppy food or kitten food is the marketing. Those television commercials that show adorable puppies and kittens stating this food ‘meets the unique needs’ or ‘specially formulated’ or ‘Extra Nutrition’ or ‘developed to meet the higher energy needs’ and so forth have lured pet owners into firm beliefs that their puppy or kitten has to have a puppy food or kitten food. The cute little faces along with the expertly researched tag lines – have helped to grow the puppy food and kitten food business into phenomenal numbers. Part of the marketing strategy is to get puppy owners hooked into a particular emotional commitment to the manufacturer through a puppy or kitten food. If you start off with ABC puppy food – the marketing goal is for you to stay loyal to that company later with ABC adult dog food. The pet food manufacturers have become SO successful at this marketing technique – several manufacturers that make a quality maintenance pet food (not a specific puppy food or kitten food) have been forced to package their food in a puppy or kitten format.

I am not saying that puppy foods and kitten foods are bad – it still boils down to ingredients in the pet food. What I am saying is that it is not a requirement to feed a puppy or kitten specifically a puppy food or a kitten food. As long as you provide them with a quality pet food that meets the protein percentage they need – you are fine.

Always, always, always – consult your veterinarian.

And one more quick bit of information – I wish I could tell you that when you find a good puppy food or kitten food, with quality human grade US ingredients, and added health bonuses such as chelated or proteinated minerals and probiotics – that you can stick with that same manufacturer for your adult pet food and treats…but that is not always the case. Actually it is more just the opposite. From reviewing many lines of pet food and pet treats from one manufacturer for Petsumer Report, I have found that many pet food manufacturers make some pet foods that have quality human grade ingredients and then their pet treats are close to junk food. While others might have one or two varieties of pet food that are good, and have several more varieties that I would never recommend a pet owner to feed. It’s just not that easy. You must look at the ingredients, ask the questions, and look at the Guaranteed Analysis and Best By Date on everything.

Wishing you and your pet the best.

Approximately 8% of children and 2% of adults suffer from true food allergies. When the culprit food is eaten, most allergic reactions will occur within minutes. Skin symptoms (itching, urticaria, angioedema) are the most common, and occur during most food reactions. Other symptoms can include nasal (sneezing, runny nose, itchy nose and eyes), gastrointestinal (nausea, vomiting, cramping, diarrhea), lung (shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, chest tightness), and vascular (low blood pressure, light-headedness, rapid heart beat) symptoms. When severe, this reaction is called anaphylaxis, and can be life threatening.

Allergy or Intolerance?

Most reactions to food are probably not allergic in nature, but rather intolerance.

This means that there is no allergic antibody present against the food in the person. Intolerance can be classified as toxic and non-toxic. Toxic reactions would be expected to occur in most people if enough of the food was eaten, examples include alcohol, caffeine or in cases of food-poisoning. Non-toxic food intolerance occurs only in certain people, such as lactose intolerance, which is due to the deficiency of lactase, the enzyme which breaks down the sugar in milk and dairy foods. Patients with lactose intolerance experience bloating, cramping and diarrhea within minutes to hours after eating lactose-containing foods, but do not experience other symptoms of food allergies.

Non-allergic Immunologic Reactions

A less common form of non-allergic reactions to food involves the immune system, but there are no allergic antibodies present. This group includes celiac sprue and FPIES (food protein induced enteropathy syndromes). FPIES typically occurs in infants and young children, with gastrointestinal symptoms (vomiting, diarrhea, bloody stools, and weight loss) as the presenting signs. Milk, soy and cereal grains are the most common triggers in FPIES. Children typically outgrow FPIES by 2 to 3 years of age.

Common Childhood Food Allergies

Milk, soy, wheat, egg, peanut, tree nuts, fish and shellfish compromise more than 90 percent of food allergies in children. Allergy to milk and egg are by far the most common, and are usually outgrown by age 5 years. Peanut, tree nut, fish and shellfish allergies are typically the more severe and potentially life-threatening, and frequently persist into adulthood.

Cross-Reactivity and Cross-Contamination

Cross-reactivity refers to a person having allergies to similar foods within a food group. For example, all shellfish are closely related; if a person is allergic to one shellfish, there is a strong chance that person is allergic to other shellfish. The same holds true for tree-nuts, such as almonds, cashews and walnuts.

Cross-contamination refers to a food contaminating another, unrelated food leading to a “hidden allergy”. For example, peanuts and tree nuts are not related foods. Peanuts are legumes, and related to the bean family, while tree nuts are true nuts. There is no cross-reactivity between the two, but both can be found in candy shops and in a can of mixed nuts, for instance.

Diagnosing Food Allergies

The diagnosis is made with an appropriate history of a reaction to a specific food, along with a positive test for the allergic antibody against that food. Testing for the allergic antibody is typically accomplished with skin testing, although can be done with a blood test as well.

The blood test, called a RAST test, is not quite as good of a test as skin testing, but can be helpful in predicting if a person has outgrown a food allergy. This is especially true since in many cases the skin test can still be positive in children who have actually outgrown the food allergy.

If the diagnosis of food allergy is in question despite testing, an allergist may decide to perform an oral food challenge for the patient. This involves having the person eat increasing amounts of food over many hours under medical supervision. Since the potential for life-threatening anaphylaxis exists, this procedure should only be performed by a physician experienced in the diagnosis and treatment of allergic diseases. An oral food challenge is the only way to truly remove a diagnosis of food allergy in a patient.

Managing Food Allergies

Treat the reaction: If a reaction to the food is present, the person should seek immediate emergency medical care. Most patients with food allergies should carry a self-injectable form of epinephrine, or adrenaline (such as an Epi-pen, with them at all times. These medications can be prescribed by a physician and the patient should know how to use this device before an allergic reaction occurs.

Avoid the food: This is the main way to prevent future reactions to the culprit foods, although can be difficult in cases of common foods such as milk, egg, soy, wheat and peanut. Organizations such as the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network offer help and support to patients and parents of children with food allergies.

Allergy physicians can also offer additional information and advice on avoidance.

Read food labels: Since accidental exposure to the allergic food is common, reading labels on foods and asking questions about ingredients at restaurants is important and recommended.

Be prepared: Patients with food allergies should always be prepared to recognize and treat their reaction, should one occur. Remember, since exposures to the allergic foods are frequently accidental, being prepared to treat the reaction with epinephrine is paramount. Emergency medical care should always be sought if an allergic reaction to food occurs, whether or not epinephrine is used.

Communicate with others:Communication with family members, friends, and school staff about the patient’s medical condition and knowledge of how to administer epinephrine is also important. It is also recommended that the patient wear a medical alert bracelet (such as a Medic-Alert bracelet) detailing their food allergies and use of injectable epinephrine, in the case the patient is unable to communicate during a reaction.

What is a Raw Foods Diet?

Taken from the book Mini Size Me – The Raw Yoga Revolution

“Let me share my vision with you; I see the world without sickness, sorrow or mental disturbances in which we are living in perfect balance and abundant health and harmony.”
Dr Ann Wigmore Phd
(Co-Founder of the Hippocrates Institute)

I couldn’t of said that better myself. I, too share this vision, and I hope that at the end of reading this article , you may be inspired to actually taste this experience for yourselves.

So how do you feel right now?
Take a few minutes to close your eyes and tune in to your body with a few breaths. Allow yourself to sense how you truly feel. Do you feel a lively and vibrant superhero?  Or a lethargic, tired and heavy frump that is low on energy, or maybe you are just somewhere in between?

If your answer is Superhero, it’s likely that you have already taken steps towards aligning your diet with an intake of sun-filled, energy-drenched fresh green nutrition. Which is an excellent start!   But if the answer is frump, there is no need to despair.  This is where a raw food diet will deliver the medicine, the methods and the manifestation that you require to step into the YOU, that you know is inside, just bursting to get out.

If on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 = zero energy, while 10 = superhero) you feel about 6 or less, then a raw food diet will shake your foundations  and raise your rafters into a whole, new, fresh level of vitality and health. At the very least you could gain a few more super powers through this super improved diet.

So what is a raw foods diet and why would you make an effort?  What are the benefits? Can I still have a take away on Saturdays? The optimum choice would be no. But wouldn’t you like to be free from the desire for it, if you knew it delivers you no favors?  Read on to find out the expanded benefits of a raw lifestyle.

Firstly, the raw lifestyle is a great choice for all those out there who know that inside each of us is a seed of massive life force, and want to tap into it. Layers of disbeliefs, mental blockages, emotional pains, combined with poor nutrition are preventing the full ignition of your life and transformation into Superb Health.
I see raw foods as the best available fuel for the fire of your life.

So what are Raw Foods?
Lets jump right in and go exploring.

Access Exceptional Energy

Our average diet is food diminished by cooking and cut short of the essential enzymes for healthy digestion. Raw foods are nature’s healers, flooded with sunlight, filled to brim with minerals and bountiful with active enzymes. These foods are still alive! Please re-read that sentence.  You will be eating food that contains abundant energy within its cellular structure and growing rich with the vital life force known as ‘prana,’ the fuel source of all living things.   Could you say the same for the frozen pizza at the back of the fridge, or perhaps a pot noodle?

That is why, when on a raw foods diet nothing is heated beyond 37 degrees, which is the same temperature as our bodies.  Above 37 degrees, you will start to kill off all enzyme activity, and deplete the life-force within the food.  We need to eat this food while it is bursting with life.  It is at this stage that we soak up the life-force from the food to harness its qualities and send it around our bodies.  Rather than siphon our own internal energy to digest the already ‘dead’ food.
When we say dead food, we are referring to the standard cooked diet that usually depletes our energy, ultimately resulting in disease and impaired old age. 

Some examples of raw foods are fresh fruit and vegetables, that are ideally grown in your own garden. Also within this diet there are sprouted foods (alfalfa and mung beans) nuts, seeds, seaweeds and now the ever popular ‘superfoods’. 

Hippocrates, an ancient Greek philosopher and the founder of modern medicine, sums up the benefits beautifully:

“So let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.”

Upping your intake of raw is choosing radiant life!

Return to Nature

A raw lifestyle is a move towards eating as nature intended. Raw foods are foods in their natural unprocessed state, un-treated with heat to prepare them for eating.  Today, so many of our food (fuel) sources are heavily processed, filled with chemicals and soaked in sugar. These foods lead to addictions, dependencies and cravings. What many people do not understand is that disease incubates over time. If, on a daily basis we continue to consume un-natural foods,  we are supporting a future of disease rather than a future of health. Raw plant prana is nature’s gift for rejuvenation.

Reduction of Excess Fat

People are often interested in raw plant foods for its massive weight loss potential, as there are many recorded accounts of stunning physical transformations when going  ‘Raw’. 

David Wolfe, one of the world’s leading authorities on Raw Foods says: “No amount of raw plant food is fattening. Only cooked food is fattening.” 

Does this mean bland and unsatisfying food? Not at all!  You couldn’t be further from the truth.  The great news is that some raw fats e.g. avocados can actually help excess weight dissolve. Plus, by embarking on a natural raw plant lifestyle,  any weight that is lost, will stay off,  as nature returns you to the true weight and shape for you.

Brilliant Skin and Great Long Life

The benefits of going raw and staying raw are  endless! You’ll enjoy a clear and glowing complexion, bright shiny eyes, increased libido and beautiful, lustrous hair and nails. People who have experienced acne have found that detoxifying their diet brings dramatic improvements including fewer blemishes.   All who go ‘raw’ will have stunning skin and hair.  Try it and see for yourself. 

In today’s western world, the average age expectancy for males is 65,  70 for females, but there is endless evidence to show that a raw diet can greatly extend your lifespan.

Dr. Howell a world renown Nutritionist , states that:
“Humans eating an enzyme-less diet use up a tremendous amount of their enzyme potential in lavish secretions of the pancreas and other organs, resulting in a short lifespan 65 years rather than 100 or more.”

Every living being has a fixed enzyme potential which can be prematurely exhausted in a large way through eating cooked and processed foods.  Raw plant foods come complete with such massive amounts of live enzymes that you don’t need to use up your “enzyme store” to digest them.  We will talk about enzymes later.

Thorough Body and Mind Detox

By going raw you give your body the best chance to offload all those toxins created over years of a cooked, processed diet and stressful living. What we eat profoundly affects the way we think, feel and behave. Life shifts come from changes within. When you take in only pure, natural and healthy foods, you begin to glow within and without. To quote David Wolfe  “We are not really human beings, we are human becomings, because we are constantly becoming more.”
A raw food diet can kick start  ‘becoming more’, more wonderful, more physical and much more mental transformation.

The Bliss of Balance

Take a simple and easy initial step towards raw foods by supplementing one of your daily meals with a dark green leafy salad and a tasty dressing.  This book promotes the concept that through adding delicious raw alternatives gradually to a standard cooked diet. Both your body and mind will naturally realize the benefits of raw plant foods and develop a preference for these. As you introduce more raw nourishment, you will notice increased life focus, heightened sensory awareness and a greater zest and drive for life.
If your idea of Raw is lettuce, tomatoes and a bit of cucumber you are about to be hugely surprised. Learning about raw cuisine is an expansive and fun journey of creativity and experimentation.  Before long, you will be introducing raw nourishment for the healing and vitality of your friends and family.

Seeds of Change

An optimum raw diet contains a high percentage of sprouted seeds.  Seeds are often seen as symbols of a powerful and vibrant potential for good reason! If you consume the powerful energy of a plant-in-the-making, this high enzyme  vibrancy  transforms into positive fuel  for your present and future  abundant health. The evidence is clear, take a cooked almond seed, plant it in the ground can a tree grow? No way.  Plant a sprouted seed and here you have the potential of an almond tree! Our bodies are so blessed with the prana of living foods.

Acidification
As we began our journey into a raw foods diet we discovered some startling facts and information:

? Fat is an over acidification of the body
? Fat is saving your life
? Fat is a response from the body to an alarming over-acidic condition!

Through the absorption of raw foods only we began to understand that we were changing our bodies from acidic into alkaline. This is the first process that kicks in when beginning a raw diet. We need to understand that the body creates fat cells to take away acid from the vital organs. All the acid that has been stored in your fat cells in your body begins to break down and is passed out through all elimination points (bowels, kidney, skin, lungs and nose). 
This acid has come from meat, fish, yeast, mushrooms/fungi, (and the waste products of these living organisms) tea, coffee, dairy, alcohol, tobacco and wheat being the main culprits.

We realised that we were ingesting the energy from these living fruits and vegetables to restore our whole being.  Our diet was feeding us energy, not depleting it.  We were absorbing the vital life force present in our foods.  This added energy jumpstarted the natural detoxing period that blessedly comes from this Raw Nutrition Diet.

We began to experience the detox zone as the acid began to come out. To assist with this vital and necessary phase we began weekly coffee enemas, which we preformed separately in the solitude of our bathroom! Detoxing can reveal itself as spots, colds, lethargy, aches and pains within the body, emotional outbursts, mood swings and sometimes zero energy.
We began noticing that the detoxing came in waves, it certainly was not linear.

After 6 months we noticed that the sugar cravings had subsided, the urge for coffee and bread didn’t turn us crazy anymore and that we were now sold on this way of life and hungered for more experiments and experiences into how far this supreme radiant health could evolve into.

So you have to ask yourself  “How do you truly feel?”

What is keeping you from experiencing the lean, healthy and truly energetic body that you deserve? 

Are you content to continue feeling lethargic, uncreative and halfhearted in your passions?

I suspect not….

And neither were we!

Benefits of a Raw Food Diet

? Increased Vitality
? Less sleep required
? Shining skin and eyes
? Rebuilding your body’s tissues and inner structure
? Inherent powers, prime animal instincts and responses
? Growth into new direction within your life
? Naturalise and neutralise your body
? Strips away chemicals and toxins within your body
? It compels you to live naturally and in harmony with the Earth
? No physical waste – packaging, bones, shells, – only compost!
? Pulls acid out of your cellular system
? Peels off excessive fat and weight
? Cleans your circulatory system
? Boost energy in all your inner organs
? Balances your hormonal levels

We are gifted with the intelligence and power to make positive nutritional choices. Too often, we just don’t know how abundant, varied and delicious our food choices could be, leading to choices made through incomplete awareness. Mini Size Me presents you with great trade-ups in food choice and quality that is lush, fresh and fun.

The Downside of a Raw Lifestyle
I have been raw for almost 4 years now, and I can honestly say I have had no bodily reaction to this way of life.  Yes I experienced detoxing at the initial stages and of course, that was a challenging phase to pass through, but the pros massively outweigh the cons.

I have only ever discovered 2 main areas of the Raw Challenge:

I understand that some people experience coldness in their bodies, and often feel they can’t stay on a raw diet, once the summer has passed.  However, the Director of Lotus Healing in London, Guru Dharam Singh, has advised me that there are certain Chinese herbs that can boost the kidney and spleen energy to prevent one from feeling cold.

I have been advising extra chillis, garlic, ginger and cinnamon to boost the internal heat that is felt inside.  Also by boosting the amounts of fats in your diet, you will insulate your internal heat, and keep the cold out as you enter the winter months.

The biggest challenge to overcome is naturally the reaction you get from other people who are not raw.  My goodness, you have to be prepared for this one!  It’s quite something how other people react.  Until one is well versed in the benefits of raw, it can be quite a concept to grasp.  Our conditioning is so strong in the belief that we must eat cooked foods that anything else simply is NOT RIGHT.  And that’s about the size of it, when questioned why people don’t believe in a raw foods lifestyle, they simply can’t actually put a finger on a very strong or concrete point.

The older generation (parents), really don’t get the idea at first!  My parents particularly my mother, felt I was endangering my health, and she was watching very carefully to see whether her daughter was only to waste away.  Waste away, you got to be joking!  Radiantly bloom into life was the result.
But it was difficulty being at home and maintaining a raw regime.  It was a daily chore to redefine my choices and myself.  But over time she came round, and now she looks on and agrees, yes there is a tremendous amount of sense to eating raw.  I have actually overheard her speaking with her friends.  “She only eats salads, and only twice a day, but look at her she obviously knows what she is doing!”

With time and as people begin to see and feel the changes within you, they will come round and not only that, they will be curious to find out more.

This article has been taken from the soon to be released raw yogic book “Mini Size Me – A Yoga and Nutritional approach to
achieve outstanding Health and Vibrancy ”, written by Siri Datta and Duncan Campbell.

You can begin a 40-day Raw Food Programme with Siri Datta’s & Duncan’s expert guidance and support.  They will encourage and inspire you to “keep up” all through an online coaching forum.  Alongside raw foods, she will also provide you with a yoga programme tailor made for your type.  Mini Size Me, is the online programme that has sent 1000’s of people soaring to beautiful and radiant levels of confidence and enhanced enchantment.
Mini Size Me, also offers 3-day, 7-day, 21-day programmes alongside the Melon Cleanse and the Women’s Moon Cycle.
Email Siri Datta on minisizeme23@yahoo.co.uk or call 01935 423 466

Join The Raw Revolution – The Mini Size Me Programme

Copyright (c) 2007 Stephen Lau

Everybody wants to lose weight. However, weight loss can only begin with a healthy food relationship.

Nowadays, many men and women desire a healthy body image, which is often a reflection of their overall health. Men and women may look at their bodies differently: men focus on their chest, arms, and abs, while women concentrate on their waist, hips, and thighs. But weight loss for both men and women begins with a healthy food relationship.

What is a food relationship?

Everyone, irrespective of the gender, has both a physical and psychological food relationship. The former has to do with satisfying the physical hunger, while the latter has to do with the appetite, that is, the “desire” for food, which is mostly psychological. Effective and permanent weight loss is contingent on a healthy physical and psychological food relationship.

To establish a good physical food relationship requires an understanding of the science of eating.

Firstly, you have to understand that you eat to live, and not live to eat. You become what you eat: what you eat and drink becomes your body chemistry and your body constitution. If you think you can eat whatever you like and still get away with it, think again!

Eating determines if you are living in harmony with Nature, which is the key to living a long life. You need to know the logistics of eating: what to eat, how to eat, and when to eat, especially the components of food. Eating is a science, so treat it as such.

You eat only when you are hungry. Avoid voluntary eating, such as when you make a beeline for the refrigerator as soon as you walk into the house. Avoid emotional eating to appease your emotions. Avoid sensory eating, which is eating to satisfy your senses.

You eat only what is good for you. You need to understand food criteria. Some of the foods you eat may not be foods at all. For foods to be called “foods,” they must meet certain criteria.

Foods must be living: they must contain enzymes. The vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and proteins in foods are all lifeless unless they are activated by enzymes. Heating and preserving easily destroy the enzymes in foods. Therefore, the way you cook your food, and the types of food you consume are important to your food relationship. Processed and preserved foods neither protect nor preserve your health. To preserve enzymes, go for a raw food diet every now and then, and do not overcook your food. Steaming is the healthiest way of cooking because the food does not have direct contact with the heat source. Deep frying, on the other hand, is the worst method of cooking.

Foods must support your internal bowel ecology. They must facilitate absorption of nutrients and disposal of toxic waste. Foods must help digestion and elimination, which are critical to healthy eating.

Foods must not trigger unfavorable food reaction. Dairy and wheat products may cause food allergies.

Foods must not cause sharp surge of molecular changes in your body, such as a sudden increase in your blood sugar level, or wide fluctuation of neurotransmission caused by caffeine or other chemicals.

Foods must provide adequate calories for your physical activity, but not “empty” calories, which provide little or no nutrients. Consuming empty calories is tantamount to working extremely hard while being unfairly underpaid.

Foods must balance your body chemistry in order to neutralize and eradicate free radicals, which are oxidative stresses that destroy your body cells. Foods must balance your the acid and alkaline level in your body, with no more than 30 percent acid-forming foods, such as meat proteins, and 70 percent or more alkaline-forming foods, such as most fruits and vegetables. All pharmaceutical drugs are acidic. Many health experts believe that a balance of acidity and alkalinity, known as balanced pH level in your body will make you disease-free.

Eat only quality foods: eat, whenever possible, only organic foods. Some of the best foods in nature include the following:

Chlorella is a green single-cell algae cultivated in fresh water ponds. With its grass-like smell, it has the highest concentration of chlorophyll than any other plant in the world. With more than 20 vitamins and minerals, as well as the essential 8 amino acids, chlorella is the perfect food. In addition, it detoxifies by removing toxins and metals from your body.

Wheat grass is another life-giving food rich in enzymes easily assimilated to boost your immune system. It is one of the best sources of chlorophyll, which provides oxygen for your brain and body tissues for longevity. Wheat grass absorbs as many as 92 of the known 102 minerals from the soil. Wheat juice, in particular, is a superior detoxification agent compared to carrot juice. It enhances your digestion, relieves your sore throat, keeps your bowels open, reduces your blood pressure, and improves your cholesterol.

Make the effort to establish a healthy physical food relationship through your choice of food and your method of cooking. Learn to follow Nature’s prescription of suitable times for your meals. You lunch should be the heaviest meal, since your digestive fire is at its maximum potency. A late dinner or binging before bedtime may interfere with your body’s mechanism to detoxify and digest food from the day, making you tired the next morning on waking up.

A healthy physical food relationship is a must for weight loss and optimum health.

(My next article will be on psychological food relationship.)