Tag Archives: Food

Are There Certain Foods That I Need to Eat Or Avoid If I Want to Get Pregnant With a Boy Baby?

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I often hear from women who are trying to conceive a boy baby. Some of the more common topics are foods, nutrition, and diet. Most people suspect that what you eat can have an impact over which gender you ultimately conceive. This perception is true. But, it’s usually not as simple as adding a few foods to your diet and hoping for the best. To have the best results, you’ll often have to have a very deliberate and methodical approach so that you aren’t just guessing. I will discuss this more in the following article.

The Reason That Foods And Diet Can Affect Whether You Have A Boy Or A Girl Baby: Before I get into specific foods, I want to briefly explain the reason behind this whole theory. Certain surroundings are friendly or beneficial to the sperm that produce a certain gender. For example, the Y sperm which produce boys do not thrive when acidity is involved. This is their worst case scenario. So, to give them the best chance for success, you are better off introducing an alkaline environment.

But, if you are trying for a girl baby, then just the opposite is true. While the X producing sperm (which produce girls) is more hardy and can basically get by in either environment, you are better off focusing on acidity because you are wanting to discourage or deteriorate the boy producing sperm. Making yourself more acidic in one way to do this. So to recap, for a girl you want to be acidic and for a boy you want to be alkaline.

The Alkaline Foods To Eat When You’re Trying To Get Pregnant With A Baby Boy: Basically, you want to consume alkaline rather than acidic foods. And, you don’t want to place any caloric limitations on yourself because studies have shown us that a higher number of calories favors producing boy babies. (However, the statistics aren’t so compelling that you need to put on any weight in order to achieve this.)

Now generally speaking, you will sometimes hear that fruits and vegetables are alkaline while meats and dairy are acidic. This is true for some of the foods in both categories, but there are always exceptions to this rule so it’s important to be careful. (And it’s even better to test this out for yourself.) For example, while lemons and watermelon are examples of highly alkaline fruits and vegetables, blueberries and plums fall into the acidic category.

Some examples of fruits and vegetables that are desirable and alkaline are things like apricots, spinach, raisins, lima beans, peaches, carrots, cucumbers, lettuce and tomatoes, and cantaloupe. Some examples of acidic foods that you want to avoid are things like blueberries, asparagus, whole grains and bread, corn, cheeses, milk, nuts, and many meats.

The Cooking And Metabolizing Process Can Affect Whether A Food Is Alkaline Or Acidic In Your Particular Case: There are many things that affect whether a food is ultimately acidic or alkaline to the particular person who is eating it. Examples are things like it’s freshness or ripeness and whether it is cooked or not. Also, some foods start out acidic but become alkaline once they are metabolized in the body. Lemons are one example. (But this applies to lemons that were fresh when picked. Things get a bit dicey when the fruit is picked when not yet ripe and then ripens in the store.)

Since there are many variables that go into how a food is metabolized, I often tell people that it’s best to start out with a good food list but to test things for themselves. With PH testing strips, you can take your reading before a meal and then take it again after you eat to see if you are actually getting the results that you are hoping for. Everyone is different. A good food list is a great place to start, but you can typically do even better than this by testing to make sure that you are getting the reading and reaction that you need to get the baby boy that you want. Also, adding douching to the changes in your diet can often bring about more dramatic results.

I often tell people that making guesses when you are trying to chose your baby’s gender is the absolutely worst thing that you can do. Guessing about your ovulation day or whether you have a an acidic or alkaline reading is not optimal, especially when you can easily check these things to make sure that you are right. The testing strips are inexpensive enough that you really should try to incorporate them into your regimen.

Taking It Even Further: Acidity is important. But, you will also need to look at when and how you conceive. The timing of when you conceive (as this relates to ovulation) and which sexual positions that you use can also affect your baby’s gender. So, you will likely also want to look at timing and positioning as well as the foods that you consume and your diet.

Self-Catered Wedding Receptions: Food Safety 101 Ten Tips From A Caterer

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Keeping food safe is not difficult! Basically food safety is about common sense and a bit of food safety education. It is highly recommended that anyone who engages in food preparation, do a little homework about how to keep food safe.

Visit a couple of food safety websites. If you have questions… ASK! Do not ever be afraid to ask questions! Most of the food safety sites should have toll free hotlines.

The following list is not a complete list. However, this list includes 10 of the most common tips that I shared with my food preparation staff when I was in the catering and special event business.

1. Secure your hair. Tie it back. Cover it or at least spray it liberally with hairspray before you step into the kitchen. Make sure you don’t have any hair on your clothes, too! Use a lint brush before you go into the kitchen to start cooking. While loose hair is not necessarily a big food safety issue, it is very unappetizing in food!

2. Remove all rings and other jewelry from your hands. Wash your hands and lower arms with hot soapy water before, during and after preparing food. During food preparation you will need to wash your hands often. Just use common sense and remember to wash between tasks, if you cough, if you scratch yourself, etc.

3. Start every new session with an immaculate kitchen. Wash down your prep area and counter tops. Use a solution of 1 quart water to 3 teaspoons bleach. (Bleach in a kitchen can ruin nice clothes fast. Don’t wear your best clothes in the kitchen! There is nothing worse than finding tiny bleached dots or splotches of white on a favorite nonwhite garment. Believe me I have had this happen more times than I want to remember.)

4. Keep a supply of disposable food service gloves on hand. The choice to wear gloves is up to you. If you keep your hands spotless, you will not need to wear gloves, unless you want to do so. However, if you have any type of cuts or wounds on your hands or exposed arms – it is very important that the wounds be properly bandaged. If the wound is on your hand, you need to wear a glove on that hand. There is nothing more disgusting than finding a Band-Aid in food. Yuk.. you really don’t want to give new meaning to the term “cold cuts”!

5. If you are going to be cooking with raw meat, fish or poultry always keep the raw food on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Do you know the reason for this? The reason is that you do not want any raw juices to accidentally drip onto other food in the refrigerator.

6. The temperature of your refrigerator should always be below 40 degrees. Keep a thermometer in it and monitor it. When you use the refrigerators at your wedding reception venue… check the temperature. Make sure the refrigerators are working properly. Ask the venue staff at the reception site to check the temperature of the refrigerator for you in the days preceding your reception. Also ask the venue staff, very nicely, if they will make sure to have the refrigerator clean for you.

7. Perishable food needs to stay under refrigeration! Only take food out of the refrigerator as you need it in the different stages of preparation. As soon as you are done preparing food get it back into the refrigerator or freezer.

8. Wash, rinse, sanitize, and rinse cutting boards between steps. Use common sense!

9. Transport food in insulated coolers. Borrow or rent big coolers.

10. Leftover food should never be kept out of refrigeration for more than two hours. If in doubt, throw it out.

Again this is not an all inclusive list. Depending on the menu you choose for your reception, different precautions may need to be taken. As you decide your menu, think through the food safety logistics. For example, if you are having an outdoor reception during warm weather months you need to read up on food safety for picnics or tailgate parties. Follow those safety measures exactly! The amount of time that food can go unrefrigerated outside is only about one hour. After that hour, if the food is not chilled or iced down … dangerous bacteria can begin growing in the food. That is bad! If food that has not been properly refrigerated is consumed, it is possible that the person eating the food can become very, very sick. A person with a weakened immune system could even die.

If you are self-catering or semi-catering your wedding reception appoint someone trustworthy who will be vigilant about food safety!

If you are having your reception catered always ask the caterer to describe their food handling procedures to you.

Just because you are not a full-time licensed caterer – do not feel intimidated by the issue of food safety. Chances are the food that you prepare for your own wedding reception will be superior in taste and free of germs. You will be confident because you know your kitchen was spotless, your hands were clean, and your food did not sit out of refrigeration a minute longer than was necessary in the preparation process.

You might want to consider asking a family member, friend or hired assistant to help you with food safety issues. Contact one of the state or national food safety organizations and ask for their help, too.
They can offer you a wealth of information to help you to learn the do’s and don’ts of food safety.

Food safety is not difficult! Food safety does not take long to learn! Set aside an hour or two to educate yourself about food safety before you start preparing food for your wedding reception.

© 2006 Kathi Dameron, Kathi Dameron and Associates

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Where Do Dog Food Ingredients Come From?

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Health, energy and lifespan of your dog all depend on two things. One is how well taken care of your pet is and the second directly related thing is the dog food you purchase. Not all dog foods contain the same ingredients. Knowing which ones have the correct vitamins and nutritional value for your dog will ensure that he is around for a long time.

The Recall of Dog Food

The dog food recall in 2007 that was the result of companies in China and the U.S. using melamine in their pet food products was directly responsible for the deaths of 2,200 dogs. This is a chemical that is used to manufacture plastic.

About 800 tons of wheat gluten that contained this chemical was found in China. Not only was it found, but it had been mislabeled to avoid inspection.

The melamine was added to boost the protein content of the gluten used in the dog food. The reason behind this was the cost. It was merely cheaper to use melamine than it was to add real protein.

This is where a lot of companies cheat on the products being sold. Consumers read the label and think it contains a certain ingredient. In fact, they do not contain that product at all; they often contain ingredients that are dangerous and may even cause death as in the case of the tainted food.

How Do You Know What Product to Buy?

So how are you supposed to know if a dog food is good for your dog or not? This is not something you can tell by looking at the food. The ingredients used to make the food will be one way of discovering if the food has the right combination of nutrients to keep your dog healthy. This is found on the bag itself.

Look for the first ingredient listed. The first ingredient is extremely important as this will be the ingredient that makes up the largest percentage of the dog food. If the first ingredient listed is an animal protein, such as chicken meal, you are on the right track. Keep in mind that if it says poultry protein, this is not the same thing.

Do not buy food that has meat meal or meat by-products either. The protein required by dogs is not present in these ingredients. Nutritional value can be affected by using these products as well as soy, wheat and corn. Preservatives are another ingredient you should beware of in your dog’s food. There are certain ones that can be extremely hard on dogs. This is especially true if this is what the dogs eat for an extended time period.

One of the things you will learn is to never take the word of the manufacturer when they label their food ‘complete and balanced’. Dogs can even look outwardly healthy unless examined by a veterinarian. This is when they will notice the coats that are not healthy looking and often dry or oily skin. In addition they may have excessive itching and ear infection. The ‘complete and balanced’ food they were eating contained corn as the main ingredient.

This used to be hard to diagnose because the dogs would appear healthy and some even looked to be overfed. However, the reason for the constant problems with coats and ear infections was the grain diets they were consuming and the absence of meat. Combined with itchy, flaky skin and the overweight condition, the grain fed diets were not providing the proper nutrition.

When purchasing a truly ‘balanced and nutritious’ food for your dog, meat-based is the choice. The meat is an essential part of the dog’s diet as long as it is the correct type.

Dog food companies should stop worrying about making fancy commercials to try and get the public to buy their product. Instead, spending this money on quality ingredients will tell the public far more readily that this is a dog food that will be nutritious and beneficial for their dog. A fund for the owners of these animals was started in 2008. Documented proof of the owner’s expenses related to the tainted food can allow them to be reimbursed. What, however is supposed to happen for the families that lost beloved pets that were a part of the family for years?