LIVINGLIVING
FOOD
NEWS
FRESSIAN KEFIR
SPICES: A BRIEF HEALTH GUIDE
First time farmers and founders of ice
cream manufacturer, Yorvale, have
introduced Yorlife Kefir fermented milk
drinks. Developed in conjunction with
natural fast food restaurant chain, Leon,
and available in three flavours (Natural;
Blueberry and Elderflower, Mango and
Passionfruit) Yorlife Kefir is made by
adding live yeast cultures, (kefir grains), to
milk from their herd of Friesian cows and
allowed to ferment. During this process,
it grows lots of good bacteria, which are
essential to help rebalance the gut's flora
and maintain healthy digestion.
www.yorlife-kefir.co.uk
ALL SOUPED UP
Winter is a time for classic soups, which are relatively easy to make and can serve several
friends or family, usually for little money. They are a great way of using seasonal foods or
even leftovers. For a quick reference guide as an infographic, CLICK THE PIC.
Don't skip curries if you are trying to lose
weight, says Rob Khan, the owner of
The Rajdani near Sevenoaks, which was
recently named Best Indian Restaurant in
the South East at the Asian Curry Awards.
He says that contrary to popular belief,
Indian food is not fattening, "Some of the
richer dishes laden with cream and butter
should be avoided if you want to lose
weight - and go easy on the lager. Spicy
foods are known to stimulate
the metabolism, boost the
immune system and boost
the spirits on cold, damp dark
winter days. Popular curry
recipes contain turmeric,
cumin, allspice, cardamom,
ginger, garlic and capsicum,
all spices with strong antibacterial properties."
Apart from promoting
weight loss, the spices use
in Indian cookery offer a host
of health benefits. Natural herbs and
spices were used for for thousands of
years before the invention of modern
medicine. Indeed, many chemicals used
in prescription drugs, are derived from
active ingredients originally found in
popular culinary flavourings.
Studies have found that garlic,
cinnamon and cumin can destroy up to
80% of meat-borne bacteria, while ginger
can slow bacterial growth by 25%. This
is why they are found in dishes from
hot countries, where meat needs to be
preserved. Chilli raises the metabolic rate
and stimulates the immune response.
Garlic well known for its antibacterial
effects, and helps fight disease. Turmeric
relieves congestion, and ginger eases
nausea while onion skins contain a potent
anti-histamine and anti-inflammatory,
effective in relieving blocked nose. Onion
extracts are also recognised by the World
Health Organisation (WHO) for providing
relief in the treatment of coughs and
colds, asthma and bronchitis.
www.rajdani.co.uk