Healthy Living

Saturday, 10 July 2010

Flue Season is On

The cold season is well underway and I'm very thankful that it hasn't affected my family this year. Hopefully, it will remain that way until it is over this year or can I say forever? But if you have symptoms, here are some remedies - easy as they are.

No sachet required
Instead of spending $12 to $14 on cold-and-flu sachets, this homemade version will work just as well. All you need is some generic paracetamol, honey and a lemon. Take the paracetamol as directed for your headache, then make a soothing drink for your sore throat by squeezing the lemon juice into a mug and adding a tablespoon of honey. Fill with hot water and stir well. It's just as good as an over-the-counter remedy, but much cheaper.

Onion cough syrup
Cough syrup can be very expensive. Have a go at making this one - it will knock your socks off! Slice an onion onto a saucer. Cover the onion with brown sugar, and place another saucer on top to cover it. Leave for an hour for the onion juice to collect. Take one teaspoon of this liquid before bed and hey presto - no more cough, and no more sleepless nights.

Stuffy nose?
Put a few drops of eucalyptus oil in a large bowl of steaming hot water and place in the room well out of harm's way. The vapours will fill the room. You can also put a drop or two on your pillowcase to help you sleep easier.

Garlic magic
Many people take garlic capsules to stave off colds, but you can save a fortune and stay healthy by eating fresh garlic instead. Based on around $20 for a jar of 30 garlic tablets, replacing the capsules with one clove of garlic a day can save you over $200 a year - and it's just as effective.

Chest rub
A jar of generic chest rub is a handy standby. It's brilliant on headaches and migraines when rubbed gently into the temples (keeping away from the eyes). To quieten coughs, massage into the soles of the feet and cover with socks. Perfect for kids who hate taking medicine.

source: yahoo.com lifestyle

Chestrub really works in my family. It's one of our bedside companion (not next to cigars in Mcj's beside table). Lol.

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Laughter is the Best Medicine

Hahaha. One of the best scenes of the Big Bang Theory that I really like.

Laughter relaxes the whole body. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.
Laughter boosts the immune system. Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.
Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.
Laughter protects the heart. Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.

Source

I had a good laught with Jens tonight on some of his antics and it doesn't involve (any vga cable) and cost. The Best. Free.

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Food Dreaming

Ingredients
•8 small slices of Italian loaf
•2 large eggs
•100 mls milk
•Ground cinnamon
•1 teaspoon vanilla paste/essence (if you have pods handy, scrape out the seeds of one pod)
•2 punnets strawberries and other berries if available
•250g fresh ricotta or substitute mascarpone cheese
•Orange juice
•Cointreau or another orange liqueur (optional)
•2 tablespoons caster sugar
•Butter for frying
•Maple syrup
•Mint leaves for garnish
Method
1. Slice bread into 2 cm slices.

2. Chop up the strawberries from one punnet and set aside.

3. In a fry pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add strawberries. Sprinkle with castor sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour over the juice and liqueur and using the back of a fork, squash the strawberries and reduce over low heat until they reach a soft pulp consistency. If you want a smoother consistency, pulse in a food processor for 30 seconds.

4. In a clean bowl or baking dish, place eggs, milk, cinnamon and vanilla and whisk to combine.

5. Dip each slice of bread into the egg mixture until well coated.

6. Heat up another fry pan and melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Fry the pieces of bread in batches until golden and crunchy.

7. Stack the bread by placing one over the other in a cross-like fashion.

8. Spoon over the ricotta cheese and then drizzle the strawberry sauce on top.

9. Add additional berries on top and maple syrup or warm honey.

10. Dust lightly with some icing sugar and pistachio nuts or chopped mint.

Author:Veronica and Shadi Abraham

I dreaming (not of netbooks) that I would be able to concoct something like this for a weekend breakfast. Although, my customers are not complaining from bacon and eggs, I want to create something new. I've been a slack lately. I need to be inventive. I'm just burnt-out lately that I can't be bothered. I need to get away and re-energise.

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Curiosity Kills the Cat

You Are Curious and Questioning

You're the type of person who can sit all day and listen to someone's life story. You take a genuine interest in other people. You are a bit of a voyeur. The lives of others fascinate you. You give a first impression of being passive and simple. In truth, you are very active and analytical. You are an armchair psychologist. You find human interaction to be incredibly fascinating.

The Chair Test

Blogthings: A Fine Line Between Insight and Stupidity

Lately, I've been exactly that. I'm developing the attitude of somewhat Texas Maritime lawyer, observing and curious. Gone are the days of reactiveness and agressiveness. I think, you get tired as you get older and a little bit tame as well.

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I Like Comfort

Your Home is Comforting

You believe in putting your needs first, and you avoid depriving yourself. You are likely to have a home full of your favorite things - from soft pillows to delicious food. You believe in living in the moment. If you feel like having home baked pie, then you'll have home baked pie! You could never feel at home in a sterile or unpersonalized house. The best homes feel lived in.

The Homebody Test

Blogthings: Our Quizzes Weren't Written By Bored 12 Year Olds

I always believe that the place that you're living in is as comfy and peaceful, you'll feel the same within. All will fall into place and natural protein powder would just be a luxury.

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How To Choose Milk

I always just buy full-cream milk. We like cream so we don't mind. But what do we really need to know when buying milk? The experts talk:

Calcium
The recommended daily intake (RDI) for calcium for most adults is 1000mg, but for women over 50 and for men over 70 that increases to 1300mg.

That’s not easy to achieve without milk and dairy foods. A serving equals one 250ml glass of milk, a 150g pottle of yoghurt or two slices of cheese (40g). A cup of milk can provide from around 280mg up to 500mg of calcium.

Fat
Full-cream and standard milks contain around 2.4% saturated fat (that's 2.4g per 100ml).

That equates to 6g saturated fat in a glass. Because most of us are getting too much saturated fat, we’re advised to go for milks with less of it.

The lower-fat milks will taste a little different. If you’re not so keen at first, think of it in the same way as when you’re offering a new food to a child: we often just need to taste something a number of times to become accustomed to that new taste. Given you could be saving your arteries from clogging and it could help with weight control, it’s worth doing.

source
So yeah, don't worry if you have checked out lipo 6 hers, drink milk for goodness purposes.

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Flavoured

I'm talking of the term that we usually see in food label. So the experts classify that products that are called "something juice" actually contains that "something" while those called "flavoured something juice" don't actually contain the actual "something". It's easy to get confused when buying products especially if the term flavoured is printed so fine or the packaging really attractive.

So yeah, always read the labels and fine print (also in life insurance quotes).

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Coffee
Coffee sometimes gets a bad rap. But drinking coffee increases alertness and coffee contains a good dose of antioxidants. Moderate consumption has been associated with reduced risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

However, too much coffee can give you the ‘jitters’ and could have negative long-term health effects. Most people can tolerate the equivalent of 2-3 espresso shots or 4-5 cups of instant coffee each day, but listen to your body and avoid overdoing it.

If you want roasted coffee, choose fresh local products. Well-known roasters now available in supermarkets include Allpress, Atlas, Gravity, Caffe L’Affare and Robert Harris.

As far as instant coffees go, freeze-dried coffee has the truest coffee flavour, followed by granulated and then powdered. These are all cheaper than ground or whole beans.

There are several decaffeinated instant coffees. These still contain a very small amount of caffeine. If you really want a caffeine-free drink there is a range of ‘coffee substitutes’ made from barley, rye and chicory. Brands include Caro, Ecco, Inka and Aromalt.

Tea
Black tea is still the one we drink most often. It’s worth trying some different brands and varieties for the distinct flavours they all offer. Bell Tea blends its teas in New Zealand; Dilmah is a popular brand from Sri Lanka; and Chai Tea is a younger New Zealand company.

Green tea comes from the same plant as black tea but instead of fermenting the leaves, they are steamed quickly to retain their colour.

Both green and black teas have good nutrition credentials. They contain potent antioxidants called flavonoids, which have been linked to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke, and may even help reduce cancer risk. They also contain fluoride, which is important for bones and teeth. Leave the tea to brew for at least three minutes to enable the flavour to develop. You’ll also get more antioxidants in your tea by leaving it longer.

Remember that it’s best not to drink tea with meals as it inhibits the absorption of iron from the food you eat. Leave it an hour and then enjoy your cuppa.

Herbal teas and fruit infusions
Herbal teas bear no relationship to black tea. They’re made from other plant leaves, flowers, roots, spices and fruit flavours, so they don’t have the same properties. Some herbal teas do claim other benefits: they’re caffeine-free; and there’s bound to be a flavour you’ll love. Check the pack for any cautions on herbal teas, for example liquorice teas are generally not advised during pregnancy or if you have high blood pressure. Healtheries and Red Seal both have extensive ranges.

Drinking chocolate and coffee blends
The products with a high amount of cocoa in them – like Cadbury’s Drinking Chocolate – could claim some nutrition credentials thanks to the specific antioxidants in the cocoa, but the high sugar content tends to override any health benefits.

The Jarrah range of coffee blends contain milk and sweetener, so all you need to do is add hot water. These are low in kilojoules. There’s a flavour here for everyone. The Nescafé Café Menu range is super convenient for the office with individual sachets.

source
Cold months are here and sipping a hot cuppa while sitting on your modern furniture is always nice. I only have the ordinary brand of coffee but I promised myself that if I got time, I will try to give myself and Mcj real coffee. Lol.

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Drinking Tea

According the recent research, older people drinking more tea retain their mental functions more than those who drink less tea. The tea with most effective result are black and oolong.

I suppose because of this research, I have to start drinking tea now? I'm never a tea person. I just did drink when I was preggy because I can't have coffee. I just don't like the taste. I suppose it is worth trying. I might try cammomile tea sometimes for a start. As tea is also anti-oxidant, it could be the best acne treatment.

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Drinking During Meal

It's been an old myth going around that drinking during meal is bad for you. Well, some experts say that it is not. And I believe so. It's up to a person if she feels drinking. I myself avoid doing so because I have very small tummy and doing so will fill me up quickly and will not be able to finish my food. I do the same for my kiddo. If he asks for a drink in the middle of a meal, I don't give him any or sometimes, just water but a little bit just in case he is choking.

I do drink more water when I'm taking my natural joint pain relief vitamins because it is so huge, it clogged my throat. The reason why I don't like taking it.

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Healthy Living

Saturday, 10 July 2010

Flue Season is On

Friday, 2 July 2010

Laughter is the Best Medicine

Saturday, 26 June 2010

Food Dreaming

Curiosity Kills the Cat

Sunday, 13 June 2010

I Like Comfort

Sunday, 30 May 2010

How To Choose Milk

Flavoured

Hot Drinks

Saturday, 29 May 2010

Drinking Tea

Drinking During Meal

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