Showing posts with label food and drink. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food and drink. Show all posts

Thursday, December 9, 2010

What Are The Health Risks Of A Vitamin D Overdose?

By Victor Properties

Vitamin D is essential to your good health, but like everything else, it should not be overdone! It is possible to experience a vitamin D overdose, especially since we actually need fairly low levels of vitamin D in our bodies to function.

What causes a vitamin D overdose? Exposure to sunlight is the primary source of vitamin D, and as little as fifteen minutes of sunlight "therapy" three times a week is all you really need for your body to produce the vitamin D you need. You cannot overdose on vitamin D by getting too much sun, though, as your body only produces what you need.

You will probably also not experience a vitamin D overdose from food sources. Too many supplements are often to blame for excessive vitamin D intake, as your body cannot shut down the absorption of vitamins from supplements. This can cause the build up of vitamin D to toxic levels. Ironically, toxic levels of vitamin D are often the result of therapeutic prescription of the supplement due to an original deficiency - high levels may have been prescribed for patients with rickets, for instance.

A vitamin D overdose is never the result of a single high dose, rather the levels of toxicity in the body builds up in the body's fat cells over time. Most nutrients that we consume too much of, the body simply gets rid of; however, with vitamin D it has no such mechanism, but stores the excess in the fat cells. It is the stored vitamin D that eventually leads to toxic amounts in your body.

The upper intake levels for babies are 25 micrograms, while for older children and adults, 50 micrograms per day are sufficient. Children will suffer from toxicity more quickly than adults.

What are the health risks of a vitamin D overdose?

1. Because vitamin D has primarily the function of encouraging calcium absorption, high levels of calcium in the blood is possible. This could lead to excessive calcium in the intestinal tract.

2. High levels of phosphate and calcium in the lungs, heart and kidneys, which can damage your organs permanently.

3. Loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and weight loss.

4. High levels in the kidneys can lead to kidney stones, renal failure and excessive production of urine.

5. If you are pregnant, a vitamin D overdose can cause deformities in your baby.

6. Other symptoms include bone pain, fatigue, excessive thirst and dehydration, itchy skin and deafness.

An overdose can be treated by simply stopping the intake of supplements, and lowering the amount of calcium you ingest until the symptoms stop.

Always consult your doctor before taking vitamin supplements, and in the case of vitamin D, when you get a lot of sun exposure, you will probably not need to take vitamin D supplements at all. Vitamin D in the correct amounts is essential to good health.



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Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Try Freezer Cooking For Tasty, Economical Meals

By Christine Szalay-Kudra

A lot of people enjoy cooking every night but it can become
boring. If you have a busy day, having to think about what
to make for dinner can be stressful, especially if you are
going to have very little time to cook that day.

The easy solution is to cook once a week or once a month,
divide the food into portions and freeze it. Another name
for this once a month (or week) cooking is freezer cooking.
Imagine spending one day making a month's worth of dinners
and then having twenty nine days where you do not have to
cook. Looking at it like that, it is easy to see the appeal
of once a month cooking.

The Best Recipes for Once a Month Cooking

There are all kind of meals, which freeze well, and they
will taste just as nice when they are thawed as when you
first made them. Cooking big batches of food is a real
time saver and if you have a busy weeknight coming up, you
can simply thaw your family's evening meal in the
refrigerator overnight and it will be ready to warm through
in the evening.

You can often get great discounts when you buy in bulk. A
big package of boneless chicken pieces, for example, works
out cheaper per pound than buying a pair of chicken thighs
or chicken breasts. Perhaps you spot some ground lamb on
special offer one week or turkey another week.

There are freezer recipes for all kinds of meats, poultry,
and fish. Meat and poultry in sauces and soups keep for up
to six months. You might want to make some tasty family
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Freezer Cooking Tips

Pick a day when you will not have many commitments or
interruptions. Make sure there is enough space in your
freezer and make sure you have all your necessary
ingredients ready. Remember too that you can save time
buying other frozen foods on special offer like precooked
meatballs or cooked shrimp. Simply add these to your thawed
meals to liven them up.

You can either cook one kind of meal at a time or have
several on the stove or in the oven, depending on your
cooking experience and what you feel comfortable with doing.
When you cooked meals are cool, divide them between freezer
bags or plastic food containers, seal them, and wipe the
edges clean. You will be able to fit a lot of meals in the
freezer if you store them flat in zippered food bags.

You will need a lot of plastic wrap and aluminum foil,
freezer bags or plastic containers. You will also need a
marker pen to write the name of the meal, the cooking date,
and any special cooking instructions.

Sometimes you can make a creamy dish but cream does not
freeze well so leave it out of the meal and add it when you
reheat it. Potatoes do not always thaw well either, so you
can either use slightly undercooked barley or pasta as a
replacement or add fresh potatoes when you reheat the dish.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

What's Your Excuse For Not Eating More Fruits & Vegetables?

By David Butler

Everyone is aware of the fact that fruits and veggies are
excellent for the body, due to their abundance of fiber and
disease-fighting nutrients. Mom said we should eat plenty of
them every day and we knew she was right, but did we pay any
attention?

An unpleasant visual to call up is us driving with one
finger on the steering wheel as we cram greasy French fries
and hamburgers in our mouth while washing it all down with a
chocolate shake. Although, we may not be making that pit
stop every day, we still make bad choices for convenience
like grabbing a bag of chips instead of an apple or banana.
The fruit is just as fast, but so much better for us.

If it's simple you want, why not try some watermelon,
grapes, or a cantaloupe? Fruit only needs a quick wash and
it's ready to snack on. Another example might be veggies
such as carrots or celery soaked in a light dressing.
Research has shown that we don't eat enough of the
low-calorie, wholesome broccoli and Brussels sprouts, and so
we are overweight and disease-prone. Nutritional experts
hope to wake us up to healthy eating and inspire us with
five-a-day campaigns that remind us that we should be eating
at least five servings daily of vegetables and fruits.

In the beginning, five servings per day appears like a lot.
Fruit at breakfast is a practical idea to work in one extra
serving of fruit to start the day. Fruit on cereals,
waffles, or pancakes is another idea. Apples or bananas make
great portable snacks.

Veggies are very easy to get in during the day. It's easy
and smart to have a salad for lunch. When you have lunch or
dinner out, order a sandwich made with lettuce, tomatoes and
sprouts. You can add vegetables to baked goods, or use them
as ingredients in stews and soups, and with sauces for meat.


Do you like peanut butter? Add some celery with it. Kids
especially love this snack. Toss some raisins on top as
well! Cheese and celery make a nice snack too. Sometimes
kids are reluctant to try new fruits and vegetables. But
keep giving them different kinds to try. A lot of well
meaning parents will tell their children that they must
first clean their plate of vegetables before they can even
think about dessert. The problem here is the psychology this
creates. You're basically communicating the idea that
vegetables are something unpleasant to 'get through' so you
can move onto the sweet stuff in live. Think about how
different everyone's health would be if we didn't see our
vegetables in this manner.

Carrots after you finish all of your pudding!? Juice is
another simple way to increase your fruit and vegetable
consumption. The downside of juice is that it lacks fiber.
You don't get that benefit of vegetables and fruits when you
drink them. It also kills your appetite. How many times have
you seen a child drink a large cup of juice and then refuse
to eat, claiming they aren't hungry? Juices also often have
more calories than the fruit they come from.

The benefits to your health of fruits and vegetables are
obvious. Research has shown us that people who consume the
recommended servings of fruits and vegetables a day have
about half the chance of contracting 14 different types of
adult cancers than those who don't. By eating more
fruits and vegetables you can lower the risk of heart
attack, stroke, and adult blindness.

This is information that everybody should know;
nevertheless, we can come up with millions of excuses for
not eating properly. One excuse that people use is that it
costs a lot to eat healthy, and other people say that it
just takes too much time to prepare healthy foods. What
excuse keeps you from eating the way you know you should?


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Thursday, August 19, 2010

A List Of High Fiber Foods

By Beth Hoover

Fiber is a critical part of the diet. Ironically your body
isn't able to digest fiber so it passes right through your
body. Fiber food is necessary because it keeps your colonic
tract healthy and keeps your body regular.

Put simply, its main job is to scrub your guts. Here is a
high fiber food listing to help you get started with your
healthy lifestyle! You may also need to know that fiber can
help you control your blood sugar and can even lower your
cholesterol. Oh and it also releases poisons from your body.

Almonds

Cashews

Flax seeds

Garbanzo beans, well cooked

Kidney beans, well cooked

Lentils, red cooked

Lima beans, cooked 1 cup

Gooseberry

Elderberry

Grapes

Grapefruit

Kiwi fruit

Rhubarb

Pawpaw

Papaya

Peanuts

Pistachio nuts

Pumpkin seeds

Soybeans

Sunflower seeds

Walnuts

Apple

Crabapple

Hawthorn

Pear

Apricot

Peach

Nectarines

Plum

Cherry

Blackberry

Raspberry

Mulberry

Strawberry

Cranberry

Blueberry

Barberry

Currant

Melon

Watermelon

Figs

Dates

Olive

Jujube

Pomegranate

Lemon

Lime

Key Lime

Mandarin

Orange

Sweet Lime

Tangerine

Avocado

Guava

Kumquat

Lychee

Passion Fruit

Tomato

Banana

Gourd

Bitter Gourd

Bottle Gourd

Cashew Fruit

Cacao

Coconut

Custard Apple

Jackfruit

Mango

Pineapple

Carrot

Wheat-bran cereal

Oatmeal

Whole wheat bread

Rice

Corn tortilla

Enriched pasta

Bulgur

Whole wheat spaghetti

Wheat flakes

Barley

Wheat bran muffin

Fig bars

Whole wheat tortilla

Couscous

Graham crackers

Pita bread

Enriched white rice

Try to add fiber to your diet steadily so that your body has
time to adapt to the rise in fiber content. Fiber has also
been shown to help with a weight loss plan, nevertheless, be
certain to talk with your health practitioner prior to
beginning any diet regimen or if you have got any illness
that may require less fiber. This is the best way to make
sure you stay healthy, especially since your physician knows
tons about you.

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Why You Should Have a Varied Diet - Even If You Suffer Food Intolerance

food intolerances, food allergies, food intolerance, special diets, healthy eating, gluten free diet, food and drink, food and related products

By Charlie Monaghan Carter

If you are among the ever increasing number of people who
must restrict their diet due to food intolerances, you will
know that staying within the guidelines can be tough.

If you have a fairly common allergy or intolerance such as
dairy or gluten, then finding foods that are dairy or gluten
free
isn't too difficult, its when the intolerances get more
intricate and uncommon that they become a problem. Also,
another big problem for people with food intolerances is
eating out at a restaurant for example. A lot of the time,
chefs will not understand the implications of a given food
on a person with intolerances.

A well-intentioned chef may sometimes put a little flour
into a sauce to thicken it up, believing that such a small
amount will not trigger the intolerance. If the person does
not seize up and start choking there and then, they believe
all is well and the trace of flour went unnoticed. However
it is not until the food is digested that the intolerance
takes effect around an hour after its consumed, and then the
effects can last for several days.

Eating out is therefore very difficult for people with
intolerances to common foods, and as it is very difficult to
find good food that doesn't contain the common foodstuffs
that people are intolerant to, you will soon find that
eating out becomes a bigger and bigger risk.

For the sake of your health, it is of the utmost importance
that you avoid all foods that you have an intolerance to. It
is very hard work for your body to process these foods and
so to allow it to recover, you should stick to foods that
you know your body can handle. Having said that, if you
start eating just a few foods that you know aren't going to
upset you, you may find that you begin developing
intolerances to them as well.

For this reason it is important to maintain as wide a diet
as possible. This is sometimes difficult if people have many
allergies, a lot of the time people will find foods that
don't upset them, and stick to them so as to avoid triggering
the intolerances. However, you should try to keep eating as
wide a range of foods as you can to avoid slowly but surely
becoming intolerant to everything.

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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

What Are The Benefits To Health of a Fruit Diet?

benefits of a fruit diet, fruit diet, nutritional food, healthy eating, organic food, healthy diet, health

By Jack Rowntree

Some people decide to put themselves on a fruit only diet
for either a short period of time or part of a long-term
plan. This is usually as part of a cleansing program in
order to help maintain health and well-being. However, when
embarking on such a diet there are ways to consume the fruit
and types of fruit to eat to make the experience better.

Some people will hit the diet head on and go out and consume
vast quantities of fruit. This usually has the result of
making you feel bloated and nauseous.

The best way to approach this is to copy what grazing
animals do and just eat small amounts of it frequently
during the day. Small amounts regularly will prevent insulin
surges which can make you feel more hungry. It will also
prevent large amounts of fruit sitting in the stomach which
can ferment and make you feel gassy and bloated.

Juicing is another excellent way of getting your daily quota
of fruit. You can take in your daily allowance in a
refreshing cool drink. This method also reduces the workload
you place on the bowel because fruit, especially in the
liquid form, is easy to digest and so requires less energy.
Many people report the feeling of having increased energy.
Compare this to the feeling of tiredness and sluggishness
you get after eating a heavy meal full of protein and
carbohydrate.

Different types of fruit can also affect your health and
benefits. Organically grown fruit is free from chemicals and
insecticides and are often grown in a good quality soil. You
are, therefore, reducing the build up of these potentially
toxic compounds in the body and you are reaping the full
nutritious benefits from your fruit.

It has been demonstrated that organic fruit and vegetables
have increased levels of vitamins and minerals as compared
to their inorganic counterparts. Although organic fruit and
vegetables are usually more expensive than their inorganic
alternatives you don not have to eat as much to get the same
amount of nutritional benefits.

If you do decide to go down the route of a fruit diet then
getting a variety of fruit is worthwhile. You will not only
be less inclined to become bored of the diet, you will also
be getting a wide variety of nutrients into your system.






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Monday, July 20, 2009

Why Omega-3 Fatty Acids Are Essential For Your Heart

benefits of omega 3 fatty acids, benefits of fish oil, heart benefits of fish oil supplements, heart benefits of omega 3 fatty acids, heart health, essential fatty acids,dietary supplements, cholesterol

By Peter Bertonich

Recently I've written a lot about the health benefits of
taking fish oil supplements, or what is also known as Omega
3 supplements. Lets look today at the heart benefits of fish
oil supplements.

The Jan/Feb issue of Sports Health, A Multidisciplinary
Approach, has published the results of a new study.
It was a study of the heart benefits of taking fish oil
supplements, or essential fatty acid supplements, the main
component of which is fish oil.

There were 36 pro football players who took part and they
took either omega 3 fish oil supplements or else a placebo.
The fish oil capsules they took contained 2560 mg of omega-3
fatty acids
(650 mg EPA and 450 mg DHA in each capsule.)

The study, or it's results, backed up the conclusions of so
many other studies that supported the health benefits of
Omega 3 fish oil supplementation that increased the levels
of essential fatty acids in the diet.

The results were good. HDL levels (good cholesterol) went up
while LDL (bad cholesterol) went down.

And triglycerides went down too, an excellent result.

Now this isn't the first fish oil supplements study to
confirm a link between improved heart health and the intake
of more fish oil, or Omega 3 fatty acids. There's now many
studies that confirm the heart benefits of fish oil
supplements.

And the American Heart Association also recommends that we
all take at least a gram a day of EPA and DHA and that if we
have elevated triglycerides that this be increased.

So now that you know how important taking sufficient Omega 3
fats in your diet is, how do you increase your intake? By
using the very best Omega 3 fish oil supplements.

Be aware that not all Omega 3 supplements are created equal.
There are issues with both the quantity of DHA in each
capsule as well as the purity of the fish oil, some fish
oils being contaminated with heavy metals and PCBs and
mercury. These are only small amounts but the best fish oil
capsules contain higher levels of DHA than most others and
undetectable levels of contaminants.

So anyone at risk of heart related health problems should be
taking the very best fish oil supplements. That's you.


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Wednesday, July 15, 2009

How To Lose Weight Without Starving

healthy eating, healthy eating habits, healthy eating to lose weight, weight loss, diet, nutrition, how to eat to lose weight, food and drink

By Travis Van Slooten

This isn't some kind of smoking mirrors gimmick or the
latest spin from a money-making junk mail expert. It really
is possible for you to drop excess pounds without the need
to follow a restricted diet.

It doesn't mean however that you also have the liberty to
indulge in whatever food you want. So let's get down to
business and talk about how you can get the pounds off
without having to starve yourself.

Even if you are trying to lose some weight, you still need
to eat. Rather than starve yourself what you need to do is
to learn to recognize the signals that your body gives out
when it's actually hungry. The skill of getting your eating
habits under control is where the magic of weight loss
really lies.

There are three different categories that individuals can
fall into when it comes to eating patterns. Which one do you
fit into? Identify it and you'll find your weight issues are
much easier to understand.

You eat when:

You're hungry?

If you are, then good for you. However, you should also be
able to recognize the signs of satisfaction that your body
sends. Knowing when to eat and then when to stop is key to
developing healthy eating habits and subsequently, weight
loss. Even if you don't have any limit to the type of foods
you eat, as long as you just take in enough food that the
body can burn, there's no reason why you should keep on
packing the pounds. Add a few minutes of exercise into your
daily routine and watch the pounds go away.

You think you want to eat

This type of eater is one who is more likely to gain weight
than losing it. For those hoping or needing to achieve
weight loss, eating just for the enjoyment of it or whenever
there is good food to be had should be a big no-no. The
desire to eat may always be there and can be triggered
easily by different factors including stress, inactivity,
loneliness, the sight of delicious food, and other
activities. And because the body did not signal that it
needed the food, your unused intake will only be converted
to excess body fat.

Your diet tells you to?

Some individuals are on the perennial diet. And while one
may be able to maintain the ideal weight using that
strategy, being constantly on a diet doesn't make for a
healthy lifestyle. Individuals who fall under this category
may constantly feel deprived. And even if he is eating the
right foods, there is little enjoyment to it. What's worse
is that he may feel the need to stay away from social
gatherings with family and friends to avoid the temptation
of foods that are "forbidden." Weight loss shouldn't come at
such expense.

Which group do you mainly fall into? If you're in group 1,
then you're doing great. If you're in group 2 or 3, then you
must consider what you can do to change your eating habits.
Start to listen to your body and know what a hunger pang
feels like. That's the signal that's time to eat. If you can
master this, and the ability to stop eating when you know
your body is satisfied, then you will discover the true
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Saturday, July 11, 2009

Not Getting Enough Fruit & Veggies In Your Family's Diet? Try These 10 Tips

food and related products, healthy food, healthy eating, nutrition, fruit and veg diet, food and drink, home and family,

We all know by now that we should be eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. But knowing and doing are two different things, aren’t they? Sometimes it is just not easy to get them all in there. We are constantly tempted to fill up on convenience and junk food. If your family is anything like mine, they’d much rather fill up on a bag of chips or a bowl of rice or pasta instead of trying an apple or a plate of steamed broccoli. So we’ll have to get creative. Here are a few ideas to “sneak” some extra vegetables and fruits in your family’s diet.

1. Start the day with a breakfast smoothie. All you have to do is throw some fruits, low-fat yogurt and ice in a blender. You may also want to add a scoop of protein powder in there for good measure. Just blend for a few seconds and you have the perfect breakfast ready to go. I like to sip mine in a thermal cup on the way to work. To make it even more appealing for your kids, use some frozen yogurt or a scoop of ice cream in the smoothie. They won’t believe that you are letting them have ice cream for breakfast.

2. Dried fruit makes an excellent snack any time of the day. Add some small cartons of raisins to your child’s lunch box, pack some yogurt-covered raisins in your husband’s briefcase and keep some trail mix sitting around for snacking. You can also add dried fruit to oatmeal and cereal in the morning. My family loves banana chips in their breakfast cereal.

3. Add some fruits and vegetables to your family’s sandwiches. You can add some banana, sliced apples or strawberry slices to a peanut butter sandwich. Top a turkey sandwich with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and anything else they will eat. You can even make a sub shop style vegetable sandwich by combining several different vegetables with some mayonnaise and cheese on bread.

4. Have a salad bar at dinner. Set out a variety of chopped vegetables, some cheese and croutons as well as several choices of salad dressing along with the lettuce and let everybody create their own perfect salad.

5. Let them drink their fruits and vegetables. Keep an assortment of fruit and vegetable juices in the fridge and encourage everyone to drink them as a snack. Get creative. You could start “family cocktail hour” by pouring everybody a glass of his or her favorite juice over ice. Add some straws, cocktail umbrellas and sit together to talk about how everybody’s day went.

6. Try this for dessert. Put a small scoop of ice cream or frozen yogurt in a bowl and top it with lots of fresh or frozen fruit.

7. Offer fruits and vegetables as snacks. You can cut apples into slices and top them with peanut butter or cheese. Cube cheese and serve with grapes. Cut up some fresh veggies and serve them with ranch dip. And of course there’s ants on a log. Spread some cream cheese or peanut butter on the inside of a stick of celery and sprinkle raisins on it (wow, fruit and vegetable in one snack).

8. Try some new fruits and vegetables. Pick something exotic to get your family’s curiosity. With a little luck their curiosity will outweigh their initial apprehension to trying something new. You could try artichokes, plantains, papaya, mango, star fruit, or anything else you can find in the produce department of your local store.

9. Make a pot of vegetable soup or a stew that’s heavy on veggies and easy on the meat. Both of these make some great comfort food when the weather gets cold.

10. Start “My Veggie Day”. Each family member gets to pick a vegetable one day of the week. They qualify to pick a vegetable as long as they tried each vegetable the week before, otherwise they loose a turn and Mom gets to pick.

Incorporate a few of these ideas and you will have everyone in your family eating more fruits and vegetables in no time.

Here is another tip:

Now that everyone in the family has gotten a taste for it, make sure you always have plenty of fresh fruits and veggies available and ready to snack on.

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Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Peer Pressure And Healthy Eating - How To Say No

Man Holding Drink and Pointing

If you are on a diet or simply enjoying a healthy lifestyle, then you probably know that peer pressure to eat foods that are not good for you is a major part of your life. If you are worried about the food that goes into your mouth, don’t worry—there are ways to overcome peer pressure. It simply takes a little know-how to get people off your back!

Parties are a major source of peer pressure, especially with alcohol. However, remember that alcohol contains hundreds of empty calories in just one drink. When you go to a party, people might be pressuring you to have a drink and relax, and it can be difficult to say no when they are constantly trying to convince you. Instead, offer to be the designated driver. This way, people won’t want you to drink and, in fact, they will probably be purchasing you waters and maybe even helping to pay for your gas. It’s a win-win situation for everyone.

Another time when you may feel pressured to eat is at work when the boss orders lunch for everyone at a meeting or when you have to visit a client. Instead of giving in to temptation, simply politely decline the food by letting your boss know in advance or order a meal that is healthy and split the portion in half so you have a meal for tomorrow’s lunch as well.

Baby showers, weddings, birthday parties, and other special events can also wreak havoc on your diet, even if you are good at resisting temptation on your own. When someone hands you a piece of cake and won’t take no for an answer, it can be difficult to know what to say! Here, little white lies might be appropriate. For instance, saying that your stomach was upset earlier in the day will convince a person that you don’t want to eat at the moment or pretending to have a chocolate allergy will get people to allow you to enjoy the party without a hassle surrounding food.

Remember, however, that while refusing bad foods is fine, you should be eating good foods. If you do not, dangerous eating habits and disorders can develop, which will give you, your friends, and your doctor a real reason to worry. It’s ok to say no to peer pressure, but don’t say no to food in general!


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Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Chicken Stew - From Then Till Now

Chicken soup


If you are thinking about a warming, hearty dinner, chicken
stew is one of those recipes that always spring to mind. You
can make lots of different versions of chicken stew and this
dish has a very interesting history spanning thousands of
years.

A stew is two or more different foods simmered together in a
liquid. Hungarian goulash, beef stroganoff, coq au vin, and
beef bourguignon are all stews.

The "Apicius de re Coquinaria" is the oldest cookbook ever
discovered. It contains fish and lamb stew recipes, although
chicken had been domesticated by then too. There were three
Romans with that name living between 1 BC and 2 AD and the
book is believed to have been compiled by one of them.

You can actually go back even further because primitive
tribes used to boil foods together, which is what a stew
essentially is. Amazonian tribes used turtle shells as pans
and would boil the turtle entrails with some other
ingredients. Other cultures used large shells, such as
clam shells, instead of pans. Archeological evidence points
to this type of cookery going back seven or eight thousand
years. The invention of pottery, about ten thousand years
ago, made cooking stews easier.

Domestic fowl has been around for thousands of years and
chicken stew has been popular for a long time, with
different cultures having their own versions of this dish.
Examples include the spicy chicken stew found in Morocco or
the peanut butter chicken stew favored in parts of Africa.

Different Types of Chicken Stew

One very tasty chicken stew is called chicken booyah. This
is a cross between a soup and a stew and is popular in
northeast Wisconsin. In 1853, the first Belgian immigrants
arrived in Wisconsin and they spoke a language called
Walloon. It is believed that the word booyah comes from the
word bouillon and the non-French speaking Belgian just wrote
down how the word bouillon sounded to him phonetically.

Southern Chicken Stew

Perhaps you have tried southern chicken stew. It is a very
popular recipe in North Carolina. Southern chicken stew is
made with a whole chicken parboiled in a milk or cream based
sauce. Butter, salt, pepper, and other ingredients are used
in this recipe. The color of southern chicken stew varies
from white to yellow, depending how much margarine or butter
is used. It can be thin or thick in consistency and saltine
crackers are often served with southern chicken stew.

This dish is often served in the coldest months and "chicken
stew" can refer to a get together or gathering where this
food is served, rather than the food itself.
(http://www.chickennoodlesoups.com/Soup-Recipes/index.php#chicken-stew)
Chicken stew recipes are often thought of as comfort food
because they are comforting to eat and simple to prepare.
Chicken stew is commonly served at social get togethers,
such as church fellowships, community fundraisers, and
family reunions.

The chicken stew at these events will often be made in a big
cast iron or stainless steel cooking pot, maybe outdoors
over an open fire. You might get coleslaw, a grilled cheese
sandwich or rice served with the chicken stew.