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10 Foods/Items that Jamaicans love but should avoid if on a diet and why

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1. Mangoes – They have about 31g of Sugar!

2. Condensed milk – Although Nestle is one of the better brands to use, it contains too much Sugar (22g) and Saturated Fat (10%) in just 2 tbsp (130 calories)

3. Escoveitched fish – Too high in Cholesterol (13%) and Sodium (17%)

4. Boiled/Fried dumplings (made with white flour) – High in simple Carbohydrates (Carbs.), i.e. bad Carbs.

5. Rice and peas (made with coconut milk) – High in Carbs. Also high in Saturated Fat from the coconut milk

6. National Bakery Jamaican Spice Bun – High in Sugar (18g), high in Saturated Fat (8%) and high in Carbs. (13%)

7. Sweet Cinnamon Bun – High in Cholesterol (9%)!

8. Beef Patties or any patty for that matter (That all-purpose flour crust!) – High in Saturated Fat (20%), Cholesterol (20%) and Sodium (18%)!

9. That awful, orange French Dressing that you put on your vegetables – High in Fat

Suga suggests you eliminate salad dressing from the diet and use a vinaigrette made with olive oil. Even a little lime juice can add a kick to the flavour of your greens.

10. Cornmeal porridge, Plantain porridge and Hominy corn porridge

Plantain porridge has too much Sodium and Fat; Hominy corn has too much Sugar and Sodium; Cornmeal is very high in Saturated Fat. Have Oatmeal porridge or Peanut porridge instead, but ensure that skimmed milk is used.

Why didn’t Ackee and Bammy make the list?

Bammy – No Saturated Fat or Cholesterol! High in fibre. No sugar, BUT high in Sodium (23%), so avoid if hypertensive or prone to hypertension.

Ackee – Although it is a fruit, it is classified in the fats & oils group because the main nutrient present is Fat (>50% fat). The majority of the fatty acid present is linoleic acid, which is an Unsaturated Fat therefore a ‘good fat’. However, it should still be eaten in moderation. A small amount of oil should be used to cook ackee since a large part of it’s composition is already fat/oil. Ackee also has 0 Cholesterol, 0 Saturated Fat and 240mg of Sodium.

Here are some Food Label tips to guide you in the Supermarket or when using your Fitness apps:-

Calorie free: <5/serving

Fat/sugar free: <1/2g/serving

Low calorie: <40/serving

Low sodium: <140mg/serving High in fat: >5%/serving

Too high in fat: >10%/serving

*For a woman following a 2000-calorie diet with 3 meals and 2 snacks, aim for about 1.2 teaspoons/4.8 grams of sugar per serving and fewer than 12.5 teaspoons (200 calories) sugar per day. Men are allowed a little bit more.

Have a Healthy Day!

Taken from www.nba.com/playoffs/

It is time for the NBA Conference Finals!

Taken from www.nba.com/playoffs/
Taken from www.nba.com/playoffs/

Nobody saw the Clippers yielding so easily to the Rockets. After being ahead in the series, they allowed a 19-point lead to slip away in a crucial Game 6 and were totally blown away by the Rockets in the second half of Game 7 yesterday. Quite disappointing and hard to watch. The Defending Champs, the Spurs would have put up a better fight. So it will be the Cook vs. the Splash Brothers! Can the runner-up MVP beat the MVP?

Hawks vs Cavs for the Eastern Conference Division this Wednesday! Did Kyrie Irving get enough rest after injuring his knee in the last game? Suga thinks he will be alright and the Cavs should make it to the Finals with or without him.

The Warriors vs Rockets for the West should be an interesting match up. Both faced elimination with their previous opponents. It shall come down to the power of the 3s and defense.

It all starts this Tuesday with the Rockets at the Warriors and Wednesday it will be the the Cavs at the Hawks! Get your popcorn ready!

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Where is your Chocolate Cake Spot?

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When last have you had a good, moist, delicious slice of Chocolate cake? Suga hasn’t had one in a while. I think it is hard to find nowadays since everyone seems to be trying to perfect Cheesecake in every flavour, shape and form. However, word has it that Table Talk Observer Food Awards winner for Outstanding Baker 2014, Sweet Moments by Nadene Lazarus has a decadent Chocolate cake on Fridays by Countryside. The revamped Countryside club is located at 7 Courtney Walsh Drive.

Feel free to share your favourite spot for Chocolate cake in Ja!

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Rotaract Club of St. Martin Nord Balanced Community Service and Professional Development of its Members!

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The Rotaract Club of St. Martin Nord won Club of the Quarter recently in Rotaract District 7020, which comprises of 9 other territories including Jamaica. Suga was interested to see the work they did to accomplish that position, as clubs across the District have been doing outstanding work not only in their communities and islands, but internationally as well.

There were quite a few projects executed, however, there were two that Suga wished to highlight.

In March, Rotaract Club of St. Martin executed a Garden Beautification Project at Bethany Home, a Senior Citizens home. They planted some beautiful flowers in their garden. The seniors were very happy with the initiative and were even excited to give them some tips on planting from their younger years of experience.

But the most exciting and overwhelming time of the afternoon for club members, was when they sat down and shared snack time with the seniors. The President had baked 2 delicious cakes and a few drinks were bought and offered to them. During that time, some of the seniors seized the opportunity to share some stories with the Rotaractors while others had quite stimulating conversations. Both parties enjoyed the interaction so much that they didn’t have enough time to complete the gardening and returned a few days later to do so.

Since Rotaract also speaks to Personal and Professional Development of its members, the Rotaract Club of St. Martin Nord organized their 4th edition of ‘Speed Working’ for Start Ups in the quarter as well.

The club wished to assist the future entrepreneurs by setting up an original concept of Speed Working. Mrs. Angele Dormoy, Entrepreneur and 1st Vice-president of the French Chamber of Commerce, did a special presentation on how to evaluate and create your own company successfully.

After the presentation, all participants had the opportunity to network with 7 different professionals during the speed-coaching mentoring part of the program.

The concept was very simple. It allowed the future, young entrepreneurs to meet professionals and also key interlocutors (persons who take part in a dialogue or conversation) who intervened in the process of the new business start-ups. They were granted 10 minutes with every interlocutor to present their projects, ask questions and also benefited from advice for their new business start-ups. Each attendee was followed up with to ensure they had advanced with their company or respective project. This action allowed 17 projects to benefit from advice of experimented professionals!

They were able to exchange with professionals/interlocutors from the Bank, Chamber of Commerce, Accountants, Business owners, Artistic designers and the Support Federation for Small Businesses (FTPE).

As each territory faces different kinds of challenges, Rotaract assesses the needs of their communities by priority and funds available to assist. They also find the most innovative ways possible to improve their members personally and professionally in order to be better people, build their careers and most importantly, to serve their communities and the world in a better way.

Congratulations to the Rotaract Club of St. Martin for their outstanding work, as well as the other clubs who continue to improve our nation.

 

Taken from http://www.nba.com/playoffs/

NBA Playoff Update! Getting closer to the Conference Finals!

Taken from http://www.nba.com/playoffs/
Taken from http://www.nba.com/playoffs/

What is happening to the unguardable MVP, Steph Curry?! Has he met the best defense team in the league? A big part of the Grizzlies’ success has been Tony Allen, who, after an athletic diving steal from Klay Thompson in the 3rd quarter last Tuesday, kept shouting convincingly, ‘First-team all-defense!’. For the N.B.A. all-defensive team, voted on by writers and broadcasters, Allen was second team in 2011, and first team in 2012 and 2013. He was passed over last year and this year’s selections have not been announced as yet. The Grizzlies now have a 2-1 lead in the series.

The Bulls-Cavs series is now drawn at 2-2. The last 2 games have been won by buzzer-beaters. LeBron James missed the lay-up in the game Friday, then D. Rose hit the buzzer-beater, game-winning 3-point shot to beat the Cavs 99-96. Suga’s Play of the year nominee! Bulls led series 2-1 then LeBron James of the Cavs came back with a vengeance and worked hard for his Buzzer-beater yesterday to make up for the last game, beating the Bulls 86-84. Pau Gasol from the Bulls continues to sit out the game with a hamstring injury.

Paul Pierce of the Wizards also hit a buzzer-beater, a jump shot to beat the Hawks 103-101 on Saturday to lead the series 2-1 without John Wall who is still out with a hand injury.

Meanwhile, the Clippers are smoking the Rockets, burning down ‘the Cook’, Harden’s kitchen, with or without CP3. Despite a great team effort, Austin Rivers from the bench has been showing up big time along with starter, J.J. Redick. Last night they rolled to a 128-95 win over the Rockets to lead the series 3-1.

Tonight will be Wizards vs Hawks in Washington (2-1) and Warriors vs Grizzlies in Memphis (2-1).

We are getting closer to the Conference Finals! Who will it be?

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Stuffed Baked Potatoes

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INGREDIENTS

10 medium – potatoes

1 clove – garlic

2 tablespoons – chopped parsley

5 tablespoons – ham

5 tablespoons – parmesan cheese

1 cup – milk

1 teaspoon – salt

1 ground black pepper

Grated cheese

Prep time is 20 min, serves 5.

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DIRECTIONS

1. Wash and rinse the potatoes thoroughly to get rid of the dirt. Boil the potatoes with a pinch of salt in a pot for about 20 minutes and quickly drain them when they are done. Let them cool for a while.

2. Cut the potatoes in half and scoop them to look like baskets. In a bowl mix all the ingredients with the potatoes flesh and stuff the potatoes with the mixture. Spread the grated cheese on the potatoes and bake them for about 20 minutes in 356°F.

3. You will love them!!!!!

Recipe found with Allthecooks (http://www.allthecooks.com).

http://cookpad.com/en

(original url: http://allthecooks.recipes/l/4ugWhEU068)

A. Hawaiian Lamb & Lamb Soup (29/4/15); B. Lamb Shank at Caffe da Vince; C. Patrons enjoying Flambé; D. Neville Graham, a Dir. Of NCR Sheep Ltd. at work on the farm

Get Fresh Lamb at the monthly event, Flambé and other locations supplied by NCR Sheep Ltd. near you!

A. Hawaiian Lamb & Lamb Soup (29/4/15); B. Lamb Shank at Caffe da Vince; C. Patrons enjoying Flambé; D. Neville Graham, a Dir. Of NCR Sheep Ltd. at work on the farm
A. Hawaiian Lamb & Lamb Soup (Flambé 29/4/15); B. Lamb Shank at Caffe da Vince; C. Patrons enjoying Flambé; D. Neville Graham, a Dir. of NCR Sheep Ltd. at work on the farm

NCR (Neville Graham, Carlington Wright, Richard Smith) Sheep Ltd. started hosting the event Flambé about 2 years ago in order to decrease excess inventory and to get more Jamaicans to try lamb. A lot of patrons have tasted lamb for the first time at Flambé.

The venue of Flambé used to be at a house either on Marley Close or in Beverley Hills. However, the word has gotten out more and Flambé is now held at a bigger and extremely central, convenient location at the Caribbean School of Medical Sciences on 8 Waterloo Road. The number of patrons are continuously growing and upon my visit last Wednesday, when I arrived at about 8:20pm and stayed until 10pm, I noticed that there was a steady flow of people who rolled in and out.

So, on the last Wednesday of every month that usually falls on or soon after pay-day, what better way to treat yourself than going to Flambé? It won’t dig a hole into your pay cheque that’s for sure. So you can go, full your belly, mingle with some friends, family or co-workers and leave with an almost full wallet too.

The event starts at 6pm and usually ends at 9pm. Some persons leave straight from work, arrive as early as 5:30pm and wait until the food is ready so they can pick up and go. They find it convenient because they got dinner to go and at that time, most of the traffic would have subsided. While most of the people who wish to hang around and mingle after they eat usually arrive around 7pm.

The menu is comprised of lamb cooked in a variety of ways at an extremely reasonable price. Curried lamb ($400JMD), Hawaiian lamb ($400JMD), Jerked lamb ribs ($500JMD per 1/4 pound), Lamb Burger ($350JMD), Lamb soup ($100JMD) were available at the last Flambé held on April 29, 2015. Water and mixed drinks were on sale as well.

Over the years I have tasted all of the above mentioned. I always found the various options to be tasty and the meat to be fresh and tender. I had the Hawaiian lamb and Jerked lamb ribs with lamb soup last Wednesday. The soup was tasty and spicy but did not have a lot of meat. It doesn’t usually but you taste the ‘essence’ of the lamb. The Jerked Lamb ribs could use a bit more seasoning and sauce was lacking that particular night. That was not the issue with the Hawaiian lamb though, as it had a lovely flavour and sauce. Sides included in the meal served are usually Pumpkin rice and Spaghetti. However, I would love to see a change in side options offered from time to time, perhaps a nice salad, mashed, baked or roasted potatoes, plain rice with the Curried lamb etc. One of the Directors, Neville Graham mentioned that he does the cooking along with his Operations Manager, Delroy McKay. So it seems they have shied away from anything extravagant but at least he mentioned that they are open to providing different options.

I relaxed a bit after eating, mingled with friends and persons that I haven’t had the opportunity to see recently and enjoyed the background music. There was a sound system set up and I definitely appreciated the volume not being loud and the selection played. It was really a comfortable, casual atmosphere and if you are trying to escape the summer heat in the house, the wind seemed to be blowing that way. The venue is out in the open and it was quite cool.

About 35 pounds of fresh lamb is used for the event. Slaughtered lamb is not usually sold after 2 weeks. So the lamb from NCR Sheep isn’t only fresh, but it is unique in that it is local! Large companies such as Caribbean Producers Jamaica (CPJ) Meats sell imported lamb.

Lamb from NCR Sheep can also be consumed at the renowned Round Hill Hotel, Montego Bay, popular restaurants, bars and cafes such as Opa!, Saffron, 689 by Brian Lumley, Caffé da Vince, Tamarind, JoJo’s Jerk Pit and More, The Wine Shop, Cafe el Centro, Pushpa’s, Ribbiz Ultra Lounge and even by Hopeton the ‘Jerk Man’ at Northside Plaza.

Contact NCR Sheep Ltd. for lamb at 876.548.1178 (Ph.) or [email protected] (email). You can also like their Facebook page, ‘NCR Sheep Ltd.’ to keep updated with NCR Sheep Ltd. events.

- Taken from http://www.nba.com/playoffs/

NBA Playoffs 2015 Update including why the Spurs lost and more!

- Taken from http://www.nba.com/playoffs/
– Taken from http://www.nba.com/playoffs/

The LA Clippers eliminated Defending Champs, the San Antonio Spurs in Game 7 last Saturday night in LA, 111-109. The game was well fought by the Spurs but they were still just a shadow of themselves. Props to the Clippers with the best starters in the league and having Griffin and CP3 really show up for them not only during the series but towards the end of the game when it mattered the most. The Spurs just failed to come into top form this season. They were nowhere near and imagine they were still so competitive. It was obvious they could not get a rhythm going and shooters, especially Danny Green, did not get fully into their zone as yet. Coach Pop made huge errors by taking out Marco Belinelli when he was hot in their must-win, Game 6 and scoring 3s were a struggle and also by not giving young, Patty Mills more play. Danny Green who has not been hot all series should have stayed out and Belinelli should have been given the opportunity to stretch the lead for the Spurs. Then Danny Green could return to defend the lead and facilitate more plays since that is not Belinelli’s forte. The old legs of those such as Tony Parker, have a lot of experience but the bench should have been given an opportunity to win Game 6 for them at home. Pop should not have worried about crushing egos if he was, because players like Tony Parker and Tim Duncan are so humble that they would have been genuinely happy for the bench winning Game 6, thus the series for them and furthermore would appreciate the rest. The odds were totally against them to win Game 7 in LA even though the home court advantage didn’t seem to matter for either team earlier in the series. Those few moments throughout the series when they played ‘Spurs ball’ with their on point ball movement and shot execution, they were untouchable by the Clippers. There is still no other team with that quality ball movement and it will surely be missed for the rest of the Playoffs. The Spurs have made it to the last 3 Western Conference Finals and last two NBA Finals. They have had a good run and hopefully they have more in them. Even though they were not at the top of their game, tremendous effort was shown and they were still able to entertain and be a force to reckon with. Chris Paul emotionally paid great respect to one of his idols as a kid, Tim Duncan at the end of Game 7 and Suga is sure the Clippers will reach the Western Conference finals to face the Warriors. The Rockets are a quality team and so are the Grizzlies, but even though the series promises some excitement, they may fall short.

The Grizzlies and Rockets are already down 1-0. The Clippers are surely on a high with a 117-101 win in the Rocket’s house last night with less than 48 hours rest and CP3 sitting on the bench with a hamstring strain. The Hack-a-Howard versus Hack-a-Jordan showdown has also begun. Who will learn how to shoot some free throws first?! My money is on DeAndre Jordan after his head start with the Spurs.

Oh wait, there is an Eastern Conference going on as well, almost forgot. The Wizards may upset the Hawks taking them to a Game 6 or 7. The Wizards rallied from a 12 point deficit in the 3rd to beat the Hawks in Atlanta, 104-98 in Game 1. The Cavs are likely to beat the Bulls even though the Bulls may jump out at them to a 2-0 start with the absence of their Kevin Love and J.R. Smith.  The return of D. Rose is a huge factor and should prove to be a competitive series. Despite Irving’s 30 points, the Bulls still beat the Cavs last night in Game 1, 99-92 with D. Rose scoring 25 points.

The Spurs-Clippers series may be the best match up that the NBA Playoffs 2015 will see, if not, it will surely be remembered and thankfully Game 7 saved last Saturday night, giving us the kind of entertainment we expected, which the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight failed to deliver.