The answer to this question is a ‘yes’, they are healthy. But we cannot term them as completely healthy or unhealthy. Just because they are hybrid does not make them any unhealthy or healthier than the naturally grown plants. If you take a practical look at the whole process of it, the plant still grows in soil, with natural resources like water and sunlight. The only difference is that pollination is ‘arranged’ here. Alteration in the vegetable is done, to make sure it gives good color, texture, flavor and more. Farmers pick the best traits from two closely similar plant varieties (the parents) and then cross pollinate them. These give a better quality of vegetables than the parent plants. The seeds of these plants may not necessarily give the exact same plant, the seeds will continue to vary the produce. So new seeds need to be purchased every year. Hybridization also increases the produce along with the quality of vegetables. So we can say that these vegetables are just vegetables after all. The only reason that they are pollinated by hand deliberately cannot make them unhealthy. Hybrids, in some cases can have better nutrition if we consider optimum utilization of soil and sun and nutrients they are grown in. So a better variety of vegetable may have a good texture and life along with having the same nutritional value. These were some of the positive aspects, that support hybrid vegetables and nutrition. Let us now look at some pointers that raise concern.

Even if hybrids are modified and made from pollinating the best breeds, there is no guarantee that the new plant will possess major nutrition. It may or may not lean against the benefits of the parent plant. More over, even if they are developed in a controlled environment, they can absorb pesticides and other compounds meant to improve the plant’s resistance to insects and other dangers. They can also absorb harmful and toxic substances from the surroundings. Many also believe that these vegetables are over hybridized.

It is concluded that there is enough evidence that hybrid vegetables are as healthy as the heirloom, or open pollinated vegetables. We cannot term either of them above and superior. Organic or heirloom vegetables too can absorb toxins, so just because they are grown naturally does not make them purer than hybrids.

Some people strongly oppose while some do believe that hybrids are better. We say it is a personal decision. Moreover with time and research, we can expect a strong base to evaluate or rate on how healthy are hybrid vegetables.

Steak and Cheese Burritos
Ingredients:
•1 pound flank steak
•6 (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas
•2 medium tomatoes, diced
•1 can (16 ounce size) refried beans, fat-free
•3 cups romaine lettuce, shredded
•2 Portobello mushrooms (only caps)
•½ cup reduced or low fat cheddar cheese, grated
•Non-stick cooking spray
•2 teaspoons chili powder
•½ teaspoon salt
•¼ teaspoon black pepper
•¾ cup taco sauce
Directions:
Heat a pan at medium high on a gas grill. Spray the mushrooms with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle chili powder, salt and pepper on mushrooms and pat same mix on steak. Grill the mushrooms, covering the pan with a lid, for 5 minutes. Add steak and grill it covered for 2-3 minutes. Turn it on other side and grill for 2-3 minutes.

Remove pan from grill and leave it to cool for 3 minutes. Slice steak and mushrooms into strips. On a plate, lay a tortilla. Spoon ¼ cup of beans on its center. Place tortilla with beans in microwave for 30-40 seconds at high temperature. Then add 1/3 of steak and mushrooms and ½ cup lettuce. Add 3 tablespoons of tomato, 2 tablespoons of taco sauce and 1 tablespoon of cheese. Roll the tortilla. Prepare remaining burritos likewise.

When you buy oysters, always look for those which are tightly shut. If the shells are slightly open, tap the shell. If it snaps shut immediately, it’s safe to buy it. If it doesn’t, do not buy the oyster. That is an indication that the oyster is dead, and consuming dead oysters should be avoided at all costs. You can also smell it, it acts as a good guide and you can judge the freshness of the oyster inside. Shells that emit an unpleasant odor should not be purchased. Keep them covered in ice all the way home, and ideally, consume them on the same day. Do not immerse them in water. Contrary to popular belief, this is the wrong thing to do, because the oysters will die once you immerse them in water. Once you pry open the oyster shell, the meat inside should be clean white and have a typically salty smell to it. Discard the oyster if the meat and the surrounding fluid appear brownish or grayish.

The Right Way to Eat Raw Oysters
Eating oysters on the half shell, or for the uninitiated, eating raw oysters, is an art, and it requires practice and patience. Removing the oyster from its shell prior to consumption is known as shucking. There are special knives available for shucking, which are used to pry open the shell. Oyster shells may have sharp edges, so be careful when you handle them. Hold the shell firmly in one hand, the curved part of the shell containing the oyster should be nestled in your palm. Insert the knife at the hinge that lies between the top and bottom valves of the oyster shell. Slide it gently around the shell and give it a slight twist, severing the adductor muscle that holds the top and bottom halves together. Now use a fork to gently move the oyster and make sure you detach it from the shell. Time to eat it! Lift the shell with the wide end toward your mouth, and slurp the oyster, along with the liquid surrounding it. Chew it a few times before you swallow it and savor the exquisite taste!

Oysters are usually eaten without any seasoning (purists prefer it that way). But you might want to use lemon juice and vinegar as dressing. If you order oysters in a restaurant, they will be most commonly served with mignonette sauce, shallot vinegar, and some peppy cocktail sauce. White wine goes well with oysters. As a connoisseur, you might be able to clearly tell where the oyster came from. Typically, oysters found on the east coast are saltier, whereas west coast varieties are more on the sweeter side.

So this explains the correct way to consume raw oysters. If you plan to eat oysters but have never tried them before, consider buying and eating them at home, rather than having them in a restaurant. This way you can practice the art of shucking and eating them right. Once you have mastered the right technique, you can safely order them in a restaurant and proudly show off your oyster-eating skills, without fumbling! Bon appetit!

Cooking techniques have of course improved after the appearance of the clay jars and vessel, and especially after the development of human settlements, together with the domestication of animals and the cultivation of edible plants. The very first beverages used by the primitive man included human milk, which proved to be vital for the growth and development of infants, and for the survival of the species. Water was also essential for survival. But these two beverages which were and still are so important for human body’s good health and development, could also turn into sources of infections and diseases, and they were sometimes even fatal. Hunters generally did not stay in just one place, so they didn’t have time to pollute or damage springs, ponds, rivers and lakes. No matter where people built houses, there still was the danger of contaminating the water, especially for sedentary farmers. A solution to this problem appeared to be the discovery of drinks which got sterilized through the process of fermentation.

The grape-made wine appeared around 3000 BC. The discovery of distillation method producing whiskey and brandy started about eight hundred years ago. The first real beer was produced in the Middle Ages, about 600 years ago. Boiling water was another method of avoiding pathogenic agents. Much like fermentation, the process of boiling could also result in very tasty drinks. Thus, the Chinese enthusiastically embraced tea making during the Tang dynasty age (618 – 907) and have remained fervent tea drinkers ever since. Central Asian nomads have also adopted this drink and they brought it to Russia. Tea got to Japan in the 6th century but it only became popular seven hundred years ago. From Japan, tea got to Indonesia, where it was later on discovered by the Dutch and brought to Europe. Some decades later the English played an essential role in popularizing the drink and commercializing it. The historical evolution of coffee is also extremely interesting. Originally, the coffee plant was a wild plant species which grew in Ethiopia. The Galla tribe used coffee beans as food rations in times of war; coffee beans were covered in animal grease. This plant had indeed energizing effects on people and animals.

In the year 1000 coffee was brought to Arabia by merchants which started to grow it on plantations. During the same period of time, the Arabs began roasting coffee beans and thus obtained a drink they called “qahwa”, which meant “something that chases away sleep”. The first country which adopted coffee as a drink was Turkey. Turkish people would often add spices such as cinnamon, pimento, nutmeg and anise to the delicious coffee drink. Coffee was gradually introduced in all the Arabic countries. The inhabitants of these countries considered it to be a genuine delight and they strongly defended the secret of its recipe. It was illegal to transport coffee outside Muslim countries. So coffee was spread through illegal means when an Arab named Baba Budan built a coffee farm somewhere in the Mysore mountains, in India.