Category Archive: Healthy Food

post by admin | | 1

Foods For Cleansing Your Colon Naturally

The colon, a part of the digestive system is responsible for extracting water and salt from the solid wastes prior to release. At times the colon does not function properly and causes a build-up of harmful toxins along the colon walls. This can cause headache, skin allergy, low energy level, vomiting, bloating and so on. If proper precaution is not taken on time then it can even lead to various diseases and illness such as heart diseases, gall bladder stones, asthma, skin allergies, and liver ailments. However, with the help of colon cleansing you can easily get rid of harmful toxins.

Here are some of the ways which you can cleanse your colon naturally, at home:

1) Apples, apple cider vinegar
Many advanced colon-cleansing protocols include either whole apples, apple sauce, apple juice, or apple cider vinegar (ACV) because this simple fruit is a powerful cleansing food. High in fiber, a nutrient that is already widely known to promote healthy digestion, apples are also rich in pectin, a carbohydrate compound that acts as a thickening agent inside the gut. When taken in therapeutic doses, pectin can help root out built-up toxins in the colon and strengthen the intestinal lining.

2) Avocados
For everyday colon cleansing, avocados are another great option for detoxification and digestion. Like apples, avocados are rich in fiber, and include both soluble and insoluble varieties at a ratio of about one to three, which is quite unique. And as it turns out, insoluble fiber is the type that promotes healthy bowel movements and cleanses the colon, effectively reducing one’s overall risk of developing colon cancer.

Also important is the avocado’s soluble fiber content, which is important for absorbing water and binding with other digested substances to help them easily move through the digestive tract. This mechanistic “gelling” effect also helps maintain bowel regularity in its own unique way, and prevents the toxic buildups that can lead to irregularity and constipation.

3) Flax and chia seeds
Unique in their nutritional profiles, both flax and chia seeds possess fats and fiber that help promote healthy digestion and a clean colon. Both are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, for instance, which have been shown to stabilize cell walls and reduce inflammation. Flax and chia also contain their own unique blends of soluble fiber, which bind with food to optimize the digestive process.

4) Chlorophyll-rich greens
Green fruits and vegetables that are rich in chlorophyll tend to promote healthy digestion and daily colon cleansing as well. Spinach, green olives, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, celery, collard greens, sea vegetables, leeks, peas, and Swiss chard are all high in chlorophyll, which means they can help cleanse your digestive tract and detoxify your liver. Supplementing with liquid chlorophyll is another option for boosting intake of this important nutrient for maximum colon health.

5) Clean water with sea salt
A hydrated colon is a healthy colon. Perpetual dehydration can lead to constipation and toxic buildup, which is why it is important to drink plenty of clean, fluoride-free water every day. Some experts recommend drinking at least half your body weight in ounces of water every single day for maximum hydration and cleansing. You can also add some sea salt to your water to help further promote detoxification.

6) Fermented foods
The human digestive system is composed of a vast network of beneficial microbiota that are responsible for digesting food, absorbing nutrients, thwarting harmful bacteria, and eliminating toxins. When these bacteria get thrown out of balance, however, digestive health can suffer — and the longer this bacterial balance is out of whack, the more severe the damage that can ensue.

In order to help offset the damage to your gut flora caused by environmental and food chemicals, antibiotic drugs, processed foods, and other factors, it is important to supplement with probiotic bacteria and eat plenty of fermented, probiotic-rich foods. These include cultured vegetables like kimchi, and fermented beverages like kombucha tea and kefir.

7) Flaxseed
Flaxseed is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and natural fibers and thus adding flaxseed to your diet is a great way to cleanse your colon. Flaxseed will absorb water and expand in the colon, and will assist in removing toxins and mucus as it passes through. You can add grinded flaxseeds to cereal, yogurt, fruit and other healthy foods. For faster result, add one tablespoon of ground flaxseed in a glass of water and have it half an hour before eating your breakfast and before going to bed. Flaxseed will cleanse the colon and will also help to prevent cancer, heart diseases and diabetes.

8) Sea Salt
Another effective ingredient for colon cleansing is sea salt. Add a tablespoon of sea salt in one glass of drinking water and boil it. Drink this solution warm or cold first thing in the morning, wait for a few minutes and then lie down and massage your stomach down to your colon area in a gentle manner. This will stimulate your bowel movement and help to remove all of the harmful toxins, accumulated fecal matter, regular feces, parasites, and bacteria from the digestive tract. As this solution can cause diarrhea, it is essential to drink plenty of water throughout the day.

9) Aloe Vera
Aloe vera is known for its detoxification abilities and acts as a laxative and hence it is regarded as an effective colon cleanser. Get some aloe vera leaves and remove the gel from it. Add the juice of one lemon to the aloe vera gel and put the mixture in a blender to get a fine juice. Keep this juice in the refrigerator for two to three hours. Now consume this juice several times a day. The medicinal properties present in aloe vera gel will not only improve the condition of your colon health, but it will also treat other health problems such as headache, skin infection, diarrhea, gastric pain and constipation.

10) Ginger
Ginger is one of the easily available ingredients that can help to reduce bloating and stimulate the functionality of the colon and keep it free from waste and harmful toxins. You can take ginger in any form such as mashed, juice, or cut pieces for colon cleansing. One good option is to mix honey and water to one teaspoon of ginger juice and then consume it two to three times a day. You can also add ginger to herbal tea. This remedy is not recommended for those who are pregnant.

11) Lemon Juice
Lemon has antioxidant properties and its high vitamin C content is good for the digestive system. Hence for colon cleansing you can try lemon juice. Take the juice of one lemon and add a pinch of sea-salt, little honey and one glass of lukewarm water to it. Mix all the ingredients properly and drink this solution on an empty stomach in the morning. This will help you to enjoy more energy, better bowel movement and better skin condition. During the day time you can add two tablespoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice to one glass of apple juice and drink it three to four times a day. This will thin out the mucous in the bowel.

12) Water
For colon cleansing, the best thing that you can do is to drink plenty of water. It is essential to drink at least ten to twelve glasses of water in a day. Regular consumption of water will give your body the liquid and lubrication required to flush out the harmful toxins and waste from the body in a very natural manner. Drinking plenty of water will also stimulate the natural peristaltic action and soon the colon will start functioning in a normal manner. Also water is essential to keep your body well hydrated. Along with water you can also drink fresh fruit and vegetable juices.

13) Fiber Foods
Foods rich in fiber should be consumed in high amount to cleanse the colon of the harmful toxins. Fiber will help to keep the stools soft and improve the bowel movement which ultimately encourages the body to expel waste products. At the same time fiber enriched foods will also help to get rid of any kind of intestinal problems. You can add a lot of fiber into your diet by eating fresh fruits like raspberries, pears and apples, as well as fresh vegetables like artichokes, peas and broccoli. Cereals, whole grains, nuts, beans and seeds also contain a good amount of fiber.

14) Yogurt
Eating fresh yogurt on a regular basis is a good way to keep the colon healthy. Yogurt will give your body pro-biotic and good bacteria and will get rid of bad bacteria. It also contains a good amount of calcium which discourages the growth of cells lining the colon. You can eat yogurt as it is or add some fresh fruits such as apples, limes, banana and so on to it. Yogurt is good for an infected colon and at the same time it also solves various stomach problems such as indigestion, flatulence, irregular bowel movements and lots more.

 

 

Share Button

Black Vinegar Health Benefits

I love chu kiok chou (pig’s trotters cooked with black vinegar). Chu Kiok Chou is a Chinese dish where pig’s trotters are cooked with black vinegar. It is a popular dish for Chinese women in confinement after child birth. The confinement ladies whom I hired to care for my babies and me would throw in some black beans, hard boiled eggs and lots of ginger into the pot of chu kiok chou. I was never fed up of having chu kiok chou during my confinement. As I am typing this post, I am already craving for it!

Picture of pig’s trotters in black vinegar aka chu kiok chou obtained from Google images.

I know some of you worry that eating too much chu kiok chou will cause gastric, tummy upset or other abdominal problems. Some of you worry that black vinegar is not healthy. I did a google search on black vinegar and to my surprise, found out that black vinegar is a health tonic, similar to apple cider vinegar. Some find it similar to balsamic vinegar.

Black Vinegar Health Benefits

Popular in China and Japan as a health tonic or drink, black rice vinegar is reputed to have an array of health benefits, similar to apple cider vinegar and other vinegars. Black vinegar has a deep color and a full, rich flavor, making it a tasty ingredient for dipping sauces and braised dishes. The vinegar can also be used as a fat- and cholesterol-free alternative to balsamic vinegar. Black rice vinegar is most often made from unpolished rice, millet, wheat or sorghum.

Cholesterol Reduction
Black rice vinegars have long been used in China and Japan as natural treatments for the heart and blood vessels. Black vinegar contains acetic acid, an organic acid that may help your body reduce glucose or sugar levels in your blood. As a result, black vinegar can have a long-term, preventative effect with an array of cardiovascular diseases, including high blood pressure, artery disease, heart disease and stroke.

Energy Production
Black vinegar contains high levels of citric acid, which is essential for the metabolic processes that help your body convert food into energy. Citric acid, in fact, helps to boost your body’s energy production over and above normal levels. Many body systems benefit from the increased energy, including your digestion and immune system.

Cancer Prevention
Black rice vinegar contains high levels of antioxidants, which may help to reduce your risk of some types of cancer.

Health Promotion
Black rice vinegar contains many essential amino acids, which your body uses for everything from repairing muscle tissue to growing your nails. The amino acids contained in black vinegar may help to balance your body’s pH, both neutralizing lactic acid and alkalizing the blood, as well as to heal everyday ailments ranging from congestion to constipation.

Promotes weight loss
Drinking black vinegar every day is said to be a great way to get thin. Many studies support that incorporating vinegar in one’s diet leads to improved health with emphasis in weight loss, fat burn and skin care.

As with all health food and drinks, moderation is the key. Everything taken in excess is bad for your body. Drinking too much water is also bad for you. The same goes with black vinegar. Drinking an excess of black vinegar may put a strain on your stomach. I like to drink my black vinegar broth with eggs and lean pork along with other dishes. Personally, I find that if I drink too much vinegar (black vinegar and apple cider vinegar), it causes me to have gastric. One time, Cass had diarrhea after over-eating pig’s trotters in black vinegar.  So remember, eat your black vinegar in moderation.

 

 

Share Button

Healthy Fruit Smoothie + Baked Sandwich For Lunch

It’s been a while since I last whirled out some refreshing and healthy fruit smoothies for my girls.  Since there were quite a bit of fruits in the fridge, I swirled up some refreshing fruit smoothies for the girls for their lunch last week.

On the left is orange, apple, passion fruit and chia seed smoothie for Alycia.

On the right is the same concoction with the addition of strawberry flavored yoghurt milk for Cass. Funnily, yoghurt milk seems to have a pretty good effect in moving Cass’ bowels.  She’s a very constipated child and I’m glad that I have found a pretty cheap and yummy ‘laxative’ for her, which she can drink 2-3 times a day.

 photo Smoothie15Apr2_zps78a48a7a.jpg

 

 

That’s the girls’ appetizer for lunch.

Next, the main course is baked crispy sandwich with egg mayo + sweet corn kernels.  The sandwich was baked for 15 minutes in the oven.  I found out by chance that by using a fork to press on the 4 edges of the sandwich, the sides will be sealed, thus preventing the filling from spilling out.

 photo Eggtoast1_zpsc511265e.jpg

 

 

But Cass prefers to open up the sandwich to eat the bread separately as her bottom tooth is now shaky and it hurts her to bite on hard food.

Share Button

Wholesome Sandwich For Breakfast

This was my mid-morning breakfast yesterday…

Fol Epi mild French cheese + organic cashew nut butter + cucumber slices on a slice of wheat germ + bran bread.

 photo cheesecashewsandwich_zpsd4f7aaa8.jpg

Hmmm, this slice of goodness was so yummy and wholesome and sure beats nasi lemak, kuih and noodles nutritionally.  iLike!

 

 

Share Button
post by admin | | 1

Mung Bean With Stinky Grass And Kombu Seaweed Sweet Soup

After fetching Cass from kindy just now, I brought the MIL to a nearby plant nursery to get some ‘chau choe’ or stink grass. She wanted to dish out a popular Hong Kong dessert consisting of mung beans + stink grass + shredded kombu seaweed.   This Hong Kong sweet soup concoction is well known to expel heat and toxins from the body.

I do not know how the stinky grass got its moniker  but it ain’t stinky at all. Well, at least not to us. In fact, we find the smell very sharp yet fragrant.  Cass kept telling me that the stink grass smelled like pandan leaves.   My kids love the taste of it, surprisingly. I think it is an acquired taste as many years ago, they did not quite like the smell of it.

I am unable to snap a sharp and nice picture of our mung bean sweet soup,  except for this one when it was still boiling in the pot.

 photo mungbeansoup_zps69e006b8.jpg

This is the healthy mung bean + stink grass + kombu seaweed sweet soup that the MIL boiled today.  The picture is however googled and copied from Christine’s Recipe’s blog:

Sweet Green Bean Soup

 

The is the kombu seaweed.  You will need to soak the dried kombu to soften it before slicing it with a knife into shreds . Amount used is optional and up to individual.

Seaweed02

 

The stink grass. One of our favorite aromatic and healthy herbs to prepare ‘tong sui’ (sweet soup).  My mil used about 10 sprigs to boil a big pot of mung beans.

Stingy Grass

 

Mung beans are rich in the following nutrients:
• protein
• vitamin C
• folic acid or folate
• iron
• zinc
• potassium
• magnesium
• copper
• manganese
• phosphorus
• thiamine

Mung beans are also high in fibre, low in saturated fat, low in sodium, and contain no cholesterol. Because of the wide range of nutrients contained in mung beans, they offer a whole host of health benefits for the immune system, the metabolism, the heart and other organs, cell growth, protection against free radicals, and diseases such as cancer and diabetes.

The Chinese believe that mung beans or green beans can expel heat, prevent heat stroke, clear skin, clear acne and clear toxins from the body and blood.

Mung beans are inexpensive and very nutritious. Instead of wolfing down a packet of nasi lemak for breakfast or lunch, try to boil a pot of mung bean sweet soup and have it instead.  You can store the excess sweet soup in a container and keep it in the fridge.  It tastes even more refreshing when eaten chilled.

 

 

Share Button

Easy Vegan Recipes

Healthy eating has become the booming new trend and many people are becoming vegan in order to comply. According to the Vegan Society, being vegan is about protecting the environment, animals, and humans in order to create a sustainable world. Vegans do not eat or use any products that come from animals. The vegan lifestyle is on the rise, but finding good information regarding diet and recipes can be difficult. Many recipes become overwhelming based on the number of items required to cook a dish or because the food items listed are unknown to new vegans. There are often indicators on pre-made foods, though, to alert a buyer that the product is vegan friendly.

There are many easy vegan recipes from Gardein. Gardein provides pre-made frozen meals and appetizers which are certified vegan by the Vegan Society. They even have a meatless holiday roast option. It has cranberries, gravy, stuffing, and is full of nutrients. Staples in vegan recipes are quinoa, varying types of nuts, peas, onions, high in vitamin fruits, tofu, and soybeans. Always check the packaging for a break down of the amount of protein, fat, vitamins, calcium, and iron a meal contains. These are, of course, all very important parts of a healthy diet.

 

 

 

Share Button

Hakka Lei Char Fan

I love ‘lei char fan’, minus the rice.  I will get my supply of ‘lei char’ from a stall inside a coffee shop near where I stay and have the ‘lei char’ for lunch.

“Lei Cha Fan” is a cuisine to the Hakka.  It is lauded as a health food, with a plethora of beneficial herbs and vegetables used in this green dish.  As for the taste, either you  love it or you hate it, just like durian.  If you have never tasted ‘lei char’, let me explain to you that it tastes like a combo of fresh basil leaves and mint leaves, all blended and cooked into a broth and poured into an assortment of fresh vegetables.  It is like a salad dish to the Chinese.

Some of the ingredients in the vegetable condiments include:  dry roasted peanuts, hard tau kwa (cut into small pieces), dried shrimps (soaked), cut/diced preserved turnips/chai poh (I normally ask the seller to omit this item from my take-away lei cha as it ain’t too healthy), long beans (diced), leeks (diced), shu-zai-choy (leaves portion, chopped/minced), choy-sum (diced), julienned carrots, kailan (diced), spearmint leaves, toasted sesame seed and boiled chickpeas. Basically, you can add in whatever veggie / peas / beans that tickles your tastebud.

As for the soup, an assortment of fragrant leaves, ranging from basil leaves, to Ku-La-Xin leaves (optional) and Polygonum leaves (optional) are used. And as the moniker suggest, tea leaves are also used.  The stall that I go to add in a vegetarian mushroom seasoning to flavor the broth.

So you see, with such a wide array of healthy greens, herbs and tea used to prepare this dish, this is a health-boosting dish and perfect for those on diet or on a low-carb too.

I had ‘lei char’ for lunch yesterday.  As the portion is pretty big for my small tummy (RM5 a packet without rice), I kept it in the fridge and had it for breakfast today…. straight from the fridge – chilled, YUMS and thumbs up!

lui-cha-21-aug.jpg

Share Button
post by admin | | 2

Raw Jam – Avocado + Banana + Hazelnut + Maple Syrup

This morning, I made this raw jam for my breakfast.

Ingredients used:

1) 1 ripened avocado
2) 1 ripened Del Monte banana
3) A handful of raw hazelnuts
4) About 1 tablespoon of maple syrup

Put everything into my Shimono blender and pulse for about 30 seconds and I had a very delightful raw jam to spread on my Vita-Weat’s poppy seeds, sunflower and rye lunch slices!

I got my Vita-Weat lunch slices from Cold Storage @ RM14.99 a pack. Pretty costly eh?

vita-weat-1.jpg

Share Button
post by admin | | 1

Nature’s Habit Granola Trail Mix

Granola Trail Mix by Nature’s Habit – this is by far the yummiest and crunchiest granola I have tried and it’s gonna be for keeps for sure.  It also has generous amounts of almonds and pecans. I’ll definitely grab a few more packs the next time I shop at Cold Storage.

Albeit pretty costly at over RM12 for a small pack of 113gm (for about 3-4 servings) , I do not really mind spending a little more on healthy snacks.  This is still way healthier than a pack of carb and calorie laden nasi lemak, a bowl of noodles or some kuih muih, agree?

granola-20-may.jpg

Share Button
post by admin | | 0

Healthy Hazelnut Milk + Fruits Smoothie For Breakfast

Today is Cass’ kindy’s sports day. We left the house at 8am and I left with only some fruits and a cup of milk in my tummy which I took  earlier. By the time we reached home at 10am, we were all very hungry. I quickly whipped up orange + chia seeds smoothie for the girls and whipped up something really fruity, nutty and milky for myself!

My hazelnut milk + fruits smoothie. It was my first time trying out this delish concoction and I think I am going to do it again as I loved it!
hazelnut-smoothie.jpg

Ingredients:
1 medium size sweet apple, skin peeled and de-seeded
1/4 cup fresh milk
1/4 cup plain boiled water
6 purple grapes
6 hazelnuts (raw). You can add more if you want it thicker and nuttier
Ice cubes (optional)

Pour all the ingredients into the Shimono cup. Screw on the X blade and pulse for about 10 seconds and it’s all ready to be savored directly from the cup!

Share Button