10 top shocking secrets about the bell pepper

1. The pulpy white inner cavity of the bell pepper (usually cut off and discarded) is a rich source of flavonoids and can be eaten. Discarding or keeping this section though entirely depends on an individual’s preference.
2. Bell peppers can be eaten at any stage of development. However, recent research has shown that the vitamin C and carotenoid content of bell peppers tends to increase while the pepper is reaching its optimal ripeness. Bell peppers are also typically more flavorful when optimally ripe.
3. The green bell peppers you purchase in the food market may actually be immature, non-ripe versions of these other color varieties. Not all bell peppers start off green, however, nor do green bell peppers always mature into other basic colors.
4. Freshness is key when cooking and eating bell peppers. Storage for up to a week in the refrigerator is recommended. However the green belly pepper is known to last a little longer.
5. Bell peppers are not seasonal fruits, meaning that their availability all around the year is granted.
6. Green peppers are less sweet and slightly bitterer than yellow or orange peppers, with red bell peppers being the sweetest and have more vitamins and nutrients and contain the antioxidant lycopene.
7. The taste of ripe peppers varies with growing conditions and post-harvest storage treatment; the sweetest are fruit allowed to ripen fully on the plant in full sunshine, while fruit harvested green and after-ripened in storage are less sweet.
8. Bell pepper is an excellent source of vitamin C at 117 milligrams per cup. (That's more than twice the amount of vitamin C found in a typical orange.) Simple math one green bell pepper is equal to two oranges.Spare the cost of two oranges; get a single bell pepper.
9. Traditional Chinise Medicine(TCM) uses bell peppers as a natural treatment for certain medical conditions relating to digestive issues and blood circulation such as indigestion, loss of appetite swellingfrostbite(Injury or destruction of skin and underlying tissue) and stagnation
10. It also important to note that bell peppers are used worldwide as vegetables instead of spices; contrary to what is commonly known.    

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Bell pepper selection criteria

Bell peppers are available all throughout the year since they are not seasonal vegetable plants.

The table below provides tips on how select healthy and quality bell peppers.

Once at home, should be stored in the refrigerator in a plastic bag where they will stay fresh for not more than days. If stored for prolonged periods they may sustain chill injury and obviously lose their quality.

Belly pepper selection tips
Healthy	Unhealthy
Feels firm and fresh	Excessively soft
Glossy appearance(shiny and smooth)	Dull appearance, dry and rough
Intact skins	Skins with wrinkles, cracks, spots and slashes
Fresh stems	Shriveled stems
Wholesome and heavy in hand	Unhealthy , light and without uniform sizes

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Anti-AIDS pill showcases hope for some gays:study

Gay men who have five or more sex partners per year are part of a high-risk group that could benefit from a daily pill to ward off HIV, said a cost-benefit analysis by US researchers on Monday.

The study by experts at Stanford University, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, looked at the costs involved with prescribing a $26 a day pill to men who have sex with men.

The pill, Truvada (tenofovir-emtricitabine), was shown in a landmark 2010 trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine to pre-exposure prophylaxis.

Gay men account for the more than half of the 56,000 new cases yearly of human immunodeficiency virus in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

However, questions have been raised about whether it would make financial sense to recommend that large populations of gay men take a daily pill as prevention, or a technique known as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).

"Promoting PrEP to all men who have sex with men could be prohibitively expensive," said Jessie Juusola, a PhD candidate in management science and engineering in the Stanford School of Engineering and first author of the study.

"Adopting it for men who have sex with men at high risk of acquiring HIV, however, is an investment with good value that does not break the bank."

Prescribing the pill generally to men who have sex with men in the United States would cost $495 billion over 20 years, but targeting those at highest risk only would bring costs down to $85 billion, said the study.

Looking out over the next two decades, researchers calculated a total of 490,000 new infections if PrEP is not used.

But if 20 percent of gay men take the pill daily, there would be nearly 63,000 fewer infections.

And if just 20 percent of high-risk men took the drug, 41,000 new infections would be prevented over 20 years at a cost of about $16.6 billion.

Researchers used a measure of how long people live and their quality of life, valued at $50,000 per year, versus the average costs of the pill and doctor visits totaling about $10,000 per year.

"However, even though it provides good value, it is still very expensive," added Juusola.

"In the current health-care climate, PrEP's costs may become prohibitive, especially given the other competing priorities for HIV resources, such as providing treatment for infected individuals."

Previous research has found the pill as prevention would not make financial sense if taken for life, but the Stanford team said its formula differed because it presumed just a 20-year period of pill-taking.

Truvada is currently available as a treatment for people with HIV in combination with other anti-retroviral drugs.

Drug maker Gilead Sciences Inc. of California has filed a supplemental new drug application to market it for prevention purposes.

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How to ensure thorough chewing

In our previous articles we have discussed the truth behind chewing and we have seen the benefits of thorough chewing as well as effects of not thoroughly chewing your.The big question should be how we should chew thoroughly.This article provides a brief and precise answer(s).

The number of times or how thorough you chew  depends on the type of food you consume.  Soft fruits and vegetables will break down more easily than chicken or steak, so you will need to make sure you chew your food as thoroughly as possible.  According to the experts at Ohio State University, you should chew softer foods 5-10 times, and harder foods up to 30 times before swallowing. (Source: netwellnes.org)

Another suggestion is that you chew your food completely until it is small enough and dissolved enough to be swallowed with ease. A good rule of thumb is as follows: if you can tell what kind of food you are eating from the texture of the food in your mouth (not the taste), then you haven't chewed it enough. For example, if you are chewing broccoli and you run your tongue over the stalk and can tell that it is still a stalk or over the floret and you can still tell that it is still a floret, don't swallow. You need to keep on chewing until you can't tell the stalk from the floret. (Source:whfoods.org)

I addition; Avoid drinking water or beverages while eating.  Too much liquid in the stomach will slow down digestion.  However, you can drink up 20-30 minutes before or after your meal to avoid dehydration the rest of the day.

Concentrate on the meal when eating:  Avoid distractions such as television or eating on the run so that you are calm and focused during the meal.  This also makes for a more enjoyable meal.

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Advantages of thorough chewing and effects of non-thorough chewing

to continue from our previous article: the truth behind chewing of food, here more advantages of thorough chewing as well as effects of no thorough chewing.

Other benefits include:

1. You are more than likely to not eat as much by eating thoroughly. When you are eating slower, your brain can tell you that you are full, causing you to eat less.
2. Helps to prevent the heavy feeling that sometimes follows a meal and it also will help you lose body fat since you are not eating as much
3.    Reduce the risk of bacterial overgrowth: food particles that aren’t broken down properly can cause bacterial overgrowth in the colon which leads to indigestion, bloating and constipation.

When you don’t thoroughly chew..

1. Poorly digestion which means poor absorption of the vitamins and nutrients that the foods you are eating provide.
2. Contribution to reflux which can damage the lining of the throat and esophagus. About 44% of Americans experience reflux or heartburn at least once a month, 20% have it every week and 7% suffer from it daily.
3. Other side effects include flatulence, indigestion, heartburn, gas, IBS, and other discomforts. Chewing each bit thoroughly allows less air to enter in which decreases gas and burping. With an increasing number of individuals with IBS, constipation, abdominal spasms and bloating, chewing food could possibly prevent a number if these daily discomforts. 

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The truth behind chewing of food

Chewing( mastication) is the process by which food is crushed and ground by teeth and jaws. Most people put food in their mouth, chew a few times, and swallow. It is an extremely important, yet oftentimes overlooked, part of healthy digestion. Chewing doesn't really take much time and effort but majority of individuals put food in their mouth, chew a few times or even hardly chew and swallow! This guarantees no benefits in terms of better health and enjoyment of food. to chew your food well

Mechanical and chemical breakdown

It is the first step of digestion and it increases the surface area of foods to allow more efficient break down by enzymes. Chewing mechanically breaks down very large amounts of food molecules into smaller particles. This results in food having increased in surface area, an important contributing factor to good digestion. Chewing  ensures prolonged food exposure to saliva.Saliva is not only helps to lubricate the food, allowing for less stress on your esophagus, but also contains enzymes that contribute to the chemical process of digestion. Carbohydrate digestion begins with enzymes in your saliva breaking down some of the chemical bonds that connect the simple sugars that comprise starches. At the same time, the first stage of fat digestion begins in your mouth with the secretion of enzymes by glands located under the tongue.

Chewing relaxes the lower stomach muscle

Chewing is directly connected with the movement of food through your digestive tract, and, in particular, with the movement of food from your stomach to your small intestine. At the lower end of your stomach, there is a muscle called the pylorus. This muscle must relax in order for food to leave your stomach and pass into your small intestine. Sufficient saliva from optimal chewing helps relax the pylorus, and, in this way, helps your food move through your digestive tract in healthy fashion.

Chewing triggers the rest of the digestive process

 The process of chewing also activates signaling messages to the rest of the gastrointestinal system that trigger it to begin the entire digestive process. This is because when chewing is a well-paced, thorough process, it can actually be said to belong to the "cephalic stage of digestion," the phase in which you first see, smell, and taste your food. The length of time spent chewing the food is related to the length of the cephalic stage of digestion since with more extensive chewing, the longer the food gets to be seen, tasted, and smelled. Cephalic phase responses have been extensively analyzed in the research literature. The release of small messaging molecules that are critical for digestion-such as cholecystokinin, somatostatin, and neurotensin-have been found to increase by over 50% just by the mere sight and smell of food. Additionally, research has shown how chewing, as well as the activation of taste receptors in the mouth, can prompt the nervous system to relay information to the gastrointestinal system to optimize the process of digestion. For example, stimulation of the taste receptors can signal the stomach lining to produce hydrochloric acid that helps in the breakdown of protein. Additionally, chewing signals the pancreas to prepare to secrete enzymes and bicarbonate into the lumen of the small intestines. 

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