Importance of oxygen in our life

Every one of us knows that we need oxygen to survive.  But most of us do not take it seriously and are unaware of the implications on our health.

We need oxygen before we can burn our food properly and use it as fuel.  We need oxygen to burn the wastes in our body, clear and remove the toxins. Without oxygen, it is important to clean the blood cells properly and the body is burdened with toxins, fatigue and tired. Bad bacteria will multiply in a toxic environment. 

When your body is filled with oxygen, the food, wastes are all properly burnt up and you will feel more energetic, alert, concentration will improve and cognitive abilities will be enhanced.

Hence it is important to do breathe properly, exercises regularly and take oxygen supplements occasionally to cleanse and reboot your body!

我们每个人都知道，我们需要氧气才能生存。但大多数人却没有认真的面对这个问题，也不了解缺乏氧气对我们健康的影响。

我们有氧气才能够把我们吃的食物燃烧，作为燃料。我们也需要氧气燃烧我们体内的废物，清除和去除毒素。

如果没有氧气，我们没有办法清除血液与细胞里的毒素。 身体就会觉得疲劳和疲倦，也给身体增添负担。在有毒的环境中，不好的细菌会大量繁殖，就很容易生病。当我们的身体充满氧气时，食物，废物都会被烧掉，你会觉得精力充沛，集中力会提高, 认知能力会得到加强。

因此，做正常呼吸是重要的，经常运动， 服用有氧的营养品可补充你身体所需要的氧气，帮助排毒，启动你健康！

Things to look out for when making yogurt

A friend showed me how to make yogurt. Home-made yogurt! It sounds like a great idea!

It is so important to have good bacteria in our gut. They are like soldiers, they will chase out the bad guys and defend the territory. We are always exposed to the bad bacteria from the environment,from our food, hence we need to constantly boost up our good bacteria guys in our gut.

I succeeded after a few failed attempts and it gave me a great deal of satisfaction to see them taking shape so nicely.  Most importantly, they taste great! I took them in the morning with spirulina, maca powder, dates syrup and a dash of oil.

After finishing 3 tubs of it yogurt in the morning (and I don't take them everyday!), i began to feel strange in my stomach.  On further check with my Indian friends, they said they take yogurt as their dishes are usually very spicy (hence heaty) and hence they need something (like yogurt) to balance (cool) them down.  And they always take it after a meal, not on an empty stomach.

Food is our medicine.  We have to be careful, when adopting some of the diet from other culture, especially if you have health conditions.

有一位朋友教我做酸奶。 我开心极了！

我们的肠道应有多一些好菌，那是如此的重要。他们就像我们的士兵，能帮我们把坏人赶出去，捍卫领土。我们一直在跟有害细菌接触。因此，我们需要不断增强好菌在我们的肠道。

失败几次后，我终于成功了！看见它们渐渐的成形，让我有很大的满足感。最重要的是，它们的味道太棒了！我加了螺旋藻，玛卡，红枣糖浆和少许油，都是好东西！

可是， 我吃了三瓶自己做的酸奶以后，（我不是每天吃！），我开始觉得肚子怪怪的。在向我的印度朋友询问之下，他们说他们的饮食是非常辣的（属热性），因此，他们需要一些比较凉性的东西来平衡（如酸奶）。因此他们总是饭后才用，而不会空腹使用。

 所以食物就是我们的药。我们必须要小心，如果你身体已有状况，不可轻易采用其他文化的饮食。

Papaya for breakfast

Breakfast is the first meal after a long period of fasting. Your body is ready to receive the nutrients. It will take in everything and anything that you give. If you feed your body with oily and unhealthy stuff, it...

will also absorb it into your body. If you feed it with healthy nutritious food, it will also become you.

木瓜早餐

早餐是我们长时间的禁食后的第一餐。你的身体已经准备好吸收任何的营养。如果你在这个时候给你的身体油性和不健康的东西，它也将进入你的身体。如果你给它的健康营养的食品，它也将成为你的一部分。

木瓜可以是一个简单的早餐。它富含的酶！不可把木瓜从冰箱里取出。之后你可以吃你的全麦面包。

 

 

Keep That Colon Clean

Some people struggle with their bowels, some move their bowels everyday.  No matter which end of the spectrum you are at, it is more important that you understand the importance of a clean colon.  Take plenty of fibre and water, boost it constantly with probiotics and do not stay sedentary.  At the same time, try and reduce everything else that is not good for the colon.

It is also helpful to just give the colon a "spring cleaning" once in a while.  Boost it with an oxygen cleanser that will supply it with oxygen and melt all the compacted waste.  Gentle, non-intrusive, effective and non-stimulating.

有些人常为了便秘而困扰，有些人每天都能顺畅的移动他们的肠子。无论你属于哪一段，更重要的是，你了解一个干净的结肠的重要性。多吃些高纤维和水，有益生菌，运动。同时，尽量减少一切对肠子的有害物质。

若能时不时为结肠做个定期的“大扫除”，也不错。使用一个氧清洁剂，将提供它与氧气，融化压缩的废物，温和的，非侵入性，有效，无刺激。

Gatekeeper to our Health - Our Mouth

We pay so much attention to the quality of our food. But we forgot the simple process of keeping the entrance i.e. our mouth, clean. Many people think that brushing their teeth is enough. It is definitely not. Flossing is critical to keep your gums healthy, and prevent bacteria from growing.

 

Just imagine, if you have weak and bleeding gums, chances are the bacteria are there.  It will just go with the food you eat into your stomach and all around your body.  Arent we breeding the bacteria?

 

But do not overdo it and injure your gums either!

我们这么重视我们食物的品质。但我们却忘了简单的步骤，就是保持我们口中的卫生。很多人认为刷牙就足够了。这是绝对不够的。用牙线是至关重要的。它能以保持牙龈健康，防止细菌生长。

 

试想一下，如果你牙龈出血，很可能是有细菌。它只会跟你吃的食物到你的胃，你的身体周围。我们不是繁殖细菌吗？

 

但也不要过分伤害你的牙龈！

 

Baby Sprouts

This is what i call fresh food! Full of live enzymes and vibrant with energy! Beautifully sprouted and and sweet. Perfect for my sandwiches. 

这可是新鲜无比的食物！充满活酶，活力与能量！精美的发芽和甜蜜。最适合我的三明治。

Bt Timah Trekking

Sigh.  No other exercise can beat a trek into the forest.  How I missed my Japan Trekking Weekends where I can spend just half a day dashing through the forest!

I should aim to go there at least once a month!  Hmm.... I don't have that many free Sundays ...

Benefits of Trekking
- Plenty of Fresh Air! Negative ions too if we go near a water area. Great if we have a waterfall in Singapore.
- It takes just a few steps to get you all warmed up.   Efficient in burning the calories.
- Our trail is not that strenuous.  It is quite manageable.  So it is great for muscle toning
- One of the problems with health is lack of deep breathing.  This is an excellent way to do deep breathing exercises!
- Great company! Ha ha ha

Handmade Chocolate

I loved chocolates! When I read about the nutritional value of chocolates, I was so excited!
So when I saw these handmade chocolate balls at the fair, I was all for it even though it costs $3!

But after trying them, I think I am going to say no to handmade chocolate.  At least for now.  Though the sweetness is natural coming from the dates, it took quite an effort to finish both.

Heavy Metal Concentration

This is a pretty new concept.  We are bombarded and intoxicated by heavy metals, constantly eating, drinking, smelling and taking them in.  But maybe we are not aware of it.

Mercury is the most common -  our tooth fillings, the cream that we applied on (that's the worst), food that we eat. Aluminium -  water or soda that we drink, Lead - tobacco, paint etc and the list runs on.  Consequences? Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, constipation etc.

Are you heavy metal intoxicated? Take the heavy metal test!

The Best Investment

The best investment I made last year was getting the blender.

It is not about the machine.  It is about the change in lifestyle.

In the past breakfast would have been milo and bread.  But now, breakfast is either blended grains or a green smoothie.  On and off my family members will take turns to skip dinner or go on a detox.  My mom would blend some pumpkin or broccoli soup for them.

This machine is 3.5 peak and can retain 80% of the nutritional value of the food that we blend!

Just make sure there is a safety mark on when you get this!

发心吃素

有很多人发心吃素，我很随喜他们。因为他们不忍残害动物，为了地球，他们选择吃素。

可是，当我看见许多吃素食者高胆固醇，高血压时，我很惋惜。因为他们不了解，食物就 是药的道理。吃得太咸，太甜，太油，就象在吃毒药。

希望发心吃素 的每个人越吃越健康美丽， 也让周围的人了解吃素的好！

Lesson from Teochew Kuey

My sister-in-law loves cooking.  Today she made some fantastic Kuey!  The bean paste was home made.  It was not overwhelmed with sugar and I could taste the beans.  The dough was very soft and almost non-existent as you chewed it.  It was dripping with oil, but luckily the oil was clean and there was no taste of foul smell.  It was really delicious!

I looked that box of Kuey and thought to myself.

In the past, I would gobbled up the entire box of kuey in minutes.  That was how I was.  "Once I exercise, I will burn away my calories.  So I can afford to eat what I want."  That was how I thought in the past.

Yet, few months ago, I went to the other extreme and would have freaked out.  Anything that was fried in oil was a "no" "no" in my current health dictionary.

Today, I took 2 and enjoyed every single mouthful of the paste, the dough and the oil, and saved the rest for others and later.

On hindsight, i think I have crossed the bridges of the many groups of people. 

The one group that think they should just enjoy life and eat to their fill what they like and do nothing to address it.  The other group who think they are exercising, so as long as they walk, eat and sleep. There is nothing wrong with them and they are very healthy. On the other spectrum, there are people who think are overly concerned about health, hypochondriac and not touched anything that is "unhealth".

And I think I enjoyed the kuey better without gobbling down.  Food - our biggest addiction.  Which group do you belong to? 

I lost another 3 kg this December?

I weighed 56kg when I was 12, and 72kg when I was 21.  Never bothered and never thought that my weight would go below 70.  Since I started colon and liver cleansing, my weight has been wavering around 68kg.  My liver must be more efficient now.

I recently lost 3 kg in the three weeks that my family was on holiday. There were only 3 things that i did differently.

1) A strictly enforced no food after 8 pm and no fried food.  It was easier to do that without mom around.

2) I went for Bikram Yoga.  There were 26 poses that we did.  It was not strenuous and we did not really hold for a long period.  In any case, I only went 3 times.  I was looking for cardiac exercises that that can burn my internal fats.  But I sure perspired a lot in that hot room.

3) I drank a whole box of enzymes. But mom made some organic Roselle enzyme before she went on holiday.. It was taking up the fridge space and I finished it all by myself.  Our bodies need large amount of good enzymes. Could this be the reason?  Hmmm... let me check it out and let you know.

I was happy that I lost weight in time to fit into that white dress for my cousin's wedding... But I still  need to get into a good exercise routine, work on my heart muscles and burn that internal fats...

Free Gift worth S$25!

December seems like a good time to cleanse as work slowed down, and get ready for the new year!

This is an excellent opportunity for those looking for a cleanse!  Check out Yes Natural outlets!

Why do some people has bad breath?

Bad Breath - Most people think that it comes from the mouth. It is a possible reason, if you have weak gums and bacteria are growing in your mouth. Another possible reasons could be your intestines are clogged too. It is SO important to...

keep your intestines clean. One should move their bowels everyday, if not 3 times a day. Are you?

 口臭 - 大多数人认为口臭来自于口。如果你的牙龈不健康，细菌会在你的嘴里生长，这也可能是口臭的一个原因。。另一种可能的原因可能是你的肠子不健康。保持清洁肠道是如此的重要，但很多人却因为工作忙碌，没有去思考这个问题。你每天有大解吗？

How old do you want to live until?

Sister Theresa Hsu just passed away.  She said that she wants to live to the age of 120.  There were many things she wanted to do.

Since the year I got to know her, she has been an amazing inspiration to me in many ways.

She has an unbeatable spirit to go for the things that she believed in.  She wanted an education and put herself through school.  After the war, when she realised that nursing is a skill that can help people, and wrote to many schools to enrol herself.  She was already past 30 then.  If you talked to her, it is always about her brothers and sisters that she is always thinking.  She is never afraid to do the things she believes in and she knows help always come her way. 

She never stops learning.  She picked up yoga only after 60 years old and went on to be a yoga instructor, and even at a ripe old age past 100, she was always reading.  Shelves after shelves of books filled her house. 

I want to live to the age of 200 cos there are many things I want to do.  How old do you want to live until?  How do you want to be remembered?

How healthy are you?

Most people think they are very healthy just because they are not sick.  But what's so big deal about BMI and obese?

If you have a choice, would you rather be alert and healthy or tired all the time?  Do you want to be able to swing into any dresses you want, or choose only the dresses that can fit you? 
Do you want to enjoy old age, or do you want to be aching all over and breathless during old age?  You, and everyone, have a choice.

There are a few things we can do to assess our health conditions. It can be used as a guide and I have found it to be quite accurate.

(1) BMI (Body Mass Index)
(According to WHO/ Minstry of health Guideline ( Singapore 2005)

Below 18.4 - Underweight

18.5 to 22.9 - Healthy

23 to 27.4 - Midly overweight

Above 27.5 - Very overweight, obese

Calculation : Weight (kg)/ {Height (m) X Height (m)}

This is not for calculation only, it just means do something about it!

(2) WHR (Waist Hip Ratio)

The healthy range is between 0.75 to 0.85


If it is too high, there are more fats gathered at your waist area which is nearer to your vital organs such as your heart. You are more prone to diseases such as heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, breathing trouble, and sleep disorders.

So what can you do?  Just little steps in your daily routine can help you to work towards your goal.

Simple tips to treat diabetes

There is no "diabetic diet".  That is the diet that everyone should take in the first place.  Unfortunately, our diet has changed so much because of changes to lifestyle and advertisements.  Everyone wants everything "fast" and "value for money".

If you understand why Diabetes happen in the first place.  You will know how to prevent and improve it.  Simple tips to improve your diabetic condition

1) Eat brown rice and not white rice.  Brown rice is a great source of phytonutrients.  In addition, it does not result in high rise in blood sugar but allow a more gradual rise in blood sugar and insulin levels.
2) Take more servings of fruits and leafy vegetables (eg half the plate) and carbohydrates and proteins should be just one quarter of your plate each.
3) Take smaller meals but healthy snacks in between eg a fruit or nuts.
4) Keep regular meals and avoid late and heavy dinners. Heavy dinners after eight are the the worst!
5) Exercise even if it means brisk walking for 30 minutes a day. It can work wonders.

This is a good read.  Not only does she walk the talk, but she doesnt just prescribed the solution to her patients.  She educates them!

Diabetes is ranked #7 in terms of the principal causes of deaths in Singapore

As of 2007, diabetes is ranked #7 in terms of the principal causes of deaths in Singapore. 
(http://www.moh.gov.sg).

But I do not see any major changes in terms of diet and lifestyle of some of the diabetic patients, my dad, for one.  What are the possible reasons why that is so?

They don't believe that it can be improved?  They are not aware of the consequences of diabetes?  They feel that the medications prescibed by the doctor is sufficient?  They dont think that the condition can be improved?  They are not sure what they can do to improve it?

What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a result of the lack of insulin/ ineffective use of insulin, resulting in the sugar staying in the blood.  The blood sugar balance is critical for the body to function normally including the osmosis of nutrients into the cells.  As a result of this, the cells are starved of glucose and keep sending signals of food shortages to the brain. 

Hence symptoms of diabetes include increased thirst, frequent urination, frequent/ extreme hunger despite eating a lot, unexplained weight loss and constant fatigue.

In addition, the body has to turn to fats as energy source, if fats is not broken down completely, there will be a build up of ketones which will alter teh blood chemistry further and make it acidic.

So what are the consequences of Diabetes?
If the condition is not managed properly, diabetic patient may have sores that take ages to heal, and their limbs may be amputated subsequently, frequent infections such as gum, skin, vaginal or bladder infections.

When the body is starving of food, the first organ to shut down will be the eyes.  Hence serious cases of diabetes will lead to blindness.  Some diabetic patients will also end up with major complications such as cardiovascular diseasee, kidney problems, high blood pressure, gangrene, damage to blood vessels and nervous system.

What are the causes of Diabetes?
1) Late and heavy dinners
2) Irregular meal times including over-eating or skipping a meal.
3) Overburdening the body with high fats, high calories, high sugar diet.
4) Eating more than your body requirements and lack of exercise.

Our body has a natural rhythm.  It is not made of metal and is not a machine.  If we want it to work for us, we have to take care of it, and not abuse it.  The organs undergo tremendous pressure when it has to cope with extreme changes and irregular diet.

Water of Life

Water - the most basic and most important source to good health. Some people drink only when they are thirsty. Some people drink coffee, tea, juices, soda but not water. And that's not including the debate whether the water is suitable to sustain good health.
Are you drinking enough water?

 水 - 健康最基本和最重要的因素。一般人都是在口渴时，才想到喝水。有些人觉得喝咖啡，喝茶，喝果汁，喝苏打水，就是喝水。而且我们居住环境的水， 真的能维持良好的健康吗？
你每天喝的水足够吗？