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Top 10 Must-not-miss Thai Food

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Thai cuisine is one of the best gourmets in the world. It is well known for the diversity of ingredients, outstanding spiciness and ample medicinal properties. Most of Thai food is cooked and refined with more than two types of herbs or spices which are beneficial to health.

The (mostly unconscious) principle Thai food is the balance of five flavors which are spicy, salty, sweet, sour and bitter. The one indispensible ingredient which is generally used in seasoning a majority of Thai cuisine is fish sauce. Thai food is eaten either as a single dish or with rice. Steamed rice is the staple food although sticky rice is more popular in the north and northeast of Thailand.

Thai food is one of many things that you should not miss while you are traveling in this beautiful Land of Smiles. Since there are numberless delectable Thai dishes, I am writing this guideline for you to select the most distinctive and authentic ones out of the plethora of Thai signature dishes.
The following list is a top 10 rank of Thai food that you must not miss. The consideration and ranking is based on the popularity, uniqueness and authenticity of the delicacies. Here are the winners.

10. Kai Pad Med Mamuang Himmapan (Stir-Fried Chicken with Cashew Nuts)
Even though Kai Pad Med Mamuang Himmapan does not represent the overview of Thai food but it is a very nice treat to your bland taste buds. Since it is by no means spicy or hot, this slightly sweet and salty chicken fried with crunchy cashew nuts is aptly satiating for children or beginners who are not used to spices.

9. Por Pia Tord (Fried Spring Roll)
Fried spring roll is one of the most popular appetizers among foreigners because it is not spicy and comes with sweet and sour dip. Spring rolls are crispy pastries with fried vegetable fillings. Though spring rolls are commonplace in many Southeast Asian countries, Thai Por Pia is different in flavors with a special dip prepared from Japanese apricot.

8. Panaeng (Meat in Spicy Coconut Cream)
Panaeng can be cooked using either pork, chicken or beef. Panaeng tastes like Thai red curry but the coconut milk sauce is relatively thicker and richer. Compared to Thai red curry, Panaeng is mildly spicy and sweet. Paneang is best served with warm steamed rice. There is nothing to dislike about Panaeng expect the fact that it can be too greasy or fleshy for some people.

7. Som Tam (Spicy Papaya Salad)
Som Tam is one of the most popular foods among Thai people for its fiercely spicy and sour flavors. Som Tam, which literally means Sour Pounded, is a spicy salad made from a mix of fresh vegetables including shredded unripened papaya, yardlong beans and tomato. Som Tam is unique that the spicy dressing and salad vegetables are pounded and mixed in the mortar using a pestle. Somtam is usually served with grilled chicken and sticky rice. Som Tam is good for your health that it contains no fat, low calorie and high vitamins. This is a truly authentic Thai dish that will make a great impression. The only reason why Im ranking Som Tam at No.7 (though it deserves higher rank) is its strong spiciness that might leave your tongue burned and swollen. Just say Mai phed (not spicy) to your waiter if you really want to try.

6. Moo Sa-Te (Grilled Pork Sticks with Turmeric)
This tantalizing sweet-flavored grilled pork sticks are refined with rich, juicy sauce made of turmeric and curry powder. Moo Sa-Te makes a savory hors d’oeuvres that will appease any taste buds. These juicy grilled pork sticks are usually served with two saucy dips one is a mildly spicy thick sauce with ground peanuts, coconut milk and curry powder and another one is a sweet and sour vinegar sauce with chopped shallot, pepper and cucumber to mitigate its oiliness.

5. Tom Yam Kai (Spicy Chicken Soup)
Chicken soup is very good to eat when you have a cold but Tom Yam Kai or spicy chicken soup is a yummy treat that you will fall in love with just in a first sip. Tom Yam Kai is a clear chicken soup seasoned with a blend of chili, lime and fish sauce. The broth is simmered with Thai herbs as lemon grass, shallot and galangal which give it a unique and satiating aroma. My foreign friends order this tasty soup anywhere they go so you should not miss it by any means!

4. Tom Kha Kai (Chicken in Coconut Milk Soup)
Although Tom Kha Kai is another variation of chicken soup, it deserves the No.4 because of its unparalleled taste and popularity. Similar to Tom Yam Kai, the broth is prepared with many types of Thai herbs with the special addition of coconut milk that makes this soup unique. Though the soup is seasoned with chili, lime and fish sauce just like Tom Kha Kai, thanks to the coconut milk, the broth is milder and less spicy. This is probably more liked by non-spicy eaters.

3. Kang Keaw Wan Kai (Green Chicken Curry)
Since we are having three dishes in a row made of Kai, you would have guessed that it is chicken in English. Not that chicken is particularly popular in Thai cuisine; it is usually used in most curry and soup. Kang Kiew Wan, literally translated as Sweet Green Curry, is nicely sweet and slightly spicy and tastes very delightful with a proper blend of the spiciness from green curry chili paste, blandness from coconut milk, sweetness of sugar and saltiness of fish sauce. It is usually eaten with steamed rice or served as a sauce to rice noodle known as Kanom Jeen likewise to how you eat Spaghetti.

2. Pad Thai (Fried Noodle)
This national dish prides itself for its long history traced back in previous centuries. Pad Thai flaunts the authenticity of Thai culinary arts in using only fresh and best ingredients and the well-balancing of the five fundamental flavors. The stir-fried noodle becomes popular because it tastes yummy and comes with a choice to add in a set of seasonings to suit your appetites. Through history, Pad Thai has evolved into two different styles: the classic and the variation. The classic Pad Thai is a stir-fried noodle with eggs, fish sauce, tamarind juice, red chili pepper plus bean sprouts, shrimp and tofu and garnished with crushed peanuts and coriander while another style is relatively dry and lightly-flavored. The latter is easily found in street vendors and dominant in Thai restaurants in the West but the having classic Pad Thai freshly cooked in its original country is a way to go.

1. Tom Yam Goong (Spicy Shrimp Soup)
No other dishes can defeat this renowned Tom Yam Goong as the optimal representative of Thai gourmet. Tom Yam Goong is truly one of a kind with its fierce spiciness and sourness and a blatant use of fragrant herbs including galangal, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, shallot, tamarind and chili pepper. There are two styles of Tom Yam; the clear spicy soup and thick spicy soup. The latter is cooked by adding coconut milk or milk to the broth in order to thicken the stock and give the dish a milder flavor. Tom Yam is very versatile and can be made with prawns, chicken, fish and mix of seafood, and mushroom. Tom Yam Goong is the most popular variety of Tom Yam since Spicy Shrimp Soup is the original. Though not very surprising, Tom Yam Goong is definitely a signature dish of Thailand.

Even though it is commonly known that Thai food utilizes many health herbs and spices, there have always been debates whether Thai food is really good for health since they tend to be somewhat greasy. It is important to note that it depends on each dish; some can be highly caloric but many dishes make a good use of herbs. Garlic, for example, is very good healthwise because it can prevent heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and cancer.

No matter what the food is, the same old concept of moderate intake comes into play. From Mcdonalds burger to Japanese Sushi, a key to optimal fitness is to avoid overconsumption. Thus, a claim that Thai food is mainly coconut-based and fattening should never be an adequate reason for you to still order a Big Mac. Ravish your taste buds with Thai food – tasty and healthy!

Foods That Can Help You Get Pregnant Easily

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Unknown to most women, there are some foods that can help you get pregnant easily. There are actually other factors to help you get pregnant fast and food is just one of them. What you eat can actually affect how fast you will conceive. This even applies to your partner, as it takes two to tango.
New findings indicate that your diet during pregnancy could even affect your chances of having either a baby girl or boy. In fact, research has discovered that expecting mothers who often had a high-calorie diet and ate breakfast regularly had more chances of giving birth to a baby boy. Scientists are suggesting that people being too busy for breakfast and having low calorie diets these days probably influence the increasing number of girls being born in recent years.
So how can food make one get pregnant easily? To date, there is proof established yet, but there is increasing evidence on the subject. In studies, those who took multivitamins that included folic acid or iron were found to have better chances of getting pregnant. It is also found that nutrients deriving from vegetables, fruits, beans and supplements in contrast to red meat, are able to boost fertility.
Watching Weight – Experts suggest that anyone wanting to get pregnant easily should initially watch her weight. Women who have a BMI (body mass index) of 20 to 24 have the most likelihood of falling pregnant. On the other hand, women with a BMI over 24 or less than 20 have a less likelihood of conceiving. However, this definitely does not mean there’s no hope for those who do not fall in the healthy weight category. Studies indicate that any woman can jump-start ovulation by making some healthy and moderate changes in their weight.
Organic Food – So what foods can you try to get pregnant easily? There are a number of foods that are considered fertility boosting. Try to consume about 8 portions of organic fruits and vegetables each day. Go for organic when it comes to animal produce such as meat and dairy products. Consume more brown whole foods instead of white refined foods-whole foods contain more zinc, which is good for you. Moreover, you need to eat fewer portions but on a regular basis each day to maintain proper blood sugar levels in your body.
Fiber – Don’t forget your fiber, which is important in maintaining a healthy bowel and boosting fertility. Finally, eat more “good fats,” which could be taken from oily fish like salmon, tuna and mackerel. You may take fish oil supplements or eat sunflower/pumpkin seeds, as mercury levels can be high in seafood. While you’re at it, drink around 8 glass of water each day.
Foods To Avoid – While there are foods that can help you get pregnant easily, there are those that you should avoid. Avoid drinking caffeine as much as possible. Also avoid drinking alcohol. These substances are known to present a risk of infertility in women.
Choose your diet well. Food has obviously been used as a source of nutrients for our well-being. But with so many choices these days, we need to choose the right kinds of food. Eating wisely can help any woman get pregnant easily.

Spicy Food- How Much Important And Avoidable It Is In Our Diet

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Nowadays spicy food has become the top menu in many of the restaurants. It can surprise you to the extreme to know that even though this savory known as spicy food causes heart burns, it is still liked by people. By logging to your internet service provider like XFINITY internet, you will find that most of the delicious spicy dishes have their origin from India, Japan, China and Malaysian. The culture of these places involves consuming spicy food as a part of their daily diet.

Besides stimulating the cardiovascular system and good aphrodisiac, it makes you feel hot and causes a pain. The pain that is caused by the fiery spices secretes endorphins which can make you feel high. According to the ancient history involving spicy food, our ancestors discovered the spicy advantage around 7000 BC and often used it in food and religious rituals. Nowadays, spices are used in preserving food, cosmetics, and perfume.

Spicy food has become almost a part and parcel of our life that the people celebrate various festivals for it. The love of spicy food has lead to the establishment of various festivals like the International Spicy Food and the National Fiery Food show in the USA. Now let us look into the merits and demerits of the spicy food and how it affects the human body

Merits

The basic and most common merits of consuming spicy food are the following

Weight Loss

One of the best and unique methods to reduce weight is consuming spicy food. Many researches have shown that the main compound in chili and pepper, namely capsaicin has a stimulating effect which causes the body to burn calories while chewing food for twenty minutes. That is why fat people would rather eat sweets than eating spicy food.

Stress Buster

This can shock you that spicy food is a good source of stress buster. Consuming spicy food increases the production of the hormones that gives a sense of fun like endorphins and serotonin. This helps in relieving pain and gives the feeling of comfort and relaxation.

Preventing Flu and other contagious diseases

It is believed that spicy food is a good medication for preventing flu and cold. Capsaicin one of the basic ingredients in capsicums and jalapeno helps to increase transpiration and relieves flu-symptoms that interfere with and eliminate the disturbing symptoms of flu. Spicy foods will also help to open airways, reduces sinusitis and other flu-like symptoms that can disrupt your health.

Cancer Prevention

Many studies and researches have shown that regular consumption of spicy food will reduce the risk of cancer. The capsaicin slows the growth of cancer cells and in many cases kills the cancer cells without harming the surrounding healthy cells.

Demerits

The above were the basic advantages of spicy food and like an old English proverb that says with something good comes along with it a bad, excessive spicy food can cause the following things

Excessive Diarrhea

Spicy food can lead to excessive diarrhea. This is because spicy food speeds up the movement in the intestine that leads to diarrhea. When the food is up in the colon, the irritating effects of the food will be directly felt and the body will send more water into the bowel to relieve the symptoms of the irritation.

Insomnia

Do you know that spicy food can cause insomnia? The human body should be in a relaxed state when you go to sleep especially in the first cycle towards sleep. Spicy food can increase body temperature and triggers heart beat faster. So that is why you should avoid spicy food in the hours before bedtime.

Inflammation of the Stomach

Sometimes consumption of spicy food can cause the gastric surfaces to become brittle and vulnerable. That is often called as gastritis or inflammation of the stomach. Spicy food has the properties that can cause a dangerous inflammation of the lining of the stomach.

Reduces the sensitivity of the tongue

Have you felt that your tongue is not able to sense the taste of food? Well it could be because your sensitivity is gradually wearing out. Consuming spicy food, could lead to the fatal disaster where your tongue can no longer function optimally which could lead to the lack of awareness of the portion of spicy food that can be tolerated by the stomach.

Now to conclude, it can be hard to avoid a diet that does not have spices in it. Seriously, the aroma and the taste which spicy food gives can make your mouth water. Whether it is the Indian or Chinese dish, the spicy flavor will just hook you up to have more.

Why Acidic Foods Are Bad For Your Health

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It is stated a medical fact that all diseases thrive in environments characterized by high levels of acidity. If we want to lead a healthy life, it is imperative for us limit our intake of acidic foods. I ignoring this comes at a high price

Foods rich in acid may cause diseases like obesity, osteoporosis, flu, skin disorders, and even cancer. High acidity also results in cramps, spasms, headaches, joint and muscle pains, and fatigue. Eating too much acidic food and not enough alkaline food can also result to insomnia, stomach ulcers, water retention, and constipation.

Also, besides weakening the immune system, indulging in acidic foods can bring forth a decrease in strength and stamina, slow mental reaction, and ineffective digestion.

Acid foods per se can post a threat to our health, but the ubiquity of these foods even furthers the damage. You see, these foods are almost always splattered in peoples daily menus: from breakfast staples like white rice, eggs, cheese, milk, coffee to main courses like pasta, beef, pork, chicken, turkey, to light meals composed of chocolates and peanuts, beer and soft drinksand the list stretches longer than canteen tables! Foods that are rich in phosphorus, sulphur, and chlorine are not spared from the list since these elements are acid-forming.

So how do we steer clear of acidic foods? While it may seem impossible to escape these usual hunger-solvers, there is still a way to counteract their harmful effects on our health. The so-called alkaline diet, which is designed to neutralize the outcomes of acidic food ingestion through consumption of alkaline-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, and other low-sugar foods, is a viable option. An alkaline diet can help restore the balance between acidity and alkalinity. According to Robert Young, who is a prime promoter of alkaline diet and alternative medicine, it is ideal for the body to have a diet that constitutes an intake of 70-80% alkaline foods and 20-30% acid foods.

So what it all boils down to is moderation. Acidic foods are not all bad for our health. In fact, they are an integral part of the balance Young is pointing out. It is even said that a little amount of acidthe right typecan help lower our blood glucose levels. Acetic acid, which is the chief acid in vinegar, can significantly reduce the glycemic index of a starchy meal.

Advantages of Using Food Saver

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A food saver is any container that is used to store food fresh. It can be in various forms like freezer bags, plastic zipped bags, covered containers, cereal keepers, canisters, cookie tins and jars etc. These containers are very economical too. Another type of device that is used for food preservation is the food sealer. This is used to seal the containers with a vacuum seal. By using the sealer, you can remove the air from the bags that contain the these items and seal them air tight. This helps to increase the shelf life. There are different advantages of using the food savers.

Retain freshness for longer time: By using the food saver and sealer you can keep items like meat, fish etc for a very long time in freezer without getting freezer burn. You can preserve all kinds of eatables like cheese and other pantry goods for a long time without causing any damage. By keeping them fresh for longer time you can reduce your grocery bills considerably. All your eatables can be vacuum packed and kept in the refrigerator and used whenever you want. Things like chips, cookies and cereals will remain fresh. Your frozen meat and fish will taste fresh for many months.

Reduce wastage: If you are not able to store the items then most of them go waste. You can prevent the wastage of items and leftovers because you can simply seal them in the savers and store them safely until you want to use them again. If you are a busy person you can also cook in advance and store them for later use. If you have garden fresh produce you can enjoy your own fruits and vegetables all through the year. Instead of wasting your hard earned produce you can simply blanch, vacuum pack and freeze them.

Store meat and fish: The best way to store your game and fish is to use the food saver. Vacuum pack these items in different containers and preserve them for long. They will remain safe without any freezer burn and taste fresh even after 2-3 years when packed properly.

The greatest advantage of the food savers is that they come in various shapes, sizes and types. You can choose the containers according to what you need to preserve. So choose them according to your specific needs and keep all your fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, cookies, chips and cereals fresh for a longer time

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