Category Archive: Nutritional Information On Food

Shiitake mushrooms are not only delicious, they are a powerhouse of diseases-fighting nutrients. The medicinal properties of shiitake mushrooms have been studied since the Ming Dynasty (1369–1644) when Japanese elders considered the shiitake the “elixir of the life”. Their use has a long history in Asian folklore for healing an extensive list of ailments. As research verifies the medicinal and gastronomic qualities of shiitake, it’s recently gained popularity in the West for its nutritional and medicinal value.

These mushrooms are particularly sought after because of their rich nutrient content, which consists of significant levels of several types of B vitamins, phosphorus, manganese and zinc, as well as vitamin C, vitamin D, iron, magnesium and potassium. This is in addition to dietary fiber and a number of powerful antioxidants including alkaloids, phenols and diterpenoids. Experts recommend adding shiitake mushrooms to as many meals as possible to maximize your intake of these uniquely beneficial fungi.

Shiitake mushrooms contain lentinan, which strengthens our immune system, helping to fight off diseases and infections. The American Cancer Society says lentinan is believed to stop or slow tumor growth, too, though it notes that more clinical trials are needed to understand the mushrooms’ effectiveness.

In some countries, lentinan is used as an intravenous anti-cancer drug with anti-tumor properties. Clinical studies have associated lentinan with a higher survival rate, higher quality of life and lower recurrence of cancer.

Shiitake has been licensed by the Japanese FDA as a leading prescription for cancer treatments and Shiitake extracts are used in a wide variety of herbal remedies.

Shiitake mushrooms also contain a compound called D-Eritadenine (DEA). DEA helps lower cholesterol and supports cardiovascular health.

Shiitake has many health benefits, such as it’s ability to lower blood pressure and reduce cholesterol. It possesses powerful antioxidant properties that help the body fight the damage of free radicals. It is also known to reduce inflammation.

Shiitakes are a good source of iron and antioxidants. The iron is key for vegetarians, whose diets may be lacking in it, while antioxidants help reduce free radicals.

Shiitake Health Benefits:
Reduce cholesterol
Strengthen the immune system
Lower blood pressure
Fight viral infections
Improve liver function
Treat cancer
Fight free radicals as an antioxidant
Prevent Thrombosis
Help cure liver diseases
Fight off colds and flu
Combat viral infections
Reduce tumors
Induce weight loss
Cure respiratory diseases
Treat poor blood circulation
Cure weakness and prevent exhaustion

In general, Shiitake, and any of its extracts, have little to no side-effects. In addition, there appear to be no negative effects from incorporating Shitake extracts into existing health regimens as it seems to work well with other drugs, herbs and treatments. However, people with fungal allergies have occasionally developed throat, skin. nose or lung irritation.

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or mitigate any disease. Always consult with your health care provider before making any medical decisions.

Dark chocolate has always been one of my comfort foods. I especially like dark chocolate with almonds. My favorite is Whittaker’s Dark Almond, best in the world.

I love everything chocolaty – brownies (swoon!), chocolate cakes, chocolate ice-cream, chocolate milk and hot chocolate.  I like my hot chocolate thick and without any sugar – just pure organic cocoa powder with fresh low fat milk and sometimes with a few spoonfuls of organic oats to fill me up.

Did you know that hot chocolate is not only a comforting and delicious beverage but it’s been used for years to treat ailments and maladies? When chocolate made its way to France in the 17th century, it was used “to fight against fits of anger and bad moods.” And that wasn’t just the French being French; it was truly insightful, given that modern research has discovered that chocolate reduces levels of stress hormones in the bodies of people feeling highly freaked out.

Health benefits of hot chocolate:

1. According to a study conducted at Cornell University, the antioxidant concentration in hot cocoa is almost twice as strong as red wine. Cocoa’s concentration was two to three times stronger than that of green tea and four to five times stronger than that of black tea.

2. Professor Chang Yong Lee, the leader of the Cornell study, added that the “hot” in “hot chocolate” is important as well. More antioxidants are released when it’s heated up.

3. A cup of hot cocoa contains 611 milligrams of the phenolic compound gallic acid equivalents (GAE) and 564 milligrams of the flavonoid epicatechin equivalents (ECE). The antioxidant gallic acid is used to treat internal hemorrhages, albuminuria (the presence of albumin in the urine, which can indicate kidney disease) and diabetes.

4. Although a regular bar of chocolate has strong antioxidant activity, the health benefits may be outweighed because of the saturated fats present — cocoa generally has much less fat per serving compared to the 8 grams of fat in a standard chocolate bar.

5. The flavonoids help your body process nitric oxide, which is why hot cocoa can improve blood flow, help lower your blood pressure and improve heart health.

6. The flavonoids in hot chocolate also help prevent platelets in your blood from mingling together and forming clots.

7. According to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, drinking hot chocolate can help you think better too. The flavonoids increase the blood flow and oxygen to the brain. Since dementia is caused by a reduced flow of blood to the brain, researchers think it could be treated with cocoa.

In general, the less processed the cocoa is, the more nutrients it contains. Cocoa in its raw form has four times the antioxidants as processed cocoa. It is available at health foods stores and will taste bitter, but you can add sugar or honey to sweeten it. The general rules when looking for cocoa powder are:

• The darker the chocolate, the more antioxidants it contains.
• The higher cocoa content, the more antioxidants it contains.
• The less sugar, the better it is for your overall health.

Caveat

Before you think you can just scarf down as much chocolate as possible to reap its health benefits, remember to be mindful. A chocolate bar may have some of the health benefits, but they’re generally thought to be negated by all the saturated fat and sugar in each serving. Your best bet really is to stick with a hot mug of unsweetened or lightly sweetened hot dark cocoa. But you can’t just go to your nearest Starbucks and expect to get these heart-smart rewards!   What’s the key? You need to make your next mug of hot chocolate with 100-percent unsweetened and non-alkalized cocoa powder and fat-free milk. Best to use organic cocoa powder. Avoid all prepackaged powders you find in the grocery store and anything you’d get from your morning coffee hangout.

At a health fair for bloggers which I attended a few weeks back, I received a small jar of Tualang honey as sample in my goodie bag. The taste of the Tualang honey reminds me of the Chinese maltose candy (wrapped in transparent plastic wrapper) which I used to eat when I was a little kid back in the late 1970s through 1980s.  I let my youngest finicky 9-year old try the Tualang honey and to my surprise, she liked it.  My 9-year old would fuss over Manuka honey and most brands of honey, thus I was surprised that she is not averse to Tualang honey.

I turned to Google to find out more about the goodness of Tualang honey and am glad to learn that Tualang honey has amazing medicinal benefits that even surpasses Manuka honey in some ways.

Tualang honey is a Malaysian multifloral jungle honey. In recent years, there has been a marked increase in the number of studies published in medical databases regarding its potential health benefits. The honey is produced by the rock bee (Apis dorsata), which builds hives on branches of tall Tualang trees located mainly in the north-western region of Peninsular Malaysia.

Reference from US National Library of Medicine
National Institutes of Health on Tualang honey vs Manuka honey:

The health benefits of Tualang honey are better compared to other Malaysian honeys. TH is more effective than Manuka honey against some gram-negative bacterial strains in burn wounds management, probably due to its higher content of phenolics, flavanoids, and HMF.

Tualang honey shows bactericidal and bacteriostatic activity against a number of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. It is rich in antioxidants and has great potential as an anticancer agent.

Tualang honey improves hypertension, lipid profiles and diabetes in rats. It shares some similar properties and biochemical characteristics with the much-researched Manuka honey (New Zealand and/or Australian monofloral honey). Distinct differences include higher phenolics, flavonoids, and HMF. Tualang honey is more effective than Manuka honey against some gram-negative bacterial strains in burn wounds. Although the health benefits of Manuka honey are internationally recognised, those of TH are only recently attracting attention. More laboratory research and clinical trials are needed to develop a better understanding of its potential health benefits and to abate scepticism.

Reference from Fox News:

The most common way that Malaysian people use this unique honey is as a daily health tonic. One full teaspoon of Tualang honey in a couple of ounces of water makes an ambrosial elixir that delivers the honey’s benefits along with an exotic taste experience. As a topical aid, Tualang honey is used by native people to heal wounds, and to kill bacteria in skin infections. Like the New Zealand Manuka honey, Tualang honey is excellent for relieving a sore throat and for subduing symptoms of colds. A modest amount consumed daily appears to help stabilize blood sugar, and the honey demonstrates blood-pressure reducing effects.

In conclusion, what I’ve gathered from the search results on the health benefits of Tualang honey is amazingly promising.  Lab studies have found that Tualang honey is effective in preventing breast cancer, confers cardioprotective effects, lowers cholesterol level, controls blood sugar, has high antibacterial potency, has positive effects on menopausal women, thus could be an alternative to HRT and many more health benefits.

Codonopsis pilosula / Dang Shen / Tong Sum / poor man’s Ginseng is no stranger to most Chinese since this herb is a common ingredient in everyday recipes of soups and steamed dishes. In China it is better known as Dang Shen, a major tonic for nourishing the vitality.

Dang Shen’s health benefits are similar to that of Ginseng. It is sold at a more affordable price, thus it is also known as the ‘poor man’s Ginseng’.  Dang Shen is commonly used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) to correct ‘Qi’ deficiency and improve blood circulation to revitalise the body.

Dang Shen also possesses other health benefits such as:

• Stimulates appetite
• Improves blood circulation
• Stimulates the central nervous system and increases endurance
• Boosts immunity by increasing white blood cells, activating macrophages and other key components of the immune system
• Treatment of chronic upper respiratory tract infection
• Reduces fatigue and increases white blood count in patients who are undergoing chemotherapy

However, if Dang Shen is used excessively, it may interfere with blood clotting and is best to be avoided prior to surgery.

This is the Dang Shen + red dates + blue dates tonic that the mil prepared in a crockpot for me today to nourish me back to health after a laproscopic myomectomy surgery that I underwent just 2 days ago:

I am not a rice person since young. When I was young,  my family’s only option was regular white rice, which I disliked. I ate very little white rice and most of the time, was coerced to eat. I wasn’t a food lover except for junk food when I was a kid.  This explains why I was as thin as stick before puberty.  However, I have a certain preference for black rice and black glutinous rice. I like the nutty taste, texture and color of black rice and black glutinous rice (black sweet rice). It is chewy and very aromatic compared to white rice.

According to an article in Daily Mail Online UK, Black rice – revered in ancient China but overlooked in the West – could be one of the greatest ‘superfoods’, scientists revealed today.

The cereal is low in sugar but packed with healthy fibre and plant compounds that combat heart disease and cancer, say experts.

Scientists from Louisiana State University analysed samples of bran from black rice grown in the southern U.S.   They found boosted levels of water-soluble anthocyanin antioxidants.

Anthocyanins provide the dark colours of many fruits and vegetables, such as blueberries and red peppers. They are what makes black rice ‘black’.

Research suggests that the dark plant antioxidants, which mop up harmful molecules, can help protect arteries and prevent the DNA damage that leads to cancer.

Just a spoonful of black rice bran contains more health promoting anthocyanin antioxidants than are found in a spoonful of blueberries, but with less sugar and more fiber and vitamin E antioxidants.

According to a study in the “Annual Review of Food Science and Technology” in 2010, anthocyanins have anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic effects. In the animal and human studies conducted, anthocyanins were also shown to help prevent heart disease, control obesity and alleviate the symptoms of diabetes.

While whole grain brown rice and red rice also contain beneficial antioxidants, only black rice contains anthocyanin. Additionally, black rice also contains important antioxidant Vitamin E, which is useful in maintaining eye, skin, and immune health in addition to other important functions.

A one-half cup serving of cooked black rice, or about ¼ cup uncooked, contains approximately (in daily recommended values):

• • 160 calories
  • 1.5 grams of fat
  • 34 grams of carbohydrates
  • 2 grams of fiber
  • 5 grams of protein
  • 4% DV for iron

Health Benefits Of Black Rice

Iron Content
According to MyFitnessPal, a 1-cup serving of cooked glutinous black rice has 6 percent of your daily value of iron.  Iron is considered an essential mineral since your body needs it to make blood cells. Used to make a number of proteins — including hemoglobin and myoglobin, which carry oxygen through your bloodstream — iron is stored in your bone marrow, liver, muscles and spleen. Women over the age of 50 and adult men require 8 milligrams of iron per day, while adult women 50 and under need 18 milligrams daily. Pregnant women and breast-feeding women need 27 and 9 milligrams of iron, respectively.

Can Help Detoxify the Body
Studies have demonstrated that consuming black rice can help to detox the body and cleanse the liver of harmful toxic build-up thanks to the rice’s high antioxidant content.

Good Source of Fiber Which  Improves Digestive Health 
Black rice and other whole grain rice varieties- like wild, red, or brown rices- have a similar amount of fiber, with about 2-3 grams per half cup serving. The fiber in black rice helps to prevent constipation, bloating, and other unwanted digestive symptoms. Fiber binds to waste and toxins within the digestive tract, helping to pull them out and to contribute to regular bowel function.

Helps Slow Down Absorption of Sugar in the Blood, Helping to Prevent Diabetes  
Compared to eating processed carbohydrates which are stripped of their fiber, antioxidants, and other nutrients that help to slow down the absorption of sugar in the blood stream, black rice is a much healthier option.

Black rice contains the entire bran of the grain where the fiber is stored, and fiber is able to help glucose (sugar) from the grain to be absorbed by the body over a longer period of time.

Black Rice And Cancer
Today black rice is considered to be an important food in fighting cancer. Studies indicate that the dark plant compounds contained in black rice help to protect the arteries and restrict DNA damage. This helps in preventing various types of cancer. However in order to be most effective, black rice should be part of an overall healthy and balanced diet along with a healthy lifestyle.

Interesting History of Forbidden Rice
Black rice is commonly referred to as “forbidden rice” because of its long and interesting history.   In China, black rice has been known for being good for the kidneys, stomach and liver since ancient times.

Thousands of years ago in ancient China, noble Chinese men took possession of every grain of the black forbidden rice, banning its consumption among anyone who was not royalty or very wealthy.

The Chinese emperors so treasured this rice that it was decreed a grain meant to be consumed only by royalty. And this led to the rice being known as the “forbidden rice”.

The crop was only grown in very limited quantities, closely monitored, and reserved for only the highest elite class. The common Chinese people were not allowed to grow or consume this black forbidden rice, which led to its unique name that it still carries with it today.

Black rice was actually only first introduced to the United States in the 1990’s, although it’s been enjoyed in other parts of the world for many more years. Today it is no longer forbidden, but still is grown in relatively small amounts especially compared to other types of widely available rice varieties.

Concerns With Black Rice
Even though black rice does contain more fiber and antioxidants than refined grains or carbohydrate foods, all grains still have the ability to effect blood sugar levels, so keeping an eye on portion sizes of all grains is always a good idea.

It also helps to consume grains like black rice with a source of healthy fat and some protein. This further delays the time it takes the carbohydrate’s sugars to impact blood glucose levels.

Ancient, whole grains like black rice can play a healthy part in someone’s diet, as long as they are mindful of how much they consume and also make sure to get plenty of filling protein and healthy fats from other food sources that are better suppliers of these important macro-nutrients.

Turmeric is one of the most favored herbs in our family apart from garlic and onion.  My dad cooks the yummiest braised turmeric chicken and I can never get enough of it.  Our girls love their grandpa’s turmeric chicken too, cooked using lots and lots of freshly chopped turmeric, alongside onions and garlic.  The only turn-off when eating turmeric is the yellow pigment that stains our teeth and toothbrush!  But my dad has zilch complain that his fingers would turn yellow, making him look like a Minion each time he cooks a dish with fresh turmeric.   That’s my dear papa’s labor of love for us.

I use turmeric powder almost daily in my cooking. I add it to fish for pan-frying, chicken for grilling and pan-frying and fried rice. My friend drinks a concoction called Golden Milk, made from Golden Paste for health purposes.  I have yet to try it and am very tempted to attempt to now after reading the health benefits of Golden Milk.

Turmeric, the main spice in curry, is arguably the most powerful herb on the planet at fighting and potentially reversing disease. It has so many healing properties that currently there have been 6,235 peer-reviewed articles published proving the benefits of turmeric and one of its renowned healing compounds curcumin.

This puts turmeric on top of the list as one of the most frequently mentioned medicinal herbs in all of science and the next most popular studied herbs including garlic, cinnamon, ginseng, ginger and milk thistle.

Turmeric is a spice that comes from the turmeric plant. It is commonly used in Asian food. You probably know turmeric as the main spice in curry. It has a warm, bitter taste and is frequently used to flavor or color curry powders, mustards, butters, and cheeses. But the root of turmeric is also used widely to make medicine. It contains a yellow-colored chemical called curcumin, which is often used to color foods and cosmetics.

According to the Journal of the American Chemical Society, turmeric contains a wide range of antioxidant, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, anticarcinogenic, antimutagenic and anti-inflammatory properties.

It is also loaded with many healthy nutrients such as protein, dietary fiber, niacin, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, potassium, calcium, copper, iron, magnesium and zinc. Due to all these factors, turmeric is often used to treat a wide variety of health problems.

Turmeric contains the chemical curcumin. Curcumin and other chemicals in turmeric might decrease swelling (inflammation). Because of this, turmeric might be beneficial for treating conditions that involve inflammation.

The active compound curcumin is believed to have a wide range of biological effects including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antitumor, antibacterial, and antiviral activities, which have shown a lot of potential for use in clinical medicine.

Of the 6000+ studies referencing curcumin, the most interesting finding is that when turmeric is compared to conventional medicine its benefits equal that of many pharmaceutical medications.

In fact, a number of studies have even reported that using curcumin is moreadvantageous than certain prescription drugs.

Health Benefits of Turmeric

When examining the research, turmeric benefits go beyond that of these 10 drugs:

• Anti-inflammatory drugs
• Anti-depressants (Prozac)
• Chemotherapy
• Anti-coagulants (Aspirin)
• Pain killers
• Diabetes drugs (Metformin)
• Arthritis medications
• Inflammatory bowel disease drugs
• Cholesterol drugs (Lipitor)
• Steroids

A study done by Drugs in R & D found that curcumin was equal or more effective than diabetes medications at reducing oxidative stress and inflammation in the treatment of high cholesterol.

Studies like these are causing pharmaceutical companies to try and design a synthetic form of curcumin that unfortunately, will not work as well as the real thing.

Uses

Turmeric is used for arthritis, heartburn (dyspepsia), joint pain, stomach pain, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, bypass surgery, hemorrhage, diarrhea, intestinal gas, stomach bloating, loss of appetite, jaundice, liver problems, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection, stomach ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gallbladder disorders,high cholesterol, a skin condition called lichen planus, skin inflammation from radiation treatment, and fatigue.

It is also used for headaches, bronchitis, colds, lung infections, fibromyalgia, leprosy, fever, menstrual problems, itchy skin, recovery after surgery, and cancers. Other uses include depression, Alzheimer’s disease, swelling in the middle layer of the eye (anterior uveitis), diabetes, water retention, worms, an autoimmune disease called systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), tuberculosis, urinary tract infection (UTI), and kidney problems.

Some people apply turmeric to the skin for pain, ringworm, sprains and swellings, bruising, leech bites, eye infections, acne, inflammatory skin conditions and skin sores, soreness inside of the mouth, infected wounds, and gum disease.

Turmeric is a natural antiseptic and antibacterial agent and can be used as an effective disinfectant. If you have a cut or burn, you can sprinkle turmeric powder on the affected area to speed up the healing process. Turmeric also helps repair damaged skin and may be used to treat psoriasis and other inflammatory skin conditions.

WOW, the health benefits of the humble and inexpensive turmeric are so wide!   If you are turned off by the yellow pigment from the turmeric root that can stain your hands, blender and kitchen top while peeling and chopping them, try using turmeric powder.  Turmeric powder is very convenient to use and does not stain your hands.

Sea cucumber is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat a number of health problems, including fatigue, impotence and joint pain. Sea cucumber contains high levels of chondroitin sulfate, a major component of cartilage.

My mil can whip up really delish sea cucumber dishes.  Her sea cucumber dishes are usually braised with pork or chicken, mushrooms, clams and chicken feet.

Sea cucumber is considered a delicacy in Chinese cuisine for centuries – even as an aphrodisiac.  The reported health benefits of sea cucumber, however, are what attract the most interest in the U.S., although research into its the possible benefits of sea cucumber and their extract is preliminary. Consult with your doctor before taking any products made from these sea-dwelling creatures, of which some species have spikes on them.

Sea cucumber is relatively low in calories — each 6-ounce portion contains 95 calories, or approximately 5 percent of the daily calorie intake in a standard 2,000-calorie diet. Most of its calories come from its protein content, and each serving of sea cucumber contains 22 grams of protein. As a result of its protein content, sea cucumber helps you fight off infection, maintains healthy muscles and strengthens your skin and cartilage. Sea cucumber serves as a lean source of protein, because 6 ounces of sea cucumber contains less than a gram of fat.

“They’re not only anti-viral, anti-bacterial but sea cucumbers have been used to treat gingivitis and gum disease, “ Ty M. Bollinger, author of “Cancer: Step Outside the Box,” told Fox News.

The sea animal, which resembles a large, spiky caterpillar, is used as an adjunct treatment for those undergoing chemotherapy because it’s very effective at mitigating the side effects of the cancer treatment, Bollinger said.

Chemotherapy is an immunosuppressive set of drugs so it kills the cancer cells but in the meantime it kills your immune system. The properties of sea cucumber that are so fascinating is that it makes your immune system run at the perfect speed.  That’s why it’s so effective as an adjunct treatment as well as a treatment  in and of itself if people decide to use sea cucumber.

Besides being immunomodulatory, sea cucumber is cytotoxic, meaning it kills cancer cells.

Sea cucumber, while long used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, is not well known in Western medicine— even though it’s been studied for the last 15 years— because most oncologists use chemotherapy, radiation, and therapy as their primary cancer treatments.

Sea cucumber can be cooked and eaten, as the Chinese do, or dried, made into a powder and packed into capsules to take in pill form.

One of the fascinating things about sea cucumbers also is that it is very high in chondroitin sulfate, which you’re familiar with to treat joint pain and arthritis. Sea cucumber has the highest concentration of chondroitin sulfate of any animal.  It is used very effectively for joint pain and arthritic pain.

Health Benefits of Sea Cucumbers:

Improving Gum Disease
Though the study was preliminary, a toothpaste made with sea cucumber extract was shown to improve healing in patients who had undergone treatment for gum disease. The toothpaste was formulated to take advantage of the sea cucumber’s wound-healing, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, which have been recognized both in traditional healing modalities and by modern researchers. The study, reported in the “Journal of Oral Science”, involved 28 volunteers who either brushed their teeth with sea cucumber toothpaste or with a toothpaste that was identical except for the extract. By the end of the three-month trial, patients who had gotten the sea cucumber toothpaste who used the sea cucumber toothpaste experienced a significant in bleeding, swelling and the depth of periodontal pockets when compared to the control group.

High Protein
Although sea cucumbers may be an unusual food, they can provide a valuable protein boost for those who need it. According to Subhuti Dharmananda, Director of the Institute for Traditional Medicine in Portland, Oregon, sea cucumbers are higher in protein than almost any other food, except for egg whites. The Harvard School of Public Health states that people in the United States might reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease by boosting their intake of protein, especially if the protein replaces refined carbohydrates in your diet. Sea cucumbers are available at Asian grocery stores.

Wound Healing
Eating sea cucumber or its extracts may have therapeutic effects such as speeding up wound healing. It does so by facilitating the formation of new tissues within a short time — a property that is believed to stem from the ability of a sea cucumber to regenerate its own body tissues quickly when it is injured. According to the October 2011 “Marine Drugs” study, this is believed to be facilitated by certain fatty acids, such as arachidonic acid, present in sea cucumber.

Cancer Prevention Potential
Eating sea cucumber may help prevent the growth and spread of cancer cells. This is because sea cucumbers contain high amounts of compounds known as triterpene glycosides, which have antitumor activity. According to a study by Chinese scientists published in August 2005 in “Cancer Biology & Therapy,” sea cucumbers also contain a compound known as philinopside E, or PE. PE inhibits the formation of blood vessels that supply nutrients to tumors. This suppresses the growth and proliferation of such tumors in your body.