Cooking World

Everybody knows that some products have salutary influence upon our organism. And one of them should be used in small amounts, and others on the contrary, in small dozes do not have any influence. One should be taken in the winter, and others - in the summer.

And the first product, which is strongly recommend to be added into a daily diet, is ginger.

For many people ginger is something exotic and unusual because it originates from Southeast Asia and Western India. By the way, India gives 100 thousand tons (half of world production).

Into the market ginger comes as pieces of rhizomes, ground, candied, covered with chocolate and as an extract for ginger beer. It is well combined with other spices and is a part of “curry”. Ginger is added in light premium beer.

Ginger is vitamin-rich C, В1, В2 and A, salts of magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, iron, sodium, potassium and zinc. Its spicy and tart aroma is caused by volatile oils contained in it (1,2-3 %). Besides, ginger contains all irreplaceable amino acids, including tryptophan, threonine, methionine, valine, etc.

All these chemical elements contained in ginger, improve digestion, stimulate secretion of digestive juices.

On its therapeutic action ginger is sudorific, soothing, expectoration and antiemetic agent. It feeds all tissues. The newest researches specify extremely favorable ginger’s influence on a stomach, digestive and respiratory systems. Ginger makes food light and digestible and gives it slightly spicy taste. It is used for elimination of harmful action of animal poisons.

All these miracle ginger’s properties are caused by a plenty of the biological “fire” managing metabolism. Regular eating of ginger in small amounts increases internal heat, wakening appetite and stimulating digestion, warming a stomach and blood. It is especially useful in cold weather and in a cold climate.

Ginger is used as an extract, broth, a powder (250-500 mg) in the medical purposes. It is recommended at cold, flu, indigestion, vomiting, eructation, abdominal pains. It lowers level of cholesterol in blood. In east medicine it is considered, that ginger strengthens memory, opens obstruction in a liver, softens an organism, removes dense and crude matters from brain and larynx. In India ginger tea with a lemon is the most popular winter drink.
By the way, I would recommend you to try too to boil ginger slices: 10-20 g for a cup. Add there a little mint, balm or other herbs, some lemon to taste and you will receive a nice drink, which tones up and refreshes in the morning much better, than coffee.

Well, we shall continue to view ginger properties. Ginger is the best remedy for toxins. You can learn, whether there is a surplus of harmful substances in your organism by the following signs:

Weight in a stomach and flabbiness;
Quick weariness and feeling of irritation;
Absence of shine in eyes, and the skin has faded color;
Unpleasant smell from a mouth;
Absence of appetite.

If you feel something from the listed signs, it is possible, that one of the reasons of the given state of health is surplus of toxins or undigested products which poison all your organism and lead to various illnesses.

Ginger tea, which is useful to everybody, will help you to return appetite, good mood, fresh complexion and clearness of eyes. It strengthens digestion, neutralizes toxins in a stomach and helps to digest. It should be sipped slowly in breaks between food intakes.

Among other things, ginger tea is a nice natural remedy for cold. It treats for scratchy throat, cough, cold, lung congestion and bronchial obstruction. If your throat is sensitive to irritation, ginger is used together with honey and almond oil.

In cookery ginger powder is used. It has a pleasant tart aroma and poignant spicy taste. The range of spice’s application is rather wide. It spices herring and pork in a sour-sweet sauce, seafood. Ginger gives pleasant aroma to fish-soup, soups from mutton, to meat, chicken and fish broths.

Ginger not only flavors hot meat dishes, but also improves their taste. The spice is added in dishes from mutton, beef, veal, pork, goose and a turkey. Chinese culinary specialists use ginger to cook ravioli and stewed dumplings with a filling. It gives an appetizing smell to hot fish dishes. It is included in numerous sauces: for salads, mutton chops, sour-sweet ones to meat, etc.

Many confectionery products do not do without this spice. It flavors cookies, spice-cakes, Easter cakes, candy staffing, and jam from a melon. Many European and Asian peoples flavor drinks with it. It is added in honey drinks, tea, and compotes from pear and pumpkins.

By the way, ginger can be easily bought at any supermarket.

Ingredients:

1 l chicken or vegetable broth
2.5 centimeter piece ginger (finely sliced)
1 onion (finely slised)
2 chives garlic, cut
250 g fresh spinach leaves
1 small potato (peeled and cut)
1 table-spoon rice wine
3 table-spoon sunflower-seed oil
Salt, pepper,
The fresh shred spinach for serving

Directions:
Heat oil in a big saucepan. Add garlic, onion and ginger and to fry all over 3-4 min. up to softness. Set aside 2-3 small leaves of spinach. Add the rest of spinach in a saucepan; stir slowly while spinach doesn’t wither. Add some broth and potato, bring to the boil. Lower fire, cover and prepare for 10 more minutes. Then pour in a blender or kitchen processor and make homogeneous puree. Return the soup in a saucepan and add rice wine, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boiling. Serve hot, decorated with leaves of spinach.

The first day
Breakfast: green tea.
Lunch: 2 boiled eggs, salad from fresh cabbage with olive oil, a glass of tomato juice or 1 fresh tomato.
Dinner: grilled or cooked fish, salad from fresh cabbage with olive oil.

The second day
Breakfast: green tea and bread with bolting (50 g)
Lunch: grilled or cooked fish, salad from fresh cabbage with olive oil.
Dinner: cooked beef (200 g), a glass of kefir.

The third day
Breakfast: green tea.
Lunch: raw egg, three big cooked carrots with vegetable oil.
Dinner: apples.

The fourth day
Breakfast: green tea.
Lunch: a root of parsley, stewed on vegetable oil, apples.
Dinner: fruits.

The fifth day
Breakfast: uncooked grated carrots with lemon juice, green tea.
Lunch: grilled or cooked fish (500 g), a glass of tomato juice.
Dinner: fruit.

The sixth day
Breakfast: green tea.
Lunch: 500 g of boiled chicken, salad from fresh carrots and cabbage.
Dinner: 2 boiled eggs, salad from fresh carrots with olive oil.

The seventh day
Breakfast: green tea.
Lunch: boiled beef (200 g), fruits.
Dinner: any variant of the last days, except for day № 3.

The eighth day
Breakfast: green tea.
Lunch: boiled beef (200 g), fruits.
Dinner: any from previous variants, except for day № 3.

The ninth day
Breakfast: green tea.
Lunch: 250 g boiled chicken, salad from cabbage and carrots with olive oil.
Dinner: 2 boiled eggs, 200 g of salad from carrots with vegetable oil.

The tenth day
Breakfast: raw grated carrots with lemon juice, green tea.
Lunch: grilled or cooked fish (500 g), a glass of tomato juice.
Dinner: fruit.

The eleventh day
Breakfast: green tea.
Lunch: 1 raw egg, 3 boiled carrots with vegetable oil and 15 g of cheese.
Dinner: fruits.

The twelfth day
Breakfast: green tea, bread with bolting (50 g).
Lunch: big vegetable baked pudding, apples, black coffee, bread with bolting (50 g).
Dinner: 200 g boiled beef, a glass of kefir

The thirteenth day
Breakfast: green tea.
Lunch: 1 boiled egg, salad from fresh cabbage with vegetable oil, a glass of tomato juice.
Dinner: grilled or boiled fish.

The fourteenth day
Breakfast: green tea.
Lunch: fried or boiled fish, salad from fresh cabbage with vegetable oil.
Dinner: boiled beef (200 g), a glass of kefir.

It was one of Japanese diet’s dietary plans. All the same any variant of a invalid food should be discussed with the dietician to take into account all features of your organism and diseases.

Those very Japanese assert that the menu of the true Japanese diet should look the fallowing way:

300-400 g rice;
150-240 g fruit;
About 270 g vegetables;
60 g legumes;
120 g fishes;
100 g milk;
1 egg;
2 teaspoon sugar;
Green tea.

In general, you have already understood that there are a lot of variants. You can make your own choice.

Main principles of Japanese food have formed a basis for creation of some dietary plans (for foreigners) with many variations of the menu, but as a matter of fact similar to each other. Similarity of dietary plans is in that, that they allow grow thin quickly, 7-8 kg in a week. It is, perhaps, the only advantage of the Japanese diet. Its disadvantages are the following:

- You should not keep to this diet constantly, maximum for 2 weeks for fast weight reduction;

- Japanese diet is not balanced on nutritious elements and is very much low-calorie diet, therefore long keeping can lead to serious consequences for health.

The principal cause why Japanese diet is good for Japanese and is not good for the others, is obvious. People, who live far from the sea, cannot provide the diet with various fresh sea products.

So, the 14-day’s dietary plan supposes full refusal of sugar, salt, alcohol, flour and pastry. Within these two weeks you should drink a lot of usual or mineral water (nearly 1,5 l), and also to keep strictly the menu on days and to not mix products.

The traditional French diet differs by its simplicity, in has not that refinement, propagandized by French restaurants.

The Frenchmen, as well as other nations, are inclined to fat, but it happens because they refuse the traditional meal to please dynamic rhythm of a life, advertising, etc. So, what distinguishes the traditional French feed system?

1. Freshness. Diet includes many fresh products, many fresh high-quality vegetables, fruit, herbs and spices which make dishes tasty, not adding superfluous calories.

2. Equilibration. It is possible to tell, that each food intake includes products of all food groups (fruits-vegetables, bread, fish-meat, oils, etc.). The French diet is rich with useful fats. It has a lot of olive oil and butter. The Frenchmen are not tormented by a question of fats in their diet of, they also do not abuse bad fats: margarine and hydrogenated fat.

3. Moderation. Perhaps, this is the most important, that we can borrow. It is achieved due to small portions. The Frenchmen eat everything: and even desserts are not forbidden.

4. Pleasure from meal. The Frenchmen are able to take pleasure in process of eating. They chew thoroughly and do not hasten. The Frenchmen never eat in front of the TV. During the meal they are concentrated only on meal.

5. Eating at home. The Frenchmen prefer to eat at home, thus, it is easier to control quality of products and food. Americans, preferring to eat out of door, suffer then from surplus fat in dishes and huge helpings.

6. An active way of life. The Frenchmen live fast, like to walk much. They are frequently forced to do it for the reason that in the old city centers it is difficult to find a parking slot. But there are advantages to health and a figure.

In general, that we should borrow from the French diet is a skill to take pleasure in meal, small portions, a fruits-vegetable variety, and also an active way of life and positive approach to life.

The longest apple diet is meant for a week. Here is kept the principle of three-day diet - the source of protein is obligatory. It can be again meat, fish or white-egg. Only in this case their portions are increase twice equally. You should eat about 200 g of meat a day, fish - up to 300 g. An adequate replacement of it will be two egg whites. They should be eaten in two takings: it’d be better, if they are eaten during a lunch and afternoon snack.

Crude vegetables are also added into a diet. Each day you should eat two carrots, with which may be replaced with a glass of carrots juice, and one tomato.

As to the apples, their amount is unlimited. The only remark: it is more useful to eat sweet or sweet-sour varieties. Just sour apples do not do for long-term diets.

Three fasting days is a longer variant of a diet. In this case proteins are needed: fish, meat or white-egg. Every day you should choose something one, it is not recommended to mix these products.

If the question is about meat, you are allowed to eat about 100 g a day. The best choice is a boiled “lean” beef. Chicken will also be well. They contains almost the same quantity of fat.
If to speak about fish, it is better to choose sea fish. The helping should not exceed 150 g.

If you choose white-egg, you can eat only one white-egg. The best time for albuminous food is during the lunch. Two hours prior to sleep you can drink a glass of kefir or curdled milk. All the rest time you should eat apples, which amount is not limited.

As to water intake schedule, it is strict enough. You are allowed to drink only usual mineral water - 2-2,5 liters a day.