Organic Parade

I read from WebMD that there’s a recall on all Philip’s Mushroom Farms’ Enoki mushrooms due to Listeria. Be very care, as Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis. It is an infection that mainly affects the elderly, pregnant women, newborns, and also people with weak immune systems. According to the CDC, if you contract Listeria during pregnancy, it can lead to miscarriage or stillbirth, premature delivery, or infection of the newborn.

If you notice any symptoms like fever and muscle aches, nausea and diarrhea after eating Enoki mushrooms, go see a doctor immediately. Cos if it spreads to the nervous system, it may cause headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or even convulsions. Do not wait and see, k. Read this article on Enoki Mushrooms Recalled Due To Listeria at WebMD for more accurate information.

I read an article at BBC News that marinating meat in alcohol prior to cooking may cut down on cancer-causing agents produced during the cooking process. And this includes both frying and grilling. I seldom eat meat, but i dont mind marinating them in red wine before cooking. It gives the meat a nice aroma and also acts as a mild tenderizer too, lol. The remainder of the red wine can be enjoyed during mealtime as well. Win-win, hoh. It’s the last day of 2008. Be merry and dont overeat!!!

I read from one of our local dailies that Indian restaurants are starting to reduce their food prices by 10 – 50 cents, and this is expected to continue for the coming few months. So, how does this benefit me? I seldom eat Indian food nor fancy it in the first place.

Hubby is a huge fan of Indian food so, this may come as good news to him. Not that he frequents Indian Restaurants a lot also. Conclusion is, the reduction in price does not benefit me at all. In fact, i find that Indian food are way over-priced compared to Chinese food. What do you think?

Why on earth is trans fat still in food if it’s such a terrible thing? Simply because even though trans fats may shorten your life, they do add to shelf life of baked goods, and keep the deep-fat fryers stoked batch after batch. So be wise and opt for trans-fat free foods when you are out shopping. Look at the labels before you put anything into your shopping cart. Between your personal health and their own financial health, some chain restaurants and food manufacturers do opt for the latter.

Green tea has become so popular that it can be found in mainstream grocery stores as well as gas stations and convenience stores. There are many flavors and varieties of green teas so you will be sure to find a combination of flavors you’ll enjoy.

Consider also adding green tea water to some cooked foods. Adding tea to a pot of boiling pasta will affect the flavor in a fresh new way. Toss that same pasta with pine nuts, pesto and a dash of olive oil and you have a healthful dish with many antioxidant properties. Challenge yourself to find new and exciting ways to add green tea to your diet.

Green tea has a long history of healthful benefits and its qualities are significantly more effective than black tea. Both teas come from the carnellia sinensis plant but green tea leaves are steamed rather than fermented like black and oolong teas. This prevents a powerful anti-oxidant, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), from being oxidized and therefore diminished.

Antioxidant Properties

Most of us have heard of the positive effects red wine can have on a fatty diet and its healthful benefits on heart disease. High amounts of catechins polyphenols, particularly EGCG, are present in green tea. And EGCG has twice as much resveratrol as red wine, making it a powerful weapon towards lowering cholesterol, inhibiting blood clots and negating the effects of a fatty diet.

EGCG is also used to treat diabetes and is reported to have glucose-lowering effects. In addition glucose can cause a person to feel hunger and by controlling insulin levels, you control appetite. Try drinking a mug of green tea at the first hunger pain and you are well on your way to managing your appetite.

Thermogenesis

Thermogenesis literally means heat generation. Green tea increases thermogenesis in the body, becoming a potent appetite suppressant and increasing fat oxidation, helping the body to use fat as an energy source. This means the body is preferentially burning fat over protein.

Green tea also raises the body’s metabolism, increasing the rate at which calories are burned. In a recent study, the combination of green tea and caffeine burned more calories than those given a placebo.

Add to its thermogenesis benefits, green tea also has energy-boosting properties, which makes it a perfect breakfast tea or mid-afternoon pick me up.

My last bag of Revolution Tropical Green Tea. I gift from a good friend when she came back for a visit. I love the taste of Revolution Tropical Green Tea. If only i can find some where i live, i will stock up on it. But even if i cant buy it here, i can always buy Revolution Tea online. Do you know where to buy Revolution Tea online? There are many places where you can get Revolution Tea these day. Well, a friend bought some earlier and also gave me the links to the cheapest Revolution Tea online. Thanks to her, i just bought some for myself.

As i said earlier, i’ll be buying some Alce Nero pasta sauce once mine is finished. I did just that. Bought two bottles of Alce Nero Tomato and Basil pasta sauce over the weekend. I havent had a chance to try it out yet. It’s midnight here now, lol. I’ll make some for my kid for breakfast tomorrow. He loves Alce Nero organic pasta very much and the Alce Nero organic pasta sauce will compliment the noodles very much.

I wonder if my toddler will like it just as much as his brother does. I saw some Alce Nero organic pasta in a different shape and size too. Like tiny pieces of tubes. He may like that more than the spaghetti. If i go to the store again this weekend, i’ll buy a packet back for him IF he likes the pasta sauce, lol.

I’ve been trying to upload some nice photos of the organic goods i bought today. I’m trying a new Italian brand called Alce Nero. Bought lots of Alce Nero organic pasta and also their organic pasta sauce. No idea why my computer refuse to cooperate.

I asked a friend on MSN just now and he said there may be something wrong with my system memory. Huh? I already have 2gb memory. Not enough? How much system memory do i need. Damn, have to wait till Monday to find out. The photos will have to wait.

I think it’s time the Malaysian Health Ministry impose a total ban on Boric Aid in foodstuffs. Boric acid should be classified as poison and long term consumption of boric acid will lead to many health complications like poisoning, gastrointestinal illness, kidney damage and loss of appetite even in small amounts.

The use of Boric acid in food has been prohibited under the Food Act 1983 but our Health Ministry failed to curb its use. What’s the point of having such an act in place when it failed to protect consumers, you tell me. It’s no wonder why local foods like bak chang and lor mai kai failed to make its way into lucrative markets like Singapore where its Government makes sure that no foodstuffs that contain boric acid enters it territory.

So, what’s boric acid used for in foodstuffs? Boric acid is used to prevent the glutinous rice in foods like bak chang and lor mai kai from sticking to its container and wrapper. Food manufacturers will do anything to ensure this doesnt happen lest customers complains. But at the end of the day, who pays the price of such an irresponsible act? It’s the consumers themselves to be blamed.

Tomorrow is Bak Chang festival. If you must eat bak chang, it’s either you eat homemade bak chang or dont eat at all. Can? Or are you the kind that eat-first-die-later type. Oh, i’m a huge fan of both bak chang and lor mai kai, but common sense tells me to not eat them. Okay, once or twice a year. *guilty*

I’ve been eating organic food for a long time. Simply put, organic food is pure food that’s free from all genetically modified organisms. They are produced without artificial pesticides and fertilizers and derived from an animal reared without the routine use of antibiotics, growth promoters or other drugs.

Organic foods were once only available in small stores or farmers’ markets. But now, they are becoming much more widely available. Organic foods have been shown to improve your immune system. They can also help you sleep better, shed the excess weight more easily, and improve your blood work just to name a few. To me, organic food tastes better, and have a higher vitamin and mineral content.

I just bought another bottle of cranberry juice. Cranberry juice is very effective against BV or bacterial vaginosis. It’s commonly used to treat UTI or urinary tract infection. I make it a point to drink cranberry juice twice a day to treat BV. It works. So, do buy a bottle and keep it inside your fridge. Drink a glass or two each day. Afterall, cranberries is high in vitamin C. Try it.

The Harvard School of Public health conducted a 14 year trial called the Nurses Health Study, which required participants to complete a questionnaire every two years detailing lifestyle choices and diagnoses of any medical condition.

The subject were divided into three levels of alcohol consumption. The study found that women who drank regularly and moderately (one or two drinks per day, or total of 15-30 gm of alcohol) had a 58 percent lower likelihood of developing diabetes.

Other studies point to multiple benefits of regular and moderate wine drinking, including lower risk of stroke, colorectal tumors, skin and other cancers, senile dementia, and even the common cold, as well as reduced scarring from radiation therapy.

Gingko Biloba is an extract from the leaves of the oldest living tree. The ancient Chinese were the first to use it to treat various ailments. Its powerful healing effects earned favorable response from many countries during the 1600 and 1700′s. Eventually, Gingko Biloba found its way into Europe where it was prescribed for a number of illnesses.

Originally, the Chinese used Gingko Biloba to relieve asthma, bronchitis and pulmonary congestion. Gingko Biloba was also traditionally used to stimulate sexual desire, improve blood circulation and for overall health.

There’s a very important connection between how we nurture our bodies and how we heal, recuperate from injury and even what diseases we contract over our lifetime. There are certain foods that can prevent disease, and there are other foods that can support and strengthen our body systems as well as bolstering up our immune system against disease and infection. You’ve to think of food as not only fuel for our brain and muscles, but also the fuel that recharges or kick starts our immune system and heart. The food that we eat contains the nutrients that are necessary for the cells of our bodies so that they can perform tasks assigned to them by the unique design of our body.

When our cells do not have or lack the correct nutrients they will not be able to function, and thus perform poorly or maybe stop functioning all together. The results from poor nutrition can often times be the cause disease or make the recovery time very much longer than it should be. Eating so called “super foods” or just using nutritious, natural foods as a remedy or medication is be coming a very popular way to handle health challenges of our stress filled modern world. The attractiveness of natural health foods and supplements are an evidence of peoples desires to heal themselves through prevention as well as cure.

When it gets down to it, keeping healthy by eating well, you will find that some food items are well known for their health benefits, while others are not such apparent or clear choices. I have drawn a selection of foods that you may not have thought of as fantastic “super foods”:

Cranberries:

These berries are really a good source of vitamin C. Cranberries also have an excellent taste as a juice blend. Whole berries in a blender will give your smoothes an incredible looking colour and pack in a huge amount of vitamin C. If you drink cranberry juice it can also safeguard you against repeat urinary tract infections. Another good thing about cranberries, is that they help your body fight inflammations and they can also inhibit the growth of e-coli.

Olive oil:

Cold pressed olive oil can act as a protective in the digestive tract and can relive dry skin too. Olive oil is a good oil choice for keeping your heart healthy because it prevents a build up of cholesterol in your arteries. It can also heal broken or irritated skin. The leafs of the olive was used in the past as a wound cleanser. Research has shown that Greeks despite poor health care have a longer life expectancy (over 80 years) and the world’s lowest rates of heart disease and cancer as well as the lowest mortality rate due to cardiovascular illness.

Aloe Vera:

Whilst you may not think of Aloe Vera as a “super food”, it truly is in more ways then one. The health benefits of aloe Vera have been propagated throughout the world and there are very few places where it has not made a dent. It is true to say that the full power of aloe Vera and the health benefits have yet to be tapped. For one, Aloe Vera has miraculous healing qualities.

The gel of Aloe Vera has as many as 75 nutrients, which augur good health, has also turned out to be a very popular remedy for burns and wound. By strengthening the immune system and assisting in healing of wounds, improving skin lesions and healing burns, Aloe Vera has been elevated to the status of a total health benefit product. These properties alone contribute to Aloe’s place as one of nature’s healthiest products.

Muscle pain and pain in the joints occurring because of arthritis can be alleviated by the application of Aloe Vera gels or sprays. Therefore, people can use gel that is made up of aloe Vera rapidly relieves pain in case of any kinds of burn. Aloe Vera gel not only decreases the pain but also assists to heal the injury fast. Aloe Vera (juice consumed orally) is claimed to alleviate Allergies and Aloe Vera (gel applied topically) is claimed to alleviate Skin Allergies.

Chili peppers are full of antioxidants or capsaicin and is a good choice for people wanting to avoid heart disease. It also helps lower cholesterol.

Tomatoes are great for boosting the immune system and can slow down degenerative diseases, Alzheimer’s and cancers to name just two. This is because they include within their make up something called Lycopene, which is more powerful than vitamin C.

Finally, a portion or two of papaya, kiwis, mango or pineapple a day can help fight everything from autoimmune diseases and allergies to cancer. They can boost the immune systems ability to fight off infections as well.