5 Essential Weight Loss Foods

According to Dr. Mao's Secrets of Longevity, there are five foods that will help you restore your body's ability to use energy and help you become your healthy weight.

1. Millet

A well-balanced diet should consist of whole grains instead of refined grains like white rice and pasta, and millet is a beneficial and delicious staple of this category of food. This non-glutinous grain is over 10-percent protein, has high amounts of fiber and B-complex vitamins, and because it isn't an acid forming food, is easy to digest.

2. Asparagus

When losing weight, it's important to favor chlorophyll-rich foods, including asparagus. Asparagus is a nutrient-rich vegetable packed with folate, vitamins A, C, and K, and fiber. Asparagus also contains a carbohydrate known as inulin (not to be confused with insulin) that promotes healthy bacteria in the large intestine - which in turn promotes a healthier digestive function.

3. Pomegranates

Eating a balanced diet to lose weight should include eating fresh fruits, and pomegranates are a wonderful example of a healthy, nutritious fruit that has antioxidant properties and will help prevent cancer. While the benefits of drinking pomegranate juice have gained a lot of attention recently, you will be more likely to lose weight by eating the fruit fresh to increase your fiber intake and keep the calories down.

4. Pine Nuts

Pine nuts are the edible seeds of pine trees and are considered an essential ingredient in the tasty Italian mixture pesto. Chinese medicine uses pine nuts to improve gastrointestinal tract and digestive functions, and pine nut oil is even used for appetite suppression. Pine nuts and other nuts are a tasty part of a well-balanced diet intended for weight loss.

5. Green Tea

It has been found that consuming large amounts of coffee and caffeine can lead to food cravings, increase one's appetite, and induce stress-related eating. Green tea is a wonderful alternative to coffee in that it does provide a little caffeine but also contains beneficial antioxidants. So drink up!

Source: health.yahoo.com

Studies on improved Agrobacterium-mediated transformation in two indica rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain EHA 105 carrying binary vector pCAMBIA 1301 was used for transformation in two economically important highly recalcitrant indica rice cultivars HKR-46 and HKR-126. High concentrations of acetosyringone in the agrobacterium culture and co-cultivation medium proved to be indispensable for successful transformation. Embryogenic scutellar calli were used for transformation studies. Binary vector pCAMBIA 1301 have been proved efficient for transformation. The percent transient GUS expression found to be higher in cutivar HKR-126 (44.4%) as compared to HKR-46 (28.9%). The percent recovery of hygromycin resistant calli after 4-6 weeks on selection medium was maximum in HKR-126 (52.6%).

Source: African Journal of Biotechnology (2004) vol. 3, p. 572-575

Agrobacterium tumefaciens-Mediated Transformation of Maize Embryos Using a Standard Binary Vector System

We have achieved routine transformation of maize (Zea mays) using an Agrobacterium tumefaciens standard binary (non-super binary) vector system. Immature zygotic embryos of the hybrid line Hi II were infected with A. tumefaciens strain EHA101 harboring a standard binary vector and cocultivated in the presence of 400 mg L1 L-cysteine. Inclusion of L-cysteine in cocultivation medium lead to an improvement in transient -glucuronidase expression observed in targeted cells and a significant increase in stable transformation efficiency, but was associated with a decrease in embryo response after cocultivation. The average stable transformation efficiency (no. of bialaphos-resistant events recovered per 100 embryos infected) of the present protocol was 5.5%. Southern-blot and progeny analyses confirmed the integration, expression, and inheritance of the bar and gus transgenes in R0, R1, and R2 generations of transgenic events. To our knowledge, this represents the first report in which fertile, stable transgenic maize has been routinely produced using an A. tumefaciens standard binary vector system.

Source: Plant Physiol. (2002) vol. 129, p. 13–22

Tamarind

Common Name: Tamarind
Genus Species: Tamarindus indica
Family: Fabaceae
Origin: East Africa
Cultivated: India, Southeast Asian, West Indies

In India, Thailand, Cambodia, Southern Europe and Latin America, tamarind is a popular cooking and condiment flavor. The tree originated in Africa, but now it is cultivated mainly in South India and in the Caribbean.

A flavouring agent made from the leaf and fruit of the tamarind tree. The fruit is shaped like a long bean, inside which is a sour pulp. The pulp can be pressed to form a 'cake' or processed to make a paste. Small pieces of tamarind cake can be broken off and infused to create an acidic liquid flavouring used in Asian and Caribbean cooking. The sour fruit pulp contains tartaric acid; its taste goes well with meat and vegetable dishes, and it is used in marinades, vindaloos, curries, chutneys and Worcestershire sauce.

Tamarind is also used in drinks and in refreshing confectionary preparations. Tamarind juice is also available and some Asian supermarkets may sell tamarind pods, which can be eaten raw.