Healthy Recipe Cooking Articles >>Garlic Compound Allicin Prevents Chronic Pulmonary Hypertension
by Dr. John Roberts
A study suggested that eating two cloves of raw garlic a day could protect against a severe form of pulmonary hypertension.
The study was performed on rats. A small dose of monocrotalline was used on rats to induce vasoconstriction of the pulmonary arteries. Within three weeks, the control group of rats developed chronic pulmonary hypertension with pulmonary arterial pressure markedly increased while the group pf rats that received small doses of allicin, an active metabolite from garlic, in their diet did not develop the disease.
The study also found that it was allicin that plays the role in the prevention of the severe pulmonary hypertension. Garlic if heated or with allicin stripped does not have the protective effect.
The researchers demonstrated that this protective effect was achieved through vasorelaxation or reduction in tension of the blood vessel walls.
Garlic has been known for long to be medicinally beneficial to the human health. It may help lower blood pressure, decrease ischemic injury, reduce blood cholesterol, inhibit platelet functions and increase thrombolysis or destruction of a thrombus.
Allicin was proved in a separate study by the same group "to protect coronary vascular function and lessen the severity of right heart hypertrophy, two of the serious byproducts of chronic pulmonary hypertension", according to the news released by Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.
Although the study was conducted on rats, it's expected that garlic has the same effect on humans. The effective amount used on rats is equivalent to about two cloves of garlic a day for humans.
The study was conducted by Dr. David D. Ku and colleagues from University of Alabama at Birmingham. Results of the study were presented on April 2 at the Experimental Biology 2005 meeting in San Diego.
Plastic Recycling Confusion
by David Leonhardt
CONSUMER ALERT: do not mix your food container lids. A yogurt container lid is NOT the same as a margarine container lid, even if they look the same. How do I know this? Well, here is my story.
We live in a very hoity-toity county. Sure, it might look like just farm country. A lot of the houses might seem a little worse for wear. But we are very picky about what plastic we recycle. We recycle only those numbered 1 and 2.
In case you did not know, your plastics are numbered. On the bottom of most containers, there is a number, usually from 1 to 5. I suppose 1 is the best, since anything with a number of 3 or more just is not high-class enough for us to recycle.
Sooner or later, it was bound to happen. My overactive curiosit 
Plastic Recycling Confusion
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Easy and Healthy Snacks
by Dr. Tara Barker
In our house, snacks are almost a way of life. Particularly in the summer, while we travel to the creek by day and out of town on the weekends, snacks take a central roll in getting us where we want to go in a healthy way. A good snack can help alleviate the afternoon blahs as well as prevent low blood sugar after a meal that was hours ago.
When it’s hot outside, whole fresh fruit is an excellent option. Fruit is packed with vitamins and minerals as well as water and electrolytes. Most people tolerate fruit well, especially when it is coupled with some protein. An apple or pear, halved and cored, filled with almond, peanut, or macadamia nut butter tastes great and is filling. Softer fruits like apricots or plums are great the same way, Easy and Healthy Snacks
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10 Convenient Ways To Eliminate Food Poisoning With Your Microwave
by Terry Nicholls
Microwave ovens can play an important role at mealtime, but special care must be taken when cooking or reheating meat, poultry, fish, and eggs to make sure they are prepared safely. Microwave ovens can cook unevenly and leave "cold spots," where harmful bacteria can survive. For this reason, it is important to use the following safe microwaving tips to prevent food-borne illness.
Microwave Cooking
1. Arrange food items evenly in a covered dish and add some liquid if needed. Cover the dish with a lid or plastic wrap; loosen or vent the lid or wrap to let steam escape.
2. Large cuts of meat should be cooked on medium power (50%) for longer periods. This allows heat to reach the center without overcooking outer areas.
3. Stir or 10 Convenient Ways To Eliminate Food Poisoning With Your Microwave
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