Mushroom fresh !

When it comes to selenium content, mushrooms surpass all other items in the produce category. White button mushrooms are also good selenium sources. With a significant amount of selenium in every serving, mushrooms could turn out to be important ingredients in a cancer-fighting diet, especially in lowering the risk of prostate cancer.
They are also good sources of three essential B-vitamins: riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid. Mushrooms are a particularly rich source of riboflavin: a serving of white mushrooms supplies one-quarter of what we need daily. They are rather under-recognised source of potassium, an element that helps regulate blood pressure, helps keep the right balance of water in fat and muscle tissues, and helps ensure the proper functioning of cells.
Whether you’re counting carbs or calories—or just trying to include more health foods in your diet—fresh mushrooms are an ideal fit. Five medium mushrooms contain only 20 calories, 3 grams of carbohydrate, and are virtually fat free.

HOW TO COOK MUSHROOMS
There is nothing like fried mushrooms on toast for breakfast, served sizzling hot straight from the pan. Once cooked, mushrooms go soft and flabby, they taste okay, but the pleasure is not so great. They are largely composed of water and shrink noticeably during cooking. They also take up a lot of fat as they cook so it is best to use butter or a good olive oil for frying. Fry them briskly so that as they shrink the water evaporates and they don’t stew in their own juices. For the same reason, do not fry too many mushrooms at once in the same pan. Mushrooms should also never be washed but wipe with a damp cloth or a kitchen towel. Unless the skins are very discoloured, it should not be necessary to peel them, although you probably will need to trim the very base of the stem.

Wide Open Ear !

From mushy songs to parental advice to soporific college lectures, your ears help you hear all these. Can you imagine life with ears that didn’t hear properly? You don’t want to, right? So, take good care of your ears!
COMMON EAR PROBLEMS
Infections: Fungal, bacterial or viral; may lead to watery or pus-filled discharge. Hearing impairment: Occurs when sound is not conducted properly into the eardrum; could be due to fluid, pus or blood in the middle ear.
DOS AND DON’TS
• Be careful when you bathe. Don’t let
water, shampoo or soap get inside your
ear as it can lead to painful infections.
• Never, ever clean your ear with
matchsticks, pens or any other sharp objects. Always use a soft-tipped cotton bud.
• In fact, you don't need to use ear buds all the time. Ears have a self-cleaning mechanism. Gently wipe them with a towel if water has gone in.
• Try to avoid loud and noisy places such as discotheques.

Be healthy with Garlic !

Garlic is an ingredient that almost anyone who does any cooking, and absolutely everyone who enjoys cooking would not be without. The Greeks and Romans believed that garlic has magical qualities. Warriors would eat it for strength before going into battle. Gods were appeased with gifts of garlic and cloves of garlic were fastened round the necks of babies to ward off evil.
A bulb of garlic, the most commonly used plant part, is divided into numerous discrete fleshy sections called cloves.

WHY GARLIC IS GOOD...

Garlic has many therapeutic properties and it’s just not an old wives’ tale. The most significant of these is that it lowers blood cholesterol thus helping to prevent heart disease. Also, raw garlic contains a powerful antibiotic and there is evidence that it has a beneficial effect against cancer and strokes, and increases the absorption of vitamins. Raw garlic if consumed can help limit the damage done to the heart after surgery because of its natural antioxidant properties.

HOW TO BUY GARLIC...

Garlic bulbs should be firm and round with clear, papery skins. Avoid the one’s that are beginning to sprout. Garlic bulbs keep well when stored in a cool, dry place. If the air is damp they will sprout and if it is too warm the clover will eventually turn to grey powder.

HOW TO COOK GARLIC...

First break the garlic bulb into cloves and then remove the papery skin. When a garlic clove is split lengthwise, a shoot is revealed in the centre, which is sometimes green and often removed. Don’t use a bulb when you just need a clove. Crush cloves with a blade of a knife or use a garlic crusher. Crushed garlic cooks more evenly and distributes its flavour in food better than when used sliced or finely chopped.