Easily Open a Pomegranate

By The Taste for Life Staff

How to Seed a Pomegranate

Watch the video above for an easy-open kitchen hack, and follow the tips below.

Fill a wide mixing bowl (wide enough to fit your hands in) half-full with water.
Cut the pomegranate in half.
Submerge the pomegranate halves in water and use your hands to separate the seeds from the inner membrane.
The membrane will float to the surface and the gems will sink.
Discard membrane and outer rind.
Skim the surface a second time to remove any small pieces of membrane.
Drain and the seeds are ready to use!

Pomegranates are an Antioxidant

An ancient fruit, the pomegranate has been found in Ayurvedic medicine, Egyptian tombs, Greek legend, Biblical verses, and Christian art. The juice-encapsulated seeds are both delicious and nutritious, if messy to extract. Rich in antioxidants, essential fats, including conjugated fatty acids, fiber, and lignins, which contain phytoestrogens, pomegranate seeds are well worth picking out of this fruit.

“How to Cut and De-Seed a Pomegranate” by Elise Bauer, www.simplyrecipes.com, 10/29/06

What to Make with Pomegranates or Seeds

Don't want to eat the seeds by themselves? Pomegranate seeds are great to add to drinks and salads.

Contributor

Collagen for Joint Health

For those of us who haven’t experienced the pain of osteoarthritis, “collagen” may seem like a new beauty buzzword.

But, though we only pay close attention to collagen when something goes wrong in our knees or thumbs (or our aging skin), we wouldn’t be able to sit and read this screen if it weren’t for this important protein.

Collagen in Bones and Joints

Bones are composed of 65 percent calcium phosphate and 35 percent collagen matrix—living tissue that’s constantly breaking down and reforming. Collagen is also a major component of cartilage, that flexible connective tissue in the skeleton.

Collagen and Cartilage Cushion Your Joints

Cartilage covers the ends of bones in normal, healthy joints, reducing friction and acting as a shock absorber by changing shape when it’s compressed.

Collagen gives cartilage its strength, and creates a framework, or matrix, that contains the other components of cartilage: proteoglycans, a protein/sugar combination that gives cartilage its flexibility; water, which feeds and lubricates cartilage and also gives it its shock-absorbing capacity; and chondrocytes, which create new proteoglycans and collagen while disposing of the old.

Cartilage Breaks Down with Use and Age

Osteoarthritis is associated with a painful and debilitating breakdown of cartilage in joints. Athletes experience it; so does everyone else, eventually, as they age. Scientists have been working to find a way to rebuild cartilage, through pharmaceuticals, supplements, injections, and even surgical implantation of collagen structures into damaged joints.

“Cartilage does not regenerate in adults,” says Ramille N. Shah, lead author on a study of “nanoscopic” therapy. “Once you are fully grown you have all the cartilage you'll ever have.”

Shah, assistant professor of materials science and engineering at the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science and assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at the Feinberg School of Medicine, said the Northwestern University’s study involved “material of nanoscopic fibers [that] stimulates stem cells present in bone marrow to produce cartilage containing type II collagen and repair the damaged joint.”

Surgical Procecures with Collagen

“Microfracture” is another surgical procedure used for cartilage repair, but according to Shah it produces a type of collagen associated with scar tissue. Several studies have looked at placing collagen-based structures in damaged joints to encourage tissue repair, though more work is also needed to confirm the effectiveness of this approach.

Collagen May Relieve Joint Pain

Study into collagen supplementation to rebuild cartilage is ongoing. One examining two types of collagen compared to gelatin found better pain relief from gelatin, and concluded that more studies were needed to confirm the therapeutic effects of collagen derivatives on osteoarthritis.

“Growing Cartilage—No Easy Task” by Megan Fellman, Northwestern University, 2/10

“Nutritional Supplements and Osteoarthritis,” www.WebMD.com

“Symptomatic and Chondroprotective Treatment with Collagen Derivatives in Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review” by J.P. Van Vijven et al., Osteoarthritis Cartilage, 8/12

“Tissue-Engineered Cartilaginous Constructs for the Treatment of Caprine Cartilage Defects, Including Distribution of Laminin and Type IV Collagen” by L. Jeng et al., Tissue Eng Part A, 6/19/13

10 Trend Predictions for 2017

By Pamela Bump

As we enter 2017, a variety of health and environmental trends are gaining in popularity, promising social-media chatter—and further research. Check out this rundown of Taste for Life’s hottest trend predictions.

The Latest Health Trends

Hit the Club and the Gym

As people have used Jazzercise or Zumba to workout with fun dance moves, 2017 could see the growth of more dance workouts with a “club” theme. Workout facilities all over Europe and the US are embracing “Clubbercise” courses, where users dance in club lighting and may even get to hold glow sticks.

Like earlier dance workouts, Clubbercise attendees may also move to popular, chart-topping dance hits. As Clubbercise classes boom in Europe, many people across the United States began tweeting and posting about the topic on social media in late 2016.
Supplements Gain Steam

Supplements continue to see increasing amounts of scientific research and online discussion. In 2016, fish oil and omega 3s stole the scientific limelight for being supplements with positive health benefits for pregnant women and those with heart-related issues. We expect this health trend to continue in 2017.
Buddha Bowls

Last year Instagrammers loved snapping photos of their acai bowls. In 2017, a similar trend may package a variety of flavors in one small bowl. While acai bowls featured acai berries, “Buddha bowls” are a mix of roasted or raw vegetables, beans, and grains. This combination is filling, protein-packed, and helpful for weight loss.
Going Natural

Market research is showing that more consumers are attracted to buzzwords like “natural” and “non-GMO.” We expect continued interest in these categories, along with healthy snacks such as those made from superfruits.
More Snacking, Less Traditional Meals

One recent study suggested that millennials now prefer snacking throughout the day, rather than sticking to three traditional meals. Participants who said they snacked regularly, or had four or more large snacks a day instead of full meals, noted that this was due to time constraints, rush of their workday, or because they didn’t want to overeat if they weren’t hungry.
Bye-Bye, Plastic!

Towns and cities in states like Massachusetts, Connecticut, Colorado, Texas, and California have proposed or passed legislation banning or adding a fee for the use of plastic bags. Stores in these areas will often provide recyclable paper bags. In Massachusetts, The Cape Cod Times kicked off 2017 by reporting that Martha’s Vineyard will be “mostly plastic bag free” due to bans. Learn how you can avoid plastic.
Natural Remedies and Mood Boosters

Studies in 2016 suggested optimism for those with mental health issues such as anxiety who used natural herbs like St. John’s Wort to ease their symptoms.

During the previous election season, many states also legalized medicinal and recreational marijuana. Before these legalizations, CBD oil and hemp, which had similar properties, were already growing in popularity for their potential health benefits.
Turmeric

Turmeric was a popular web search and hashtag in 2016, and we predict its continued rise in 2017. This herb aids digestion and helps joint health. It is also a popular ingredient in recipes. Check out this turmeric recipe.
Healthy Substitutions

While many social media videos and recipes have pointed to spaghetti squash as a low-carb alternative to real spaghetti, businesses around the country are embracing mocktails as an alternative to alcoholic beverages.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that many New York City bars have begun offering mocktail menus for customers who prefer healthy, fancy drinks, that contain no alcohol.
Collagen

You may have heard of this as a natural anti-aging remedy for the skin, but it is also helpful for immunity and digestion when found in bone broth and other hearty dishes.

Collagen is also good for joint health. Check out this delicious protein smoothie made with bone broth.

"5 Studies Show Effectiveness of Herbal and Alternative Treatment for Anxiety Disorders,” by Mike Bundrant, PsychCentral.com, 2016

“About Us,” Clubbercise, clubbercise.com, 2016

“Clubbercise Fitness Class with UV lights and Glow Sticks Launching in Birmingham,” by Zoe Chamberlain, Birmingham Mail, BirminghamMail.co.uk, 9/28/16

“Fees, Taxes and Bans | Recycling and Reuse,” National Conference of State Legislatures," NCSL.com, 11/11/16

“Healthy Super Snacking in Fine Fettle, Reports Innova,” by Gill Hyslop, BakeryAndSnacks.com, 1/6/17

“Here’s Even More Evidence That Fish Oil Is Good for You,” by Alice Park, TIME.com, 1/3/17

“How America’s Eating Habits Are Changing,” PLMA Consumer Research, PLMA.com, 2016

“It's 2017: Here's where you can legally smoke weed now,” by Melia Robinson, Business Insider, BusinessInsider.com, 1/8/17

“New York Bars Adapt to Dry January Trend With Mocktail Menus,” by Charles Passy, The Wall Street Journal, WSJ.com, 1/2/17

“The Dark (and Often Dubious) Art of Forecasting Food Trends,” by Kim Severson, The New York Times, NYTimes.com, 12/27/16

“Vineyard mostly plastic bag-free in 2017,” by Ethan Genter, The Cape Cod Times, CapeCodTimes.com, 1/1/17

Reflecting on 2016

Want to find out which topics gained popularity on search engines and social media last year?

cartoon of person sharing sushi on social media

Healthy Hashtags and Trends of 2016

Contributor

Pamela Bump

Pamela is the Audience Growth Manager for the HubSpot Blog and holds an M.S. in Media Ventures from Boston University. Before HubSpot, she was Taste for Life’s first Web Editor & Social Media Expert and Harvard Business Review’s first Growth Editor. In her roles, she’s managed content strategy, social media, and audience growth tactics.

Although her career is focused on digital marketing and editorial innovation, she continues to write for TFL to quench her thirst for food blogging and health journalism.

Dive Into Detox!

By The Taste for Life Staff

Ever wonder why some people age so much faster than others?

“Genetics aside, toxicity is one of the greater factors influencing the age-related decrease in energy production,” says Frank Shallenberger, MD, HMD, founder/medical director of the Nevada Center of Alternative and Anti-Aging Medicine.

“Toxins decrease cellular energy production,” he explains. “Since the very tissues and organs that are responsible for the treatment and removal of bodily toxins require substantial energy production themselves, a vicious cycle is created, resulting in a persistent decline in energy production as people become older.”

Growing Risks

At every age, though, we’re bombarded by harmful chemicals and environmental pollutants.

“Dodging dangers at the dinner table seems to be a full-time job nowadays,” admits nutritionist Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, CNS.

Food and water today can contain traces of flame retardants, heavy metals, herbicides, pesticides, and plasticizers, to mention only a few toxins. You don’t need to live near a refinery or chemical plant. Toxic heavy metals from burning coal have shown up in the Arctic, and scientists suggest that low-level atmospheric pollution can damage human health.

Even people who watch their diet, abstain from alcohol and drugs, exercise regularly, and avoid obvious contaminants can carry a cumulative body burden of over 100 pollutants.

“It’s overwhelming what we’re exposed to,” says Jane Houlihan, vice president for research for the Environmental Working Group (EWG). “Every day we get a fresh flush of chemicals.”

“Mounting evidence suggests that tiny amounts of certain chemicals, both natural and synthetic, can wreak havoc with hormones that shape our bodies and behavior over a lifetime,” writes journalist Nena Baker in The Body Toxic.

Called endocrine disrupters for the tricks they play on the human body from fetal development through adulthood, these chemicals are increasingly hard to avoid. Researchers continue to discover links between chemical exposures and asthma, cancers, and neurodevelopmental disorders.

A review in Lancet suggests that fetal and early childhood exposures to hundreds of chemical contaminants are causing “a silent pandemic” of brain disorders.

Other research points to an association with DNA and organ damage. A British specialist in human metabolism and environmental health, Paula Baillie-Hamilton, MD, has linked these toxins to weight gain.

“The more toxic your body becomes, the more difficulty you’ll have losing weight,” adds Dr. Gittleman. “The use of pesticides alone has doubled every 10 years since 1945. Every day, corporations, cars, and homes release 700,000 tons of pollution into our air.”

Live a Toxin-Free Life

Spring Cleansing With Juice and Digestive Strategy

Avoid Disease With Detox

Try These Detox Recipes

Contributor

What To Know About Confectioner's Glaze

By Pamela Bump

A pile of candy corn. It's nice and shiny, because it has lac bug secretions.

Illustration 10434742 © Perry Toone | Dreamstime.com, Photo 14485852 © Mark Herreid | Dreamstime.com

If you’re afraid of bugs but love candy corn, one common candy ingredient might give you a spook this Halloween.

What is Confectioner's Glaze?

Confectioner's glaze, also known as pharmaceutical glaze, is used by numerous candy companies to add a shiny, smooth finish on their products.

It's made using shellac, but shellac—or “beetle juice,” as ABC News calls it—is made of bug secretions.

What is Shellac?

After feeding on tree sap, the female lac bug secretes a substance called lac to protect her soon-to-hatch eggs.

Often found and collected in forests of India or Thailand, the lac later hardens to create a flaky shellac.

It is then dissolved in ethanol, an alcohol fuel distilled from plant materials. The process leads to the creation of glaze and shellac polish.

Uses for Shellac

The glaze is used to enhance shine of apples, jelly beans, and other hard foods.

Shellac-based sprays are also used to coat pills, polish fingernails, and varnish wood.
Is Confectioner's Glaze Safe?

According to the Food and Drug Administration, the glaze is a “non-nutritive substance,” or a substance that does not contribute negatively or positively to nutrition.

However, it is “generally recognized as safe” by the administration. (The FDA also allows a certain amount of insect fragments into the foods we eat.)
Is Confectioner's Glaze Vegan?

No. Because shellac is hardened lac bug secretions, products containing it are not considered vegan.

With worries that shellac processes may lead to bugs incidentally getting dissolved into ethanol, some vegetarian and vegan bloggers have encouraged the avoidance of food products with the glaze.

Other Halloween Ingredients to Avoid

Although the glaze may not be associated with direct nutrition issues, other ingredients in your Halloween bag might be.

Corn Syrup

Corn syrup, often used for extra flavoring, has been linked to the United States’ diabetes epidemic.
Added Sugars

Many treats are also packed with added sugars linked to obesity.

You should check our list of healthy sugar alternatives to learn about healthy sweeteners that may appear in your kids' treats.

“7 Grossest Things in Your Food,” by Mandy Oaklander, ABCNews.com

“CPG Sec. 515.100 Confectionery - Use of Non-Nutritive Substances as Ingredients,” Compliance Policy Guidance Manual, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA.Gov, 2017

“Ethanol: What Is It?” University of Illinois, illinois.edu, 2017

“Jelly Bean Day Fact: Jelly Beans Are Made With Insect Secretions,” Mental Floss, MentalFloss.com, 4/22/17

“You Eat Bugs (And It Doesn't Bother You At All),” By Dennis Hollier, Food and Agriculture, forbes.com, 3/27/17

More Halloween Tips

Here's some extra advice to have a happy, healthy Halloween.

Tips for Halloween Nutrition

Easy Halloween Dinners

Children trick or treating cartoon image.

8 Tips for Hosting a Haunted Halloween Party

Contributor

Pamela Bump

Although her career is focused on digital marketing and editorial innovation, she continues to write for TFL to quench her thirst for food blogging and health journalism.

Celebrating Without Gluten

Photo 122020037 © Filirochka | Dreamstime.com

Eating with friends and family during summer get-togethers can be frustrating and even worrisome.

For some, a gluten-free diet is a choice, a way to feel better after eating, or to keep a clear head when gluten seems to fog the mind. But for those with celiac disease, it’s not optional.

But going gluten free doesn’t mean you have to miss Mother’s Day, forego hosting a graduation party, or skip those fun potlucks and picnics.

Gluten-Free Recipes for Parties

There are plenty of gluten-free options for warm-weather celebrations that everyone will want to share, and here are just a few.

Ayurvedic Beauty: Learn to Make an All-Natural Anti-Acne & Anti-Aging Facemask

By Ananta Ripa Ajmera

An indian woman with closed eyes relaxing and having an Ayurvedic face mask

As someone who tried every product out there to combat acne-prone skin prior to encountering Ayurveda, I’m delighted to share one of my favorite Ayurvedic skin care recipes. It’s made from wonderful ingredients that are just as good for you when applied to your skin as they are when cooked and eaten. This is a great skin care treatment if you’re looking to prevent acne and keep your skin looking and feeling youthful and fresh.

All four ingredients in this DIY facemask (masoor dal, sandalwood powder, turmeric, and saffron) are stars in promoting healthy skin. The time I spend making and applying my facemask is a special self-care home spa time—and is much less expensive than going to a professional spa! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Ingredients for an Ayurvedic Facemask

Sandalwood Powder for Cooling & Soothing

This pleasantly scented powder is cooling and soothing, making it a go-to herb for bleeding and burning conditions in the body. Blood-purifying, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, and intellect-promoting, sandalwood is also believed to promote happiness (ahladana in Sanskrit). No wonder it’s one of the most popular Ayurvedic beauty herbs.
Collagen to Nourish Your Skin from Within

Collagen is a key component of the skin’s structure, responsible for keeping it firm and elastic. As we age, our bodies naturally begin to slow the production of collagen, resulting in fine lines and wrinkles, and decreased moisture.

Eating a healthy diet, staying hydrated, and exercising regularly can help slow the process of collagen loss and dryness.

Research indicates that collagen supplements can also help counteract the natural signs of aging. A group of healthy women with visible signs of aging were given a daily collagen supplement for 12 weeks. At the end of the study, their skin had improved dramatically, with fewer visible lines and wrinkles, and a significant decrease in dryness and scaling.
Turmeric to Improve Your Complexion

Turmeric improves the complexion, tone, and texture of your skin. It’s also an antiallergenic, antimicrobial, antioxidant herb that builds immunity, especially when consumed internally as part of many healing Ayurvedic recipes. Turmeric, like sandalwood, is a terrific blood purifier. Turmeric’s beautifying quality is so famous among Indians that brides dedicate an entire ritual to applying turmeric-based skin care recipes to their skin the day before their wedding.
Saffron to Rejuvenate Your Skin

A wonderful rejuvenating herb, saffron helps heal headaches when applied externally with ghee and consumed internally in warm milk. It’s used in a great variety of cosmetics.
Masoor Dal for Minerals (optional)

This is a superstar reddish-orange lentil that you can buy at any Indian store and many natural food stores. It’s highly beneficial for fevers when cooked and consumed as food, and Ayurveda believes it’s also a great blood purifier when used internally and externally.

Excerpted from The Ayurveda Way by Ananta Ripa Ajmera ($18.95, Storey, 2017)

“Oral intake of specific bioactive collagen peptides reduces skin wrinkles and increases dermal matrix synthesis” by E. Proksch et al., 12/24/13;

“Oral supplementation of specific collagen peptides has beneficial effects on human skin physiology...” by E. Proksch et al., 8/14/13, Skin Pharmacol Physiol

Follow This Recipe

Follow these simple steps to make your own Ayurvedic facemask at home.

Contributor

Ananta Ripa Ajmera

Ananta Ripa Ajmera is a spiritual teacher, 10-time award-winning and bestselling author of The Way of the Goddess and The Ayurveda Way, and co-founder of The Ancient Way. Ananta regularly appears in media, and has been interviewed by Dr. Deepak Chopra, Good Day New York, Forbes, and Allure. She has taught Ayurveda at Endeavor, Stanford, UNICEF, and ABC News.

Learn more about her book, TThe Ayurveda Way, on her website.

Ayurvedic Anti-Acne & Anti-Aging Facemask

By Ananta Ripa Ajmera

Sandalwood paste in silver bowl with sticks and leaves on a circular stone base for creating paste.

Recipe Source

The Ayurveda Way by Ananta Ripa Ajmera ($18.95, Storey, 2017)

Ingredients

1 cup masoor dal
2 tsp turmeric powder
10 to 20 strands saffron
1 tsp sandalwood powder

Directions

Place the masoor dal, turmeric, saffron, and sandalwood powder in a blender. Blend until the mixture becomes a fine powder, 1 to 3 minutes.
Place a spoonful of the powder in a small bowl and mix it with a bit of water to create a paste. Spread the paste onto your face and keep it there for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it dries up and tightens your facial muscles.
Rinse the facemask off with cool water, ideally in the shower.

Learn More About Ayurvedic Masks

Read more about Ananta's favorite Ayurvedic mask, and how it works.

Ayurvedic Beauty: Learn to Make an All-Natural Anti-Acne & Anti-Aging Facemask

Contributor

Ananta Ripa Ajmera

Learn more about her book, TThe Ayurveda Way, on her website.

Kitchen Hacks for Slicing and Dicing

By Pamela Bump

a kitchen knife on a cutting board of sliced and diced fruits and vegetables

Cooking doesn’t have to be complicated. Whether you’re just learning how or consider yourself the family chef, this list of kitchen hacks will help you quicken kitchen time while keeping your meals healthy and delicious.

Tips for Using a Knife in The Kitchen

Keep Your Cutting Tools in Shape
- After using a cutting board, rub half a lemon on it to prevent odor from collecting on it over time.
- If your knives are getting a bit dull, grab an old coffee mug and carefully scrape the knife along the bottom ring. Then wash the knife before use.
Slicing, Dicing, and Peeling Produce
- How to Cut Small Tomatoes and Grapes
  1. Place a handful of them on a clean surface and put a clean plate on top of them.
  2. Hold the plate down lightly with one hand to keep the food in place.
  3. Hold the knife parallel to the plate with the other hand as you cut the food in half.
  Check out this demo.
- How to Cut Open a Pomegranate
  1. Place it right-side up. Cut a circle about an inch wide in diameter off of the top of the pomegranate so you can see the seeds inside.
  2. Place the knife between two groups of seeds without letting it touch the center of the pomegranate.
  3. Cut downward until you get to the bottom. Continue cutting from top to bottom until you’ve cut between every seed.
  4. When you’re done, you’ll be able to pull the pomegranate open with no mess.
  See a video here.
- Cutting Onions, The Easy Way
  1. Cut the onion in half from top to bottom and remove the peel.
  2. Place one half flat-side down and cut in the opposite direction.
  3. Carefully hold the knife parallel to the cutting board and cut from top to bottom again.
  Watch how it's done here.
  
  While you’re cutting that onion, chew gum and avoid inhaling through your nose. This will help you avoid getting onion chemicals in your nasal cavity. Gum can also help to diffuse the tear-causing chemicals and the odors associated with onions.

“Need to Sharpen a Knife? All You Need Is a Coffee Mug” by Taylor Martin, CNet.com, 3/16

Video Tutorials for Cutting Produce

Check out these videos to you can see our chef in action, before you put your new kitchen skills to the test! We think they'll help you be "a cut above the rest" in no time flat!

Easily Halve Small Fruits and Vegetables