Smart Food!

Listen to the buzz about foods and dietary supplements and you'll believe they can do everything from sharpen focus and concentration, to enhance memory, attention span, and brain function. But do they really work? There's no denying that as we age chronologically, our body ages right along with us. The good news? You can increase your chances of maintaining a healthy brain -- if you add "smart" foods and beverages to your diet.




Caffeine Can Make You More Alert


There's no magic bullet to boost IQ or make you smarter -- but certain substances, like caffeine, can energize and help you focus and concentrate. Found in coffee, chocolate, energy drinks, and some medications, caffeine gives you that unmistakable wake-up buzz -- though the effects are short term. And more is often less: Overdo it on caffeine and it can make you jittery and uncomfortable.


Sugar Can Enhance Alertness

Sugar is your brain's preferred fuel source -- not table sugar, but glucose, which your body metabolizes from the sugars and carbohydrates you eat. That's why a glass of something sweet to drink can offer a short-term boost to memory, thinking processes, and mental ability. Consume too much, however, and memory can be impaired -- along with the rest of you. Go easy on the sugar so it can enhance memory, without packing on pounds.

Protein & Brain Function Connection?

One of the great benefits of protein is that it generally makes you feel satisfied longer than carbohydrates and fats. Eating a diet rich in lean and low-fat protein is good for weight loss and overall health -- though it's hard to draw a connection with brain function.





Fish Really is Brain Food

A protein source associated with a great brain boost is fish -- rich in omega 3 fatty acids, essential for brain function and development. These healthy fats have amazing brain power: higher dietary omega 3 fatty acids are linked to lower dementia and stroke risks; slower mental decline; and may play a vital role in enhancing memory, especially as we get older. For brain and heart health, eat two servings of fish weekly.


Add a Daily Dose of Nuts, Chocolate
Nuts and seeds are good sources of the antioxidant vitamin E, which is associated with less cognitive decline as you age. Dark chocolate also has powerful antioxidant properties, and contains natural stimulants like caffeine, which can enhance focus and concentration. Enjoy up to an ounce a day of nuts and dark chocolate to provide all the benefits you need without excess calories, fat, or sugar.

Add Avocados and Whole Grains
Every organ in the body depends on blood flow, especially the heart and brain. Eating whole grains and fruits like avocados can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and enhance blood flow, offering a simple, tasty way to fire up brain cells. Whole grains, like popcorn and whole wheat, also contribute dietary fiber and vitamin E, while avocados have fat -- but a good-for-you, monounsaturated fat that contributes to healthy blood flow.

Blueberries Are Super Nutritious

Research in animals shows that blueberries help protect the brain from oxidative stress and may reduce the effects of age-related conditions such as Alzheimer's disease or dementia. Studies also show that diets rich in blueberries significantly improved both the learning capacity and motor skills of aging rats, making them mentally equivalent to much younger rats.



Benefits of a Healthy Diet

It may sound trite but it's true: If your diet lacks essential nutrients, it can decrease your ability to concentrate. Eating too much or too little can also interfere with your ability to focus. A heavy meal may make you feel lethargic, while too few calories can result in distracting hunger pangs. Benefit your brain: Strive for a well-balanced diet chock full of a wide variety of healthy, wholesome foods.


Vitamins, Minerals, Supplements?

Store shelves groan with supplements claiming to boost health. Although many of the reports on the brain-boosting power of supplements like vitamins B, C, E, beta-carotene, and magnesium are promising, they're inconclusive. Researchers are cautiously optimistic about ginseng, gingko, or vitamin, mineral, and herb combinations and their impact on the brain. A daily multivitamin is OK, but check with your doctor before taking other supplements.

Want to power up your ability to concentrate? Start with a meal of 100% fruit juice, a whole grain bagel with salmon, and a cup of coffee. In addition to eating a well-balanced meal, experts also advise:

Get a good night's sleep.
Exercise to help sharpen thinking.
Meditate to clear thinking and relax.








Aren't there simply too much to digest?
Too much to think of what to eat.
Too many benefits, too full to consume them all?

What about this? It takes 2 minutes to prepare, contains all the good nutrition in just a cup which only cost S$3.50.


So you don't have to think too much of what to eat to get the focus and concentration required.
Don't have to waste too much time preparing the tables of food.
Don't have to spent too much buying all the foods that contains the nutrition that this single cup provides.
Don't have to eat too much food including the excess of carbohydrates and fats.

That makes you TOO fat.

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Do you experience "thunderstorm" every night?

Does the person beside you sleeps like a baby or do you have to cover your head with a pillow every night? Do you experience thunderstorm in your room everynight or you could hear loud noises from your parents room?

What causes snoring?

Snoring is the sound produced by vibrating structures of the upper airway, typically during inhalation. It may be a symptom of a sleep disorder (obstructive sleep apnea), but just because you snore does not automatically mean you have one. It’s averaged that anywhere from 30-50% of the population snores at one time or another.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a disorder characterized by snoring, labored breathing and repetitive obstructed pauses or gasps in a person's breathing during sleep. The obstructed pauses result from complete obstruction or blockage of the airway and may be associated with decreases in oxygen levels.

There are many causes of snoring:
-Nasal obstruction (structural)
-Obstruction coming from the throat and the back of the mouth (structural)
-Smoking not only leads to relaxation of the throat muscles but it also will lead to congestion of the nose increasing the air passage obstruction.
-Drinking alcohol near the time you goes to bed will lead to decrease in the muscle tone and loss of the air passage patency.
-Some medication like sedatives will inhibit the brain centers and let you fall into deep sleep with less muscle tone so throat relaxation and causes snoring.
-Also some food like milk and diary products if eaten near bed time will work like those medication.
-Men usually snore more than women and their snoring is more severe.
-Obesity.

What does all this have to do with obesity? It was recently discovered that our paranasal sinuses produce a lot of nitric oxide. When nitric oxide is inhaled through the nasal airway, it gets into the lungs and increases the amount of oxygen that gets into the blood that is circulating through the lungs. The clearer the nasal passages, the more nitric oxide will be inhaled into the lung tissue. Hence, the more efficiently the oxygen will be absorbed via the lungs into the body vasculature, which then delivers the oxygen to all body cells.

Obesity often causes sleep apnea and snoring, which indicates a blockage of nasal airways. The nitric oxide delivery to the lungs then is reduced, as is oxygen absorbed through the lungs. Lowered oxygen levels in the body signal that the tissues need more blood to supply the oxygen. The physiological response is to raise the blood pressure to increase blood flow and improve oxygen supplies to tissues. Hence, high blood pressure occurs because nitric oxide isn't getting into the lungs effectively.

Well, snoring not only affects your partner and your family members, it may also affect yourself.
How we wish we and our snoring partners could all sleep like a baby. Some people die in their sleep is not beacuse it is a peaceful way of dieing, there are also young people who died in their sleep, it is because of sleep apnea, whereby nitric oxide is the lowest during sleep and not enough oxygen is going into their heart.

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Resources:
http://sleep.lovetoknow.com/Why_Do_People_Snore
http://www.allaboutstopsnoring.com/snoring-causes.html
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-do-people-snore
http://www.massagetoday.com/mpacms/mt/article.php?id=13166
http://www.niteworks.com/ *
http://www.nutritionaltree.com/reviews/amino-acids/l-arginine/herbalife_niteworks.aspx

A big pot of pork belly ramen soup from crystal jade~

I eat alot, and i'm still losing body fats! Amazing! :D

Just because I'm drinking this in the morning.

The words on the Today paper:

A Headstart
Smoothies are possibly the
best pre-workout snack.
They provide hydration and
are easily digested.

I dun like strawberry flavour, so i drink mine with DARK chocolates. ^.^

Chocolate is made from plants (cacao tree), which means it contains many of the health benefits of dark vegetables. These benefits are from flavonoids, which act as antioxidants. Antioxidants protect the body from aging caused by free radicals, which can cause damage that leads to heart disease. Dark chocolate contains a large number of antioxidants (nearly 8 times the number found in strawberries). Flavonoids also help relax blood pressure through the production of nitric oxide, and balance certain hormones in the body.

Dark chocolate is good for your heart. A small bar of it everyday can help keep your heart and cardiovascular system running well. Two heart health benefits of dark chocolate are:

•Lower Blood Pressure: Studies have shown that consuming a small bar of dark chocolate everyday can reduce blood pressure in individuals with high blood pressure.
•Lower Cholesterol: Dark chocolate has also been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) by up to 10 percent.

Chocolate also holds benefits apart from protecting your heart:

•it tastes great!
•it stimulates endorphin production, which gives a feeling of pleasure
•it contains serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant
•it contains theobromine, caffeine and other substances which are stimulants

You can never find this picture anywhere as it comes out from my Final-Year-Project on of the presentation slides.

Resources:
http://longevity.about.com/od/lifelongnutrition/p/chocolate.htm

Blaming obesity on your mum and dad?

So growing up in the culture we are brought up upon, made us whiny and becoming Mr/Mrs Blame-it-all. So I am fat, it is not my fault, blame it on my parents! Whatever they eat, I eat, they feed I eat, eat and eat and eat.

Oh! So now the scientist discovered fat genes (Ob gene/ FTO) so all the F.A.T people push the blame to the genes? Which comes from heredity too, go on blame it! My mum's genes, my daddy's genes, my grandma's, grandpa's genes, my great-grandma, great-grandpa, great- great- great- great- and never ending line of ancestors (whom you never even seen them before). Did you ever blame yourself for not practising self control?

That is WHY you are still FAT and DEPRESSED.

This girl in the video, she has the fat genes, but she is not "allowed" to be a fat kid, neither will she "allow" her kids to be fat. So it all boils down to your character. So come on, don't be shy, admit it. It's the first step to slimming down and toning up.

Oh My God, if you can't handle the truth, then, who are you?

If you are overweight it's not because of your genetics, it's because you haven't treated your genes the way it is supposed to be treated, unless you wanted to BE overweight. Is there any living prove around you, of some being too fat at a point in their life, but transform on way of another the next time you saw them? It's not magic, neither it's the genetics. It's the same gene, but the fact that they condition themselves, they treat themselves with the right food and the amount of exercise, they change they way they treat their genes. Stop blaming, just take the responsibility! It is all under control. You have the ability, you have the capability, YOU have the potential.

Finding yourself always munching on food? Can't help feeling hungry all the time? A little itch on the mouth? :) Maybe you need a little help? How about Total Control?
Total Control is a weight loss management system with supplements made by Herbalife. Purported to work on a cellular level, the Herbalife website states that the Total Control weight loss system will curb appetite, increase metabolism, and increase the breakdown of fat in the body thereby resulting in weight loss. Check it out: http://www.diet-pill-center.com/diet-pills-blog/2009/09/herbalife-total-control-review/

Resources on fat genes:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/bookshelf/br.fcgi?book=gnd&part=obesity
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article1647517.ece
http://ezinearticles.com/?Obesity-and-Heredity&id=2945989

Resources on heredity:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/rachel_johnson/article1654447.ece

How about bathing your internal body for once?

We bathe, every day, even twice or thrice a day. But can we bathe our intestines?

Our intestines are the part of our body, responsible for digestion. Our intestine (small and large intestine) begins at the stomach to the end at the anus which is almost 25 feet long ( 5 TIMES OF YOUR BODY). The small intestine is responsible for the digestion of our food and the large intestine is involved in the elimination of digestive waste products.

Imagine 3 meals a day, 21 meals a week goes into your body. All the food get clogged in the villus of your intestines. It feels just like not bathing for a week!! Or even more... Imagine you have never ever taken a bathe before.... Ewwww...

The small intestines is the site where most of the nutrients from the food we eat gets absorbed. The inner wall of the small intestine is lined with villus. The function of each villi is to increase the amount of surface area available for the absorption of nutrients.

The small intestine needs to be clean and functioning properly in order to process and absorb the nutrients from our food into the blood vessels. Mucus congestion happens often due to improper food combination, lack of digestive enzymes, overeating and the consumption of processed foods and junk foods. The amount of food and waste particles coat and clog our villi, packing them like concrete, blocking the absorption of good nutrients causing toxicity problems, nutrient deficiency and many chronic illnesses. (kidney stones, gallstones, arthritis, gout... etc, etc)

The large intestine (colon) is the body's sewer system. Not only do our internal toxins and waste products end up in the colon, they must exit through the colon. A person who goes to the toilet only once a week to do "big business" is a very constipated person, he/she is can be described as full-of-shit (literally 20 meals/portion of shit stuck in the body). The symptoms of a congested colon include bloating, distended stomach, sluggishness, pain or a feeling of fullness in the lower abdomen, being prone to illnesses and unclear thinking. Anyone who has a chronically sluggish colon typically suffers from discomfort and low energy.

How can you "bathe" inside?

-Get regular exercise to stimulate the muscles in the intestines.
-Drink 3-4 Litres of water a day.
-Include probiotics in your diet. Sources include yogurt, yakult, cheese, miso soup and supplements.
-Be sure you're getting enough dietary fiber, which comes from fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and beans.
-Eat fresh fruits and vegetables everyday. Their enzymes help digest our food and are natural cleansers for the small intestines.
-Aim for one bowel movement a day. If you do suffer from constipation, try increasing your water intake and exercise before going for the laxatives.

-Take laxatives on an as-needed basis. Daily use of laxatives do not give the body a break, it just makes us laxative dependent. :(

Some even better choice then laxative, all natural product.

Resources:
http://www.aloe-vera-fitness.com/digestion.html
http://www.detoxsafely.org/intestinal-cleansing.html

Today a friend shared with me his method of losing weight, "fasted cardio".

Theory: Blood sugar levels are low when you are in a fasted state (after going all night without eating) which targets more fat burning.

Question: Exercising on an empty stomach (usually morning after waking up), will it lead to accelerated weight loss?

So i did a research, typing "exercise on an empty stomach". So this is what i found.

Studies shown that fat burning does not start until you are 20 minutes into you cardio workout. Meaning the 1st 20 minutes of cardio you do is "warming up", then your body starts metabolizing fats. If you don't have a good source of fuel to sustain you, you would get tired more easily leading to a shorter workout session and burning lesser calories. Critics also say you may burn muscle if you don't have the necessary fuel for you workouts.

Disadvantages of exercising on empty stomach…
Likely to get a shorter and less effective workout, due to:
Unnecessary fatigue
Lethargy
Dizziness
Dehydration
As a result, you burn less calories because you can’t keep going as long as you should have been able to.
It’s also the thought that exercising on an empty stomach, you can eat more after the workout.

Benefits of eating before you workout:
Helps energise your workout, boost recovery and strength gains
Prevents low blood sugars, which can make you feel dizzy, nauseous, and lethargic
You can exercise more intensely and sustain longer
Your workout will be more enjoyable overall (since you are not thinking about eating the whole time)
Can boost your recovery time

Exercising for weight loss: Plan of Action
Don’t worry about the time of day – just go with what fits your schedule
Do cardio training three days each week
Do strength training three days each week
Train in hard, short bursts
Eat regular meals and snacks containing carbs, protein, fruit and veggies
If exercising in the morning, have a healthy breakfast/light snack (100-200 calories)

The bottom line is, my friend, it is up to you and the type of workout you are doing. Some people are fine doing cardio without fuel in the morning. Other people workout so early, they may not have time to eat anything. The best thing to do is, do what works for you, every single person is different. Don't go hungry just because you think you are burning more fats. After all, if you cut the workout session short/ lower the intensity because of low enegy, how much fats are you burning anyway?

And if you do eat before a workout, make sure you give your body time to digest. The larger the meal, the longer time you will need. If you choose a light snack (100-200 calories) you can probably exerie after about 30-60 minutes.

Resources:
http://exercise.about.com/od/weightloss/f/emptystomach.htm
http://www.dietriffic.com/2008/11/19/exercise-on-empty-stomach/

Does eating breakfast helps you lose weight?

If you think skipping meals would help you lose weight, FAT hope! People who takes breakfast would lose weight even FASTER then people who skips breakfast.

The key to successful weight loss is to burn more calories than we consume. Activities like sports and exercise can help burn calories, but the body’s metabolic rate(BMR) is also an important factor which determines the rate at which calories are burnt. Metabolic rates are at its peak during the day when we are active and on the go. At night time, the body is in a state of rest and the metabolic rate slows down.

The first meal of the day, breakfast, is essential to get your metabolism going. If you skip breakfast, your blood sugar levels will stay low. This in turn causes a feeling of lethargy. People who skip breakfast tend to be slow and dull when compared to those who eat this very important meal.

If you skip breakfast, chances are you will binge when you have lunch or dinner. Instead of losing weight you will find yourself gaining, this theory comes from a campfire, imagine small meals are small pieces of logs and big meals are big pieces of log and the fire indicates the rate of calories you are burning. When you feed the campfire big piece of log at a time, it takes time for the fire to burn, but if you constantly feed it with small pieces of log, the fire will burn wildly.

Not just skipping breakfast, eating the right kind of breakfast is also important. After 8 hours of sleep, your body has finish using up all the nutrients in your body and once you wake up, your body is starving, then whatever you feed yourself with, your body will just absorb. Like those yummy local breakfast like Roti Prata, Fried Bee Hoon, Nasi Lemak, Bread? All those high in calories and low nutrition breakfast.

Now that you know the importance of eating breakfast, make it a point to eat a little something when you start your day. A simple and healthy breakfast can be prepared in no time.

The yellow portion indicates that the body have too much sugar, it will be converted and store as body fats.

The red portion indicates that your body is going through a state of hunger, when your tummy starts to rumble and after whatever your eat, it will be store straight to your organs, these fats are called visceral fats (hidden fat).

Body fats are fats that are under your skin, they make you look disgustingly fat and "un-sexy". Visceral fats are the dangerously hidden fats, fats surrounding your heart and your internal organs. Imagine if you have alarming layers of fat covering your heart, will you have a heart attack anytime? Layers of fats in your blood vessels, blood cannot flow though, causing high blood pressure, blood vessels will be blocked anytime. So much fats that it went into your brain pressing on some nerves thus stroke might occur anytime. Scary enough?

Is being fat a crime?

It's is no secret that obesity will cause many health issues like heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and stroke. But to actually say that being fat is a crime, really? Seriously?

YES, it is totally pollution! Some of you may be taken aback, but the fact is that lean is green and larger people leave larger carbon footprints on the world.

Food consumption:

You often hear considerate people saying "Hey! don't waste food, children in Africa are starving and you are wasting food!" But we laugh it off and suggest we send the food to Africa. Does it sounds like a joke, that there is a finite amount of food in the world and yet it is growing scarce?

Recent food riots Haiti, Sudan, Yemen, Mexico, Egypt, and other countries are a stark reminder that many people do not have enough to eat. The cost of staple foods such as corn, rice, and wheat are at record highs across the globe, and some can't even afford to feed their families.

Meanwhile in the United States, obesity is at an all-time high; two-thirds of adults in the Land of Plenty are overweight or obese. Obesity is perhaps the ultimate symbol of resource consumption; it's visible proof that overweight people already has more than they need—and take more anyway.

The causes of food shortages are varied and complex, but if Americans simply ate lesser food, there would be more for the rest of world. By some estimates, the average American consumes about 4,000 calories per day; that's twice what they need. Those 2,000 fewer calories would be available for those who truly need the food, and help to conserve Earth's natural resources.

Air pollution:

Surprise?! Overweight people create more air pollution than thin people, it's simple physics: Extra pounds translate into extra fuel in automobiles and airplanes. Extra fuel means increased energy usage, oil drilling and air pollution.

In 2004, a study done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that for every ten pounds gained by the average American, airlines burned 350 million more gallons of fuel to carry the additional weight. That fuel spewed an estimated 3.8 million extra tons of carbon dioxide into the air.

And as for that smaller hybrid car? It's a good start, but there's not much point in buying fuel-efficient vehicles if you're going to fill that large seat with your extra-large butt; you might as well throw a few sandbags in the trunk. Fuel efficiency drops dramatically with more weight the engine has to pull; the lighter you are, the less gas you burn, the more money you save, and therefore less pollution you emit.

Of course, going green by going lean is easier said than done, and only part of the problem. But by getting ourselves healthier we also help save the planet, our loves ones and their future. Not a bad deal right?

Thus thou shall not be fat
References: http://www.livescience.com/environment/080430-lean-green.html

Cute isn't it? But have you given a thought about his future?

.

.

.

Have you ever wondered, what it would be like if you step into a club, you take a look on the left and then on the right, everyone is F.A.T. What you saw is on the outer side, it may seems funny to you, laugh at each other and say "Hey! How much fatter can you grow?" But have you seen what is inside a fat person?

It sometimes puzzled me when a person doesn't care about what is happening to his/her body. From some Singaporeans "Die then Die lorh!", "Live life marh, enjoy lah, why care so much?". So does enjoying means living a shorter life? Have you thought about your family? Your Love ones? Do you want to leave them so early? Are you sure they are ready for it? There are just simply too many questions i want to ask these 'negative' people. What is the rate of people being obese nowadays?

Why can't we live a healthier, longer and a more meaningful life?