A Note To Food Manufacturers

Food manufacturing in the US has always been about convenience, product availability, taste and price. The more society ventured away from the family garden and kitchen, the more food manufacturers developed a market or niche for their products at home in the cupboards. Processed foods no longer are limited to flour and sugar on the country store shelf, but have evolved to include the variety of foods eaten daily and taken from restaurants, grocery stores, super markets and convenience stores.

As the commonality of quick processed foods increases throughout the world, health problems such as obesity, diabetes and cancer have also become common and inevitable to the point that *"1 in 3 American adults have Insulin Resistance, a pre-diabetic condition", and this will only be the beginning.

The philosophy behind Functional Food is to create food additives and ingredients that will enhance the bodies health by making manufactured foods more beneficial to the consumer with out losing quality or taste.

It is the intention to not only create additives and ingredients that will benefit todays market but will benefits today's generation as they age.

By using products such as "SugarBlendtm",and "FlourBlendtm,, in drinks, cakes, cookies, candies, breads, pastries, and snacks, today's children will have increased mineral uptake, aiding in the prevention of Osteoporosis as they age, increasing bowel function, reducing the chance of colon cancer and by aiding in the control of blood sugar swings that may cause diabetes later in life. These "Functional" properties are accomplished without side effects that may cause consumers to reject manufactured products. These side effects include sweeteners that cause a laxative effect, gas, bloating, aftertaste and degrading sweetness in high heat. Styrofoam-like textures, no taste, distasteful smell and color in cooking flour substitutes.

We see that parents today are becoming more aware and educated in the direction of nutrition, especially with regards to growing children. If foods are eaten that increase calcium in the bones today, twenty years from now, it is possible that this generation won't suffer from Osteoporosis or Colon Cancer. If foods are eaten today that keep the blood sugar steady and absorb slowly in the gut, not only will the child have protection from disease, but they will have a lessor chance of developing diabetes twenty years from now also.

The main objective of Home Blend Gourmet and others that manufacture functional food is "The Health of Humanity". Manufactures using these products today can influence the health of future generation and secure their markets for tomorrow. We create first rate ingredients and additives by being on the cutting edge of research. The demands of fast paced lives and lifestyles shouldn't cost the health of the human race. We can help food manufactures become more health conscious and competitive with marketing strategies that will put them above the rest of the pack.

Today, the education of the general public on nutrition is vastly brought about through mass media, by informational commercials, through news media, T.V. talk shows, magazine articles and newspaper articles.

High protein, low-carb, low-fat diets have gained popularity through media blitzes on celebrity books, university studies, restaurant menus and nutritional labels. These diet plans have also gained popularity by the prove results, some of the newest diets include Glycemic Indexing, or the blood glucose response to the manufactured products. We check our food formula's for impact to blood sugar response by doing in vivo oral tolerance tests. Each formula is created to not only aid in control of nutritional conditions, but that the side-effects of that formula is beneficial to the human body. We offer In Vivo testing for any of our manufacturing clients that would like to use Glycemic Indexing guidelines for marketing their products. We are South Pacific Health Enterprises, and we license our food formulas only to Home Blend Gourmet.

*AACE, AC of Endo. Conference, 08-25-26, 2003

About The Author

D.S. Epperson is the top formulator for Home Blend Gourmet / South Pacific Health, a leader in the functional food industry in the U.S.. With 20 years of experience in Nutritional Biochemistry, she has written reference books on botanicals and manufacturing of medicines from botanicals, and published articles on health, fitness and foods. She has formulated over 240 formulas and inventions for health, the environment and agricultural uses, and continues to research and study microbial advantages in nutraceuticals and functional foods. For more information or to view the articles that she has written: http://www.sugarblend.com.

online@sugarblend.com

More...

Health Benefits Of Tomatoes

Did you know that tomatoes were once considered poison? It's true, the tomato is a member of the nightshade family, and was at one time considered to be toxic. Tomatoes were first eaten in the U.S. in the early 1800's, when a gentleman by the name of Robert Johnson shocked his hometown by eating a basket of tomatoes in the middle of town. When he didn't die, or even get sick from the tomatoes, they became a part of the American diet.

We now know that tomatoes are not toxic, and in fact are quite nutritious. First of all, tomatoes contain a lot of vitamin C, which is quite beneficial, as you've probably heard. Vitamin C helps the body to produce collagen, an important protein skin, scar tissue, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant, helping to prevent cell damage by free radicals.

Tomatoes also contain a powerful antioxidant called lycopene. Studies have shown that men consuming 10 servings of tomatoes a week cut the risk of prostate cancer by 45%. Lycopene also lower the risk of colorectal cancer and stomach cancer, and inhibits the growth of other types of cancer cells. Lycopene may also help older folks remain active.

Coumaric acid and chlorogenic acied are also found in tomatoes. These two compounds are thought to block the effects of nitrosamines, which are formed naturally in the body, but are also a strong carcinogen in tobacco smoke.

Tomatoes may also help to reduce the risk of heart disease. Tomatoes are a good source of potassium, niacin, vitamin B6, and folate. Niacin has been used for years to lower cholesterol. Potassium has been shown to lower high blood pressure. And vitamin B6 and folate are used by the body to convert a dangerous chemical called homocysteine into more benign compounds.

Vitamin K, found in tomatoes helps to maintain healthy bones. Vitamin K1 activates a protein in the bones called osteocalcin, which anchors calcium inside the bone. Without enough vitamin K, bone mineralization is impaired.

When you buy tomatoes, be sure to buy the ones with the brightest red color. This indicates high amounts of beta-carotene and lycopene. Lycopene is found in the cell walls of the tomato, so by cooking it in a bit of oil, more lycopene is fully released. Also, cooking the tomato in a bit of olive oil helps your body to absorb the lycopene. If all you can find are canned tomatoes, that's fine. Cooking and canning don't cause tomatoes to lose any of their nutritional value. So cooked and processed tomatoes are just as beneficial as fresh tomatoes.

So tomatoes, once thought to be deadly poison, are now a nutritious staple of our diet. They help to fight cancer, and they contain a good amount of vitamin C, and other vitamins and minerals. So go ahead and start adding tomatoes to your diet.

Spaghetti Sauce:

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced (or more if you want)
1 lb ground beef (optional)
4 28oz. cans of crushed tomatoes
1 28oz. can of tomato sauce
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp dried oregano
3 bay leaves

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the chopped onion, and cook for a couple of minutes, until the onion is tender. Add the garlic, and cook briefly. Be sure not to burn the garlic.

If using ground beef, cook the meat in a skillet until browned. Drain the meat, and add it to the pot.

Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, worcestershire sauce, oregano, and bay leaves. Stir everything together, then turn the heat to medium low, and simmer for 4 hours, stirring occasionally.

Remove the sauce from the heat, and serve over pasta. The leftover sauce will freeze well.

Tim Sousa is the webmaster for Negative Calorie Food. A blog about losing weight eating negative calorie food.

More...

A Note To Food Manufacturers

Food manufacturing in the US has always been about convenience, product availability, taste and price. The more society ventured away from the family garden and kitchen, the more food manufacturers developed a market or niche for their products at home in the cupboards. Processed foods no longer are limited to flour and sugar on the country store shelf, but have evolved to include the variety of foods eaten daily and taken from restaurants, grocery stores, super markets and convenience stores.

As the commonality of quick processed foods increases throughout the world, health problems such as obesity, diabetes and cancer have also become common and inevitable to the point that *"1 in 3 American adults have Insulin Resistance, a pre-diabetic condition", and this will only be the beginning.

The philosophy behind Functional Food is to create food additives and ingredients that will enhance the bodies health by making manufactured foods more beneficial to the consumer with out losing quality or taste.

It is the intention to not only create additives and ingredients that will benefit todays market but will benefits today's generation as they age.

By using products such as "SugarBlendtm",and "FlourBlendtm,, in drinks, cakes, cookies, candies, breads, pastries, and snacks, today's children will have increased mineral uptake, aiding in the prevention of Osteoporosis as they age, increasing bowel function, reducing the chance of colon cancer and by aiding in the control of blood sugar swings that may cause diabetes later in life. These "Functional" properties are accomplished without side effects that may cause consumers to reject manufactured products. These side effects include sweeteners that cause a laxative effect, gas, bloating, aftertaste and degrading sweetness in high heat. Styrofoam-like textures, no taste, distasteful smell and color in cooking flour substitutes.

We see that parents today are becoming more aware and educated in the direction of nutrition, especially with regards to growing children. If foods are eaten that increase calcium in the bones today, twenty years from now, it is possible that this generation won't suffer from Osteoporosis or Colon Cancer. If foods are eaten today that keep the blood sugar steady and absorb slowly in the gut, not only will the child have protection from disease, but they will have a lessor chance of developing diabetes twenty years from now also.

The main objective of Home Blend Gourmet and others that manufacture functional food is "The Health of Humanity". Manufactures using these products today can influence the health of future generation and secure their markets for tomorrow. We create first rate ingredients and additives by being on the cutting edge of research. The demands of fast paced lives and lifestyles shouldn't cost the health of the human race. We can help food manufactures become more health conscious and competitive with marketing strategies that will put them above the rest of the pack.

Today, the education of the general public on nutrition is vastly brought about through mass media, by informational commercials, through news media, T.V. talk shows, magazine articles and newspaper articles.

High protein, low-carb, low-fat diets have gained popularity through media blitzes on celebrity books, university studies, restaurant menus and nutritional labels. These diet plans have also gained popularity by the prove results, some of the newest diets include Glycemic Indexing, or the blood glucose response to the manufactured products. We check our food formula's for impact to blood sugar response by doing in vivo oral tolerance tests. Each formula is created to not only aid in control of nutritional conditions, but that the side-effects of that formula is beneficial to the human body. We offer In Vivo testing for any of our manufacturing clients that would like to use Glycemic Indexing guidelines for marketing their products. We are South Pacific Health Enterprises, and we license our food formulas only to Home Blend Gourmet.

*AACE, AC of Endo. Conference, 08-25-26, 2003

About The Author

D.S. Epperson is the top formulator for Home Blend Gourmet / South Pacific Health, a leader in the functional food industry in the U.S.. With 20 years of experience in Nutritional Biochemistry, she has written reference books on botanicals and manufacturing of medicines from botanicals, and published articles on health, fitness and foods. She has formulated over 240 formulas and inventions for health, the environment and agricultural uses, and continues to research and study microbial advantages in nutraceuticals and functional foods. For more information or to view the articles that she has written: http://www.sugarblend.com.

online@sugarblend.com

More...

Health Benefits Of Tomatoes

Did you know that tomatoes were once considered poison? It's true, the tomato is a member of the nightshade family, and was at one time considered to be toxic. Tomatoes were first eaten in the U.S. in the early 1800's, when a gentleman by the name of Robert Johnson shocked his hometown by eating a basket of tomatoes in the middle of town. When he didn't die, or even get sick from the tomatoes, they became a part of the American diet.

We now know that tomatoes are not toxic, and in fact are quite nutritious. First of all, tomatoes contain a lot of vitamin C, which is quite beneficial, as you've probably heard. Vitamin C helps the body to produce collagen, an important protein skin, scar tissue, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant, helping to prevent cell damage by free radicals.

Tomatoes also contain a powerful antioxidant called lycopene. Studies have shown that men consuming 10 servings of tomatoes a week cut the risk of prostate cancer by 45%. Lycopene also lower the risk of colorectal cancer and stomach cancer, and inhibits the growth of other types of cancer cells. Lycopene may also help older folks remain active.

Coumaric acid and chlorogenic acied are also found in tomatoes. These two compounds are thought to block the effects of nitrosamines, which are formed naturally in the body, but are also a strong carcinogen in tobacco smoke.

Tomatoes may also help to reduce the risk of heart disease. Tomatoes are a good source of potassium, niacin, vitamin B6, and folate. Niacin has been used for years to lower cholesterol. Potassium has been shown to lower high blood pressure. And vitamin B6 and folate are used by the body to convert a dangerous chemical called homocysteine into more benign compounds.

Vitamin K, found in tomatoes helps to maintain healthy bones. Vitamin K1 activates a protein in the bones called osteocalcin, which anchors calcium inside the bone. Without enough vitamin K, bone mineralization is impaired.

When you buy tomatoes, be sure to buy the ones with the brightest red color. This indicates high amounts of beta-carotene and lycopene. Lycopene is found in the cell walls of the tomato, so by cooking it in a bit of oil, more lycopene is fully released. Also, cooking the tomato in a bit of olive oil helps your body to absorb the lycopene. If all you can find are canned tomatoes, that's fine. Cooking and canning don't cause tomatoes to lose any of their nutritional value. So cooked and processed tomatoes are just as beneficial as fresh tomatoes.

So tomatoes, once thought to be deadly poison, are now a nutritious staple of our diet. They help to fight cancer, and they contain a good amount of vitamin C, and other vitamins and minerals. So go ahead and start adding tomatoes to your diet.

Spaghetti Sauce:

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced (or more if you want)
1 lb ground beef (optional)
4 28oz. cans of crushed tomatoes
1 28oz. can of tomato sauce
2 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp dried oregano
3 bay leaves

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the chopped onion, and cook for a couple of minutes, until the onion is tender. Add the garlic, and cook briefly. Be sure not to burn the garlic.

If using ground beef, cook the meat in a skillet until browned. Drain the meat, and add it to the pot.

Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, worcestershire sauce, oregano, and bay leaves. Stir everything together, then turn the heat to medium low, and simmer for 4 hours, stirring occasionally.

Remove the sauce from the heat, and serve over pasta. The leftover sauce will freeze well.

Tim Sousa is the webmaster for Negative Calorie Food. A blog about losing weight eating negative calorie food.

More...