Designed for drying a vast array of fruits and vegetables and even activating nuts and seeds; food dehydrators are quickly becoming a household staple across the country as they are simple to use, inexpensive to run and a healthy alternative to store-bought foods.

Commonly used by campers and hikers because of the safe nature of the preservation method, food dehydrators run at very low temperatures and use both air and heat to remove moisture or water content from foods. And as we all know, water is what makes food spoil or go bad, so by using a food dehydrator to remove this moisture or water content, it means that bacteria and mould cannot grow - therefore allowing for an extended shelf life and a very low risk and healthy snack.

Still not convinced? Read on to discover the top ten benefits of owning a food dehydrator.

1. Dehydrated Foods Taste Great

Using a food dehydrator to remove moisture from food items such as fruits, vegetables and meats, creates naturally concentrated, rich and delicious tasting food.

Not only that, but when making food yourself, you know the quality and freshness of the produce you are using - unlike when eating dehydrated foods purchased from the grocery store.

2. Reduce food waste & extend shelf life

Never waste food again with a food dehydrator. Using your leftover fruits and vegetables in a food dehydrator will extend their shelf life for up to 2 years! Yes, that's right - 2 years!

Below are just a few ways you can reduce food waste by preserving food with a dehydrator and keeping your pantry stocked year round whilst saving yourself some money in the process;

Compare leading brands of Vibration machines in New Zealand with our post 'Compare Vibration Machines NZ. A comprehensive guide to which vibration machine you should buy and why. A must-read before purchasing!

In this review we will compare the top advertised vibration machines in New Zealand: VibroSlim Ultra, Ultra Pro, Radial 3D, CardioTech Lifeback 2 and the Hypervibe G10 Mini.

Which Vibration Machine Should I Buy?

I want the best value = VibroSlim Ultra

As you can see from the above table, the VibroSlim Ultra offers by far the best value in the market:

I want the latest technology = VibroSlim Ultra Pro

The Vibroslim Ultra Pro is also a fantastic buy at $520. The Ultra Pro is obviously different in appearance and is more sleek and sophisticated looking, and will suit even the most modern of homes. It has a LCD screen and has on-board speakers with Bluetooth connectivity, so you can connect you phone or music device to the machine and music with play through to the speakers wirelessly.

A Vibration Machine may be perfect piece of equipment if you are looking to lose weight, but want to do so in the comfort of your home! Vibration Machines are effective without being time consuming, strenuous on the body, or inconvenient. Read below about how a vibration machine could help you to lose weight today...

 

How Do I Lose Weight with a Vibration Machine?

 

In it's most basic form, the oscillating vibrations from the Vibration Machine transmit energy to the body which causes the muscles to contract and relax. Just in the same way as during normal exercise, the contraction and subsequent relaxation of the muscles burns energy. A vibration machine causes this reaction from the muscles multiple times in each second, so it doesn't take long before your whole body is tingling and warm, just as you would experience during a high intensity workout.

 

In traditional strength and power training, the load on the muscles is determined by the weight lifted. When using the Vibration Platform, a specific frequency and amplitude of vibration is chosen and the movement of the plate loads the limbs. The vibrations stimulate a reflex contraction within the muscle which leads to a high level of muscle activation and exertion. The superior muscle-activation that the vibration machine stimulates compared to conventional training, means that less time is required to work muscle groups completely and the benefits are wider ranging than those achieved by ordinary exercise.

 

When you combine this type of energy-burning exercise with healthy eating, its a powerful combination! By burning more energy than you consume, you will begin to burn fat from the body's fat stores.

 

How to Sprout Whole Grains and Make Sprouted Flour

Making your own sprouted flour is definitely a labor of love, however the end result and the nutritional value makes it absolutely worth it!

The traditional way to prepare grains back in the day was to soak them until they had begun to form little sprouts, this was done for easier digestability and to increase the essential vitamins like vitamins B and C. It was also done to reduce the bad phytic acid which can actually decrease the body’s ability to absorb iron, magnesium, zinc, copper and calcium. All vital nutrients that our bodies need! This method of grain preparation can even help break down the gluten in the wheat berry making it possible for people with a gluten intolerance to enjoy grains again!

Sprouted grain flour has seen a resurgence in popularity of late and is fast becoming popular in many home kitchens and cafes. Many healthy home enthusiasts are returning to these traditional preparation methods. It can be made it in bulk and stored in airtight containers in your cupboard or you can even freeze it to use in sweet treats like sprouted grain cookies, or sprouted bread. There is nothing quite like knowing you have made your own healthy flour!

Sprouting the grains does take a bit of time, but it is easy and can be done in bulk so that you only have to do it every month or so depending on how much sprouted flour you and your family use. You can sprout any grain, provided you’re working from the whole grain berry, not a rolled, flaked or otherwise damaged grain. Wheat, spelt, oats and barley will all work very well for sprouting.

You will need to begin the dehydrating process not long after the root tip appears, if left to sprout for too long you will run the risk of “malting” the grains which is not ideal. This can cause the flour to become overly sweet and it can also cause an undercooked sticky texture when used for bread and cakes.

You

Have you ever thought about using an indoor-led-hydroponic-garden or growing your own organic, pesticide-free vegetables, fruits and herbs, but don’t have the space or time? The Sun Garden  indoor-led-hydroponic-garden a revolution in Indoor Gardens, which allows you to grow fresh organic produce throughout every season whether you live in the countryside or in the heart of a busy city.

Not only are you able to grow vegetables like lettuce or a radish from seed to full maturity, the indoor-led-hydroponic-garden is also the perfect environment for germinating and sprouting vegetables, fruits and herbs. By “starting off” your vegetables, fruits and herbs in the indoor-led-hydroponic-garden you are able to give them the best chance at a successful growth in an outdoor garden. You can easily transplant sprouted plants into your outdoor garden when they have successfully reached the Vegetative Growth Stage. This will give your seeds the safe ""kick-start"" they need to flourish in an outdoor environment.

Indoor gardening is the convenient and practical way to grow herbs, vegetables and flowers indoors. Indoor garden products offer an economical and fool-proof method for beginners or people with little or no space for outdoor gardens.

The Vitality4life indoor-led-hydroponic-garden Uses a small, watering wick to ensure the plants are hydrated at all times, Gardening is a fantastic way for kids to learn lessons about the natural world around them, this built watering system ensures results every time. And will help the kids develop an interest and awareness in the food that they are eating and encourage sustainable practices early on in life. the LED lighting distributes artificial light to ensure the growth of the plants. Indoor garden products guarantee your plants will last

Easy Fill Hanging baskets are excellent for adding colour and texture to entrance ways, verandas, walls and pergolas. Traditionally hanging baskets are the domain of decorative flowers, however can also be a space saving solution for a funky herb garden or even a strawberry patch. 

Specially designed for use by professional growers, these truly amazing Easy Fill Hanging Baskets are now available for home gardeners so you too can grow the most incredible displays. Their unique construction allows you to plant from the outside in, passing each plant through pre-formed apertures without any root damage whatsoever. Once in place, you simply slip a lattice Gate in to position and it will hold the plant with the roots inside and the leaves and flowers outside in both cases perfectly unharmed by the process! 

Unlike regular baskets with plastic liners, the Easy Fill Hanging Basket allows the roots of your plants to breathe and ensures each has enough space to reach its full potential. Once fully planted - top, sides and bottom, the visual impact is immediate, stunning and long lasting Easy Fill baskets really are the last baskets you will ever need to buy - re-use them year after year, and get Professional results every time!

Handy hint

During summer, position your Easy Fill baskets where they get morning sun, but are shaded from the heat of the afternoon sun. Make sure the bracket or hook is strong enough (and well secured) to hold the weight of the full basket.

It is quick and easy to use your Venetian Easy Fill Hanging Baskets.

In

Which is better: juicing or blending? Does one offer more health benefits than the other?
We believe that both juicing and blending are very beneficial, but in different ways. it turns out there’s a lot of confusion about the two, and many people believe they are juicing when in fact they are blending. So, let’s clear things up!

 

 

JUICING

Juicing is a process which extracts water and nutrients from produce and discards all the fiber.  Without all the fiber, your digestive system doesn’t have to work as hard to break down the food and absorb the nutrients. Cold Press juicing separates the fiber / Pulp form the produce making the nutrients more readily available to the body in much larger quantities than if you were to eat the fruits and vegetables whole. This process is extremely healthy and great for those of you embarking on any sort of Detox or lifestyle change.

A masticating cold pressed juice extractor works on a crushing and squeezing action mimicking our own chewing action by correctly breaking open the cell wall, releasing the nutrients and organic water content while expelling the insoluble fibre.

Without all this indigestable fibre, your body doesn't have to work as hard to break down the vegetables and fruits. Cold pressed vegetable juices deliver nutrients into our bloodstream quickly and in a bio available form and juices are included in almost all types of healing and detoxification programs.

It is important to have a cold press juicer over a centrifugal juicer (the old style, loud and hard to clean type) a cold press juicer is named

Ceramic knives are increasingly becoming more and more popular these days, but have you ever wondered why? Have you ever picked up your usual go-to knife at home to cut up tomato and realised that is it too dull to cut through the skin? Ever notice a weird metallic taste to your freshly chopped produce?

Most people have used stainless steel knives their whole lives and have come to expect the general upkeep that they require and the metallic taste that older knives can leave behind. Regular sharpening is needed to keep a good knife useful and the eventual staining and rust marks are just the way it is.

This is not the case with a ceramic knife. Ceramic knives will never corrode, as there is no metal to rust. The materials that make up a ceramic blade are very hard, in fact Zirconium dioxide or Zirconia (ZrO2) is rated 8-8.5 on Mohs* scale of hardness while Stainless Steel is only rated 5.5-6.3. Ceramic knives have been known to stay sharp for up to fifteen times longer than a stainless steel knife.

Ceramic knives are typically half the weight of a tradition knife and offer less strain on your arms and shoulders when being used for tasks that you have to perform repeatedly. Ceramic material is not very porous, and so this prevents the blade from transferring odours and tastes from one food to the next. Just simply rinse the blade with some warm water and it’s ready to go!

Ceramic knives are chemically inert this means that these knives won’t give your food a metallic taste or smell. Fruits and vegetables won’t oxidize (discolour) as quickly when cut with a ceramic knife as there are no metal ions present for the produce to react to. This makes ceramic knives perfect for preparing your fruits and vegetables for juicing, fruit salads, smoothies and raw food recipes.

These knives are not to be used for everything, as hardness doesn’t equal strength. Ceramic knives are not meant to be used to cut hard materials

Basil Pesto

Basil is an excellent source of Vitamin A, Iron and Magnesium, which promotes cardiovascular health and has great anit-oxidant capabilities.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups of basil
• finger thick bunch of parsley
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 cup pine nuts (or pistachio)
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 2 tsp olive oil
• Braggs Amino Acids

Directions:

Put the basil, parsley, garlic and pine nuts into the jug and blend on MED for 35 seconds. Mix the oil and lemon juice into the paste until smooth. Spice with Braggs.

Tomato Salsa

A good salsa is vital for any raw food kitchen. Your BioChef Blender will unlock all the wonderful nutrients from these healthy ingredients.

Tomatoes contain high levels of Lycopene, known for its antioxidant and cancer preventing properties and are an excellent source of
Vitamins C & A, helping to boost your immune system.

Ingredients:

• 4 ripe tomatoes, halved and deseeded
• ½ red or green capsicum
• ½ stick celery, chopped
• 3 spring onions
• 1 clove garlic
• 1-2

Adsorption: Adsorption is a chemical process in which an ionic filter media is use. The filter attracts water contaminants and encourages these contaminants to break their bond with the water molecules.

Alachlor: Alachlor is an odorless, colorless solid, used as an herbicide for grasses and other broadleaf plants. Ingestion of Alachlor in drinking water can increase risk of cancer and cause liver and/or kidney damage.

Atrizine: Atrizine is a white, solid crystalline compound. It is currently the most widely used pesticide chemical. Ingestion of Atrizine can cause cancer and damage the cardiovascular system.

Benzene: Benzene is a colorless, aromatic liquid that is widely used in producing rubber, plastics, and other synthetic materials. Ingestion of Benzene can lead to cancer and/or chromosome aberrations.

Chlorine: Chlorine is a yellowish, poisonous gas with a pungent odor, widely used as a disinfectant in drinking water. Ingestion of chlorine can lead to bladder, rectal, and/or breast cancer.

Cryptosporidium: Cryptosporidium is a protozoan microbiological contaminant that is resistant to the disinfecting capabilities of chlorine. Ingestion of cryptosporidium generally leads to gastrointestinal illness.

Cysts: Cysts are chlorine-resistant microorganisms. When ingested in drinking water, they most commonly cause gastrointestinal illness, accompanied by vomiting, diarrhea, and cramps.

Lead: Lead is a metal contaminant that occurs in drinking water as a result of the corrosion of pipes in a plumbing system. Ingestion of lead can cause severe developmental delays in children and kidney failure and/or stroke in adults.

Lindane: Lindane is a white, crystalline powder that is commonly used as a chemical in pesticides. Ingestion of Lindane can result in liver and/or kidney damage.

The following was sourced from The Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW, Australia)

Carbon monoxide

Carbon monoxide (CO) is produced from incomplete combustion of fuel. Indoor sources include combustion appliances such as unflued gas or kerosene space heaters, gas cooking appliances and tobacco smoke. Effects will be greatest in buildings with inadequate ventilation. Infiltration of outdoor air contaminated by motor vehicle exhausts can also cause elevated indoor levels of CO close to busy traffic or in car parks.
CO combines with haemoglobin and reduces the ability of blood to transport oxygen. This can affect the functioning of the heart and brain and aggravate angina symptoms, cause headaches, dizziness, and affect concentration. Reduced postnatal development has been reported as a possible consequence of chronic exposure.

The NHMRC guideline for CO in indoor air (9 ppm for an 8-hour average) is the same as that recommended for ambient air. The WHO guideline for a one hour average in ambient air is 25 ppm.

Indoor CO concentrations are expected to generally follow outdoor levels except where combustion sources occur in buildings without adequate ventilation (Brown 1997). In a survey of 52 dwellings in Sydney, Ferrari et al. (1988) found CO concentrations of 1-47 ppm with levels in three dwellings exceeding the NHMRC goal. Steer et al. (1990) found CO generated from cooking appliances exceeded the WHO guideline in a small percentage of kitchens, exceeding 50 ppm in one kitchen where the appliance appeared to be malfunctioning. Exposure of individuals in such environments can be severe with the WHO guideline being exceeded on a daily basis.

Volatile organic compounds

In indoor environments the term volatile organic compounds (VOCs) refers to a range of organic compounds that are emitted from many materials, equipment and products used in buildings. Outdoors VOCs are also emitted by fuel combustion and industrial

What juicer is right for me? This is one question we are most frequently asked by customers, and for good reason! With such an large range of juicers, both centrifugal and cold press on the market today, the choice can be somewhat daunting! Vitality 4 Life, as experts in the juicer industry, are here to help you make the right purchase for YOU!

Firstly, decide what you are looking for in a juicer – What are you looking to juice? What are the features that appeal most to you? How often are you juicing and for how many people?

If you’re new to the juicing scene, you may only want to juice simply, mostly fruits with some carrot or beetroot. Maybe you’re pressed for time, have a busy family and are looking to give your kids having something healthy and yummy to drink quickly and efficiently?

Or perhaps you’re looking to jump straight into the “juicing lifestyle” and looking for a juicer that can handle anything and everything. You’re not fussed with how long a juice is going to take; you’re more concerned with the quality of the juice and versatility of the juicer.

First things first, there are two types of single gear Cold Press juicers: Vertical and Horizontal. Our ranges of horizontal cold Press juicers mostly from the highly acclaimed Oscar Range, and our range of vertical cold Press juicers are generally from the world-famous brand Hurom.

Let’s compare the latest models of both, the Oscar Neo DA 1000 and the Hurom 700 “The Boss”...

Oscar Neo DA 1000

Key features:

• User friendly, easy to clean, easy to assemble/disassemble;
• Complete raw food kitchen – food processor functionality;
• Pulp adjustment nozzle;
• BPA Free;
• Produces a less pulpy