Issues About Ice Cream

If you love ice cream, making choices that are right for you often involves more than your personal preference of flavor and style. As ice cream companies now manufacture and sell an increasingly-large range of ice cream products, it is helpful to know the differences between these products. Some ice cream products are simply better for you than others; and you may want to take these factors into consideration whether or not you have any dietary restrictions or weight-loss issues which directly affect you. Being a well-informed consumer is the best way to go about this, and it will provide for more healthy choices as well as more enjoyment of the ice creams that you select.

If you have the need to reduce the amount of sugar that you consume, you may be interested in knowing the difference between “no sugar added” and “sugar free.” Some people do not even realize that there is a difference, and the difference is not markedly clear on most ice cream packaging. These terms do not mean the same thing. The difference between sugar free and no sugar added is really quite simple, but unfortunately many consumers are not aware of it. No sugar added only means that there was no sugar added to the ice cream during its production; the sugar content from the original ingredients, however, remains in the final product.

For a product to be labeled sugar free, however, the requirement is that the product have no more than .5 grams of sugar per serving. This is difficult with a product such as ice cream, for many of the ingredients which are in ice cream contain their own natural sugars. The sugar free status is hardest to achieve in ice creams which contain fruit or nuts, for both are quite high in their own natural sugar content. Even the basic ingredients needed to produce ice cream contain natural sugar. Some ice cream manufacturers are currently working on methods to improve their sugar free ice creams, in order for these products to remain healthy while not sacrificing taste and quality.

An important consideration for those on weight-loss diets is that the calorie content itself of fat-free, lowfat, and light ice creams is not significantly different from the more standard styles. These designations are more relevant to those who specifically have dietary restrictions on their fat intake.

The standards by which these differences are determined begin with the requirement that ice creams which are labeled light or reduced fat must have a lower fat content than the regular style. Both have a higher fat content than products which can be labeled low-fat. As cream, the main ingredient in regular ice creams, has a very high concentration of fat, it is difficult to produce ice cream with a very low or nonexistent fat content; doing so generally places it in the category of ice milk.

Although ice cream in its natural state is a dairy food that is rich in calcium, those with a special dietary interest or health concern may wish to consider ice creams which are fortified with calcium. This would be a good choice for children and teens whose teeth and bones are still developing, and for women who have a concern or family history of osteoporosis. Although calcium fortified ice creams may tend to be a bit more expensive than the regular varieties, the longterm health benefits to choosing calcium fortified ice cream are well worth it.

Ice cream is no longer as simple as it used to be. But becoming informed about the differences in the many choices which are available to day is the best step toward making healthy choices.

What You Need To Know About Potato Salads

Potato salad is a dish, usually an appetizer, made, obviously, from potatoes. However so, it still varies throughout different countries and regions of the world. Potato salads are more classified as side dishes than salads for they generally just precede or the follow the main course.

Many would claim on having made the best potato salad and would offer the truest and most authentic way of making it. But no matter what is said by many, the best potato salad, or any kind of salad at that matter, is purely of personal preference. Some like their potato salads mingled and just oozing with its dressing, some would prefer theirs to be really soft and tender, and others would want their potato salad to be crispy.

Potato salads are oftenly served along with hot dogs, barbecue, hamburgers, roasts and cold sandwiches. This kind of salad is categorized more as a casual fare and more oftenly served during outdoor barbecues, picnics, and other sorts of casual events or meals. But this fact is not stated to underestimate their savory goodness.

Potato salads are definitely a popular menu choice of various chefs and cooks for preparing food for a large crowd, and since they can be made in large quantities with utter ease, they can also be made in advance and kept in the refrigerator until it is their time to be served.

You must never worry about emptying your wallet when going to the grocery store to buy whatever ingredients you need for you potato salad. The ingredients needed for potato salads are inexpensive and very much affordable. Thus, you do not have to worry about making one yourself because it is, in fact, quite easy.

You would need two pounds, or approximately six large potatoes which are peeled and quartered; two stalks of chopped celery; one finely chopped onion, of which you could cook using a microwave on high level for just one minute to be able to reduce that hotness, if you want, that is; four green onions that you have sliced for just of an inch thick; one large carrot, shredded; cup of a sweet pickle relish; cup of chopped red onion; one teaspoon of dry parsley; a half teaspoon of mustard seeds; you would also need pepper or salt for the taste, along with balsamic or wine vinegar, and also with yogurt or a nonfat mayonnaise.

Of course you have to cook the potatoes in boiling water for approximately fifteen minutes, or when the potatoes are already barely tender. You have to check every minute or so after the first ten minutes have gone by. Once you have confirmed of the cooked status of your potatoes, cut them into smaller pieces. After that, just leave them be so that they will cool down. Then, you should mix the other ingredients you have also prepared in a large bowl. Once you are confident that you mixed them finely, add your already cooled potatoes, and then mix them, altogether, well.

When all these are done, chill your self-made potato salad, but just do not forget to stir it a couple of times during the chilling time you have alotted for it.

Why You Should Start Planning Your Thanksgiving Party Early

Have you made the decision to host a Thanksgiving party this year? If so, have you already started planning? Regardless of whether or not you have started the planning, you are advised to start it early. Planning a party, even a Thanksgiving party, is a lot easier said than done. That is why it is important that you start planning for your party early, you will find that there are a number of benefits to doing so.

Before you can start to understand the benefits of planning for your party early, it is important to remember one thing, the definition of the word early. When it comes to doing something early, we all have different views. One thing is for sure, early means different things to different individuals. For this article, we are going to consider early about two or three weeks before your party. Depending on your own personal preference, you may choose to plan your Thanksgiving party even earlier; it is completely up to you.

Perhaps, the greatest benefit of starting to plan your Thanksgiving party early is that you will have all of your bases covered. As previously mentioned, planning party isnt always as easy as it may seem or sound. As much as we would like to purchase all of our needed supplies, problems arise. Whether you are unable to find that you wanted or you didnt purchase enough of what you needed, you dont want to be left unprepared. Preparing for your Thanksgiving party in advance will help to ensure that you have all of the supplies, including the decorations and food that you need to have. If by some chance you didnt get everything you needed, you should be able to notice before the day of your party arrives.

Whether you are planning on including a Thanksgiving dinner with your party or not, you will still need to get food and drinks. Depending on the size of your Thanksgiving party, those food and drinks could get fairly expensive. That is why it may be a good idea to start buying these items ahead of time. Doing so, will not only enable you to get the supplies that you need, ahead of time, but it may also help you get your food and drinks at a more affordable price. Whenever you happen to be in a store and you see something that you could use at your party, you are advised to get it, especially if that item is on sale. Purchasing food and drinks for your party while they are on sale, is a great way to have an amazing, but low-cost party.

In addition to food and drinks, there is also a good chance that you would like to decorate for your Thanksgiving party. Unfortunately, not all retail stores carry a large selection of Thanksgiving decorations. Sometimes, it seems as if they skip Thanksgiving and jump right to Christmas. This does not mean that you cannot get the Thanksgiving decorations that you wanted to have, it just means that you should try and purchase them early. This will help to ensure that you get the decorations that you wanted to have. This is extremely important because, in addition to carrying a limited number of decorations, most retail stores do not replenish their holiday items. Essentially, this means that when the decorations are gone, they are gone.

Another one of the many reasons why you should start planning your Thanksgiving party early is because the sooner you start your planning, the sooner you can invite your party guests. Around the holidays, you will find that many people already have plans or something that they would like to do. This does not mean that you shouldnt have a Thanksgiving party; it just means that you need to invite your guests before they make other plans. You will want to invite your guests, at least, two weeks before your party, but it may be a good idea to send out invitations a month or so early.

There is a good chance that no matter what you do or when you start planning, your Thanksgiving party will be a success. Despite being a success, you can benefit a number of different ways, by planning your Thanksgiving party early.

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