8 Ways to Train Your Brain to Hate Junk Food

Why do we crave unhealthy food?

As explained in the recent New York Times Magazine piece, "The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food," there's no denying that junk food cravings are powerful, physiological reactions—and, apparently, carefully and strategically developed by food manufacturers. Many of our favorite supermarket snacks are made with the “perfect” amounts of added sugar, salt, fat, and other chemicals designed to make us want more. But you can steer clear of processed food by eating as many healthy, whole foods as possible, and the less junk food you eat, the less you want. Try the following tips and see if they work for you.

1. Practice the five-ingredient rule.

If there are more than five ingredients on a food label—a red flag for food processing—don’t buy it. (Or if you do, consider it a treat instead of an everyday purchase). This is an easy way to avoid impulse buys like flavor-blasted chips or pre-made cookies when food shopping.

2. Aim for three colors.

A 2012 Cornell study found that people prefer three food items and three different colors on their plates, compared with more or less of either category. So instead of reaching for a candy bar, snack on nuts (loaded with healthy fats), fruit slices, and a small square of dark chocolate to get a healthy variety of colors, textures, and nutrients.

3. Break your routine.

It only takes a few weeks to form a habit. So if you always associate 3 p.m. with a trip to the vending machine, start a tradition to walk around the block for five minutes instead. This may kick your craving altogether.

4. Make healthy food your treat.

One of the best, easiest desserts? Stash red grapes in the freezer, and cap off dinner with something sweet without kick-starting sugar cravings.

 

5. Keep the healthy stuff handy.

Store healthy foods you want to eat more front and center in your fridge and out on your countertops. Snack foods are so easy to dig into—you just rip open a bag. If you had, say, red peppers all sliced and ready to go, they’re all the more tempting to dip into hummus.

6. Know your trigger foods.

Whether you've got a sweet tooth for chocolate and red velvet anything or love salty treats like pretzels, know the foods that send you down the spiral of junk food binging. You've already accomplished half of the battle by identifying them. Keep them out of the house.

7. Gross yourself out.

One surefire way to consume less processed food is to learn more about what you’re really eating. Here are a few that make us cringe: Those frozen "grilled chicken" breasts get their marks from a machine infused with vegetable oil. The preservative BHA is added to processed food like Tang, Kool Aid, and breakfast sausage even though Health and Human Services consider it a likely carcinogen. The vitamin D3 added to many yogurt brands is manufactured from sheeps's grease. And the “natural flavor” in BBQ Baked Lays is made with milk and chicken powder. Yuck!

8. Chew more than you need.

Adam Melonas, renowned chef and  founder of UNREAL candy (along with Nicky Bronner, a 15-year-old determined to "unjunk candy") shared this smart tip: "If you can make people chew more, they'll eat less." Next time you sneak in a treat, chew slowly and consciously. Wait until you finish one bite to take the next.

 

Worst Fast Food Choices

By now, it's probably not news to you that most fast food choices are bad for your health. Packed with artery-clogging, heart-attack-causing amounts of calories, fat and sodium, many fast food items are essentially death traps in little cardboard boxes. 


While most fast food chains have added "healthy" or "light" items to their menus over the past couple of years, an opposite trend can also be observed: Many of them are also producing new menu choices with a record high amount of calories, fat and sodium. These companies defend the availability of these unhealthy items by saying they "meet an important demand." 


Don't get sucked in. You'll be putting yourself at risk for obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and many more unsightly diseases, many of which can kill you. In an effort to help you make decent fast food choices, I have picked some of the worst fast foods on the market and provided all the essential nutritional information.If grams of fat and calories mean nothing to you, use these numbers as a guide. 

The average 180-pound male should consume (per day):

• Approximately 2,160 calories 
• 248g to 270g of carbohydrates 
• Approximately 65g of protein 
• 60g or less of fat 
• An absolute maximum of 2,400mg of sodium 

Keep those guidelines in mind when you take a look at the following astounding nutrition facts.

Breakfast 
Order CaloriesFat (saturated fat) Carbs ProteinSodium
Burger King Omelet Sandwich 730 47g (17g) 43g 32g 1,860mg 
Carl's Jr. Breakfast Burger 830 46g (15g) 65g 38g N/A 
Denny's Fabulous French Toast Platter 1,261 79g (30g) 110g 44g 2,495mg 
Denny's French Slam 1,196 83g (29g) 74g 48g 2,302mg 

Burgers 
Order Calories Fat (saturated fat) Carbs Protein Sodium 
Hardee's Monster Thickburger 1,417 107g (46g) 49g 64g 2,651mg 
Burger King Double Whopper with Cheese 1,060 69g (27g) 53g 56g 1,540mg 
Wendy's Big Bacon Classic 580 29g (12g) 45g 33g 1,430mg 
McDonald's Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese 770 47g (20g) 39g 46g 1,440mg 

Find out which sandwiches and pizzas will damage your waistline most... 

Sandwiches 
Order CaloriesFat (saturated fat) Carbs ProteinSodium 
Arby's Roast Beef Sub 760 48g (16g) 47g 35g 2,230mg 
Subway 6" Double Meat Meatball Marinara Sub 780 41g (18g) 61g 35g 1,760mg 

Other 
Order CaloriesFat (saturated fat) Carbs ProteinSodium 
Pizza Hut Meat Lover's Stuffed Crust Pizza (2 slices) 900 42g (20g) 86g 42g 2,500mg 
Taco Bell Nachos BellGrande 780 43g (13g) 80g 20g 1,300mg 
Wendy's Chicken BLT Salad 710 47.5g (13g) 30g 36g 1,610mg 

As you can see, certain fast food items contain more fat and calories than some people eat in an entire day. For example, the Hardee's Monster Thickburger contains an unbelievable 1,417 calories and 107g of fat — almost double the maximum recommended amount of fat per day. And breakfasts can be almost as bad: Denny's French Slam has an astounding 1,196 calories and 83g of fat. 

However, the surprising find is that even items that seem healthy can be packed with calories, fat, sodium, and other unhealthy things. For example, a seemingly innocent Chicken BLT Salad at Wendy's packs 710 calories and 48g of fat, which is more than ¾ of the maximum daily amount of fat. 

Also, don't be fooled by Subway's "healthy" image. While it is true that they do have many healthy choices, some of their sandwiches are just as bad as any other fast food. You really want to stay away from that Double Meat Meatball Marinara Sub — if a six-incher contains 780 calories and 41g of fat, imagine the 12 inch. 

Just say NO!!!

Let's be honest; you don't really need to supersize your meal or have the double version of your favorite burger with extra cheese. Why don't you try holding the mayo, having the salad or getting the kiddie size? Don't miss the next Eating Well installment, which will cover the healthiest fast food choices. Your arteries and heart — not to mention your butt — will thank you.

Ohhh bread!

WHAT IS BREAD? HOW TO MAKE IT?

OKAY LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT IT. ENJOY :)

The process

The best method of writing down a recipe is to have the flour at 100%. It means that whatever the amount of dough, the ratio of other ingredients will remain the same.
For example:

	A	B
Flour	100%	100   %
yeast	1%	1,5%
salt	1%	1,5%
sugar	1%	2  %
fat	1%	2  %
water	60%	56  %

Now both recipes can be easily compared. Recipe B has more yeast(0,5%), more salt(0,5%), more sugar(1 %), more fat(1%) and less water. An experienced baker knows what kind of bread he can expect out of recipe B. The recipes for bread differ all over the world because of the availability , the price and the quality of the ingredients. The amount of salt differs because of the legislative requirements and local taste. The amount of water varies dependant on the quality of the flour and the processing method.

Dough kneading is the mixing and kneading of the raw materials in a way that a good quality bread can be obtained. The dough kneading:
-          scaling flour and other ingredients
-          sieve the flour to remove impurities
-          activated yeast, dissolve yeast in water and add
-          instant yeast, add dry yeast to the flour
-          add other ingredients like salt, sugar, milk powder, fat etc.
-          avoid direct contact between yeast and salt  and/or sugar
-          switch on the dough kneader
-          mix the ingredients
-          the kneading can start, the formation of the gluten network which surrounds all other ingredients 

gluten network
starch grains
free water with yeast, salt and sugar

Dough cells

During dough kneading air is incorporated which is the basis for the structure of bread. Although strenuous work dough kneading can be done manually. Dough kneaders can be classified into two different groups:

fast kneader kneading time 2- 12 minutes

medium kneader kneading time 12-20 minutes

During kneading frictional heat causes the rise of the dough temperature. To control the desired dough temperature the water temperature has to be adjusted. When the ingredients are thoroughly mixed and the gluten network is sufficiently elastic and extensible the dough is ready. When a piece of dough is stretched up to a thin film without breaking it shows that the dough is ready for further. Breadmaking process Each method should be able to create a structure of gas bubbles which is capable of expansion,, produce carbodioxide and produce dough which  is able to retain gas and expand. The sponge and dough method and the straight dough method are widely used. Sponge and dough method A sponge can be considered as a slack dough. Mixing a proportion of the flour, the yeast, some, or all of the salt, but sometimes none at all and some or all of the water makes it up. The amount of yeast, the amount of salt and the consistency and the temperature of the sponge control the fermentation speed of the sponge. The amount of flour used in the sponge gives its name e.g. a quarter sponge is made with 25% of the flour. It is very important to have a very well fermented sponge otherwise the further fermentation will become very slow. sponge 50% flour, 1% yeast and 40 to 50% water sponge fermentation 60 minutes mixing all remaining ingredients and sponge scaling rounding moulding final fermentation 60 minutes baking 20 minutes So, what is the advantages & disadvantages? Advantages: -          more tolerance during processing -          a weaker, cheaper flour can be used -          less yeast is required -          long sponge fermentation and short processing time -          fermentation in a bowl is very easy -          a well developed gluten -          a good taste Disadvantages: -          more bowls for the sponges are necessary -          more space is needed for storage -          difficult planning How to make HOME MADE BREAD Okay that's all from me. Now you have know how the bread is made of and what kind of technology used for making it . Thank you.

History and Development of Ice Cream Ice cream is often called "The Great American Dessert". Although the product is typically American, the U.S. cannot claim its origin. Very little is known of the early history of ice cream; however, the product is definitely known to have been introduced from Europe. The ice cream industry as we know it today, however was wholly developed in the United States. Ice cream undoubtedly evolved from iced beverages and fruit ices that were popular in early medieval periods, some of which probably contained milk or cream. The practice, in early times, of cooling drinks in ice and snow containing salt is a matter of record. It seems possible that in overcooling some of these punches, the "ice" was discovered. At any rate, various records of frozen fruit flavored ices have been found in European history and frozen ices are still more popular in continental Europe than in the United States and Canada. The United States has gained undisputed leadership among all other countries in the production of ice cream. The industry grew slowly until about 1900, when the output of ice cream did not exceed 25 to 30 million gallons per year. The annual production has been on a continuously increasing rate, with production of both soft and hard ice cream now at more than one billion gallons. This represents a per capita consumption of more than 19 pounds. Approximately 9% of the total U.S. milk production is utilized by the ice cream industry. History and Development of Non-Dairy Mixes and Products The first frozen or semi-frozen desserts and drinks were developed from non-dairy mixes, consisting mainly of fruit or berry juices, sugar and water. References can be found throughout the histories of Turkey, India and other Asiatic countries concerning desserts made by pouring a mixture of fruit or berry juice and sugar over snow, packed into cups. Alexander the Great, immediately after his conquest of Egypt in 345 B.C., caused fifteen trenches to be dug and filled with snow brought down from higher elevations, so that he might have the means of gratifying his taste for these cooled "punches". This type of drink retained its popularity throughout the years and is still served in many areas of the country under names which usually contain the word "snow", such as "snow cone", "snow berry", etc. Machines are still available designed to finely pulverize block or cube ice, which is then packed into a cup and topped with a few fluid ounces of fruit or berry juice and served exactly the same as it was over 2,000 years ago. Salt was used with snow or ice to further reduce the temperature of these "punches" below the normal melting point. This enabled the product to be served at 26 degrees F to 29 degrees F which produced a slushy consistency with far better holding qualities than when made simply from ice and flavor. However, it was not until the late 1920's when mechanical refrigeration, found in the average dairy plant manufacturing hard ice cream, enabled the production of true water and fruit ices.

Innovative Computer Vision System Detects Foreign Material on Food Processing Lines

John Stewart, senior research engineer, is spearheading efforts to build a color vision system that will automatically detect and then remove colored foreign objects from the food stream.

Plastic is commonly used by food processing operations in liners for containers, disposable gloves, food testing instruments, hearing protection, identity badges, conveyor parts, and guides along conveyors. Despite extensive safeguards, these items or small fragments of them sometimes make their way into the product stream and end up in the finished product. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to find plastics once they enter the high volume flow of a commercial food production line. However, researchers with Georgia Tech’s Agricultural Technology Research Program are busy working to find a solution. They believe an answer might lie in computer vision technology. Using the technology along with sophisticated software algorithms, the team has developed an overline color vision system that is proving viable at detecting plastic fragments that have become lodged in finished product.

The squared segments indicate that the system’s software has detected a foreign object (in this case, plastic glove pieces) in the sample product.

To help detect foreign material in products on food processing lines, most producers currently use plastic items with colors that stand out from the product stream in hopes that an employee will find the items, explains John Stewart, senior research engineer. “The goal of our research is to build a color vision system that will automatically detect and then remove these colored objects from the food stream.”

“The detection of foreign objects and contaminants in food is a critical safety task. With the amount of automation present at every level of food production and the rates at which food is being produced, it is becoming increasingly more important to have systems that can automatically detect foreign matter along the way,” adds Stewart.

“A computer vision system is much more effective at this task than human observers. First, the vision system continuously watches the product stream and does not become distracted or daydream like a human observer. Second, the vision system can freeze motion on a relatively high-speed belt, and its resolution can be specifically tailored for the observation task at hand,” says Stewart.

According to Stewart, these capabilities allow the system to operate on a high-speed line that can separate the product and present more surface area for screening. And, Stewart says, by automating the detection process, there is a digital record of any foreign objects detected that can aid in identifying the point where the material entered the process.

Stewart and his research team have produced a working prototype. The system uses a blue color scheme to detect foreign objects. The system concept is simple, he explains. An overline vision system is installed at an appropriate point in the process, typically next to the final metal detection cell. The vision system is trained using color discrimination algorithms by passing unadulterated product under it. The information on the product appearance is then stored in a product dependent profile, which can be called up remotely as the product mix on the line changes. Once the training mode is complete, the vision system looks for any object that does not match the product profile. If the system detects a problem, it sounds an alarm, saves a picture of the problem product, and activates a product kickoff device. If the system is placed next to a metal detector, it is possible the two systems can share the same kickoff device.

In preliminary tests, the system has demonstrated a near 100% detection rate for blue and green glove parts larger than 1.5 mm. The system operates at up to 12 feet per second while visually inspecting all products at least twice. The system has also proved successful in detecting green glass, zip ties, and larger pieces of blue tinted plastic box liner.

Stewart says the team is currently focusing its efforts on building a production-scale prototype. In fact, the team was recently awarded a grant from Georgia’s Traditional Industries Program for Food Processing to fund the effort. The team plans to work with Gainco, Inc., an equipment manufacturer based in Gainesville, Ga., to produce the prototype. The team has also partnered with Wayne Farms LLC to conduct field studies at the processor’s Oakwood, Ga., processing plant.