{197 Countries Visited - Welcome Somalia + Update}

Once more: thank you so much for visiting my humble blog and for all your comments!

Again a new flag got added on September 14, Country # 197 visited; welcome Somalia!

We did enjoy our 7-day vacation in Arizona and you will see more about it later...
Soon there will be an interesting GIVEAWAY for the English speaking, on September 23, so please stay tuned!

Related link:
{196 Countries Visited  - Welcome Liberia} | previous post

{Diabetes Type 2, & Iranian Medicine about Sesame Seed Paste or Tahini}

It does not matter if you are Pre-Diabetes, Diabetes or even Type 2 Diabetes but we all should educate ourselves about Healthy Living by Simple Lifestyle Changes...

Sesame Seed Paste or Tahini...

NO Sugars, NO Cholesterol and low Sodium are some great Nutricion Facts!

In Vietnam, Sesame is known as the king of oil seeds and all over the Middle East it is a very popular seed.

We ALL can learn from those healthier diets in the Far and Middle East, like from Persia!

Read more helpful information here: November 2013 Archives of Iranian Medicine about Sesame seed paste or tahini as it does lower the blood sugar level in Diabetes Type 2 patients.

Diabetes-proof for life Reduce your risk with simple lifestyle changes.

The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC) estimates that 79 million American adults have pre-diabetes, defined by above-normal blood sugar levels. That's 35 percent of adults 20 and older, and half of adults 65 and older.

Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the US and a major cause of heart disease, stroke, kidney failure and blindness, so a diagnosis of pre-diabetes is serious.

For reading this on page 72 and 73 in the Pdf click here: Costco Connection November 2011 

Vitamine D is important!

Cinnamon is such a healthy spice...

Avoid low fiber 'white' carbohydrates such as white pasta, white bread and white rice.

Mayoclinic - Living with diabetes Kidney disease: No early symptoms. Just click this link to learn that unfortunately early kidney disease has no symptoms. Guess that's why I do have Chronic Kidney Disease stage II...
Being diagnosed with Diabetes Type 2, can be quite shocking, as I know from personal experience in 2007, but we can continue to live healthy!
Will share more posts on the subject as there are so many people facing this health issue.

Related links:

The Pre-Diabetes Diet Everyone Needs | Barbara Borcik (quoted in above Costco article): Pull back on portions. You still can eat many of the foods you like, just have smaller amounts of them. Borcik says, adding that this is especially true for starchy foods like white rice, white potatoes, and pasta.

Eating white rice daily ups diabetes risk, study shows | Study author Dr. Qi Sun, a diabetes researcher at Harvard School of Public Health, told WebMD that eating white rice could cause a sudden spike in blood sugar. White rice also doesn't contain as many nutrients as brown rice, which is packed in fiber, magnesium and vitamins. The researchers said not getting enough of these nutrients could contribute to type 2 diabetes risk.
Diabetes in Japan: a review of disease burden and approaches to treatment | In recent years there has been rapid growth in diabetes in Japan which now is one of the nations most affected by the worldwide diabetes epidemic.

{Cucumbers & Gherkins Explained to You}

Guess all over the world there is a lot of misunderstanding about the so-called 'CUKES'.

So why not have 'Cucumbers & Gherkins Explained to You?!

Finding these French CORNICHONS at Trader Joe's made my heart sing!

Cornichons is French and means horn, corni. In English it is Gherkins or Augurkjes from the Dutch diminutive of augurk.

Back in The Netherlands, I have picked tons of tiny Gherkins in my Parents' greenhouse, in summer time.

You had to wear gloves and long sleeves as they have very prickly spines.
We also used to grow them in the fields and Dad had to wash them in a tub. 

Before they end up in the market they have been rubbed down so they lose their thorns.

The cucumber is an annual that originated in India, where its wild ancestor Cucumis hardwickii Royale may still be found in the subtropical valleys of the Himalayas. This ancient cucumber is bitter...

link: A Brief History of Heirloom Cucumber Varieties

Gherkin. The word is of Persian origin, angārah, passing through Greek and Polish, and entering the English language from early modern Dutch, in which the diminutive gurkkijn or agurkkijn denotes a small cucumber. link: Gherkins.askdefinebeta.com

The so-called English cucumber is long, smooth and often seedless.

They mainly are grown inside a greenhouse where bees are excluded.

That is called: Parthenocarpy. In botany and horticulture, parthenocarpy literally meaning virgin fruit) is the natural or artificially production of fruit without fertilization of ovules.

The modern English cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is a refinement of the original gherkins and are therefore seen in botany as completely identical. Only the English Cucumber at the modern greenhouse operations has been bred in such a way that there is no male flower present.

Only female flowers provide beautiful glossy fruit without annoying spines or hairs. The cucumber grows out without any form of pollination or fertilization being necessary, this phenomenon is called parthenocarpy. The fruits contain just what thin, empty seeds that do not need to be removed.

Pollination by bees or bumblebees, that just visited a gherkin plantation, is even detrimental. Then there will be cucumbers that form seeds. These fruits are not so slim, even rather spherical, and will be filled with seeds. Gherkins, zucchini, pumpkins, ornamental gourds, squash and patty pan squash all belong to the family of the Cucurbits (Cucurbitaceae).

Cucumis sativus - Cucumber link to read more. 

Hope this did clarify a little bit about their differences...

Related links:
{Persian Cucumbers & Slicer} | previous post by me
{Cute Cumbers 100% Mom Approved} | previous post by me