How much food is enough?

There was a time in my youth when I would have a heavy breakfast, lunch, dinner and supper. Of course, i was quite hefty then, weighing something like 130 lbs for a five feet, five inches. Perhaps, that was due to the muscles on my body as I did take up body-building. Although I was thick, a little stout but never fat.

In fact I did try to put on a little once with about eight to ten eggs as well as a plate of noodles for a short period of a month but it got me nowhere. In a way i was lucky that it did not change my body shape as some lovely ladies did mention that I ought to wear T-shirts more often as it emphasises my good shape. Well, like most youngster I was obviously a little egoistic.

Perhaps because of my active life-style, no matter how much i eat, my weight always creeps back to 120 pounds. Light and somewhat slim perhaps but certainly healthy. Realising how important health was, I actually reduce my meals by one; no more supper.

How often I have read that as one grows older, the body gets fatter. With me, that is not the truth at all. In fact I got slimmer! I got so much thinner that some friends even asked me whether I was facing a health problem. This brought me to the realisation that i could possibly be eating too little; perhaps insufficient food. so, I went to two-times breakfast, a heavy lunch and dinner as well as a light supper. My weight stabilised somewhat although my waist remained one inch smaller than usual.

So how much is enough? Perhaps, I have been doing too much exercise, as one hill companion suggested. This could be true as exercise burns up calories and even more calories as the muscles continue stretching and twitching the whole day even when resting. I also produce bodily heat a little too easily and this could burn some calories too.

To ensure I am perfectly alright I checked and discovered I had no diabetes or heart problems to worry about. Since that put my mind to rest, I continue eating everything that I could enjoy besides taking apple cider vinegar, coconut oil and olive oil. So much oil, yet as slim as any girl would want to be.

So I believe I am just blessed. As someone once said, "You must be doing all the right things." So the question of 'how much is enough?' does not arise. It depends upon one's life-style, one's activities and one's metabolism. Everyone of us is different. And that is why no one diet or slimming programme works for everybody. If you come to me, I would look into your life-style, your activities and your metabolism before I make any recommendations. You can do the same for yourself. Think about that, my friend.

A healthy lifestyle.

Yesterday I had stated that it has been raining almost every evening and there were times i was caught in the rain. While some catch cold I got nothing to show for it. This is one instance when getting nothing is most welcome. I may like to catch a falling star or a girl but not for me the miserable cold.

Thinking back, it is not luck but a healthy lifestyle which keep me strong, fit and healthy. And it all starts with minimal stress. Stress can be good as it comes sometimes with excitement and joy but too much of it had once upon a time robbed me of much needed sleep and rest.

Then, I am grateful for the early morning hike up the hill where, at the level path at the top, I could run at speed, rest and run again, bringing forth the pails of sweat through the pores of my body. And because of this, my body smells good as the outpouring sweat removes dirt and gives me a good cleanse. By the time I skip and hop down the slope to the foot of the hill I am always drenched as one who has gone through a shower.

As for food which many doctors and researchers will tell you can either bring sickness or health to the body, i choose, most of the time anyway, those that give me health. At most meals, I either take rice or fruits and vegetables with some meat.

Through knowledge from researchers, I understand that fast food, food that is processed, most saturated fats and too well-cooked food are bad for our health. Therefore, my food consists of rice, some fish, raw vegetables, some steamed or lightly cooked vegetables, beans, healthy oils and a little meat with lots of spices.

At this point, there may be someone who would point out that meat and/or fish are not healthy. Going vegetarian, according to some, is the way to healthy eating. To these people, I wish to point to the four sharp, Dracula-type of teeth in our mouth. The teeth in our mouth indicate otherwise. Our ancestors did hunt for animals as food though the faster and bigger ones were not within their reach. Another thing that keeps me from going 100% vegan is the fact that our body needs vitamin B12 badly and a totally vegetable diet can never give our body sufficient amount of this vitamin. And as far as I am concerned vitamin supplement is a last resort.

Of course, when it comes to the rules of a religion, those who belong to it must follow for they are believers. I have no argument regarding such matter for we have to respect what a religion requires its members to do. For them, there are still some where B12 can be available in small amounts, especially in fermented food. Of course, some of them need to resort to supplements to avoid B12 deficiency.

Water is another important factor in our health. So often we forget to replenish the water in our body. sometimes, especially the women, it is not due to forgetfulness but the hope that they do not have to embarrassed themselves with visits to the washrooms or the toilets, mostly when they go shopping. For them it is better to dehydrate the body than to search for places to lighten the bladder.

Most times, we only search for water when we are really thirsty. Thirst actually is the emergency call for water by our body. When there is insufficient water in our body, blood thickens and slows down circulation, slowing the supply of oxygen to the lungs, the organs and the rest of the body, affecting the efficiency of every important part; the waste movement slows down in the liver, the kidneys and the skin while those at the big intestines hardens. From this, it is obvious the importance of water to our health.

Of course, without air, there can be no life. But what kind of air do we breathe each day? What is its quality? At the hill, for at least an hour, I get to empty the stale air and suffuse my lungs with fresh morning air from among the trees there. I try not to be near smoke although nowadays that seem to be practically impossible. So, whenever I can, my friends and I escape to the green areas, to some places far away from vehicles, factories and smokers where trees, streams and waterfalls bring serenity and healthy joy.

How come some children have lots of energy?

I met a grandfather this morning and he commented to me about his grandson who is always on the move, doing this and that throughout the day with just a short nap in the afternoon.

"As a man who have lived more than seventy years, I have seen and noticed that some children are slow not just in development but also in movement whereas there are some who seem to have a lot energy throughout the day just like my grandson," the proud grandfather observed.

Yes, some children, like my own sons and this man's grandson, have lots of energy and are always alert and active. I believe it has to do with two factors.

One is the nutrition of the mother during her pregnancy. Once a human egg has been fertilised, a foetus is formed. With formation of the first stage of the foetus, nutrition is required for its development as from then on the foetus develops at a fast rate, the various organs and parts of the body. If the mother does not consume sufficient nutrient for both of them, both may have to suffer from some form of malnutrition. I believe a lot of mothers suffer osteoporosis earlier than man because of pregnancy when the developing foetus may have to take calcium from the mother.

Another factor is the baby's nutrition. Some babies are weaned off milk too early. I have seen parents giving milo, a beverage drink their babies. Upon questioning such mothers, they would claim that their babies prefer the beverage drink to milk. Of course, as milo is sweetened with sugar. It is sweeter than milk. A wise mother would not allow the baby to make that choice and even prevent it as the babies are too small to know the existence of such a drink except through the introduction of it by the mothers or guardians. Mothers or parents, sometimes the problem lies with the fathers, should know that mother's milk is the most nutritious drink or food for babies, and to exchange the best with something else is certainly not advisable.

Without sufficient nutrition for growth and development of the organs, how can a child function at its best; how can there be sufficient energy for play which at that stage is a learning process. Without lots of play, there will be less opportunities to know the various texture on the many surfaces he/she feels or the development of strength in carrying things around, riding tricycles and pushing objects or the development of the brain as he/she thinks of improvising objects to become a vehicle, a pet or some other things within his/her imagination. Without sufficient nutrition, the body and the mind will not work as well and development can slow down while others are many steps ahead in growth, strength and intelligence.

Nutrition is important at every stage of our lives starting from the day we emerge from the egg as foetus. And even when we age we need even better nutrition for it is then that absorption of nutrients may be slower or not as efficient, unless we wish to slide fast downhill during our retirement. Anyway, we can retire from our job but never retire from life as much awaits us and that is when we need the strength and energy to enjoy life truly.

Pros and Cons of rich calcium supplement for the foetus.

During pregnancy, women who take a lot of nutritious food, especially food which contains a lot of calcium such as milk are bound to have bigger babies; babies who at the time of their birth are approximately ten pounds.

When babies are too large, ordinary birth becomes a problem as the size of the foetus does not allow its whole body to move easily from the womb to the vagina and then out of the mother's body. As I have related a day ago about the woman who had to suffer the trauma of difficult delivery because of the huge size of the foetus, there is a need for a machine to suck the baby out (according to the husband of the woman) or go through a cesarean birth. The best procedure to choose would be the cesarean birth but usually gynecologists advise women not to have a third cesarean birth, possibly because of danger.

As for the lady in the previous day's true story, she told me her doctor advised her to drink a lot of milk during her pregnancy. I suspect she needed a rich supply of calcium and in her case the child also benefited with larger bones.

From observation of children I have found that those who are well nourished during life as a foetus and throughout early childhood have better energy and strength than the rest. Possibly the early excellent nutrition has put the child one step ahead of the development of the others. Of course, I have never done a proper research into the subject and am just making a layman's conclusion.

Enjoy our fruits.

At the morning market today, I saw a crowd of mostly ladies and took a closer look to see all of them looking at and choosing some dukong. A few new-comers and I asked for the price and was told it was only two ringgit a kilo. That was really cheap! This made one or two persons wonder if what was being sold was actually langsat or dukong. The seller quickly explained that the langst has a thinner skin while the dukung has a thicker skin although both may look similar. Still wondering why the price was that cheap, one lady tasted one of the fruits and exclaimed, "Oh, it's not sweet!". As the dukung is reputed to be sweet, everyone looked in her direction and saw the size of the dukung she had taken. It was small. So, another lady told her, "Aiyah, the one you took is too small, lah. It's not ripe enough, mah. Let me try a bigger one." And she split the skin of one rounded fruit to taste the whitish flesh. "Ah! This is sweet," she beamed to the others. Most of them went on choosing while some uncertain ones decided not to buy and went off. As for me, I took home a kilogram of that fruit.

For me, it was not so much the sweetness of the fruit that counts. It was a fruit I like because it is a local fruit which usually meant no preservative needed to lengthen its shelf-life or to keep it fresh. Of course it is definitely more fresh, possibly plucked from the tree just a day ago and certainly not needing any preservative while imported fruits could be at least a few days after plucking before they could reach the consumers. Commercially, those imported fruits have to be preserved one way or the other.

Furthermore, fruits such as the dukung hardly needs any pesticides as they grow. Insects hardly are a problem, probably because the skin of the fruit is so thick.

Of course, there are those who believe the apple, kiwi fruit or grapes are better than local fruits. Certainly, research has placed the apple, the kiwi fruit and the grapes and berries high up the ladder of nutrition. Lately, so much researchers have found grapes with their resveratrol and apple juice so high in fighting sicknesses. Not only that, researchers discovered that the powerful antioxidant, resveratrol, which is found naturally in the red skin of grapes, can activate genes and prolong the life of cells without having to go on a starving diet which was what scientist found was the only way to prolong cell life once upon a time.

But then with the apples and the grapes, we are always troubled with the decision: to remove the skin or not. Is there too much toxic chemicals in the skin? Unfortunately, for these two fruits, the skin contains the more important and most necessary nutrients for better health. Of course, according to some, enzymes can be used to wash and remove most of the toxic chemicals. Still, is it safe to eat the skin? Anyone who have read of any research papers on the use of enzymes, please be kind enough to give the information.

Since local organic fruits and vegetable have their nutrients too, I reach out to local fruits and vegetables more than imported fruits because I think we should eat imported fruits too so as to supply our body with as many of the necessary nutrients as possible.

I hasten to add that not all the skin of local fruits are safe to be consumed. Bananas, for example, unless bought straight from a plant or while it is still green, usually go through the process of heat through the use of a kind of chemical which could be harmful. Some may be wondering what I am talking about, eating banana skin which almost everyone discard. Well, not me if it comes from mu plant or straight from another person's plant. I put flesh and skin in the blender. The powerful blades of my blender soon mashed up everything and all I need to do is to just pour it in to a cup and drink it. You see, I believe, where possible, it is better to make the drink from the whole fruit with non of the nutrients missing.

Papayas are also taken the same way as the bananas as the skin contains lots of nutrients. However, commercial papayas do seem to have some kind of powder on its skin. And most of them are plucked too young and green from the plant.

In a world where fruits and vegetables are still easily available, we can consider ourselves lucky. And even luckier are those who have a little bit of land, a small garden to plant them. Then we can be assured of organic food in a world where more and more chemicals are used in commercial production of fruits and vegetables.

Incredible Prahlad Jani.

In my search for truth, inspirational people and knowledge, I have more than once come across incredible deeds; deeds so unbelieveable that I would not have given it a second thought if not for the verification made by professional people with qualifications we have no reason to doubt.

Lately, there was this 83 year old Indian holy man, Prahlad Jani, whom doctors and medical specialists wonder how he could have survived as he claimed to have lived more than seventy years without food and water, living a life of yoga and meditation.

Between April and May 2010, a team of more than 30 medical people and researchers did a study of this man's ability to survive for 15 days without food and water. The study was conducted in a hospital by the Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Science. During the duration of the study, Prahlad Jani did not drink, eat, bathe or go to the toilet. To rinse his mouth once a day, Prahlad Jani was given a beaker of water in which he spat into after cleaning his mouth to show that none of the water entered his body. At the end of the study, doctors found Prahlad Jani as healthy as anyone half his age. They came to this conclusion after tests on his heart, lungs and memory capacity, and scans on his organs were made.

When I told my son, a science student and an engineering undergraduate, about this incredible man, he did not believe the feat possible. First, there was this claim that Prahlad Jani had not had food or water for seventy years since the age of eleven when he was blessed by the goddess, Amba, with special powers and was able to receive nutrients from the air, although some believe the nutrients could be from the brain, through a hole in his palate. Without food and liquids, he demanded to know how the body of a young boy could develop in size to that of a grown man. That, I must admit, is a valid question.

Then there was the question of dehydration. After more than four days without liquid, what would happen to the blood, its circulation (a cause for caution in dengue cases), and the organs of the body as dehydration of the body worsen?

However, it must be pointed out that Prahlad Jani went through a study with 24-hour surveillance with such aids as CCTV cameras as well as observation of a team of doctors and researchers. Tests were even made on his bladder, revealing that liquid moves in and out of it although no urination took place. As for the expected effects of starvation from not consuming any food, there was no muscle mass loss, no weight loss and no fatigue which was really incredible. How this man managed to stay healthy and maintain his body without damage or loss despite going through fifteen days without food and water is not only beyond us, but also the doctors in the study.

As it defies science and logical understanding, we have no alternative but to fall back on the only other possibility; that this man truly has been blessed by a goddess who had sustained his body by feeding him some kind of life-energy which is his claim.

In which case, the purpose of the study would not have been achieved as the doctors were hoping to discover some way to assist victims of natural tragedies and astronauts who often had to survive for long periods without food or water.

Actually, there was this belief that humans need not rely on food and water for sustenance. This belief is known as Breatharianism, in which it is claimed that the human can be sustained with prana, an energy derived from sunlight, which is similar to Ayurveda teaching.

Food, water and exercise.

There was this lady who told a group of us that she was so tired this morning because she had walked faster than usual. The reason for doing so was the huge breakfast she had consumed just before going to the hill. As she was a lady who had a mind of her own and never accepts opinions of others easily, I kept my mouth shut.

Later, as the group dispersed and I was left walking with just one lady, this lady told me that there was a guy who would take a fast walk as an interval during a dinner feast. She also had a relative who exercise after dinner. She asked me what I thought of the other lady's walking fast due to the amount of food consumed.

I told her it was based on what seemed to many as logical behaviour. Unfortunately, it is not based on sound knowledge. In the first place we ought to understand that food takes a few hours to be digested and turned into energy. Furthermore, we ought not exercise on a full stomach. When food has been consumed, more blood goes to the stomach area while in exercise blood is needed at the moving parts of the body. Therefore, we should not load our tummy just before exercise.

However, such practice of exercising after a meal is quite common as there are people who wrongly believe that such exercises can help quicken the digestive process. If these people were talking about mild or slow movement, then I think it is alright but certainly not brisk walking or running after a heavy meal.

So, if just before going for our exercise, we feel a little hungry, we should just take a snack with mostly carbohydrates in it just to stave off the hunger. After exercise, we ought to wait a little while before consuming food. Let the blood go to the muscles concerned to replenished oxygen-starved muscles as well as remove waste products and lactic acid from them.

When we think of food, we must never forget the essential water to keep our body hydrated so that circulation of blood and removal of toxic substances are able to take place. Sometimes, especially so the ladies and the older adults, we take too little water and a certain degree of dehydration is consistently present. For our organs to work well, and in the first place that is the reason we exercise, we must have sufficient liquid in our body for the all important circulation of blood to take nutrients and oxygen to all the cells as well as remove wastes and toxins from the body. So, we must always remember to take more water even if that means the inconvenience of having to visit the bathroom more often. I remember the bad old days when women went shopping the whole day without stopping to urinate. Not that there was no necessity to do so but the difficulty of finding suitable clean places forced them to keep a tight hold on their urine and refuse the intake of liquids. It was of course not good for their health and as a result more women than men had urinary tract infection. (Of course, there is the other reason for the urinary tract infection which was the washing of the anus towards the vagina after excreting.)

Well, those bad old days are over and we now have supermarkets as well as petrol stations with clean toilets everywhere. Gone should be the problem of retaining one's urine.

Knowledge and understanding is always important.

Yesterday, I wrote on the noble deed of releasing fish, frogs and birds from captivity. Done rightly or wrongly, the intention, which is all important, is certainly admirable.

However, the action can be improved upon with full knowledge and understanding of the birds, frogs and fish that we release. I have often seen good Buddhist who unintentionally cause pain, suffering and death to the creatures they hope to save.

When it comes to fish, there have been people who release goldfish and long-tailed angels into the rivers where other creatures await to get a meal out of them. You see, goldfish have fins that do not give them any chance for survival in the wild. In fact, their features are mostly man-made. Goldfish originate from the carp. Their body became bulky, their fins long, their tails not exactly what nature would want them to have. That is why they move the way they do, wagging their way forward slowly, obviously too slow to escape any predator. To put them in a river is similar to putting a human among some lions in an arena. It is certain death.

Another thing about fish is the way such fish are released, be it into a well, pond, river or acquarium. The temperature of the water holding the fish may be warm while the river water may be cold. When there is such a difference in the temperature at the time the fish is transferred, the fish would receive a temperature shock which could lead to death in a few days' time. This is one of the reasons people who release their fish from a plastic bag of warm water into the cold water of their acquarium find their fish sick and dying after just a few days. The right thing to do is to put the plastic bag of fish into the acquarium or river water for about half an hour to have the water in the bag become similar to the temperature of the water in the acquarium or the river. In this way, the fish will be moving from one place to another whitout receiving any temperature shock and so, will be safe. You see, knowledge and understanding of such matters do make a difference.

When it comes to birds, we ought to get those birds which have a market for them. However, most Buddhist buy birds such as the ordinary sparrows and other dull grey feathered birds which interest nobody except such Buddhists. It simply means that such birds would never have been captured by anyone in the first place, and therefore need no release, if such Buddhist do not purchase them in order to have them released back to the wild.

To understand better, perhaps I ought to go into some details on how such birds are usually caught. The bird-catchers would tie a long wide net in the path of such birds, then send such bird into flight into the net by frightening them. The frightened birds dashed right into the net, getting caught by it, and in the process, many break their necks or are fatally hurt. Since nobody wants to rear such dull coloured birds, no one would have taken the trouble to catch them thus. If there are nobody to purchase them so as to release them, there would have been no market for them and they would have been safe in the first place.

There are also birds which are no longer wild as they have been bred in captivity for so long, away from their natural habitat since the day they were born and therefore do not know where to get or hunt for their food or water. Such birds, the African finches and the canary for example, would not know where to go, how to look for food they have been used to and water if ever they are released. They would most probably die a slow painful death as they search in vain for familiar food. Such birds may be so familiar with the sight of a cat that they may move towards it.

Fortunately, almost every frogs that are release come from the wild and therefore, it is perfectly alright to release them into the wild again.

Placenta Soup! Imagine that!

Unbelievable! Is this true? Well, I do not actually know. I received this email from a friend. Please judge for yourself.

If it is true, even though the placenta soup are from placentas of dead aborted foetus, it is indeed shocking that people could resort to being cannibals just to gain better sexual health.

Here’s the email that I wish to share with you:

Talk about Tibet feeding their corpse to nature....a terrible sight....wait till you read and see this! Below is the email I received.
**********************************************


SHOCKING NEWS FROM CHINA – Beyond comprehension


This is a sick world!

I have known of people taking Placenta soup in Malaysia itself,(on the quiet side but this tops it all; serving it to the general public, so after knowing this, does anyone care for a gourmet tour of Quangzhou anymore ?

This is worrying, ridiculous and inhuman!


Brief translation: Shocking news circulated in China .

A town in Canton is now on trend taking baby herbal soup to increase health and sexual performance/stamina. The cost in China currency = approx $4000.

A factory manager was interviewed and he testified that it is effective because he is a frequent customer. It is a delicacy whereby expensive herbs are added to boil the baby with chicken meat for 8 hours boiling or steaming.He pointed to his second wife next to him, who is 19 (he is 62), and testified that they have sex everyday. After waiting for a couple of weeks, he took this reporter to the restaurant when he was informed by restaurant Manager that the spare rib soup(local code for baby soup) was now available.

This time, it was a couple who have 2 daughters and this 3rd one was confirmed to be
a daughter again. So the couple aborted the baby which was 5 months old. Those babies close to being born and die naturally costs 2000 in China currency. Those aborted ones cost a few hundreds in China Currency. Those couples who did not want to sell dead babies, can sell the placentas and these placentas can be accepted also for couple of hundreds.

The reporter commented that this problem arises from the Chinese putting too much attention on health or is the backfiring of China introducing the one child in a
family policy. (Since the majority prefers to have male babies and those poorer families ended up selling their female babies.)

Happiness is a matter of the mind: Food and happiness

"When someone like me comes from a poor family where the next good meal is an uncertainty, he learns that having any type of food in his stomach is so satisfying."

I have never heard a greater truth than that. Hunger and poverty do not lead one to choice for there is none. When the stomach growls for too long, any type of food is good as it helps to stop the pangs of uncomfartable hunger. Such a person is happy just to get some kind of food into his stomach.

However, there are people who have never experienced hunger; always available to them is the tasty food of their choice. Such people become choosy and would sulk should they find the available food not their favourite. They can only be happy if the food is of the quality or type that is preferred. So, even good food may not be satisfying for some people.

As the above shows, happiness is easily attainable if the attitude towards food is right. And attitude is due to the experience of the persons concerned. Therefore we can safely claim that happiness is the interpretation of an act by the mind. It's thinking that makes the difference.

Since we have started on food, let us continue with food as the main criteria in our thoughts on happiness.

The type of food available to us depends upon our financial status. If we are not so well to do, we can only afford the cheaper types of food while the rich can have more choices.

Does that mean that we will lose out in terms of health, if not happiness? Certainly not! The poor can always have all the nutrients needed by the body. Our body needs proteins, carbohydrates, fats and oils, vitamins, minerals, fibres and water. Have I missed out on any?

When it comes to proteins, we have cheap fish as well as expensive fish. We have cheap meat as well as expensive meat. We have cheap vegetables as well as expensive vegetables. So, sufficient protein is available, be the consumers rich or poor.

If we buy smaller fish, it ought to be cheaper. not only that, we get more calcium too as with deep frying of smaller fish, such as anchovies, (Of course, with better knowledge on nutrition, even anchovies is rising in demand and price.) even the crispy bones can be consumed.And there is a lot of variety too when it comes to small fish.

If red meat is too expensive, it is better not to have it so often. However, even the price of meat depends upon the cut; depending upon which part of the animal it comes from. Protein from vegetables can also be available in cheaper vegetables. Furthermore, vegetables can be easily grown by the people themselves on small organic plots and even pots.

As for carbohydrates, most of the grains and vegetables are cheap. The cheaper grains, since there is less processes of refining, have more vitamins too. However, less processed grains are becoming more expensive as people realise this and the demand for the 'once-upon-a-time detested, cheap grains' rises.

Fruits and vegetables as well as liquids provide us with minerals and there are lots of free if not cheap vegetables and fruits available.

Fats and oils can be either cheap or expensive too. Coconut oil which is a good saturated oil is cheap. (Look at my posting on coconut oil.) It is cheap because it has been given a bad name through the misunderstanding that all saturated oils are bad. Flaxseeds, even the organic ones, are fairly cheap and when they are pounded the oil from them gives us a good supply of Omega-3, an important essential fatty acid as well as lignans. Groundnuts, which is tasty and cheap is another source of good oil.

So, healthwise, be the food cheap or expensive, it makes no difference where health is concerned.

As for the taste factor, it all depends upon the cook. If the cook is good and knowledgeable, any food can be cooked to taste fantastic. I know it for a fact as I have used both expensive food as well as the very cheap food in some of the meals I had cooked for my family. Yes, I did cook when my wife was still alive. We shared our chores.

So, from the aspect of food, happiness is easily achievable if we wish to be happy. Allow our minds to understand that all kinds of food can be tasty and let it realise the importance of food as a source of nutrients essential for our health. Give our mind the freedom to enjoy food without thinking of price as the indicator of good food.

Food for thought. How harmful is your food?

Have you ever heard the story of farmers who never eat the food they produce for sale?

So a groundnut farmer would not eat the groundnuts they produce for sale to the people. Likewise, the watermelon farmer does not eat the watermelon in the patch he grows watermelon for sale. So does the potato farmer who grows potatoes to sell them to us. Similarly, we have vegetable farmers who do not eat the vegetables grown for sale. Do you know why?

Well, the fact is these people know what they put into the soil or spray onto the vegetables or products as they grow. They know the about the toxicity of the herbicides they use to destroy the weeds on the land. They understand the harmfulness of the pesticides and the fungicides that they spray onto their produce so as to get the maximum amount for harvest; to maximise profits.

So, what do they do if they wish to eat the type of vegetables they plant since they will not eat what they would have us eat? They grow a little of the vegetables in another plot of land where no herbicides are used to clear the land. When growing the vegetables, no pesticides or fungicides are used. so, they know that whatever they eat, it will not be toxic. They are safe.

Are they really safe? These people forget that they live to eat many other types of vegetables which, like everyone of us, have to obtained from a market; vegetables which are grown by other people with the same ideas as them. They eat vegetables and other produce from other farmers which are full of toxic chemicals. So, who is safe? Practically nobody who has to depend upon others for fruits and vegetables. Is that true?

No! That is not true as there are farmers who produce organic produce. Although such produce is a little more expensive, it may be a way out for us.

However, how sure are we that the produce is truly organic. I know of small-scale farmers who produce vegetables which they claim to be organic, that they use no chemical fertilisers or pesticides or fungicides; yet without a netting, they manage to have no insects or pests in their plots. Is that possible?

The surest safe way to have organic produce is to grow our own vegetables. That is what I do. How much we can produce depends upon the space available and our ingenuity.

No matter what, toxicity is one of the problems humans face in our present world. It is time to thing of a way to reduce the harm it can cause. How we can do it is for us to think about very seriously.

More and more are turning to nature for a cancer cure.

Just an hour ago, a friend telephoned me to say that she will not be around this weekend and so would not be able to take some edible plants from me; plants which I had promised to pass to her this coming weekend.

You see, this gal had the first sign of cancer a year ago. She, as advised by her doctor, went through surgery and two courses of chemotherapy. A year later, which was about a fortnight ago, she discovered from her doctor that the cancer had returned. So, the chemotherapy, which was supposed to annihilate the cancer cells, did not work.

So, when the doctor again suggested another round of chemotherapy, she refused as she felt that it could not perform the task it was supposed to.

Going for alternative therapy, she found that there had been people who recovered through a raw vegetable and fruits diet; at least ninety percent of the food raw. Looks like more and more people are turning to nature when they see that chemotherapy and radiotherapy do not work well enough.

Having started on it, she told me on the phone this afternoon that she felt good and is having excellent health. As I believe in raw greens supplying the most amount of chlorophyll, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to boost our immune system, I told her that I supported her move.

When it comes to raw greens, these should be organic as pesticides, insecticides and other toxic chemicals in plants are consumed into our body together with food which is not organic. Of course, to ensure that these vegetables are truly organic, if you have the time and space, it would be good to grow them yourselves.

When the greens are grown by ourselves, we benefit even more as we can pluck them at the last minute to have the freshest greens possible with no nutrients lost.

As I have told you in an earlier posting, I am interested in the prevention and cures for cancer. As such, I will be keeping in touch with this friend to see her progress.

Prevention is better than cure. There is a lot of truth in that saying. So, let us eat more healthy greens to help our body and its immune system to protect us from cancer.

The pain of obesity.

In the Star Online today, I read of a Malay lady in Bukit Mertajam who, at the age of 35 years, is already unable to move out of her house. She was crippled by a body too heavy to be carried by her equally bulky legs.

At that age, whe was already 170 kg, a weight that gave her so much inconvenience. Even to get around in her house, she had to drag her body with her hands.

Apparently, at the age of thirty years, she was already 110 kilogram, Due to her weight, she suffered from muscular pain in her knees.

To find relief for her pain, she took traditional Indonesian medicine and her weight shot up to her present weight. In two weeks the pain did disappear but when she discontinued the medicine, the pain returned and presented her with the new problem of a swelling below the knee of her left leg.

Obesity can bring a lot of pain and joint problems to a person. I know of a retired lady teacher who was a colleague of mine who had this problem too. She was almost as heavy as the lady from Bukit Mertajam. She suffered from pain in her legs and eventually, one of her ankle joints slipped sideways and, as far as I know, is now warded in a hospital.

Another sixty-three year old lady who could not control her weight was constantly having body aches, back pain as well as pain in the legs.Her weight was just too much for her skeletal frame and it caused havoc on her vertebrae column or spinal cord as well as her knee joints.

All the above mentioned pains are common among very fat people. This situation is always aggravated with age which brings along muscle weakness and oesteoporosis.

This means young people can afford to be obese if they are able to reduce their weight as they grow older. This is because strong muscles of our body help to hold up the extra weight and reduces the burden on the skeletal frame. However, with age and a sedentary lifestyle, muscles weaken and degenerate into fat and the load, without the assistance of those strong muscles, fall heavily onto the skeletal frame, gradually compressing the joints and wearing out the protective cartilage and disc at the joints. When this happens in the spinal column, the bulging disc narrows the gap between two vertebrae and with nerves being pinched by any of the two vertebrae in the spinal column coming together, there can be pain.

Therefore, as we grow older, we should throw out any extra weight. The lighter we are, the less burden we place on our body. It is not just the weight. Our organs would not have to overwork so often if we can control out food intake, consuming only enough nutrients essential for the fitness, strength and health of our body. And if we wish to eat a little bit more, well, there is always the pleasurable brisk walk with friends in the morning each day to rid the body of excess calories.

Of course, to enjoy life, do not be too obsessed with anything we plan. Just have a healthy lifestyle.

If ever cancer strikes.

On Friday night, after my usual Kriya practice at the AOL, I saw a friend and asked, “How are you?”
“Not too well,” was the reply.
Anxious to know the reason, I sat down beside her and ask her what had happened.

She showed me a white plaster over her shoulder blade. It was due to an operation she just went through to remove some cancer cells.

She told me of the first time she discovered the cancer and went through chemotherapy. According to her, it did not do her any good as the cancer had returned after hardly a year. So, last week, when the cancer was discovered again, she refused any more chemotherapy. She agreed that chemotherapy not only kill cancer cells but also our own cells too, thus weakening our immune system eventually. So, last week, she went through an operation instead and now she is looking at alternative cures.

She told me she was lucky as she had always been strong. She found that her immune system was lower but still at a lever which is still good. However, having experienced chemotherapy, she decided not to go through it again. She wanted a better way to tackle cancer.

She was not just strong, she was a strong believer in Buddhism. Because of her strong belief in Buddhism, she had no fear of facing cancer. Through her understanding of Buddhist teachings, there was no fear of death. Watching her talk, I believed her.

She told me of a book in Mandarin in which a Thai doctor had written about food which can help cancer patients. According to her, it is the most popular book on the topic at the moment.

I mentioned to her the lady who took flaxseeds to help her stave off her cancer. At the mention of flaxseeds, she told me that that was recommended by the doctor in that book.She supplied the information that the book recommended taking two tablespoons of flaxseeds at each meal.

As flaxseeds are very cheap at five Ringgit Malaysia and fifty cents for 250gms, I believe there is no harm consuming it each day besides undergoing whatever treatments the doctors recommend.

When it comes to eating flaxseeds, I would advise that the seeds are crushed, pounded or chopped with a chopper so that our body can get at the oil in the flaxseed. Thus, our body will benefit from the lignans, the Omega-3, Omega-6 and Omega-9. Crush just sufficient flaxseed for each day’s use. Any excess should be stored in the refrigerator away from light to prevent deterioration and loss of nutrients.

Although I do not suffer from any sickness, I eat chopped flaxseeds and sesame seeds mixed into my food. Sometimes, I take a tablespoon of flaxseed oil. Although I believe they keep me in good health, I do not overeat nor over-drink as too much of anything, no matter how good, can bring side effects or, sometimes, toxicity.

Well, my drinks, my raw and cooked food, my oils, my nuts, seeds, breathing exercises and hill-trek have kept me in good condition, working and playing throughout the day from five thirty in the morning to eleven at night. I am more than satisfied with the strength, stamina, fitness and energy at my disposal. What more can I ask for?

I strongly believe that food can help our body heal itself. Do you? Do tell us the reason if you disagree so that we can benefit from your experience. I am always open to new ideas and knowledge. I am never too old to learn.

Are your vegetables beneficial to your health?

This morning I was told by a friend that he has always washed his vegetables thoroughly. When asked why he was so particular about the washing, he told me he had many good friends who were farmers. You know, those farmers, according to him, do not eat the vegetables they produce for sale. They have their own plot of land where they grow vegetables for their own consumption. These vegetables are never sprayed with insecticides or pesticides.

These farmers knew that the vegetables sprayed with insecticides and pesticides are toxic to the body. So, they eat organic vegetables while we eat toxic food unless we soak the vegetables for a long time. Do you know that it takes at least fourteen days to ensure that the pesticide is totally disintergrated. That is only for the ordinary pesticides. Of course, for grade one pesticides which are the most powerful, it may take a longer time. In fact, there are some very strong pesticides which take a few months to disintegrate.

Well, today we have enzymes which when put into water for washing vegetables, the enzyme will be able to remove the toxins. I am not too sure about that as there is no conclusive evidence anywhere.

So, the best thing to do when it comes to vegetables is to grow our own organic vegetables. Growing our own vegetables or greens is not difficult. Quite a number of people who have land or earth roadsides at their houses do plant some kind of vegetables for their own consumption.

Growing our own vegetables has its advantages. Knowing that it is definitely organic, we can eat it raw. That is in fact what I do with the greens I plant. Eating raw vegetables and fruits bring a lot of benefits which i shall go into in my next posting.

Take action while we can.

It was a thursday night, the night I attend my meditation class. There, I met this new guy who told everyone he takes all drinks without sugar, yet his sugar level is always high.

I saw his tummy protruding outwards. Certainly, he could not be taking beer or any alcoholic drinks since he knows that he should limit his sugar intake.

So, I asked him how much carbohydrates, especially simple carbohydrates, he takes. He told me he took rice like usual and he does not lessen his food intake, only sugar.

So, I asked him whether he realised that excess carbohydrates and other food can be changed to sugar. From the look he gave me, it was obvious he was not aware of this.
So, I told him about simple carbohydrates such as refined sugar and processed flour or flour products which easily and quickly increase the blood sugar in our blood stream causing problems to diabetes.

I then told him that it is evident from the shape of his body that he does not do any exercise. Upon hearing that, he told me about his two massage chairs in his office.

I told him that that was not exercise. He hardly uses up excess calories in his body. So, he should go for real exercises such as brisk walking. And when it comes to exercise it should be movement in which the heartbeat must be faster than usual, and possibly bring out some sweat, for at least half an hour.

He told me he did not have the time to exercise. To that I could not help but told him he had better start exercising when he still could. He should not wait until complications such as heart problems or inability for wounds to heal leading to gangrene and amputation comes along. Then it he would have a lot of time but too late to do anything about controlling his problem.

Sometimes people do not take action on their problems until it is just a little too late. We have just one life. Nobody is going to look after it for us unless we care for it ourselves.

Managing your calories through the right food.

In my previous postings, I did mention that excess carbohydrates, excess proteins and excess fats are the cause of obesity.

Yes, after all, it is only when we put in more calories than we expend that there are excess calories in our body for it to change them into body fats. It's as simple as that.

Therefore, the way to have the right body weight is to eat just enough for our body.

The other day I met a guy who told me that he had been an athlete in his schooldays. With his games and sports, he needed a lot of energy to stay active in the field and on the court.

Then, when he left school, he concentrated on his career and left behind the tracks, field and court. However, his appetite was just as good as before. He ate the same amount of food to satisfy his stomach. Slowly but gradually, his tummy began to expand. Soon, he had a spare tyre. Not just that, his muscles became soft and flabby. The unused muscles slowly turned to fat.

Looking back at one of my Kungfu masters and the sportsmen I had known, I discovered this to be the usual path for most of them. The trouble is that their activities are no longer as vigorous but the food still poured in at the same rate and quantity. There is excess calories, too much blood sugar leading to insulin problems and diabetes. More fat is stored in the body, around the organs and lining blood vessels causing them to narrow and gradually leading to heart problems.

So, the sensible thing to do is to slowly but gradually cut down on the amount of calories consumed so that what goes in is just sufficient for our needs.

Of course, for some, this may be difficult. Eating habit is difficult to overcome. So, we may have to solve this through preserving the same amount but slowly (It must be a gradual change for rebellion not to take place.)we can replace simple carbohydarates and sugars such as white processed sugar and processed flour and grains such as polished rice which contained no other nutrient than carbodhydrates; with complex carbohydrates such as whole grains, friuts, beans, legumes and vegetables which contain less calories and take a longer time for the body to process. In fact, we would be helping the body to get rid of some excess if it needs a longer process to get at the carbohydrates to get the calories.

With just a little lean meat and a minimal amount of possible fats in it; consuming more complex carbohydrates than simple carbohydrates, our body can return to a healthier weight.

If possible, do think of some enjoyable exercise as it can also expand whatever excess there is.

Then again, one very thin guy I knew could never seem to know what is excess. He wanted to put on weight but that was just not possible. He was a teacher who lived with me in the same house for a few years. He was with me at a language course. We stayed in the same hostel for about three months. During all that time, he tried to put on weight, eating a fantastic amount of food.

In fact I remembered very well that he ate so much that he attracted the attention of the others in the same dormitory. Every breakfast, there was always excess eggs and he would eat a good number of them. Then, in the evenings, about two hours after dinner he would buy half a Kenturkey Fried Chicken for his supper. Despite all that none of my friends have ever known him to be even plump. Where did all the excess calories go to? He was the walking, living testimony that eating excess food would not lead to obesity!

There are only two possible reasons for this guy. His metabolism rate was so high that it burned up all those calories. Well, besides exercise, our whole body need calories merely to stay alive. Every heartbeat, every breathe we take, every unfelt and unseen movement of the other organs in our body, every flow of blood, every pulse, every activity if our cells, every eye blink and whatever warmth our body emits require energy (calories). A calm person would require less while an agitated person who has his heart and mind racing faster than the fastest locomotive would certainly need much more. Each individual is uniquely individual.

Another reason could be the poor digestive system. If the food were to move down the digestive tract without or seldom delivering its calories, vitamins and essential fatty acids, then most of the food might end up at the bottom. lowest station with most of the food intact.

You do not believe that? Even the average Joe could see some seeds or fibres still recognisable splattered down in the toilet the next day. Just try it, take gauva friuts together with the seeds and it could happen to you, which is quite normal. Of course, some of them are the insoluble fibres that are bound to exit, assisting to give bulk and easier passage to the load.

Never mind, for the above guy, it could be a blessing or a problem. The fact is that there are exceptions.

I know that if we are willing to make a little change here and there, we can achieve a healthier weight.

Fats, food and health.

Recently, in this blog, you have read about the fats your body needs to stay healthy. Your cells which are found in every part and organ of your body need fats to to be produced and maintained. It supplies you with energy, without which your organs and body cannot function. Some vitamins need fats to be absorbed. So, naturally, fats are necessary.

However, do not go overboard, as we also know that too much of anything is not good for our health. Excess of some vitamins can cause problems. Excess fat can also be a problem. Knowing this how do we go about eating correctly.

Before I continue, I would like to point out that not only obese people get heart problems. I have personally known of at least two persons who had blocked arteries even though they are two very thin persons.

Knowing that saturated animal fats are not recommended by many health researchers, we ought to eat only lean meats. Of course, there is still a little saturated fats in the lean meat but that amount is not excessive. If it is chicken, remove the skin as most of the fats is found there.

When it comes to meat, it is not so much the fats in the lean meat but residues of the antibiotics and other chemicals or growth hormones which are given to the animals that can bring on health problems.

It is good to have some fish a few days a week as our protein intake. Oily fish supplies us with Omega-3.

Then again, some people do not see the fats in ghee, butter and magarine which are used in a good number of food. One of the friends who had blocked arteries told me his favourite breakfast food was 'roti canai', a kind of bread made with some ghee, which he took every morning. Here again, it is not so much the fats in the food but the build-up of the fats. Just as people who eat carrots everyday find their skin taking on a certain colour. Therefore variety is important.

I supplement with two tablespoons of coconut oil and a tablespoon of olive oil, a tablespoon each at either breakfast, lunch or dinner because of the benefits they bring. (Please read my posts on coconut oil.)

To be healthy, we should, as often as possible supply our body with sufficient protein, vitamins, minerals, fats, carbohydrates and water; besides giving it sufficient exercise and sleep.

How do we know we are giving our body the right amount of food? If our weight is fairly constant, then we know there is hardly excess food turning into fat in our body. Of course, we are talking about people with a good healthy build, neither too thin nor too fat.

Thus, if we desire a change, such as doing less exercise, we should reduce our food intake accordingly. Not doing so is one reason some sportmen or women grow fatter when they retire from active sports. The calories remain the same but the energy expended is lower; therefore forcing the body to turn the excessive food, which could be carbohydrates and protein, into fat.

As we can see body fat causing obesity does not come just from fat consumption. It also is caused by excessive carbohydrates and protein.

It is, therefore, excessive fats, carbohydrates and proteins which brings excessive calories which we must think of to remain healthy, not the amount of food. Some food contain so little calories that we can eat more of them and still have no health problem.

Do you agree? Well, let's share our knowledge for the good health of everyone.

Essential Fatty Acids.

In an earlier post I have written on the need for fats in our diet. For example, without fats, fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, D, E and K cannot be absorbed into the body.

Fats are also important to our health. Our body needs essential fatty acids for good health. Essential fatty acids or EFAs cannot be manufactured by our body and therefore we have to get them in our diet. The most important of the essential fatty acids are Omega 3, Omega 6 and Omega 9. However, Omega 9 might not be considered an essential fatty acid as it can be produced by the body when there is sufficient Omega 3 and Omega 6.

As research tells us, EFAs are necessary for the formation of healthy cell membranes. To maintain healthy skin and hair, to regulate the use of cholesterol and blood pressure in our body, to regulate blood clotting, to strengthen the immune system and control inflammatory responses, to have healthy liver function and hormone production, we need these EFAs. Furthermore, the development and healthy function of the brain and the nervous system depends upon sufficient EFAs. So do proper thyroid and adrenal activity.

As we can see, EFAs are just as important as vitamins as they are necessary for proper body functions.

Of all the EFAs, omega 3 is the most important and the body should be given more omega 3 dan omega 6. According to research, the ratio needed depends upon the individual.

Next, we ought to know what we must have liquid fats in our diet to give our body sufficient EFAs.

Omega 3 can be found in flax seed, mustard seeds, grains, green leafy vegetables and spirulina. The better sources are fish oils, linseed or flaxseed oil and canola oil.

When purchasing fish oil, there is the problem of mercury. So, we have to look into the method of extracting the oil.

Omega 6 can be obtained from vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains and seeds. Better sources are oils made from sunflower, corn, soya, evening primrose and wheatgerm.

If sufficient Omega 3 and Omega 6 is available to the body, then the body can produce Omega 9. However, Omega 9 can be found in virgin or extra virgin olive oil, olives, avocados, almonds, peanuts, sesame oil, pistachio nuts and cashew nuts.

Deficiency in EFAs can result in many unhealthy developments. Deficiency in Omega 3 can result in skin problems, poor vision and high blood pressure while deficiency in Omega 6 can cause poor skin condition, growth retardation, poor wound-healing and a weakened immune system. The problems are plentiful as the proper function of all tissues are dependent upon sufficient EFAs.

How much EFAs we get from the oils and the food in our diet again depends upon their exposure to heat, light and oxygen. These three factors caused the EFAs to be lost when the oil is oxidised and becomes rancid. In the post on 'Rancid oil', I have explained that the oils should be kept in refrigerators or dark places to prevent or slow down rancidity.

When it comes to heat during cooking, it should not exceed 100 degrees fahrenheit. Of course, it is best to eat the food raw where possible.

Extra virgin olive oil or grapeseed oil is better as cooking oil for they can withstand higher heat without any chemical change to the oil.

With this we should be able to understand our need for fat in our diet and how we can be healthier.

Carbohydrates, not necessarily fat, can cause obesity.

We know that obesity is not healthy. We know that when a person becomes too fat, chronic diseases are bound to follow.

Thus, it is not strange that people avoid fats but not the other types of food. When we buy meat, we try to have the leanest parts. That is the right path for people to take.

However, we need fats as nutrionists and research will tell you. Fats, be they liquids or solids are essential to our health.

In a previous posting, I have written on the need of fats to be consumed together with vitamins A, D, E and K for these vitamins to be digested and absorbed.

Fats are also necessary for healthy skin and hair. The fat around our organs insulate them against shock. It promotes healthy cell function and is a ready source of energy as well as maintaining body temperature.

Toxic substances entering the bloodstream can be held captive in fat tissues till they can be removed through our body's waste disposal system.

Some fatty acids are essential nutrients which means that they can't be produced in our body and need to be consumed in small quantities through food.

Fats are nutrients that the body uses to build nerve tissue and hormones.

Fat gives food flavor and texture, making food tastier. However, fats also contain a lot of calories and therefore it is better to eat lean meat.

Nevertheless, despite avoiding too much lard, people in developing or developed countries are suffering from sicknesses brought on by obesity and too much fat in the body.

It is the result of concentrating on fat as the problem and forgetting other facts about nutrition.

Have we ever thought ot the amount of calories we take in from carbohydrates such as grains, fruits and vegetables? Have we ever thought of the calories from excessive intake of protein? When we take in too many calories; more than what our body needs daily, what happens to the excess calories?

In fact, there are some among us who consume so much carbohydrates and protein that it exceeds the healthy portion needed in our diet. According to the nutritionists, we should take approximately 25% of the calories needed from fat. The remaining 75% ought to come from carbohydrates and protein. But, is the calories consumed through carbohydrates and protein 75% of our diet? For a lot of people it's "No!". It's a resounding 'no!'.

Especially for office staff who do not perform any strenous physical tasks, the carbohydrates and protein ought to be less.

In fact, when excessive simple carbohydrates, as opposed to complex carbohydrates are consumed, the sugar content is released so quickly into the bloodstream that it raises the blood sugar level leading to insulin increase there which is not good for our health.

Because simple carbohydrates are easily digested, we feel hungry faster and so we consume even more food with a even greater increase in calories in our body.

Where does the excess calories go to. Unlike the fibres and undigestible seeds they are not excreted. They are changed into fat. And that is how carbohydrates could be the culprit to the problem of obesity.

To lose weight needs discipline, knowing our daily energy output, understanding calories and how excess is converted to fat and the type of fats we ought to consume.

The failure of most weight-loss programmes is due to inattentiveness to such facts.

Let us go into failure to maintain weight loss in a later posting.