Honey, a little bit of History

Honey is natures sweetener.

Laborious bees, convert flower's nectar into Honey storing it in beehives.

Honey contains a treasure chest of hidden nutritional and medicinal value known for centuries. The sweet golden liquid from the beehive is a popular kitchen staple loaded with antibacterial and antifungal properties that has been used since the early days of Egyptian tombs.

Cave paintings in Spain from 7000BC show the earliest records of beekeeping, however, fossils of honey bees date back about 150 million years! 

Its 'magical' properties and versatility has given honey a significant part in history:

The earliest record of keeping bees in hives was found in the sun temple erected in 2400BC near Cairo. The bee featured frequently in Egyptian hieroglyphs and, being favoured by the pharaohs, often symbolised royalty.

The ancient Egyptians used honey as a sweetener, as a gift to their gods and also as an ingredient in embalming fluid. Honey cakes were baked by the Egyptians and used as an offering to placate the gods.

Greeks, too, made honey cakes and offered them to the gods.

The Greeks viewed honey as not only an important food, but also as a healing medicine. Greek recipes books were full of sweetmeats and cakes made from honey. Cheeses were mixed with honey to make cheesecakes, described by Euripides in the fifth century BC as being "steeped most thoroughly in the rich honey of the golden bee."

The Romans also used honey as a gift to the gods and they used it extensively in cooking. Beekeeping flourished throughout the Roman empire.

Honey continued to be of importance in Europe until the Renaissance, when the arrival of sugar from further afield meant honey was used less. By the seventeenth century sugar was being used regularly as a sweetener and honey was used  less. 

The honey bee was introduced to New Zealand in 183916 by English settlers, and Mary Bumby was the first bee-keeper here.  New Zealand had two native species of bees, but neither was suitable for producing honey.

http://kumarafusion.co.nz/

New Zealand approves Raw Milk Sales and Deliveries

“After extensive consultation and review, the Government decision will allow farmers to continue to sell raw milk directly to the public from the farm and via home deliveries."

New Zealand government has unveiled new rules which permit farmers to sell this most basic, probiotic rich and nutritious of foods directly to consumers.

The new policy requires raw milk farmers to register with the Ministry for Primary Industries, meet hygiene requirements, test milk for pathogens, keep records of sales, and label the milk correctly.

Food Safety Minister Jo Goodhew said that the New Zealand government has “worked hard to find the right balance between managing the risks to public health while recognising the demand from rural and urban consumers to access raw milk.”

Goodhew said that the new requirements for New Zealand farmers who sell raw milk will come into effect on March 1, 2016.

“Our focus has been to ensure raw milk is available for those who actively seek it, and that people are well aware of the risks associated with drinking it. I believe this policy will achieve both these goals.”

Do you crave for chocolate?

When people are stressed out,  they usually go for chocolate. Women , sometimes go crazily for chocolate. Do you know why?

Did you know  chocolate is one of the highest food sources of magnesium? And what is the role of the Magnesium in your body. Well magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in your body, a necessary co-factor for hundreds of enzymes, and the most critical mineral of all for coping with stress.

Stress is the bad guy here, in addition to our woeful magnesium deficient diets. Stress causes us to waste our magnesium like crazy and this mineral seems to act on many levels in the hormonal axis and regulation of the stress response. 
It is an antidote to stress, the most powerful relaxation mineral available, and it can help improve your sleep.
Can you think of any better way than eating a good dark chocolate to provide your body with some Magnesium???
Besides dark chocolate contains serotonin, which relaxes your body and mind.
So yes, from now on you are allowed to pamper yourself to some nice dark chocolate or any recipes containing dark chocolate to have a better night sleep.

Citric acid, food preservative. Is it good for our health?

Citric Acid is widely used in the food industry as an additive and is declared safe to consume by all major government food regulatory bodies. Our bodies produce it in big amounts that is why is assumed not to damage our body when we consume it  in food. But what they add to the food we eat is not pressed lemon juice is processed and synthetic citric acid .

Citric acid, it’s a food additive used commonly in soft drinks, candies, marmalades, sauces, even in gummy bears. Besides its use as an additive, the citric acid is also commonly used as a natural food preservative. By increasing acidity, the low pH conditions produced prevent bacterial and fungal growth, therefore prolonging the life of the food or drink. It also helps preserve flavor and maintains pH at a suitable level to prevent food degradation, especially canned food.

Possible Side Effects

Reading in the net we find out that "while it is generally safe, side effects do occur if an excess of the acid is used or consumed". Some of these side effects include stomach cramps, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. The acid is also believed to erode the tooth enamel when consumed frequently, which leads to an increased susceptibility of tooth decay, infections and other various complications. 

Professor Adrian Lussi of the Swiss Dental Clinic in Bern notes that caries (tooth decay) is declining while erosion of tooth enamel is on the rise. In a study at the University of Bristol, UK, the increasing incidence of enamel erosion was causally connected to the high amounts of citric acid added to drinks and food.

Generally citric acid is considered a harmless food additive, a colourless, translucent, crystalline powder that smells like lemon. According to food regulating agencies in all countries, it can be added to food without restrictions. Naturally, citric acid appears in lemon, limes and many other sour-tasting fruit. Have you ever watched the face of a baby when it sucks on a lemon slice for the first time? they do faces but they do it over and over, not getting enough of it. The food industry makes full use of our cravings for that crisp and tangy taste and adds it en-masse to fruit drinks, spaghetti sauce, baby food, iced tea and everything else that needs a flavor improvement.

Of course the industry doesn’t press lemon juice; it creates this stuff artificially. Every year worldwide more than 600,000 tons of crystalline citric acid are produced, while the entire harvest of lemons and limes is only 120,000 tons. The official chemical name of citric acid is 2-Hydroxy-1,2,3-propane-tri-carboxylic acid. The reason this artificially-produced citric acid is called “natural” or an “organic acid” is that it has three carbon bonds in its formula and is therefore water-soluble. If an acid has no carbon bond it can’t be called organic.

The interesting thing is that citric acid is produced in our bodies in huge amounts (two kilograms daily, in fact) but is also quickly metabolized. Therefore, it is assumed that any amount can be added to our food without causing harm. Apparently this is not the case, as dentists have already found out in observing tooth erosion in children and teenagers. Generally, parents are not aware of the damage citric acid can do. The entire digestive system can be irritated, causing heartburn and damage to the mucous membrane of the stomach. Also the eyes, the respiratory organs and the skin can suffer with scratchy sensations from over-consumption of citric acid. So far you will not find any cautionary statements on the labels but do you want to give your kids food containing this "safe" preservative? No wonder food allergy sufferers are increasing, what we eat is damaging our bodies. 

This articles has been taken from:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2259267/

http://www.alive.com/health/is-citric-acid-truly-safe/

http://acidpedia.org/citric_acid/

Agar, reduces cholesterol

Agar, Agar powder comes from red seaweed.  Is void of starch, gluten, wheat, yeast, preservatives,  sugar or animal byproducts.

hand picking Agar (coastbio.co.nz)

Agar has great health benefits

1. Suppresses appetite

Agar offers the benefit of surprising appetite and is thus beneficial for weight loss. When wet, agar becomes gelatinous, like in our Kumara Delight, and provides a fullness feeling. This suppresses feelings of hunger, controls appetite and encourages weight loss. Obese individuals and also those simply looking to manage their weight should consider consuming agar.

2. Mineral source

Agar contains lots of minerals that the body needs on a regular basis. For instance, agar comprises calcium, iron,  potassium and also  of sodium. These minerals are important in maintaining proper overall health. Additionally, agar eliminates the need of the body to retain and store excess fat.

3. Boosts digestion

A nutrition that includes frequent agar intake will not only improve digestion, but it will also enhance waste removal. Agar absorbs lots of glucose present in your stomach and passes quickly across the digestive tract. This water absorbing property also helps in quickening waste removal. Since agar contains a high amount of fiber, it offers a laxative benefit that assists in regulating and cleansing the bowel.

4. Lowers cholesterol

The other agar advantage is that it absorbs bile, which assists the body in dissolving more cholesterol. Reducing cholesterol improves health as it prevents plaques from forming in arteries.

Start adding it to your diet, or eat products containing Agar.

Kumara with Blue Cheese and Walnuts

• This recipe goes perfect as a side dish for this winter warm dinners.

  

• 
  

• Ingredients

• 4 medium orange Kumaras, cut into 3cm pieces
• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 1 x 30g pack sage, 1/2 chopped
• 100g  blue cheese
• 3 tbsp walnuts, toasted

Preheat the oven to 180oC. Arrange the Kumaras in a single layer in a roasting tin and toss with the olive oil, chopped sage and some seasoning. Roast for 30 minutes or until golden at the edges.

Meanwhile, rub the whole sage leaves with a little oil. Scatter them over the kumaras for the final 5 minutes of cooking. Remove the roasting tin from the oven. Scatter over the cheese and walnuts. Serve immediately.

Perfect with your Sunday roast!!!