You Need to Avoid These Foods for Breakfast

05 April 2019

Although breakfast is the most important meal of the day, it does not mean you can eat anything you want. Yes, you are burning what you eat early during the day, but the food could still end up as stored fats that are not good for your health. These are some of the foods you need to avoid in the morning.

Contents

1 Breakfast cereals
2 Pancakes and waffles
3 Toast with margarine
4 Muffins
5 Fruit juice

Breakfast cereals

When you were young, you thought that breakfast meant cereal. It was easy to prepare, and your mom probably had the same meal for you when you woke up. The truth is that even if the labels suggest that cereals contain whole grains, they are not necessarily the healthiest option for you. Even if some brands may contain nutrients your body needs, most of them hold a whole lot of sugar. Even granola and oats contain loads of sugar you need to avoid.

Pancakes and waffles

Again, when you were young, you were excited when you had pancakes and waffles on the table. The essential ingredients are sugar, milk, and eggs. They might be okay for breakfast, but the amount of refined flour present in making them is not good for your health. Add to that the toppings that you have like maple syrup, butter, or honey. They contain too much sugar that is unhealthy.

Toast with margarine

When you think about toast with margarine, you might feel even more excited about eating breakfast. Unfortunately, margarine is a terrible choice. It does not contain any significant nutrients, plus it has saturated fat and sugar. The bread is essentially refined carbs that will make the sugar in your blood spike quickly. Elevated blood sugar levels could lead to weight gain.

Muffins

Muffins have a reputation for being healthy, but they are not. They are technically cakes that contain lots of refined flour and sugar. Apart from eggs, nothing else is healthy in a muffin. If you buy the muffin mix in a box, it may contain more sugar and flour than the ones you prepare at home. The added sugar for flavors like chocolate chips and dried fruits make muffins even worse.

Fruit juice

You think that fruit juices are okay, but they are terrible for your health. The juices you purchase typically contain very little juice, and more fructose or corn syrup. They are the reason why you have increased sugar levels in your blood. They could also increase your chances of putting on weight. Unless you prepare the juice at home with real fruits and nothing else, you cannot have fruit juice in the morning, or at all.

Given these reasons, you need to evaluate what you are eating in the morning. If you eat the right food for breakfast, you can have steak at night if you wish. You can check out upper west side restaurants for the best meals available. When you are careful with what you eat during the day, you will not mind eating a lot at night.

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Ariana Smith

I enjoy writing and I write quality guest posts on topics of my interest and passion. I have been doing this since my college days. My special interests are in health, fitness, food and following the latest trends in these areas. I am an editor at Content Rally.

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How to Thicken Chili – Tried and Tested

A cold winter night with a delicious dish of chili is all you need to enjoy your moment. But wait, Are you left with too much liquid in your chili? Ah! No need to worry at all. There are numerous ways on "how to thicken chili". Honestly, you don’t want a thin chili because there is nothing better than a cheerful bowl of thick chili as your winter dish. Many times, just to thicken the chili, people cook it more than it is necessary. Later, other ingredients in it fall apart and turn to mush. Don’t panic. There are effective and easy ways to thicken chili at your home, and all of these methods are tried and tested. Just be sure to use at least some of these methods to thicken chili before your precious moment turns into sour. How To Thicken Chili - Tried and Tested You may be wondering that cooking your dish for a little longer will make your chili thick. But do you know that you are mushing other ingredients in it? So, you must know other effective ways about how to thicken chili. Below listed are the perfect ways to thicken chili for the perfect night. 1. Flour - Standard Thickening Method: Wheat flour is composed of proteins, sugars, lipids, starch, and enzymes. It is used for making different types of foods. Flour is widely used for thickening chili in most of the kitchens. It really works great. Now its time to try for yourself as well. Ingredients: 30ml or two tablespoons of flour and 60ml or ¼ cup of cold water. How to Use? Take a separate bowl. Mix flour and water thoroughly in it. Make sure that the resulting mixture has no lumps and is smooth. Then add the flour mixture in your thin chili while cooking it in medium-high heat. Stir constantly. Let the mixture boil and thicken well. It will hardly take few minutes. Make sure to continue stirring an additional few seconds to see if you are able to detect flour in your chili flavor. So, here is your hearty chili dish! Now, it is much thicker and tastier than before. You can even serve this to your guests. 2. Arrowroot- Best Thickening Agent: Arrowroot contains Vitamin B, Iron, Potassium, low-protein, starch, etc. It is widely used as a thickening agent in all household kitchens. It is a starch that is extracted from the arrowroot plant. When you will use arrowroot in your dish, then it will give an amazing surface gloss to your liquid chili. Ingredients: 5ml or 1 tablespoon of Arrowroot and 5ml or 1 tablespoon of cold water. How to Use? Take a separate bowl. Mix thoroughly water and arrowroot to turn it into a smooth paste. Make sure that you add only a small amount of arrowroot as it is potent and flavorless. Then add slurry into your thin chili cooking it in medium heat. Stir constantly below the boiling point. Then after 1 to 2 minutes, your thin chili will thicken instantly. Arrowroot adds gloss like appearance to your chili dish making your dish thicker and delicious. I have used this method and got the result, so now it’s your time! 3. Cornstarch- Anti-sticking Agent: Cornstarch is also known as Maize starch which is extracted from the maize grain. It is a food ingredient that is used in thickening soups and sauces. Cornstarch gives a moderate glossy appearance and when mixed with liquid, it rearranges itself. Ingredients: 15ml or 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 15ml or 1 tablespoon of cold water. How to Use? Take a separate bowl. Mix thoroughly cornstarch and water before mixing it to chili. After adding cornstarch paste to chili, heat it in a medium to high flame. Stir it well until the bubbles start appearing. Wait for few minutes to see the results. If you still feel that your chili should be thicker then you can add more cornstarch and water on it. Then let it cook for an additional few minutes. You can use cornstarch to thicken your chili because it will not alter the taste of your dish of chili as cornstarch is flavorless. Other Simple Ways to Thicken Your Thin Chili: 4. Mix it in Tomato Paste Now, no need to worry about how to thicken chili. If you want your chili only a little thick then you can use this method. Tomato is one of the main elements in chili. So adding it to your mixture won’t alter its taste and makes your chili thicker. Ingredients: 170 grams of tomato paste. How to Use? I am suggesting that you should use fresh handmade tomato paste. Since tomato paste is recognized as bitter in taste, so you can add a pinch of sugar in it. Sugar will add a mild sweetness to your dish by removing tomato’s bitterness. During the final thirty minutes of cooking add 170 grams of tomato paste into your thin chili. Slowly add tomato paste to your thin chili. You can also add it after every ten minutes if you wish (⅓ of the tomato paste). Stir constantly to combine it well. You can use tomato paste to thicken your thin chili dish. But keep all the instructions in mind so as not to make any mistakes while preparing it. 5. Use More Beans to Thicken Your Thin Chili: A bean is a seed of numerous genera of the flowering plant. They have the ability to curl up on any medium. Beans can be use to thicken your thin chili. Do you know that India is the largest producer of dry beans in the world? Yes, it is. Ingredients: 125ml or a half-cup beans. How to Use? If your chili contains beans then strain half cup of beans. Then refry and blend it. Then again mix this mixture to your chili and cook for a few minutes. Stir occasionally to warm it well. You can use canned or home-cooked beans as per your wish. If you still feel that your chili is thin, you can add extra beans in it but make sure you blend it well. Here you go! Your thick chili dish is ready now to serve your family. If you don’t like beans then no need to worry. You can add meats to make your chili thicker. Wrapping it Up "How to thicken chili" is one of the major problems for all the cook masters. Even I have used many methods to thicken my thin chili but all went in vain! Therefore, all the above methods are tried and tested about how to thicken chili. So, you can use it to thicken your thin chili. I know nobody likes to serve thin chili to their family or guests. Even I don’t like it. Do you? Image source: wikihow Read Also: 3 Variants of Thin Crust Pizzas How You Can Increase the Value of Your Home with Stone Veneers

7 Cheeses Everyone Should Know About

The fact that there are at least 650 types of cheeses means that there are types that even cheese lovers have not heard of before. These cheeses can be found in different parts of the globe from the cold, temperate regions of Canada to the snow-capped mountainous rural areas of Switzerland to the warm, tropical fields in South Asia. For those who want to know more about the lesser-known types of cheese, these are seven that you should try out soon: Cotija : You may not have heard of cotija cheese before but you may have already tasted it as it is a mainstay on taco and salad recipes. It is derived from cow’s milk, which is aged for three months. Originally from Mexico, it has been compared to feta though it acquires a tangier taste and drier texture as it ages. It is used in its home country as an addition to the soup. Other cooks also mix it in with guacamole and use it to top beans and casseroles. Emmental : A lot of people call it “Swiss cheese” but its name is actually “Emmental.” Emmental is the type of cheese typically featured in cartoons with holes in them. Emmental is especially perfect for fondue and grilled cheese. What is most interesting about Emmental is the process by which it is made. Cows are made to graze in the mountains of the Alps in the southern regions of Switzerland so that they can produce milk later on. The milk curds are the ones used to make Emmental by pressing them firmly together. What is the reason for the bubbles you say? These are actually bubbles of carbon dioxide that were made by bacteria that are consuming the lactic acid. Camembert : The camembert may be one of the most widely produced cheeses in France but it is barely known outside Europe. This is due to the fact that the aging period is only at over three weeks, making it difficult to mass transport in batches to other parts of the world. Camembert is characterized for its mild, almost mushroom-like aroma. It is sometimes eaten as is or deep-fried. A few even do breaded camembert snacks. Manchego : This Spanish cheese is made from milk produced from the Manchega sheep. It has a varied color, depending on the aging period it has, which can range from ivory to yellow. Young manchego cheese can be characterized as creamy and rich though it becomes salty as it ages. It is usually served as is though it is popularly paired with the Spanish membrillo for snacks. Feta : Feta is unusual as cheese as it is among the few that is a combination of two types of cheese. Seventy percent of feta is made from sheep’s milk, with the remaining parts coming from goat’s milk. It mainly comes from Greece and is moist and brined. It tastes great when it is used as a spread on bread. Monterey Jack : This cheese is one of the few kinds of cheese that originated from the United States. It is unique in the sense that it has one of the shortest aging times – only one month. Made from cow milk, it has a mild but buttery flavor. Due to the high level of butterfat in it, it melts right away, which makes it a great way to make cheese dip. It is also sometimes used over chili and casseroles. A thing that you may not realize about Monterey Jack is that it is usually the cheese that is mixed with hot pickled peppers to come up with Pepper Jack cheese. Chèvre : In France, the word “chèvre” mainly refers to any type of goat milk. In fact, the word is literally translated as “goat.” The use of “chèvre,” however, has evolved through time as it moved to other places. Now, the aging time of chèvre has become so varied. For example, in America, chèvre is what people call fresh goat’s milk that is not aged and is served and eaten right away after it is done. French variants of chèvre, on the other hand, are described as lemony and slightly acidic. When you see chèvre sold in markets, you will see that it comes in vacuum-sealed logs, with a few spices and herbs added. Conclusion : If you want to make these popular cheeses, you should have one of the best cheesemakers available in the market. In addition to having a cheesemaker, you may also need a yogurt strainer bag. So, go ahead and have all you need to make these popular cheeses and enjoy the amazing tastes and flavors of cheeses you like. Read Also : Foods To Eat On A Low-Carb Ketogenic Diet Best Super Nutritious Foods To Include In Your Diet The Mouthwatering Foodie Tour To Mumbai

All you need to know about kashkaval cheese

Particularly popular in the Mediterranean and Eastern Europe region, kashkaval is a semi-hard yellow cheese. It derives its name from the Italian cheese “Caciocavolla”. Kashkaval cheese is made from cow’s milk or ewe’s milk. The version made from cow’s milk is called Kashkaval Vitosha. The one made from ewe’s milk is called kashkaval Balkan. There is also a variety that uses a mixture of both of these types of milk. The cheese made from the mixture of these two kinds of milk is called kashkaval Preslav. The different names of kashkaval: Kashkaval is very popular in countries such as Romania, Bulgaria, and Macedonia. This variety of kashkaval cheese is also to be found widely in countries such as Turkey, Hungary, and Croatia. Each country has a different name for this variety of cheese though. While the Turkish refer to this cheese as “Kasra”, the Greeks call it “Kasseri”. The Romanians, on the other hand, call it “Cascaval”. Kashkaval belongs to the pasta filata cheeses. This means that the curd is given a hot bath during the production process. This semi-hard yellow cheese or Kashkaval cheese is allowed to age for a good six months. This lends it a piquant and spicy flavor on the one hand and salty flavor on the other. In taste, it is very similar to the cheddar cheese that is widely popular in the United Kingdom. The Kashkaval cheese is also famously referred to as “the cheddar cheese of the Balkans”. Popular kashkaval recipes: The slightly hard texture of this yellow cheese makes it perfect for grilling and grating. It is thus generously used in salads, pizzas, appetizers, and lasagna. One of the famous Eastern European street food made with the kashkaval cheese is kashkaval pane. It is favored for its portability and thus preferred as an appetizer or served in clubs and bars. It is essentially fried cheese made with simple and easy to find ingredients such as flour, breadcrumbs, and eggs apart from the kashkaval cheese itself. Served hot right off the pan it is known for its crunchy, melty goodness! Another popular Bulgarian recipe made with Kashkaval cheese made in Eastern European homes is the Bulgarian cheese banitza or banitsa that is also served as an appetizer. It is can also be served in the main course alongside other dishes. It is similar to a Greek cheese pie or a Serbian burek. To make this you will need two cups of crumbled kashkaval, 2 eggs beaten, 16 sheets of filo dough, 6 tablespoons of plain yogurt, two sticks of unsalted butter and chopped green onions and sea salt for garnishing. To make this recipe, you will need to combine the cheese, yogurt, and eggs in a large bowl and beat them until they are smooth. The next thing to do is fold one filo sheet in half and brush it with melted butter. Portion out the filling in the sheets making either a cigar-shaped roll or an S-shaped scroll. Remember to fold up the bottom edge first and then roll it up until you are looking at a tight cylindrical shape. Repeat the process with the remaining sheets. Sprinkle with chopped green onions and sea salt if desired and place on a parchment-lined pan. The next thing to do is bake these goodies in a pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes until they are brown and crisp. Serve hot with your favorite wine and your recipe is bound to be a hit among your guests in gathering or with your family when you are gearing up for a fun evening with food and wine! The bottom line is kashkaval is a popular cheese and can be replaced with cheddar for a slightly exotic dish or simply whipped up in an omelet! Read Also: Easy Breakfast Ideas for Type 2 Diabetes Please Pass the Cheese! 7 Awesome Benefits of Cheese