FDRrecipes

The Chinese pay much attention to the presentation of their cuisine. This is why cutting techniques are so important since the size and shape of individual ingredients should harmonise with each other. We also like to decorate dishes with various kinds of garnish ranging from the simple spring onion brush to the elaborate tomato rose. Here are some instructions for making some simple, attractive garnishes.

Indigestion, constipation, and bad breath are among the most common and frequent ailments to beset us. It's hardly surprising when you consider how busily the digestive system works all day long, supplied with almost constant food and drink. The meals that we eat are often too late, too much, too quick, too spicy, too fatty, and low in fibre; our chosen drinks are often fizzy, or caffeine-based; none of which helps our digestive systems to function at their best.

Economical and highly nutritious, mince is wonderfully versatile and can be used as the main ingredient in a wide range of dishes, from pates and pasta sauces to hamburgers, kebabs, meatballs and meat loaves. Mince is a cheap form of protein and a little can be padded out with vegetables, pasta or rice to make a more substantial meal.

Steaming seafood, especially shrimps, in an electric food steamer is almost fool proof, for having perfectly cooked fish and seafood.

With an electric food steamer you just put your seafood in, fill it with water, set the timer and then you're free to do something else. We have cooked hundreds of pounds of shrimps in one of these. Once you get on to cooking with a food steamer, you will be cooking your entire meal in it.

Every year, most of us will go down with a minor respiratory illness - it's almost guaranteed. It could be a cold, cough, sore throat, flu or bronchitis. Whichever bug we pick up, it's bound to make us feel miserable and lethargic for a couple of days at least. Inflamed throat, sore and chapped nose, high temperature, fatigue, and loss of appetite are all inevitable results of a virulent bug - perhaps caught in a crowded train or at the office. Juices can soothe the throat, calm a tickly cough, and provide a nutritious energy boost. Juices can also help to ease a sore throat in the case of more persistent and semipermanent conditions such as asthma, hay fever and allergic rhinitis.

We know that children need vegetables to be healthy and grow, but what vegetables should we give our babies and children? Here is a list of them and some information about their qualities. Not only vegetarians eat lots of vegetables, every person should. Give your children broccoli, pumpkin, carrots, cauliflower, courgettes, garlic, cabbage, lettuce, onions, leeks, parsnips, peas, potatoes, peppers, spinach, sweetcorn, tomatoes and many other vegetables.

If you want to feed your baby properly give it different products, including meat, vegetables and fruit, cereals, dairy and, of course, fish and other seafood. But pay attention to the freshness and nutritional value of the seafood products that you give your baby or child. Fish consists such vitamin as vitamin D. There are not so many products that consist it, so fish is very health-giving.

The glycemic index (glycaemic index, or GI) is a measure of the effects of carbohydrates on blood sugar levels. Carbohydrates that break down quickly during digestion and release glucose rapidly into the bloodstream have a high GI; carbohydrates that break down more slowly, releasing glucose more gradually into the bloodstream, have a low GI.

There are a lot of cereals that are used as a food in different countries. They're nutritious and helth-giving. But some cereals are rather indigestible for the children, especially babies and toddlers. So be careful when you're starting to give paps to your baby. Here are those cereals that are good for babies: baby rice, brown rice, couscous, lentils and oats.

Juicing is a bit like a voyage of discovery, and it's the kind of activity that you can easily adapt to your own likes and dislikes. Here are descriptions of a range of fresh juices, including how to prepare the fruit, their vitamin and mineral content, and an approximate calorie count per 100g of each fruit and vegetable (equivalent to around 3-4 fl oz / 80-115 ml of juice).

Produce bought for juicing should be as fresh and as high a quality as your budget will stretch to, ensuring a better-tasting and more nutritionally complete juice. Watch out for mature and ripe produce, which will contain more vitamins and minerals. For example, although the mature outer leaves of a cabbage or lettuce may look unappealing, they contain the most nutrients and are therefore very valuable in juicing terms - just think, you won't actually have to chew on a leaf!

Both fruit and vegetable juices are strong alkalizers once they have been digested, which is a plus point for most of us, because the average diet of too much protein and too many refined, processed foods creates over-acidity. Like any other living thing, the body has a subtle pH balance between acid and alkaline, tipping the scales in favour of alkaline. Drinking a glass of juice a day can help restore this essential balance.

A lot of people and especially children dislike spinach. But it is very nutritious and can be eaten as a vegetable accompaniment or added to dishes for colour. Once picked, spinach wilts quickly, so when buying choose leaves that are dark green. The spinach season is from March to October.

A soup can be a thin broth or a hearty meal. Home-made lentil and vegetable soup is low in fat, cheap and easy to make. Served with bread, it makes a good filling meal on a winter's day. If you're on diet eat soups and stocks - they give you nutritious and no fat.

Potatoes, 'the treasure of the Incas', are very familiar to us now, but were not accepted as a staple food in Europe until well into the 18th century. Once established the humble potato quickly became a major food source for millions of people in many countries. It is rather cheap, nutritious, very delicious, you can prepare lots of dishes with this vegetable. That's why people around the whole world like it.

Ham is a leg of pork, which is preserved by various salting methods. Today there is a wide choice of ham available from supermarkets and delicatessens. It is a good source of protein, but buy leaner cuts of meat for a healthy diet. As it is a very delicious and nice-looking dish, try to make boiled and roasted ham at home. We offer you a great recipe: ham boiled in cider and roasted with cloves and honey.

Most takeaway fast foods - fish and chips, chicken and chips, burger and chips, pizza - ore high in fat and salt. These are fine if eaten occasionally, but not every day. But we often have to eat in fast food. Actually, there are some low fat and healthy dishes in such restaurants. So what foods and products to choose not to injure our health.

Potatoes bake well in the microwave especially if you are in a hurry, but they don't have that lovely crisp skin you get when they are in the conventional oven. I often start the potatoes in the microwave, then transfer them to a very hot oven for about 15 minutes to crisp the skins, since that is how my family prefers them.

Use these tables to cook fresh vegetables. For such vegetables as: artichoke (globe and jerusalem), asparagus, aubergines, beans (broad, whole french and runner), beetroot, broccoli, calabrese, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, celeriac, chicory, corn, courgettes, fennel, leeks, marrow, mushrooms, mangetout, onions, parsnips, peas, potatoes, spinach, swede, tomatoes and turnips.

These are very popular now, and many people like to serve a party selection arranged on a platter in a cartwheel effect. Prepare them ahead of the party and arrange on the serving dish. Cover with clear film, then pierce the top and reheat in the microwave for about 6 minutes on full power when required. Allow 6 oz (175g) vegetables per person.