Category Archives: Food

Food, Life, Tips

5 Things to Keep in Mind if You’ll Be Hunting Your Own Holiday Turkey

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Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and with it comes a lot of decisions. If you’re one of the brave cooks that will be handling the turkey, read on. It’s hard work, but hunting and cooking a turkey is a fulfilling adventure.

1. Preparation

Preparation is something that requires knowing all about turkey hunting. You never show up without knowing if your equipment is suitable to hunt the current prey. Tactics that worked years ago may be out of date for the current hunt. Start with the basics (scouting, clothing, permits, weapons, shooting range) and then move on to the advanced stuff. It won’t take long, and you’ll twice as ready as the person that came before you.

2. Rules

Regulations for hunting are state and country specific. Turkey regulations go even deeper, and are completely different than other seasons. This includes restrictions on hunting within a certain amount of feet in a baited area and taking home more than two turkeys per season. Always check the rules of the area you are planning to hunt in before making final plans. You don’t want to be the hunter that pays more in fines than they did for a turkey. Regulations for your local area aren’t hard to find, and the holidays makes turkey hunting a lot more accommodating than other game.

3. Tools

Certain shotguns are illegal during turkey season. Motorized decoys are sometimes completely outlawed, and drive-by turkey grabbing is frequently frowned upon. When it comes to turkey hunting, you don’t need a big truck, flying drone or any other fancy gadgets. Traditional is the best way to go when it comes to turkey hunting, so there is nothing wrong with a dependence on the old tools. Your hunting rifle, knife and a clean set of hunting gear will be more than enough to get the job done. But if you want to show up with some modern tools, take the time to see if they’re allowed in your current area. For instance, having a few extra Thermold Magazines for your hunting gun will ensure you are ready when that turkey appears.

4. Late Season

There are a lot of areas that have set up late season turkey hunting. The only problem is that the tactics for a good hunt are completely different when you’re showing up after the usual dates. Instead of playing on an equal field, the turkey will have the advantage. Take this challenge to heart with preparation, and you’ll have a story to tell at the Thanksgiving dinner table.

5. Group Up

Hunting in a group will always give you a big advantage. It’s unlikely anyone in the group will leave empty handed, even if they are inexperienced with hunting. This is the best way to hunt turkey, and also the best way to introduce someone to hunting. There is no pressure, as the most experienced person in the group will usually take charge. Groups that are related have made seasonal turkey hunting a family tradition for Thanksgiving. Whether it’s with family or friends, consider grouping up for a hunt a priority for a successful turkey season.

Have A Happy Thanksgiving

There are few holidays that provide the family bonding experience of Thanksgiving. If this is your first-time hunting, then prepare for a unique experience. Bring the heat, and the spoils will be the sweetest victory.

Food, Going Healthy, Life, Parenting

Making Sure Your Family Have Healthy Balanced Diets

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diets, family, health, kids, parenting, healthy food
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When you have a family, you take on the responsibility of ensuring that everyone remains as fit and healthy as possible. But knowing where to start can be relatively difficult. Of course, numerous factors play into well being – ranging from exercise to mental wellness. But for now, let’s focus on diet and what we consume!

Managing Calorie Consumption

The first step that you need to take into consideration to make sure that everyone’s getting what they need from their daily diet is to effectively manage everyone’s calorie consumption. Now, you don’t have to be hyper-vigilant and excessively strict with this. If your family goes slightly above or below their recommended calories every now and then, it’s not the end of the world. You just need to make sure that everyone’s having roughly the right amount the majority of the time. Calories can be spread across meals and snacks and will vary depending on your age and lifestyle. The below list will give you a good idea of where different family members should be though!

  • Children aged 2 to 8 – 1000 to 1400 calories
  • Girls aged 9 to 13 – 1400 to 1600 calories
  • Boys aged 9 to 13 – 1600 to 2000 calories
  • Active women aged 14 to 30 – 2400 calories
  • Sedentary women aged 14 to 30 – 1800 to 2000 calories
  • Active men aged 14 to 30 – 2800 to 3200 calories
  • Sedentary men aged 14 to 30 – 2000 to 2600 calories
  • Active adults over 30 – 2000 to 3000 calories
  • Sedentary adults over 30 – 1600 to 2400 calories

Ensuring Everyone Stays Hydrated

A factor we often forget to evaluate in our diets is what we drink. Sure, we don’t chew drinks up and swallow them and we don’t dedicate whole meals around drinks, but they do still contribute to what’s going into our bodies. It’s absolutely essential to ensure that your family are all staying hydrated. This involves drinking around eight glasses of water a day, though the recommendation for younger children could be less. This will keep you hydrated, keep organs functioning well and will prevent issues such as loss of concentration or dry skin. Having a fresh water supply available at all times is essential. Generally speaking, the water system in your home will provide you with this. But you could visit this link for backup water sources too!

Balancing Everyone’s Plate

Everyone’s plate should contain all of the different food groups in appropriate moderation throughout the day. This includes fruit and vegetables, starchy food, dairy or dairy replacement, protein and fats. Avoid cutting any single food group out. Everything works together to keep everyone’s bodies ticking over properly. If you’re struggling to get all of the food groups into your family’s diet, consider consulting a nutritionist who will be able to help! Or, if you’re pressed for time and have the budget, meal delivery plans are an excellent option. Most services come with a variety of options, include key nutrients for a healthy lifestyle and can lend themselves to different diets (e.g. vegan, paleo/keto, etc..).

These are just a few steps that you can do to move towards ensuring your family has healthy and balanced diets. The steps are simple to implement and will quickly become routine when you get into the swing of things!

Food, Guest Post, Health, Life

What’s The Difference? Organic Versus Non-GMO Labels

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We are in a golden age of healthy food availability, so why is it so hard to determine the “right” products to consume? Part of the reason is the glut of options. From low-cal and gluten-free to kosher and low-carb, the information overload in the grocery aisles can feel overwhelming.

Two of the most commonly recognized labels — organic and non-GMO — can confuse even the most health-conscious consumer. The two labels often get lumped together even though their meanings are quite different.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of using these terms interchangeably, but that approach is inaccurate. This article will break down the two types of labels to help you understand the differences.

What Qualifies as Organic?

Experts have struggled for years to come up with a definition for this category of food. Fortunately, the USDA has since narrowed down the qualifications.

The primary distinction for organic food is how it’s handled during production. For example, the raw ingredients must never come into contact with synthetic chemicals, such as certain herbicides and fertilizers. For meat products, the animals themselves must not be exposed to antibiotics or growth hormones.

Organic food must not contain any genetically modified organisms (GMOs). In other words, non-GMO is one of the criteria for organic classification, but the term itself has its own definition.

So how do you know what’s organic? Look for the “USDA Organic” seal on a product to know that it’s been certified.

What Is Non-GMO, and How Can You Identify It?

As noted above, non-GMO is not interchangeable with organic. While non-GMO is part of the criteria for organic classification, something that is non-GMO is not necessarily organic.

GMO generally refers to plants and animals that have been genetically modified in non-traditional ways and are not naturally occurring. While crossbreeding technically results in modifications, it doesn’t fall into the GMO category. So how can you tell the difference?

The Non-GMO Project verifies qualifying food products by way of third-party inspections. Rigorous on-site review, annual audits, organic system plan reviews and residue testing help this organization say with certainty whether food is non-GMO. In fact, certification goes so far as to require that the food not even come in contact with other GMO products (animal feed, for example).

Qualifying food products can display a “Non-GMO Project Verified” label to help consumers quickly identify them.

By understanding organic and non-GMO labels, we hope this helps you make informed food decisions for your family. When you grasp the food industry’s complex language, you skip all the guesswork. While organic and non-GMO definitions are fairly straightforward, the food industry is always evolving. Refer to USDA and Non-GMO Project guidance to stay up to date, and consult the accompanying infographic for more details on the differences between the two labels.

organic, non-gmo, food, healthy food, health
https://www.slideshare.net/PacMoore/organic-versus-nongmo-labels

Author bio: Chris Bekermeier is Vice President of Marketing at PacMoore, a food contract manufacturer that offers food processing and packaging services. Bekermeier received his B.S. in Business Management from Eastern Illinois University and his MBA from University of Chicago.