StarBar Organics

Why do we cook? There are tons of reasons that can be seen, reasons that contribute to the factors why we cook. Or rather, why we make an effort to learn how to cook. Some cook because they want to impress, some cook because they find cooking an indispensable tool in ensuring their own health. Meanwhile, there are also those who try to learn much about cooking because they find cooking quite an enjoyable activity.

For as long as we can remember, cooking has been perceived as some sort of a domestic duty. Indeed, we often see mothers preparing food for their families. The media has also perceived this in a negative light by portraying some mothers to do this duty begrudgingly, as if they have no other choice but to prepare food for the family. In our mind’s eye, we believe that cooking is being taken up for various purposes but no matter what purpose it serves us at the moment, we should still never fail to remember that cooking is also fun. Our recommendation for those who want to learn to coo well is just for them to enjoy the said activity. Cooking becomes less of a strain; less of a dragging activity, once we learn how to perceive it positively.

Fortunately, somewhere amidst our civilization, people began to see cooking as something more than the animalistic devouring of food. They discovered there were ways to make the meals taste good and the earliest forms of gourmet cooking had begun. Over the centuries, the various subdivisions of cooking started to appear. Somewhere and sometime, people began to bake bread. They discovered the fact that certain spices added to the taste appeal of food. Meals began to separate into time frame orientated divisions like breakfast and dinner and certain cooking forms became associated with certain times.

In spite of all of these, cooking was still a chore performed because if people did not have food to eat, they would get hungry and eventually they would die. There was not a whole lot of excess time for leisure activities, and as leisure day did become available, it was usually devoted to other pursuits. In the recent era, this has changed. As we began to have more leisure time, we made a discovery about cooking. It can be fun.

For those who want to try their luck at cooking, the best advice we can give you is to allow the activity to be enjoyed. Don’t treat cooking as a duty that you are obliged to perform. Also, give yourself the chance to experiment and reinvent certain traditional dishes. Do not be afraid to explore. Do not be afraid to make mistakes as well, because that is part of how you will be able to learn. Those who love cooking take pride in learning form their own mistakes. They would preferably make the fault and would like to mend it all by themselves in the second try. They find thrill in cooking, learning and creating some masterpieces in the end. This is a great avenue to learn.

Alonzo Bolton is a food and nutrition researcher for http://www.recipeasap.com/. He writes and researches actively on Food Recipe and shares his knowledge at http://www.recipeasap.com/ where he works as a staff writer.

Most of us like to eat at a restaurant, such as the Turn and Tender Restaurant, for the convenience that it represents – we save on food preparation time as well as the time for cleaning up. Time spent on making the actual meal itself is obviuosly much longer ince eating out at a restaurant is not just for filling your stomach, but also for the enjoyment and entertainment factor of it.

However, eating a lot at restaurants, even if you can afford it, can be detrimental to your health since restaurant food is much richer and with bigger portions than you would normally eat.

If you eat out a lot, you should keep these tips in mind for healthy eating and to prevent you from picking up weight.

1. Just because you are eating at restaurant does not mean that you should pick the richest and highly fattening foods. If you are weight conscious, then watching what you eat and being conscious of the type of food that you eat should be a way of life. Look for items on the menu that are healthier because they do not contain thick sauces, have a large portion of fresh vegetables or salad included, and are not fried in fat.
2. Stay away from large portions. Even if the restaurant serves large portions, do not always feel obliged to eat everything on your plate. This is not the time any more where mother is going to force you to sit at the table until you have cleaned your plate! After a meal, your stomach should only be half full or less with food. Rather take the leftover food away with you when you go, to eat later.
3. Drink water with every meal, for two parts of food consumed, you should drink one part water. Wait a bit after you have eaten, you might find after waiting for about 5 minutes that you already feel full and that you do not need to eat further.
4. Always eat breakfast. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and if you skip it, it will only catch up with you later.
5. Remember that you should not eat large meals late in the day. Try and make your main meal earlier in the day and then consume a lighter meal later in the day. Look for items on the menu such as turkey, chicken or fish, or a vegetable salad. Try and skip deserts, breads and second portions.
6. Fruit, yogurt and low fat cottage cheese are good substitutes for sugar and cheese – both of these are fattening.
7. Make sure that you try and cut back on coffee and alcohol – both of these are substances that will dehydrate your body meaning that you will need to drink extra water to make up for it.

These tips for eating at restaurants should not cause you to lessen your enjoyment, but will definitely help with restricting any weight gain. Bon Appetit!