Food Dehydrators and What to Look for When Buying One

Have you ever wished that you could eat healthier? Maybe you've decided to go vegetarian - or even vegan - and now the question for you becomes, "What am I going to eat now?!" In the beginning you might try buying dried goods from health food stores, but it usually ends up being an expensive proposition over time. Thankfully for you, there could be a better solution: dehydrating your own food at home!

With so many different types and brands of food dehydrators on the market today, it can be difficult to know which one to choose. The truth is that it really helps to know what the main features are which are available to you, and how much you should spend.

Most people start using food dehydration for one of several reasons - either to lead a more healthy lifestyle, or simply to create their favorite foods at home. Many people often do it for both reasons. The advantages to dehydrating your own food at home are many though, and that includes having control over the foods you prepare, including the levels of salt and other seasonings. Plus there is the obvious cost advantage; a one-time payment for a food dehydrator easily outweighs the cost of repeated trips to the natural foods store to buy items in bulk at retail prices!

Traditionally, the most common method of dehydration was to use Mother Nature - curing food in the sun. This goes back to ancient times and is still by far the most popular way it is done in many parts of the world. This is changing, however, in our modern age, with the advances in technology. Now you can obtain a food dehydrator which you can plug into the wall and use any time of day or night, instead of being dependent on the weather. Plus, an indoor dehydration machine will make the whole process significantly faster for you! Most machines will come with one or several trays for food. You simply load up the trays as directed, flip the switch, and watch. Within no time you'll have healthily prepared foods, which have all the vitamins and minerals that are sorely lacking in conventionally cooked food.

So how do you choose the right food dehydrator? Well, I say from experience that it is best to avoid purchasing these items used from eBay, Craigslist or other resale channels. Sometimes these dehydrators can have damage or structural defects or damage from the former owner. Although you may not be able to tell until you receive the item, you should be able to do quite a bit of checking in advance. First of all, make sure the food dehydrator comes from a decent manufacturer, such as Excalibur. All too often, cheap knockoffs are available. While they will likely be cheaper, like most things in life you really do get what you pay for. That being said, there are many high quality options available in price ranges in the low hundreds. You also want to make sure that you order a model with enough trays to suit your cooking needs (and the size of your kitchen.) If you're planning to cook in large batches, go with a nine-tray machine. But if you don't cook as much, a couple trays will work just fine.

I hope this quick article was useful to you in your search for the perfect food dehydrator! With a little time and research, it will be easy for you to find the best fit for your needs.

Nelson Purceil is a recognized expert on consumer product shopping, and has worked as a marketer for multiple Fortune 500 companies. A great resource to learn more about the various types of food dehydrator as well as shopping is at GreenHealthZone.com.

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Vegan FAQ - Is Sugar Vegan?

Is sugar vegan? The short answer is yes and no. It depends on what sugar we are referring to and the interpretation of animal cruelty by individual vegans. Many totally ban it from their diet. Others permit it.

First, the sugar of concern is refined, white cane sugar. What most people refer to as plain old table sugar. About half of this sugar is made from sugar cane and half from sugar beets. While there is no animal ingredient in sugar, cane sugar is filtered with bone char which may be made from animal bones. Sugar made from beets does not require the same process involving bone char. Therefore, only cane sugar is of concern. All other sweeteners are generally considered vegan (even though they may not be very healthy).

Some vegans consider this use of bone char to be so far removed from the original cause of the animals slaughter that it should not be considered animal cruelty (somewhat like the honey issue). Others believe the use of animals or animal by-products in any manner for human consumption is unacceptable. So, the decision to use cane sugar or not is an individual choice.

If you object to the use of bone char, it would seem the answer is simply not to buy refined cane sugar. But, unfortunately, all sugar available at your local supermarket does not state on the package if it is cane sugar or beet sugar. If the package clearly says "beet" sugar then it is vegan. If the package says "cane" sugar it should be considered to be filtered with bone char.

This being said, there is another reason for anyone, vegan or not, to avoid refined white table sugar. This sugar has been processed to the point of totally removing all nutritional value. It is nothing but empty calories and has been linked to a host of disease and illnesses. It is not our purpose here to prove or document this. Take five minutes and do some research on the internet (Google "is sugar bad for you") and find out for yourself.

So what are we to do? We all love our sweets. The answer is to use any of a multitude of other sweeteners. Natural sweeteners such as maple syrup, granular fruit sweeteners, molasses, agave syrup and brown rice syrup are vegan and retain their nutrients. There is also Stevia (made from a natural herb) that is nearly 300 time sweeter than cane sugar. Many of these sweeteners are available in major supermarkets today.

Buying prepared sweets (pies, cakes, cookies, ice cream) is more difficult. Try to avoid products containing high fructose corn syrup (it is in nearly everything today). This chemically altered ingredient has no nutritional value and our bodies are unable to break it down. It is suspect as contributing to our high obesity rate and diabetes.

Possibly the best answer for vegans is to make your own sweets. When cooked in your own kitchen you will know exactly what is in the food you eat. For some this may be a daunting task if they are new to cooking.. But with the wealth of easy vegan recipes available today practically anyone can make a few really yummy desserts.

K.A. Miller is a freelance writer and webmaster for http://www.veganshome.com/ where you will find vegan recipes and discussion of the vegan lifestyle, especially helpful to the new vegan.

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Vegetarian Foods Are No Longer Boring And Tasteless

Vegetarian food is hardly tasteless or boring and there are a number of these that many people can choose from. For starters, people may want to try vegetarian soup recipes that are very healthy and among these are crockpot, chili, vegetarian minestrone, French onion soup, barley and tomato soup. One of the best vegetable soups that people should try is the gourmet vegetarian and tomato bisque soup. Not to be outdone is the delicious vegan artichoke that will certainly be a treat for vegetable lovers. Vegetarian foods are so very tasty that many people cannot have enough of them.

Incidentally, Taiwan offers plenty of vegetarian chows that people can feast on and enjoy with much delight. One of these is the unassuming Vegan Scallion Pancakes wherein street vendors pile them high and serve them hot. These delicious snacks can be eaten as an appetizer or as a snack and the best way to eat them is by dipping them in soy sauce. Another flavorful fare is Vegetarian Chinese Dumplings that is considered as one of the best vegetarian meals. These dumplings are steamed and dipped in vinegar or soy sauce and they are best served with hot green tea.

Tofu or seitan can be added to a soup called Vegetarian Hot and Sour soup and the Chinese usually eat this during breakfast. Also, this is considered as a complete meal and people can heartily consume this tasty soup. Incidentally, many people are worried that they may not get enough protein if they eat vegetarian foods, but their fears are unfounded because they can get this when they eat whole grains especially if it is the "quinoa." Other, grains that are rich in protein is barley, brown rice, and whole grain bread. For those who miss burgers in their diet, they can try the special Cranberry and Camembert Burgers that are made of healthy soya protein that is textured.

Customers will definitely enjoy this meal that is high in protein and fiber especially if it is served with rosemary oven chips together with grilled haloumi that is placed inside a ciabatta roll. For added flavor, customers can request for salad leaves and fresh tomatoes. Vegetarian foods that customers should look forward to are Red Onion and Rosemary Sausages. This tasty meal is baked with rosemary sprigs and slice onions are added into it. This meal would not be complete without the minted peas, spring onions and mashed potatoes that are buttered.

Like the Cranberry Burgers, this meal has high protein content and is an excellent source of fiber. Sausages are meat products that children and adults alike enjoy very much, but vegetarian foods such as Mini Snack Sausages are great alternatives because they contain no meat and are healthier. These sausages can be served at parties or snacks. Steak lovers would be glad to note that they can wolf down grilled tempeh instead of their usual beef steak. Along with scrambled tofu brunch these customers will discover that they will feel full without worrying about the health effects of these vegetarian foods.

Ralph Wilhelm-dude17111 is an online researcher and marketer.
follow my link to learn more about Vegetarian Foods

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