Category Archive: Interesting Information

The other day, at a friend’s house, she showed me a bottle of honey that she had been keeping for 20 years!   Though the color of the honey has turned into dark brown, nonetheless it has not crystalized yet.  Just before she left for overseas, she gave us the bottle of honey.  One of our topics of discussion that night was honey – the food that never expires!

Just like uncooked rice, sugar, salt, vinegar, corn starch, wine and pure vanilla extract, honey is also one of the top ten foods that never expires.    Some food items just can last forever.  These vampires of the food  are good to have on hand — and to buy in bulk — because they will never spoil, hardly lose quality and will always be there when you need them.  But seriously, would you dare to cook up that bag or rice you found hidden behind your kitchen cabinet that your late grandma bought in 1980?  Or put into your coffee a teaspoon of sugar that your mum bought 30 years ago?  Errm, I don’t think I will do it.  The bottle of honey that my friend gave me is still on my kitchen shelf. I guess I will keep it for remembrance. Some day perhaps when I summon the courage to try it, I shall!

So why does honey never go bad?

Honey is a sugar. You may have heard all sorts of things about the health benefits of substituting honey for sugar, which may or may not be true. While honey isn’t the same as regular, granulated, white sugar, it’s still a sugar. And sugars are hygroscopic – they don’t contain much water in their natural state. And very few bacteria and microorganisms can live in the resulting low-moisture environment.  Honey in its natural form is very low moisture. Very few bacteria or microorganisms can survive in an environment like that, they just die. They’re smothered by it, essentially. The fact that organisms can’t survive long in honey means they don’t get the chance to spoil it.

Another thing that sets honey apart from other sugars is its acidity. Honey’s pH is between 3 and 4.5 (or, more precisely, 3.26-4.48), which also kills off anything trying to make a home in honey.

Caveat: Infants

So, yes, honey mostly doesn’t spoil. However, honey can contain spores of Clostridium botulinum. This isn’t harmful to adults and children over one year old, whose gastrointestinal tract is developed enough to deal with the spores. But children under one are at risk for infant botulism, so honey is not for your infant.

So could you eat 5,000 year old honey? Well, if it’s spent that time sealed and stored against moisture, sure. If it’s crystallized, it’s not spoiled, just heat it up and put it in your food of choice. Unless you’re under one year old. Then you’d have to wait.

I am quite a coffee addict. I need it to kick-start my day. But I am not persnickety though. I do not need gourmet coffee or boutique coffee. I can’t really tell the difference anyway 😉  Nescafe is enough to satiate my addiction of the day. I am el-cheapo when it comes to food.  I eat to live and not the other way round like my hubs.

I am so glad that I found my favorite Cafe Latte from Farm Fresh going on a real good deal at Sri Kota.  From the usual RM10+ a bottle, it was selling for RM7.99 a bottle!  So I grabbed a bottle and here’s my fix for today and it tastes so so good, like gourmet coffee!  Yeah, I am easily satisfied.

Did you know that coffee is not that bad for your health after all?

Have a read on this article, extracted from mayoclinic.org

Coffee has a long history of being blamed for many ills — from stunting your growth to claims that it causes heart disease and cancer. But recent research indicates that coffee may not be so bad after all. So which is it — good or bad? The best answer may be that for most people the health benefits outweigh the risks.

Recent studies have generally found no connection between coffee and an increased risk of cancer or heart disease. In fact, most studies find an association between coffee consumption and decreased overall mortality and possibly cardiovascular mortality, although this may not be true in younger people who drink large amounts of coffee.

Why the apparent reversal in the thinking about coffee? Earlier studies didn’t always take into account that known high-risk behaviors, such as smoking and physical inactivity, tended to be more common among heavy coffee drinkers at that time.

Studies have shown that coffee may have health benefits, including protecting against Parkinson’s disease, type 2 diabetes and liver disease, including liver cancer. It also appears to improve cognitive function and decrease the risk of depression.

However, the research appears to bear out some risks. High consumption of unfiltered coffee (boiled or espresso) has been associated with mild elevations in cholesterol levels. And some studies found that two or more cups of coffee a day can increase the risk of heart disease in people with a specific — and fairly common — genetic mutation that slows the breakdown of caffeine in the body. So, how quickly you metabolize coffee may affect your health risk.

Although coffee may have fewer risks compared with benefits, keep in mind that other beverages, such as milk and some fruit juices, contain nutrients that coffee does not. Also, adding cream and sugar to your coffee adds more fat and calories. Some coffee drinks contain more than 500 calories.

This is probably a controversial issue. I used to love eating deep fried super crispy salmon skin. That’s until I read that salmon, and all big fish from deep seas are probably tainted with mercury. I discourage my kids from eating fish skin but sometimes I get lambasted for doing so! Oh well, it’s better to be safe than sorry. The big C is just too scary for me to deal with.

Food For Thought:
Both the skin and fat of fish collect toxins that accumulate in the waters of rivers, streams and oceans. These contaminants can also be found in the flesh of fish but not always at levels as concentrated as they are in the skin and fat. For that reason, eating the skin of the fish is not considered healthy. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advises consumers to remove the skin, fat and internal organs before cooking fish that they’ve caught in the wild. (If you buy a whole fish at a market, it generally comes scaled and gutted.) However, the EPA warns that mercury is found throughout the tissue of fish, so removing the skin and fat won’t help you avoid that problem.

Mercury and PFOS cannot be removed through cooking or cleaning — they get into the flesh of the fish. However, you can reduce the amount of other contaminants like PCBs by removing fat when you clean and cook fish.

Food Safety Tips On Eating Fish From The Minnesota Department of Health:

Remove the skin, cut away the fat along the back, trim off the belly fat, cut away the fatty area along the side of the fish.

Remember the following tips when eating fish:

1. Eat smaller fish.

2. Eat more panfish (sunfish, crappies) and fewer predator fish (walleyes, northern pike, lake trout).

3. Trim skin and fat, especially belly fat. Also, eat fewer fatty fish such as carp, catfish, and lake trout. PCBs build up in fish fat.

What about you? Do you eat fish skin?

The other day, my friends and I were discussing about boops and how being a mother and breastfeeding our babies have changed the size and appearance of  our breasts.  I used to have pretty ‘full’ boops before marriage.  After I had Alycia, the boops were even fuller *GRIN*  Then came Sherilyn. After breastfeeding her for 6 months, the fullness in my boops seemed to have vanished, as if my baby had sucked away all the fat.  My ‘assets and reserves’ shrunk to a pathetic state after feeding Cass 3 years of my precious milk. She was addicted to my boops and they gave her so much comfort each time she went through hell during the first 1.5 years of her sickly life.

Honestly, I do feel disappointed with my shrunken boops.   But you know what?  Having small breasts do have its advantages!  After all, how happy your man is in the room is not dependent on the size of your boops. I am sure you will agree with me on this, eh? 😉

And do read what I found after Googling around…

Women with a large bust may be more likely to develop breast cancer, according to scientists.

A study of 16,000 women found genetic mutations associated with breast size were also linked to the disease.

Researchers say some of these are involved in regulating the female sex hormone oestrogen, which can trigger the growth of both breasts and tumours.

While research has linked breast density – the amount of non-fat tissue – to an increased risk of cancer, there has been little evidence of a link with breast size before.

Participants in the study, carried out by a US company, were asked to give their bra size on a 10-point scale from smaller than AAA to larger than DDD.

The genetic code of the women – all of European origin – was read by scientists who looked through millions of tiny mutations in their DNA, called single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Out of seven that were strongly linked to breast size, three were also associated with breast cancer.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2168780/Women-bigger-breasts-DO-higher-risk-breast-cancer-finds-genetic-study.html#ixzz2cs7m74yl

For those of you who are blessed with voluptuous boops, worry not.  I believe that by sticking to a healthy diet and healthy lifestyle, cutting out on processed food and junk food along with being a little diligent with your exercise regimen, the cancer cells in us will remain dormant.  Staving off stress from eating us is also very important.

Did you know that around 3,000 to 6,000 cancer cells are created each day in healthy people? Even though these cancer cells are made, the immune cells inhibit the growth of cancer cells and prevent tumor masses from growing within our body. However, unless a person’s immune system is compromised, everyone has an immune system that can fight off cancer. If there is a normal immune system, it can inhibit the growth of cancer cells.

Cass loves to eat bread and her favorite is white bread from the 2 leading bread manufacturers in our country. She eats bread everyday. On days that we run out of the mil’s homemade bread, I will buy brand G or M bread from the supermarket. The other day, one of my friends shared in her Facebook wall that one of our country’s leading bread manufacturers use high amount of food preservative in their breads.  She said that a few days after the expiration date of the bread (kept in room temperature), the bread was still not mouldy (or moldy) yet.  For breads made without the use of preservative, it would most probably turn mouldy on the third day, if kept at room temperature.

Besides store-bought bread, my kids and I also eat store-bought biscuits, snacks and other food that have preservatives and food additives in them. Even tomato ketchup, soy sauce, oyster sauce and yoghurt drinks have food additives.   We cannot possibly avoid food sans food additives in our fast paced lives, unless we have all the time in the world to bake and cook all that we eat from scratch, made from ingredients that are 100% free from food additives. How many of us have the time to go to great lengths to do that so that we only eat 100% natural food?  I would love to eat only natural food sans food additives, if only I have the time, wouldn’t you?

One of the food additives that make me shudder is bright food coloring on cakes, cookies, jellies, candies, sweets and snacks.  The sight of bright red, blue, green, orange and yellow in the icing sugar used to decorate cakes really freak me out. I rarely allow my kids to eat the parts where artificial colorings are used. They are allowed to eat just the cake, minus the icing and decor with bright colors.

Foods that have additives and preservatives do have adverse effects on our health, if there is prolonged intake by our body and if eaten in large amounts.  Some of the known dangers of food additives and preservatives are as follows:

1) Benzoates can trigger the allergies such as skin rashes and asthma as well as believed to be causing brain damage.
2) Bromates destroy the nutrients in the foods. It can give rise to nausea and diarrhea.
3) Butylates are responsible for high blood cholesterol levels as well as impaired liver and kidney function.
4) Caffeine is a colorant and flavorant that has diuretic, stimulant properties. It can cause nervousness, heart palpitations and occasionally heart defects.
5) Saccharin causes toxic reactions and allergic response, affecting skin, gastrointestinal tract and heart. It may also cause tumors and bladder cancer.
6) Red Dye 40 is suspected to cause certain birth defects and possibly cancer.
7) Mono and di-glycerides can cause birth defects, genetic changes and cancer.
8) Caramel is a famous flavoring and coloring agent that can cause vitamin B6 deficiencies. It can cause certain genetic defects and even cancer.
9) Sodium chloride can lead to high blood pressure, kidney failure, stroke and heart attack.

10) Eating a diet high in packaged convenience food may cause you to consume so much food additives and preservatives that you begin to feel sluggish and run-down on a regular basis.  Food additives and preservatives can make you feel sleepy and lethargic and may also contribute to frequent headaches. They also suggest that long term consumption of these chemicals may also cause damage to the cells in your body, which may lead to cancer and other dangerous conditions.

11) Sodium nitrate: Sodium nitrate tops the list of dangerous food additives. It is highly toxic and stimulates the formation of nitrosamines which are highly carcinogenic (cancer causing) in nature. This deadly compound takes up a good portion of our processed meats, acting as a good preservative which prevents bacterial growth and fast decaying of meat. Skip the hot dogs and bologna and choose from organic chicken and lean meats.

12) Propyl Gallate: Propyl Gallate is a component of meat product, vegetable oils, potato sticks, chewing gum and ready-to-make soup mixes, which prevents them from spoiling, basically acting as a preservative. Studies however show that, regular consumption of these products may cause colon and stomach cancer.

13) Potassium bromate: Potassium bromate is an oxidizing agent used in the bread-making process. This compound has demonstrated carcinogenic effects and has also proven to be nephrotoxic (toxic to the kidneys) both in man and animals. It has developed thyroid and kidney tumors among rats, when they were fed with bread using potassium bromate as the oxidizing agent.

14) Food coloring: Food colorings like blue #1 is responsible for causing cancer whereas red #40 may lead to ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) in children. Red#3 which is widely used in baking and giving artificial color to cherries induces thyroid tumors in rats. Stay away from foods and drinks that look unnaturally colorful and bright.

15) Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) : Commonly known as Chinese salt, this compound features near the top of the list of dangerous food additives. Why? Firstly, because MSG is now a part of almost everything you consume during the entire day. This amino acid is used to flavor salads, soups and other food preparations and was typically used in Chinese food preparations. However, its use has now spread to the Eastern and Western areas, and by now, almost every restaurant or fast food joints literally coat their foods with MSG.

16) Butylated hydroxytoluene: Butylated hydroxytoluene is found in chewing gums, potato chips and other packaged foods as a preservative. In spite of being approved by the FDA, they are proven to be cancer-causing, making them among the top 12 dangerous food additives. One simple way to avoid it is to check the label. Many brands do not use this preservative, so you can switch to using those brands of packaged foods.

17) Acesulfame-K: A new sweetener which is now being used in various soft drinks and baked foods, Acesulfame-K, is actually 200 times sweeter than natural sugar, and is responsible for causing cancer among mice. Also, it affects the thyroid gland in other animals like rabbits and dogs.

18) Chloropropanols: This family of drugs is common in Asian food sauces like black bean, soy, and oyster sauce. Two specific substances within this category are known to be cancer producing and are banned in many countries.

Stay alert for these additives displayed on food labels and avoid them to stay healthy. As far as possible avoid fast foods and processed foods and go for simple, home cooked meals.

There is this 4YO girl in Cass’ kindy who would cry in school every other day. She would cry when her mother or father drops her in school and refuses to let her bring the iPad into the school.  If she is refused of bringing the iPad into the school, she would wail for hours until she falls asleep!  According to the class teacher, this girl would sleep in class every other day.  The mother told the teacher that her daughter would only fall asleep at 4ish am on most days.  The teacher has voiced out to the mother to stop sending the girl to the kindy as it is a waste of her money for her daughter spends most of her time crying, pining for the iPad and when she gets too tired after a big melt down, she would then snooze off in class!

This is a classic example of a child who has gotten severely bitten and addicted to a  a new age technology driven gadget.  My kids can spend the whole day playing with my iPad and laptop but I put my foot down and forced them to shut down the gadget after a max. of 2 hours.  It is scary to see them being so hooked to the iPad and laptop to the point that they cannot even hear what I say or instruct them to do.  When they get overly absorbed in their gadgets, they are totally oblivious to what is happening around them! Most of my screaming at the kids are related to the iPad, laptop and the idiot box, aka TV.

It is not easy to help the child kick off this addiction but something must be done by the parents before this child, who is an only child and understandably spoilt, becomes spoilt rotten beyond help and grows up to be a wayward and troubled child.