What Kinds of Foods Have no Effect on Weight Gain?

A Melon, fruit

Many of us so worry with weight gain, especially if the weight gain relate to certain health condition or diseases such as high blood pressure, high fat content in blood and high blood sugar.

Questions then, What Kinds of Foods Have no Effect on Weight Gain? Or what kind of foods that we can eat as much as we want?

The general guidelines that we could eat the foods as much as we want without worry of weight gain are following:

- High satiety index

- High water content

- Low caloric content

- Low fat

- Higher fiber

- Good source of protein

For simplicity, the foods includes in the general guidelines are categorized as:

- Vegetables

- Fruits

- Legumes

Varied of Tomatoes. They are considered as vegetables and fruits

Some fruits we may eat as much as we want are following:

- Melon

- Cantaloupe (my article about Cantaloupe: Cantaloupe Grows Well in America)

- Apples

- Citrus fruits

- Strawberries

Vegetables are food which we can eat almost unlimited, some of them are:

- Potatoes are included as root vegetable because it contain starch. Potatoes are also include as a high satiate index food.

- Tomatoes considered both as fruit and vegetable.

- Broccoli

- Cauliflower

- Kale

Legumes contain high fiber, source of protein and low fat, few are:

- Beans

- Peas

- Lentils

- Black beans

- Soybeans

Which are you prefer most: fruits, vegetables or legumes?

Why do People Make and Eat Salted Duck Eggs?

Salted duck eggs are ready to eat

When I was a college student, I always eat salt duck eggs. I thought it is because salt eggs contain highly energy and protein.

In reality, duck eggs are better than chicken eggs in term of protein content. 9 grams of protein for a duck egg and 6 grams for chicken eggs.

The salted duck egg is a Chinese traditional food, and then well known in South East Asian countries such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

Why do People Make and Eat Salted Duck Eggs, not chicken egg? The answers are:

- Texture of duck eggs absorbs salt (brine) easier than chicken eggs

- A duck egg is tastier

- A duck egg is fresh longer

- A duck egg contains Omega-3 fatty acids more than chicken eggs

- People who allergic to eggs are prefer duck eggs than chicken eggs.

Cooked salted duck eggs

We can find salted duck eggs in almost Asian groceries (Chinese, Vietnamese, Thailand), here, in America. The salted eggs are cooked, and ready to eat.

Some people use cooked salted duck eggs as food flavor. They also use it as a condiment. Tasteful.

Wrapped salted duck eggs

In addition to protein, one salted duck egg also contains 1 gram and 9.6 gram of carbohydrate and fat consecutively. All these 3 nutrients are good for skin and muscle cares.

Sure, duck eggs are rich in vitamin (B12 and A) and minerals (selenium and iron). Selenium is good for hormone production. Iron used to increase oxygen contents in blood cells.

However, if you concern with highly salted and cholesterol, you should eat no more than one salted duck egg in a day or avoid at all.

Recently, I myself very rarely eat salted duck eggs, may be just two or three times in a year.

Have you taste salted duck eggs?

Have You Try to Freeze Strawberry?

Strawberry, red and sweet

Strawberry is one of my favorite fruits. I just buy them in enough amount to consume for several days.

Since we consume bought strawberries in a proper time, thus, they are in good condition and tasted fresh.

Off course, they are abundance during spring seasons. Mainly local productions. We could find strawberry all seasons, but they are imported ones.

Based on my own experienced, imported strawberries are varied in term of taste, freshness and overall quality.

I just read in an article that we can freeze strawberry, then can be used to make many foods as we know, a jam as an example.

Washing strawberries in the glass bowl

We can use frozen strawberries to make like following foods:

- Pie

- Compote

- A chocolate dip

- Cobbler

- Cake

- etc

My readings said that before freezing, strawberries are washed by clean water. Then put them into plastic bags (freezer bags).

We may freeze strawberry up to 2 months in a freezer, and some said that strawberries are safe to be consumed even after 12 months.

Honestly, I never freeze strawberry, thus never eat 12 months frozen strawberries.

Have You Try to Freeze Strawberry? How long in freezer is safe to be consumed?

What Species is Considered as the Best Tuna?

Blue fin tuna, just caught by fishermen

Back to my home country, no best quality of tunas is sold in the market. Why? It is because they are exported, mainly to Japan.

If we really want a tuna fish, we would come to an exporter. We could get the fresh tuna a week later, some times more than a week.

Here, in the America, I don’t know where is the market which sell fresh tuna in southern states (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama or Florida).

I eat canned tuna only if I miss the taste of fish. I bought in Walmart super market, some times in other groceries. The price is quite reasonable.

I once ordered a fresh tuna from a friend of mind who lives in Hawaii several years ago. Very good quality of tuna, and very expensive.

Canned tuna sold in groceries

Moreover, there are many species of tunas in nature. Several resources said there are 15 species, but known 5 only for commercial, they are:

- Skipjack

- Albacore

- Yellow fin

- Blue fin

- Big eye tuna

Both Yellow fin and Big eye tunas called as “Ahi” in Japanese and Hawaiians. They are look like similar, actually, two different species.

Now, what Species is Considered as the Best Tuna? The Blue fin tuna, it is because its highly quality and demand for certain foods such as “sashimi and sushi.”

The price so expensive, even cost US$ 3.1 million for “a giant blue fin tuna” at Tokyo, Japan fish market auction recently.

What species of tuna have you ever tasted?

Do You Know Different between Dark and Bold Coffee?

A coffee maker

I used to order dark or bold at Starbucks stores or any coffee shops. Honestly, I do not know the differences.

The words “black coffee” refers to coffee without sugar back home country. When early years in America, I used these words, the customer services looks confuse.

They always make sure what I mean with “black coffee.” On that time, I wonder why do they confuse?

Recently, I understand the different between bold and dark coffees. I will not mix these words anymore.

Bold coffee means higher coffee content in a cup of coffee. Another meaning that when brewing coffee, we should make higher ratio coffee to water to get “bold coffee.”

Dark coffee or also called as dark roast coffee refers to how coffee processed. Coffees are roasted to the level of dark. In real, coffee beans look like dark brown.

At dark level, coffees look oily on its surface and heavy weight. The heavy body makes coffees less acidity and less caffeine.

Hot a cup of coffee

One of health benefit to drink low acid and low caffeine coffee is that making our stomach and heart feel comfortable.

My favorite coffee is bold and dark French roasted. I am not brands crazy, I could drink Starbucks, Community Coffee or any local unfamiliar brands. I drink at least two cups of coffee every day.

How about with you? How many cups of coffee do you drink daily? Bold or dark or combined? What is your favorite brand?

Why do Banana Ripen Faster than We Expected?

Ripen banana hanged on the hanger by street vendor

in the tropical country

Banana is the most popular fruit in the world (some resource said tomato is the most popular, but I consider tomatoes as vegetables), thus not surprising that almost all of us consume banana frequently.

Some of people even eat banana in form of fresh and processed bananas every day. We ourselves often eat fry banana in addition to fresh ones.

I believe that many of us can’t eat all bananas we bought every day, every other days or every week, it is because some are too ripen to be eaten in the following days.

Then why do banana ripen faster? The answer that banana is one of fruits that has higher Ethylene (C2H4) content, a kind of hormone in banana or fruit.

If we put other fruits in the same bag of banana, then bananas emit Ethylene in form of gas, the Ethylene circulates in the bag to stimulate other fruits ripen faster.

Over ripen banana

In addition to banana, the following fruit content higher Ethylene, thus could ripen quickly than other fruits:

- Melon

- Avocado

- Apples

- Pears

- Peaches

- Cantaloupe

- Mangoes

- Papayas

- Apricots

Simple ways to prevent bananas ripen quickly are:

- Store individually, not in bunch of bananas

- Separate the brown and green

- Do not wrap in the plastic bags

- Hang banana in the banana hangers.

Have you experienced with bananas ripen quickly than you expect?

Cantaloupe Grows Well in America

Ripe cantaloupe

I thought the fruit is a Japanese melon variety, but after searching through google, the cantaloupe is from Europe origin. The fact is surprising me.

Fruit was brought to Italy from Armenia. Papal county namely Cantalupo, close to Rome planted this fruits about 200 years ago. French then gave name of Cantaloupe.

In addition to cantaloupe, some Americans also call the fruit as rockmelon, muskmelon, sweet melon and muskmelon.

America produced 13.4 million cwt cantaloupe per year. Production mainly in the states of Arizona, Texas and California.

Cantaloupe sold in a grocery store

American loves to consume melons, include Cantaloupe. A single American consumes 27 pounds melon per year. One of the highest in the world.

We always buy this fruit, especially during late spring to summer seasons. Sweet and fresh.

Slices in a plate

It is said cantaloupe include as a super food due to its nutrient contents. It riches in vitamin A and C.

Cantaloupe also said as “beauty fruit,” because its extracted could be used to prevent wrinkle, to slow down skin aging and improve skin elasticity.

What do you think about cantaloupe?

Do You Know that America Exports Date Fruits?

A date fruit tree sold by Etsy, US$ 2.31 per small tree

I thought that date fruits come from certain countries in Asia, Middle East and Africa only. The fact that the following top 10 countries produce dates are from these regions. They are:

01) Egypt, yearly production 1.1 million tons

02) Iran, yearly production 0.95 million tons

03) Saudi Arabia, yearly production 0.84 million tons

04) Iraq, yearly production 0.68 million tons

05) Pakistan, yearly production 0.56 million tons

06) United Arab Emirat, yearly production 0.53 million tons

07) Algeria, yearly production 0.49 million tons

08) Sudan, yearly production 0.44 million tons

09) South Sudan, yearly production 0.43 million tons

10) Oman, yearly production 0.24 million tons

Dates sold in Walmart

Quite lately, I knew that America produces date fruits too. Date trees are growing well in some hot places such as Southern Florida, Southern California and Arizona.

California produced 35 thousand tons (70 million pounds) of dates, around 90% of dates in America.

Production quite small compared to top 10 countries date production. However, it is surprising that America export date fruit to several countries.

Where? What countries are importing date fruits from USA? America exports date fruits to the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada.

Total export in 2017 to 2018 was 21.8 million pounds with value US$ 67.1 million (Euro 60 million or Pound Sterling 52 million).

We are shopping date fruits from California recently. They are sold in groceries such as Walmart. Price quite reasonable, US$ 4 per-pound (almost half kg).

Have you tasted date fruits?

How Many Pizza Eaten by American Daily?

Pizza, credit to Times Food

Do you know that pizza is the most popular photographed in social media? The most popular cuisine in the world is Italian foods, then Chinese and Mexican cuisines. Of Italian, Pasta and Pizza are on the top.

What is the popular food in the USA? The answer is depend on sources you read. Wonderpolis organization said that the top 3 popular foods in America are pizza, steak and then chicken.

Pizza is the second popular in America according to Fox News. Hamburger is the top. Days when American ordered pizza are: New year eve, Super bowl Sunday and Thanksgiving day

How Many Pizza Eaten by American Daily? Americans eat million pizzas or equal to 100 acres (41 hectare or 400 thousand square meters) daily. In term of time measures, American consume 360 slices of pizza per seconds.

Hundred of franchises sell pizza across the USA. Some of them are:

- Blaze pizza

- Domino pizza

- Papa John’s

- Little caesars

- Pizza hut

Actually, I am not big fan of pizza. When I was student, I always buy “little caesars” pizza, since the price and size are appropriate for me. Now, sometimes, I consume “pizza hut,” because it close to my house.

Pizza is one of big industries world wide and in the USA. The industry size is US$ 134 billion in the world and US$ 45 billion in the USA.

Do you like pizza? How many pizza are eaten in your country?

Is Avocado Considered as a Super Food?

Avocado, medium and small sizes

Avocado is one of my favorites food. I eat the fruit simply by mixing it (avocado’s flesh) with condensed milk (produced by Nestle).

Sometimes, I mixed avocado flesh, milk (chocolate condensed milk) and ice cubed altogether, by using electrical mixer, like making a juice drink.

The price is a quite little bit expensive compared to other fruit for me. A medium size for a whole avocado cost US$ 3 (£ 2.67).

Flesh of avocado, look like a butter

Avocado flesh is creamy and butterly texture. If we eat first time, the taste is little bit bitter, actually mild sweet, especially when we eat ripe fruit.

We slice, dice or cube the avocado flesh. The medium size could weight around 150 gram or 1/3 pound in serving.

Small size of avocados

Is Avocado Considered as a Super Food? Yes, it is because it riches of nutrients:

-Fibre, potassium, Omega 3, magnesium and folic acid

-Vitamints: A, B, C, D, E and K

-Copper and iron

-Mono saturated fat, very few fruit contain this nutrient.

A "good fat" in avocado could reduce bad cholesterol level, thus lower the risk of stroke and heart attack. 

There many other health benefit by eating avocado regularly as said by nutritionists.

Have you ever tasted avocado?