Why do you eat?

“Because I’m hungry.”

Well, there’s actually another reason.

You can eat cetain food to help you be healthy.

So, now…watch what you eat. Make sure you eat only healthful food.

Promise?

Steaming is a great thing to be done if you prefer to preserve the flavour, colour and texture of your vegetables.

Here are some important notes on steaming:

• Cut the vegetables the same size so they’ll cook evenly.
• The liquid never should boil dry.
• The liquid should never touch the food.
• The steam must be able to circulate freely.
• Some vegetables need only a minute or two until they’re done, potatoes take 15-30 minutes.

Go get your healthful meal now!

Food, for me, is something I need to consume to keep me energized and of course healthy. Well, sometimes I have to be in a certain condition where I have no choice but to eat junk food. But afterwards I kind of detoxify myself.

Not that I am saying that I’m the healthiest human being. No. But, I always try my best to eat right.

Miserable Bliss aka Dana seems to see food in a different way. She eats healthily. She even consumes organic food. But, there are times when she can’t resist chocolate malt balls or pizza that’s laden with salt and melted cheese and meat.

However, at least most of the time, she seeks out high-fiber snacks and cereals, doesn’t add salt to her food and avoid saturated fats. Good for you, Dana. Hopefully, next time you can keep it up.

Jessifer Seabs has a different story. She had this big goal to lose weight and she made it. It seems like she found something wrong during the process.

She went to see a therapist and thankfully she found out that she’s totally normal. And, she’s definitely healthy.

KM has a different idea about food. She shared opinions, too, about how her family see food.

KM eats pretty healthily, but she also eats what she wants, and she doesn’t think it’s worth feeling guilty about. Well, that’s an interesting point of view about food, isn’t it?

It seems like all of them (and me) have a moment or two of getting out of the healthy-eating-habit. But then we try to control it. That’s because we know what kind of food that we can eat or not.

What about you?

There are sequences of life that make you stop and contemplate and make decisions. One of them is the phase of realizing that health is important.

Bazu decided to go vegan in February 2004. And, he manages to keep it up to today.

Alex is about to go vegan.

And, aTxVegn, a vegan, loves to share her recipes.

What about us?

What about you?

I know, diarrhoea (the passing of frequent, watery stools) can make you terribly weak. Going in and out of the restroom again and again, plus loss of fluid and appetite make it even worse.

So, if you happen to have it (cross fingers hoping that you don’t), like Mark and TigerAngelLeigh, here are some treatments that you might be able to try:

• Drink lots of water to prevent dehydration.
  
• If you are suffering from an acute diarrhoea you’d better drink more fluids (3-4 liters a day), preferably containing sugar and salts. You can buy the ready-mixed rehydration sachets from the pharmacist and drink more water.
• Consume foods containing salt, such as crisps or soup.
• Maintain your hygiene.
  
• Eat normally as soon as your appetite returns but if you have suffered an acute attack of diarrhoea, avoid foods containing milk for a couple of days.
• You’d better call your doctor if If you have a high temperature (over 38°C), blood or mucus in your stools, or severe vomiting that could lead to dehydration or the diarrhoea has lasted for more than 48hrs.

Get well soon!

Jessiegirl is living her vegan life now. So, she doesn’t consume animal products such as meat, cheese, etc.

Yet, she takes B₁₂ supplement so that she doesn’t have to suffer from Vitamin B₁₂ Deficiency Anemia.

What is Vitamin B₁₂ Deficiency Anemia?

It’s a blood problem that occurs when there is not enough of this vitamin in your body. If you’re lack of Vitamin B_12, your body won’t produce enough red blood cells and your cells won’t get the oxygen they need.

That would be unhealthy, since red blood cells travel throughout your body carrying oxygen to the cells and removing wastes.

So, if you’re planning to live a vegan life, don’t for get this important supplement.

Fats and carbohydrates are two building blocks of a healthy diet, but many people do not understand their role in proper nutrition. While the daily intake of fats and oils should be limited, these elements are still a vital part of the diet. The key is to make smart choices when it comes to fats and oils. That means substituting saturated fats with unsaturated fats, and using healthier, lighter oils in cooking.

Let’s look at the role fats and oils play in the diet. Fats are necessary for supplying energy to the body. In addition, fats supply essential fatty acids and act as carriers for fat soluble vitamins like vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K and the carotenoids. In addition, fats have an important role to play as building blocks for various tissues and membranes, and they also play a key role in regulating numerous bodily functions.

Dietary fat is available from a variety of plant and animal sources, and most diets do contain adequate amounts of fat. Most nutrition experts recommend keeping the intake of fat to less than 20% of calories, but studies have shown that severely limiting fat intake can be dangerous. Extreme low fat diets should only be undertaking with a doctor’s approval and oversight.

(more…)

Yesterday, I went to a friend’s house, we were having a nice tea party with the other 4 girls.

It wasn’t the tea that was special, it was the cookies and cakes. They were all made of strawberry! Some pinky, some reddish…all yummy!

And, just now I’ve read some interesting blogs with strawberry pictures. Andrea with a full bowl of newly picked strawberries and M. Lynette DiPalma with her filled strawberries.

Wondering how many grams did they have the strawberries?

If they ate at least 100 grams, they’ve consumed 56.7 mg vitamin C, 17.7 mg folate, 166 mg potassium, 19 mg phosporus, 14 mg calcium.

I think, yesterday I had more than 100 grams. I even might have met my need of vitamins and minerals for a whole week now.

1. Imagine the food that you really really wish to eat
2. Get rid of that imagination and replace it with your goal: to be able to wear 2-size-smaller jeans, for example
3. Stick to the goal and imagine a good smell that’s not related to food, such as an aroma of beach, flower or grass plus imagine yourself looking good in that 2-sizesmaller jeans
4. Write down the aroma on a piece of paper. Keep one in your wallet or stick it on your fridge. Read it whenever your desire of food comes.

These tricks are suggested by Marika Tiggemann from the Flinders University, Adelaide.