You learn from an early age that calcium builds strong bones and teeth, but it has a number of other health benefits, as well. This beneficial mineral also helps to regulate your blood pressure, maintains healthy blood vessels, and even aids in preventing Type 2 diabetes. Now that you know why you should eat calcium, here are a few lesser-known ways to get it.

1. White beans. Beans get a good reputation because of their high levels of protein, but white beans are also very high in calcium, as well. In fact, just one cup of canned white beans provides 191 milligrams of calcium, which is about 19 percent of your daily value. These creamy, mild legumes are great in a hearty chili or mashed as a chickpea substitute in homemade hummus.
2. Sardines. While these tiny fish may have made you squeamish as a child, sardines are actually one of the healthiest fish that you can eat! Like a lot of seafood, they’re rich in omega 3s, but they also provide 321 milligrams of calcium in just seven sardine filets. Many people choose to eat them plain, but if you prefer to cut down on the fishy flavor, you can also add sardines to a salad.

18 Surprising Dairy-Free Sources of Calcium [Greatist]
18 Surprising Dairy-Free Sources of Calcium [HuffPost Healthy Living]

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One of the first steps in becoming an expert in the kitchen is having a thorough understanding of each cooking term on a recipe. After knowing your ingredient, being able to read and follow a recipe correctly is important in how the dish turns out. Here are four must-know kitchen terms to help you out.

1. Meuniere. This term refers to an ingredient, like poultry or fish, being dredged in flour, then sauteed in butter.
2. Hull. When preparing a fruit salad, you may be asked to hull the berries, which means to remove the green stems and leaves.
3. Macerate. Soften and sweeten fruits by macerating them, which means to cover them with lemon juice or liqueur until they have absorbed the flavor.
4. Proof. Before baking bread, you may need to proof the yeast. This tests if the yeast is still active by dissolving it in warm water with sugar or honey for five minutes to see if it foams or bubbles.

The Basic Kitchen: Glossary of Cooking Terms [Le Petites Gourmettes]
Glossary of Cooking Terms [Better Homes and Gardens]
Cooking Terms [Recipe Goldmine]
Glossary of Cooking Terms [Cookery]
Culinary Terms: Food Dictionary and Glossary of Cooking Terms [Culinary Arts About.com]

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/elizaraxi

Whether you suffer from celiac disease or you simply want to promote a healthier lifestyle, more and more people are cutting gluten out of their diets. Gluten is most prominent in breads and other foods containing wheat, but it also sneaks its way into some fairly surprising dishes that you might not expect. Here are a few lesser known sources of gluten.

1. Veggie burgers. Sure, veggie burgers are a great meat alternative for vegans and vegetarians, but that doesn’t mean that they’re right for gluten-free eaters. Many store-bought brands of veggie burgers contain wheat gluten, and some homemade recipes do as well.
2. Salad dressing. While replacing a sandwich with a salad is a great way to stick to your gluten-free diet, be careful of the dressings that you choose to top that salad. A number of the thickening agents found in salad dressings achieve their effects with the help of gluten. Check for a substance called “modified food starch” before you purchase any dressing.
3. Potato chips. Potato chips technically don’t contain gluten because most are made with potatoes and oil, but some brands of flavored potato chips contain flavorings that contain wheat, barley, or rye. Be cautious of any potato chips flavored with things like barbecue or sweet onion.

There’s Gluten In That? [Everyday Health]
10 Surprising Gluten-Containing Foods [Delicious Living]
7 Foods You Never Knew Contained Gluten [HuffPost Healthy Living]

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