Intermezzo

Phew....
I've done posting all my journey / documentation during the Anti Candida Diet.
I don't care if people are going to read it or not.
I post them here for myself and if it can be useful for others than that's great :)

Do you ever feel that ?
You want to post something but you just haven't gotten around to it and it felt like homework and after you're done with it and posted it, you feel relieved.
maybe that's just me ;p


Another thing is I want to add at least one picture on every post.
Why ?
It makes people read the post.
I know it makes me read someone else's post and if the post have no picture on it, I tend to not read it ;p
But it turns out I have other stuff to do so I tend to not have the time to add pics on the post, well I could actually add a pic instead of writing this post, but hey.....

I also don't have the patience nor the skill to shoot a perfect picture of my food.
I go over to other people's blogs and their photos are super perfect, they make me wanna eat my screen.
My photos and my food are simple, messy at times, but it's what they are
it's who I am, a little bit messy but also a clean freak at the same time.
So it's okay....:D

Also....
Do your eyes get tired writing posts that are too long ?
Reading too many blogs ?
Editing photos
Setting up your blog layouts ?
Mine gets tired, so I always try to take breaks in between but most of the times when I'm in the middle of writing something, I don't take breaks and it's really bad for my eyes because they get too tired.
So people.... Take a break, Rest your eyes
Do a little gentle eye exercise.... Tap around your eyes to increase blood flow
Take care of your eyes :)

I'm taking a break now :)
well maybe in 5 mins

What if I go out of control ??

(since I'm no longer 100% Vegan)

There are Times when
I want to be like before
like my family and my friends
to be able to eat everything and not care & stay healthy

BUT
Now when I read more, I learn more, I know more, I also get more food restrictions = headache ;p
or how to cook this, how to prepare this, how to combine foods, etc etc etc
I used to eat everything, no worries, but I'm always about 2-3 kg overweight from my current weight.
when I was in Australia & Milan, I got fat and also I got acne because of all the dairy, cheese, sweets, that I ate,
but happy and also not happy because I'd feel stuffed and being a bit fat & have acne due to my comfort food choices is also not flattering ;p
But it was so easy getting food, I could just go anywhere and find food,
so should I go back to not care about nutrition and eat whatever I want again ?
Especially now that I'm no longer 100% Vegan.

WHAT IF I GO OUT OF CONTROL AND PIG OUT INSTEAD ?
But I can't, even if I want to
and that's not a bad thing.
Now, My body would definitely tell me if I ate too much junk
It's like a natural indicator
too much fried food = throat starts to feel bad
too much fatty food = tummy feels uncomfortable
etc
we all have that natural indicator, but most of use seem to ignore it.
Our rational mind says NO to comfort food, but we tend to surrender to our cravings for comfort food and not think ahead / in the long run.
I suppose people who are more conscious about their health and who are eating healthier are more aware of these things.
Raw foodist for example, they may be way more sensitive about these things than I am.
I'm just a beginner and I'm still learning lots and lots of stuff by the minute.

BESIDES
Whenever I want to eat easy-to-reach comfort food like most people
I go over to other people's websites
Raw foodist, Vegans, I'd just go over to their blogs and I'm just glad I didn't eat junk
All those healthy yummy creative food at their blogs
makes me crave healthy fresh fruits and vegetables instead of junk.
These people are really good in cooking, they come up with all sorts of creative food combinations and they're also great photographers :)
my only problem is I don't like spending time in the kitchen ;p but I love to eat

and What about when I want to eat meat ?
when I want to eat desserts ???
Should I refrain from them forever ?
Should I be Vegan forever ?

I know I'll always change, people change
and I was a strict Vegan for almost 8 months before, but I'm not at a point where I'm allowing a small amount of good quality "comfort food"
They make me happy, they make me enjoy my meal, they make me to be able to share food with families and friends again
but of course,
First, I find a healthier alternative if I can
Second, If there's no healthier alternative, I'll make a choice, to eat it or to not eat it.
If I allow myself to eat it, I'll eat it responsibly, in smaller portion and guilt free.
There's no point in allowing yourself to eat something and not enjoy it and feel guilty the whole time, you might as well not eat it at all.
what can I eat ?
it varies.......
I know I won't be drinking milk or eating dairy ice cream anytime soon because just thinking about it makes me tummy uneasy now.
I used to love Haagen Dasz Green Tea ice cream and the Banoffe I tried in Barcelona was to die for.
I just don't want it anymore at this point.

Since I've started going to the gym, I've started eating more now.
Sometimes way too much ;p
So I'm going to have to stop pigging out on food and be in control again.
By being in control I don't mean restricting food portion drastically just to keep my weight.
No.... for the past 8 Vegan months I can eat healthily as much as I want without gaining weight.
I think I can maintain that healthy lifestyle for the future.
Although I won't be 100% Vegan now, I know I'll definitely stay on the healthy Vegan side and adding more raw fresh Vegetables to my food
and fruits, nuts, sprouts, etc etc

By listening to my body
I know I'll definitely choose not to eat junk naturally
Being responsible means I'll be "awake" and realize what I'm doing / eating.
Eating Healthily is also as important as Eating happily :)

What do people eat back then ?

I mean, way way back then.
Were they all Vegan ? Raw Vegan ?

What about winter times ?
No Vegetables around, they have to eat meat, right ?
although they do have dried seed, nuts, grains, etc

What about people who live in warm climate where there's no Winter and fruits and Vegetables are available all year long ?
Do they still eat meat ?

I suppose even if people do eat meat, the meat came from wild animals,
a. which means these animals eat natural food from the forest
b. their living conditions are well... the jungle
no stress from being crammed in small cages without sunlight
c. no pollution from their environment
d. no antibiotics, drugs, hormones to make them grow bigger and fatter and faster.

And back then, people ate the meat :
1. Without additional preservatives, artificial coloring, artificial flavors.
2. The meat wasn't frozen and then thawed and then frozen again and then.... (u get the point)....during shipping
3. People don't eat meat on a daily basis.

So in short... Back then, People ate healthier with a better meat quality, not daily.

Let's look at NOW
Eating meat has become a daily habit, breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner.
plus desserts, dairy, cheese, sugar, sugar sugar
Yes, most of us make sure to eat all those junk food on a daily basis !!
All those meat and dairy and egg is filled with antibiotics, hormones, etc
What we eat is not lean meat, but unhealthy fatty meat.... yummm...;p
and the food we have at our table is filled with preservatives, artificial color and flavor, salt, salt, sugar, sugar.
then to make it worse, we fry them.
again... on a daily basis.
No wonder people are sick.

Of course you also get pesticides from vegetables, but we can still opt for organic ones, right ?

" Then, what about people who eat everything and are still very very healthy ?
Won't I be wasting life's pleasure of gluttonous food by just eating a restricted food choice ? "
Well... it's your choice.
Maybe Those people who eat everything and stay healthy are the lucky ones, maybe they only look healthy outside but who knows what their health condition is really like ?
Those people aren't you !
You are different from me & from everyone else.
and You have to take care of yourself.
Stay healthy, don't focus on staying thin.... but aim to be healthy, that's the main goal !!

So you ask yourselves "Do I have to be a Vegan too ?
I can't eat vegs everyday...."
You don't have to be a Vegan, but pay attention to what you eat.
If you drink sugary soda, fried fast food, creamy desserts on a daily basis, let's just start by cutting back on those.
Hey instead of eating candy, why not try fruits instead.... I don't think anyone hate fruits. Try figs, pomegranate, mangoes, anything.
Just don't make a dessert out of fruits by cooking it in sugar, all you get is well, sugar.
Start small.... start taking in more fresh vegetables and leaving the unhealthy ones behind and you'll find yourself wanting more fresh fruits and vegs by the day.

For me.....
First
I love vegs and fruits
I love what I eat
I love healthy Vegan meal
I never eat processed Vegan food (Vegan cheese, Vegan meat, Factory made Vegan desserts etc) just because they're not available here, so in a way I'm lucky that I won't have a chance to even get tempted by them.
I just have to fight my wanting to eat so much of the other Vegan "junk" and crispy crunchy fried food, but the aftermath is a really really bad sorethroat.

Second
Since I started being a Healthy Vegan, where I try to avoid white rice, white bread (but still allowing complex carbs such as sweet potato, and also some "junk" --> fried food and sugar)
My weight's been constant, it's ridiculous
No matter how much Vegan food I ate, or how full I got, I never gain weight during this 6 Vegan month.
And I know sometimes I can eat like crazy and being too full is not good for my digestion system either, but my weight's been constant during this time.
It's not like before when I still eat everything, I'd do portion control, eat less carb (rice,paste) eat less meat, eat less ice cream, eat less cheesecake but in the end I only end up wanting more and losing control the next day. Why ? because I feel hungry.
Now I never feel hungry, I can eat whenever I feel hungry.
I'm now feeling good in with my current weight and I don't even exercise to help me lose weight.
(I should exercise though, listen people, move your body and be healthy)

So...
The key is to love what you eat,
So if you force yourself to be a Vegan but you never enjoy your Vegan meal and you hate your Vegan food, then it's hard for you to benefit from it.
Just start by simply adding more vegs n fruits on a daily basis, and you'll see that in time you'll want more and more of fresh fruits and vegs :)
You'll eventually lose weight automatically without even trying, or maybe gain some weight if you're too thin. You'll have your ideal weight.

I've been a Vegan for 6-7 months now, but I had some meat a few days ago, I just wanted it so bad, I gave in and it was good.
So, Does that mean that I'm going to start eating meat again ?
I don't know.
Maybe I will, maybe I won't, maybe I will, rarely,
If I did, I'll definitely choose a good quality meat and preferably not fried, not overly processed with artificial everything, etc. (ok...here I'm totally repeating what I said that in the previous post ;p)
But for now, I still want to continue being a Vegan.
Even as I'm typing this, I'm drooling for some steamed broccolis & spinach mixed with some raw walnut, drizzled with a little bit of roasted sesame oil and seasoned with salt for dinner.
Yummmm............ :)

Do you need Vitamins / Supplements as a Vegan ?

Ask yourself this....
Do you happily eat a Healthy balanced Vegan diet everyday ?
If you don't, then you should....eat a Healthy Balanced Diet, happily :)

and If your lifestyle doesn't allow you to have a daily Healthy Diet, then you might want to consider adding Vitamins/Supplements.
But do your research, ask your physician, and don't overdo it.
I read somewhere that all Vitamins/Supplementations that goes inside our body are not absorbed but instead they're treated as toxins.
So honestly, I don't know.
My 88 year old grandmother eats everything all her life and has been taking lots of supplements most of her older adult life and she still has a very strong memory, although she's recently developed glaucoma and a slight knee problem.
But that's just 1 person, others might have different result.

Decide for yourself whether or not you need supplements, then consult the experts.

Let's see....
I consider myself healthier than some of my busy friends that would often eat :
breakfast : coffee and toast + jam
lunch : rice and scrambled egg + chili sauce
or even anything from a fast food restaurant
dinner : eating out in a restaurant + sinful desserts (sugar & bad fat)
or just instant noodle (msg all the way)
and if they survive without supplements, I suppose so will I.

But I don't eat a complete rainbow salad with all the good fats (avocado, raw nuts, etc) and an array of fruits on a daily basis.
Some days I eat very very healthily and very very satisfied :D
But
Sometimes I cheat and eat lots of fried food till my throat hurts, very clever right.
Sometimes I get so lazy I just eat steamed broccolis and cauli flower with olive oil and salt for lunch and dinner.
Sometimes I don't get the chance to cleanse and eat plenty of fruits.
Other than food,
Sometimes I don't even get enough sleep and I easily get stressed.

So I decide to start supplementing again.
and I think it's always a good idea to choose a vitamin / supplements that contain a lower amount of everything so you don't take in too much.
If you need more, just take 2 tablets, or 1 and 1/2.
Remember to find a Vegetarian / Vegan formula.

Here's what I'm planning to take :
Cal, Mag, Zinc (3 in 1)
Kelp
B12 and Folic Acid
Vegans are always associated with B12 deficiency, although our B12 is stored in the liver and it might take years to show any symptom of deficiency, but I figure, since it's water soluble, it's ok to take.
There are different types of B12
Hydroxycobalamin to cyanocobalamin, and Methylcobalamin.
and Supposedly the latter is the better one.
Mine happens to be Cyanocobalamin.

I also might add Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, organic ones aren't available here.
Morinda / noni capsules, Fresh noni fruits are available here, but I can't stand the smell. :0
I might add other supplements later.

But..........
I don't really feel like taking them at all.
I think I should, but I don't really want to.
I don't know whether that's my pride telling me that I'm perfect and I can always have enough nutrients from my food and I don't need factory made supplements,
or is it my body telling me to not take supplements.
I don't know.

But I suppose I will eventually start supplementing... slowly
maybe tomorrow ?

FYI, There are other stuff that might contain B12 if you prefer that instead of supplementations, Fortified Nutritional Yeast for example, but in this article,
http://www.veganhealth.org/b12/vegansources
it says :
* Nutritional yeast often comes from bins in health food stores. If not careful, it would be easy for a store employee to order the wrong nutritional yeast out of the distributor catalogs which often list many yeasts. It would also be easy to accidentally put the wrong yeast into the Vegetarian Support Formula bin.
* B12 is light sensitive. Nutritional yeast is likely to be exposed to the light because it is often stored in clear bins or plastic bags.
* At least one vegan who thought he was getting B12 from nutritional yeast developed B12 deficiency symptoms that cleared up upon taking a B12 supplement.

So....Do your research, and Don't copy someone else's vitamin/supplement routine because we're all different.
If you want to get your B12 from raw foods, also do research :)
I'm still doing mine.

Take your of yourself :)

Do you need to have a bloodtest if you are a Vegan ?

I say if you can afford it, why not ? Go for it.
It's good to know your blood test result.
So if there's something wrong, you can fix it.

For me, I was going to have my blood check after 6 months of being a Vegan.
I was all excited about it, like a kid wanting to see her school report card after being "good" for 6 months, i even marked my calendar ;p
I also wanted to check my B12 and Folic Acid Level
But it cost around US$45-50 just to do that, each !!
besides I read that a bloodtest might not give an accurate reading of your B12 level anyway, but then again, I could be wrong.
and when you Add in the normal thorough blood check fee, it would cost me around US$250
So I decided to safe the money and not do the blood test.
Kinda disappointed, but it's okay :)

Now what ?
Well....
I'm now going to keep eating healthily and HAPPILY :)
also adding more Healthy Organic Raw Vegetables :)
and I think I'll add some supplements in my diet, because there are just some days that I don't eat a complete balanced diet and I might need some supplementations.
(It's a good idea to always consult your physician first if you want to start supplementing.)
but the bottom line is... I'll stay eating Healthily and Happily :D

Newbie to Green Smoothie

I've recently started making green smoothie with my modest glass blender.
I've never mixed fruits and greens on a blender before, I've always thought of a smoothie as strictly fruits only concoction.
and Nope... I don't have the super powerful blender like Blendtec or Vita-mix, because the Blendtec/Vita-mix that are available here are the commercial ones which cost US$628-661, which is around US$200 more expensive than the home consumer one.
Normal blender cost around US$50 and that's a good brand.
So I'm not planning to get Blendtec / Vita-mix just yet, although they remain in my wishlist.

I can't use my normal blender to smoothly blend carrots though, last time I did that, it almost broke my blender, almost.... *phew*
I still use my centrifugal juicer for carrots, beets, etc
Although I'm gonna try to take the carrot pulp from my juicer and put it in my blender to see if it can be blended out smoothly to drink.

So.....
The smoothies turn out great !!!!!
Advantages :
They're easy and fast to make.
They make me drink my raw greens easily (I get all the fibres)
They make me drink my ground flax seed easily (I don't really enjoy ground flax on my salad)
The blender is way easier to clean and wash than my juicer.
and most of all
They taste like desserts !!!!!!! Yuuummmmmmmmmmm !!!!
I'm spoiled with smoothies, it makes me "lazy" to chew my vegs now. :)


This one is my green smoothie in a 0.5 litre glass.
(I made too much, it made me a bit too full, but so good though)
I put in :
- a handful of romaine lettuce & green spinach
- half a cucumber
- 1 banana,
- 3 dates,
- vanilla beans from half a vanilla pod (can't seem to smell the vanilla),
- half a spoonful of ground flax seed (ground it first using the dry spice blender)
- coconut water
- did I put mango in ? I can't seem to remember ;)

I prefer not to use water in my smoothie, just coz I don't want to bland the taste.
Last time I used watermelon and I squeezed the water out of the watermelon into the blender, yes with my barehand, I am that strong ;p
or I'd squeeze in lemon juice. and any other fruit that's water-y.

and I don't add ice cubes in my blender, if I find my ready-to-drink smoothie not cold enough, I simply add some ice cubes and stir and drink.

Since my blender is a normal modest blender,
it doesn't really blend brocollis that well,
Last time I added brocollis, okra, ground flax, raw almond and banana and watermelon.
But there was too much greens than the sweet fruits, so it turned out quite yucky and brittle-y
But I gulped the whole thing anyway ;p
Oh well, I'm still experimenting

I'd like to try Chia, Hemp, super green food powder, etc, but they're just not available here. Shipping them would be costly and I don't know whether the shipping condition & duration will make the products go bad or not.

Anyway.....
Here's what I do, for now :
- I "chew" my smoothie (I don't use straw to drink my smoothie)
I don't use a straw to drink my smoothie, because I'm worried that I'll be "drinking" the smoothie all too fast without "chewing" it first.
I mean, with smoothies, it's not really chewing, but since when you eat normal food, you need to properly chew the food so they mix well with the saliva where enzymes interact and it's beneficial for healthy digestion, so I figure I need to "chew" my smoothie instead of drinking it right away.
Yes you can also sip slowly with your straw and "chew" before drinking your smoothie.
But since I don't have a glass straw, I use my spoon to "chew" and drink my smoothie :)
It's fun, it's like melted ice cream with each spoonful.


- I use straw for :
My regular carrot & beet juice.
I also sometimes drink warm lemon water.
(it was every morning last year, it's good for your health)
Lemon, especially, is very alkaline inside our body but it can be very acidic to your teeth enamel and it's better that it doesn't stay in contact with your teeth for long periods of time.

And for that reason, I used to use a plastic straw (bubble tea straw) to drink my lemon water / juice and since I don't want to throw the straw out after every use, I wash it with soap water and a tiny brush that goes inside the straw.
But I haven't been using it lately, well because it's plastic.
Now I just drink it from the glass.
I may have to eventually purchase a glass straw, but I'm still afraid they'll arrive broken since they have to be shipped from overseas. Oh I'll figure something out :)

Here comes the Question no. 1 :
I read that raw foodist may have bad teeth because the enzymes from the raw greens/fruits may harm the teeth's enamel or something like that.
Notice when you're cutting up some types of vegs, they have a sticky sap thingy ? and cooking the vegs will eliminate this sap.
Maybe the enzyme in the veg's sap is causing the teeth to go "bad".
Also the sugar from the fruits and dried fruits.
Some people say it's better to use a straw when drinking juice/smoothie so the juice doesn't really get in that much contact with the teeth.

So in the long term, I don't know Whether it's better to "chew" the smoothie and let it interact with saliva for better food absorption and digestion or Whether to use a straw and swallow straight away so you have a better teeth ?

But I suppose your teeth won't be not any worse than the typical American diet of sugary cakes, desserts, etc, right ?
I think you're safe as long as you eat more greens than sugary fruits, and not overeat on acid fruits, dried fruits and dehydrated stuff.
And if you rinse your mouth, floss and brush your teeth and you'll be fine.

Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences :)

I also find these articles that kinda calms me down on the whole bad teeth thing :
The Raw Divas Blog titled "The Raw Food Diet isn't bad for your teeth"
http://therawdivas.com/blog/?p=156
Frederic Patenaude Blog titled "Why Raw-Foodists Have Problems With Their Teeth How to avoid dental decay, gum disease and erosion for good."
http://www.fredericpatenaude.com/dentalhealth.html

-------------------------------

Question no.2 :
I read in a book somewhere that it's better to juice not more than 3 types of fruits for better absorption in our body.
I suppose it applies to smoothies as well.
But we all tend to put like 7 (sometimes even more) ingredients into the blender.
I read a lot of health improvement in people who drink a mix of a lot of vegs+fruit smoothies and it's been proven great for our health so far

So Do the "Don't juice more than 3 types of fruit" really apply ?
What do you think ????
I suppose mixing vegetables is fine.
For example, salad consist of so many different types of vegs and the rainbow combination is good for us.

I think if it works, it works, it's that simple.
If blending 10 ingredients keep you healthy, then I suppose it's good for you, and you can always only mix 3 types of fruits/vegs when your running short on fruits n vegs :)

What I'm not sure is mixing the vegetables and the fruits, Are there any rules for that ?

I seem to keep on answering my own questions, except for the last one though :)

Woww..... this has been a long post :)
Thanx for reading :D

Distilled Water for you and The Healing Powers of Water

Check out this post about the good and bad facts about drinking Distilled water
http://healvitiligo.blogspot.com/2009/09/distilled-water-good-or-bad-for-you.html

and this one about the Healing Powers of Water
http://healvitiligo.blogspot.com/2009/09/healing-powers-of-water.html

My New Water Bottle

I just got myself two Klean Kanteen Stainless Steel Bottles :)


here's the small 12oz one.

but first,
5 years ago, I bought a SIGG water bottle in Milan, Italy.
I bought the large 1 L / 33 oz red one.
I would spend a whole day in class and that bottle would last me for the whole day.
It was quite heavy to carry in the morning, but by the end of the day it was already empty.
So... it's way better to use my own water bottle than wasting 2 plastic bottles from the vending machine.
My friends were asking me what that bottle was and what I was drinking.
I filled it with tap water.... but later on I stopped using tap water coz my friend told me that it's better not to drink tap water in Milan because it has calcare or calcium deposit.
But it's a different story.....
Anyhoo............. I've not used my SIGG since then, because I forgot about it and because it's too big for daily use now ;p
But I found this article that says that the old SIGG bottle may leach BPA and mine falls into that category.
http://www.zrecommends.com/detail/siggs-bpa-confession-you-arent-going-to-like-it-any-more-than-we-do

Moving on,
Most people here don't drink tap water, because.... well....tap water quality is not that good.
and Most people order the Gallon water bottles from Water companies.

I often see those big bottles transported on an open truck during the day, talk about not exposing water to sunlight ;p
And the gallon water bottle uses #7 type of plastic, which is polycarbonate, which may contain Bisphenol-A (BPA) and may leach the BPA into the water we drink.
http://www.mindfully.org/Plastic/5-Gallon-Water-Jugs.htm
http://health.msn.com/health-topics/cancer/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100176179
But this is something I found out recently, and I've been drinking from this gallon water bottle all my life and I don't think there are other alternatives.

Then instead of buying water bottles, I usually use one of those Tupperware glasses/tumblers with the rubbery cap/lid.
But lately water leaks from the cap/lid and I bought a cap/lid replacement, but it wasn't really rubbery and I couldn't even put the lid on, so I don't really use it all that much anymore, besides I'm trying to avoid plastic usage.
I don't know which type of plastic is used for my tumbler, probably Polypropelene.
Tupperware uses different types of plastic on their products.
Info here :
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=740073
http://www.tupperware-blog.com/tupperware-overview/is-tupperware-cancer-causing-38/
http://mommyfootprint.com/tupperware-items-made-from-7-plastic/
http://order.tupperware.com/coe/app/tup_widget.show_page?fv_page_code=safetyqa&fv_section_name=help&fv_category_code=search&fv_item_category_code=200550

And years ago, my dad got this little machine to distill water.

So I've been drinking that, but not entirely that, sometimes we ran out and we just drink the mineral water out of the gallon water bottle.
You can totally tell the difference, distilled water feels lighter when you drink it, maybe because the water's purer, so it feels thinner.
I don't know if distilling water will remove BPA.
There are also controversy about drinking distilled water because it lacks the natural occurring mineral in drinking water and it may drain your body from minerals, but some says it won't.
But hey... I still drink mineral water from the susceptible BPA leaching gallon water anyway.... oh man.
Besides.... the water that I use on a daily basis to shower may also contain BPA from the PVC water pipes and we know that everything we put on our skin, the largest organ of our body, is absorbed by our body.
So what next ? A water filter system for the whole house ?
Okay.... one thing at a time.... :)

Anyhoo.... in search for a better water bottle and to use it with my distilled water.
I finally got myself Klean Kanteen Stainless steel bottles.
well, my sis got it for me from Singapore. thx sis :)

my new Klean kanteen bottles with my old SIGG bottle.

Why Klean Kanteen ??
They say Stainless Steel is better, so.....
(but who knows what new research may suggest later on)
(besides, almost all my cookware are stainless steel)
There are other brands, but his one looks simple enough and I didn't know where to buy the other ones ;p
I got the wide one for easier cleaning, and because it has 100% stainless interior.
The wider mouth makes it feels like drinking from a glass instead of a bottle really.
From the outside, It kinda looks like my dad's old thermos.

I got the Wide bottles (12 oz / 355 ml and the 27 oz / 800 ml)
The small one to always have in my bag and the bigger one for when I need more water, exercising or to put in my car to refill my small bottle ;p


no corner inside, matte inside and out.
I can actually fit my hand in there when washing it.
and oh... the accidental scratching sound my nail made with the steel..... goosebumps.
It may leave water stain on the stainless steel surface after washing, it's always a good idea to always wipe the outer part dry after washing :)
Or not.....you'll have a subtle polka dot water stain all over, kinda decorative ;p


My SIGG bottle got dented..... I may have dropped it, but I can't seem to remember when.
Is my grip really that strong ;p
But the paint or the inside lining doesn't chip, so dat's a good sign.
The Klean kanteen bottles will also dent when dropped but hey.... I'm fine with that.


The waste afterwards....
2 clear plastic bags and klean kanteen paper tags.
I don't want to just throw them out and, so the 2 plastic bags are waiting to be reused and the paper tags are in my drawer, for now.

I'm so excited to use my new Stainless Steel Water Bottles :)
I only use it for water only (room temperature)
So..... I washed it with soap water. leave it to dry and used it the next morning.
I can smell that metal smell when I drink the water out of the Klean kanteen bottle.
not a strong smell, but it's there.
Can I taste the metal ? I'm not really sure, but if I can smell it, I might think that I can taste it as well.
Some people can definitely smell and taste the metal and someone else reviewed it and said "it taste like coin", mmm... I think that kinda describe it right.
But some people said that there are no metal taste.
So, it's probably because my bottle is still new or probably it's just that some people are more sensitive than others, me included.
My old SIGG bottle didn't have any smell to it, and my stainless steel kettle didn't have any smell to it, so probably the smell will go away after a few uses, hopefully.

Update : I filled the bottles with distilled white vinegar and baking soda and left it overnight, I also filled it with boiling water overnight (careful coz it's not a vacuum flask) and the next day, I thought I kinda still can taste the metal... But now, After a few uses, I don't really taste anything anymore, dunno if I've gotten used to it or the metal taste's gone away. :)

Just one thing though,
I've noticed that on the top part of the bottle, the stainless steel is folded, and it's probably to give it more thickness for safety purposes (so that u don't cut your lips drinking from it)



close up

Can you see what I mean ? It's folded like the blue line illus. on top right.
I don't know if it's tightly pressed or there's tiny gap in between.
So, will stuff get stuck in between there ? (food, oil, germs)
nevertheless, it creates a "corner" (where the arrow is) and stuff might get stuck there , so it's a good idea to use a brush the clean the top part when washing.

I've seen a cheap vacuum flask that has a smooth non-folded top part and it's not too thin.
I suppose, price wise, weight wise, factory standard wise, it's just suppose to be like that.
But I prefer to have a thicker heavier stainless steel bottle than having the top part folded like that. but hey... that's just me :)

I'm curious about other Water bottles and your experiences.
What water bottle do you use ?

Why Fried Food is bad for us

Another reason why Fried Food is bad for us

As I mentioned before here
1. Fried Food always make my throat a bit uncomfortable afterwards.
2. I'd feel uncomfortable if I eat too much fried food, because my stomach would definitely notice all the oils absorbed in those fried food.
3. and Yep... Fried food is bad for you.
It's bad when you're trying to lose weight, It's bad when you're trying to cleanse, It's just bad.
4. Do you also get this or is it just me ? When I eat too much crunchy food, I hurt my gum a bit, the one near the lower wisdom tooth at the back of your mouth, that's where I chew my crunch crunch and the friction probably irritates my gum a little.

Another reason is :

Acrylamide

What is the problem?
Acrylamide is known to cause cancer in animals. Also, certain doses of acrylamide are toxic to the nervous system of both animals and humans.
(from WHO website)

How does acrylamide form in food?
Acrylamide forms from sugars and an amino acid (asparagine) during certain types of high-temperature cooking, such as frying, roasting, and baking.

What kinds of cooking lead to acrylamide formation? In what foods?
High temperature cooking, such as frying, roasting, or baking, is most likely to cause acrylamide formation.
Boiling and steaming do not typically form acrylamide. Acrylamide is found mainly in foods made from plants, such as potato products, grain products, or coffee.
(from FDA website)

WHO AND FDA links
http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/chem/acrylamide_faqs/en/

http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FoodContaminantsAdulteration/ChemicalContaminants/Acrylamide/ucm053569.htm

So goodbye potato chips....
so long french fries.....

and what if you can't stop eating fried food or baked goods or roasted food ?
Just remember to balance it out by eating lots of fresh vegetables and fruits :)
and drink lots of pure water.
and in time...... you'll end up always craving healthy fresh fruits and vegetables above everything else.
:D

Why we crave Fried Food

It is because our body wants more nutrients than just vegetables and fruits.
It wants beans and nuts and seeds. (Organic & Raw if possible)
It also wants the live enzyme from fresh Vegetables (Organic & Raw)
Vegan or no Vegan... we all need to eat a balanced diet packed with nutrients.
and If we're missing out on some essential nutrients, we crave for something, and sometimes we don't know what we crave, so we turn to comfort food, sometimes sugary dessert, ice cream, and in this case, fried food.
So instead of giving in to our cravings, we better start eating right.
We better start eating a healthier, wider variety of nutrient packed food :)

Here's why :

These past 2 weeks, I've been craving fried food everyday,
Some days, I'd even just fry a simple flour+water+olive oil batter on a non stick pan and eat it with my salad/vegan food.
I know that is totally nutrition-less, but I so want that crunch in my food.

I think I know why
when I started being Vegan almost 4 months ago.
I was really good.. no fried food, no sugar, no simple carbs (rice, potato, flour, etc).
and most importantly, no cravings of those "bad" food.
I ate lots of vegetables (raw and lightly steamed) and fruits.
and....
I also ate nuts (almond, pistachio, cashew, etc) and seeds (sesame seeds, flax seed)
and I also eat some beans (red beans, green beans, etc) and soy (tofu, tempeh, beancurd sheets)

Lately, I rarely eat nuts, seeds, and beans and raw Vegetables.
why ?
After a while, I've gotten a bit lazy to prepare food in the kitchen.
So, I've only been eating vegetable dish that the housekeeper made for me (vegs mostly sauteed or lightly steamed, with olive oil and salt.)
I haven't been eating Fresh Raw Vegetables because I usually prepare Raw Salads myself.
I think that's why I crave fried food....
I actually crave the crunch, the texture, the taste of nuts, seeds, beans and raw vegetables.

Of course, I can't ignore the fact that fried food taste good !!
But the downside of Fried Food is :
1. Fried Food always make my throat a bit uncomfortable afterwards.
2. I'd feel uncomfortable if I eat too much fried food, because my stomach would definitely notice all the oils absorbed in those fried food.
3. and Yep... Fried food is bad for you.
It's bad when you're trying to lose weight, It's bad when you're trying to cleanse, It's just bad for you.
4. Do you also get this or is it just me ? When I eat too much crunchy food, I hurt my gum a bit, the one near the lower wisdom tooth at the back of your mouth, that's where I chew my crunch crunch and the friction probably irritates my gum a little.

Plus... it's kinda like "When you start again, you can't stop"
I know that's how it is, after I had my first fried food after a while, I kinda crave it and eat more and more the next time.
So I better start eating healthier food and start adding more nuts, seed, beans and raw vegs in my food, instead of eating fried stuff.

Plus.... Motivation is Important.
Knowing that you want to have a healthy long life surrounded with your loved ones, helps you focus on staying healthy and choosing the right food to eat.

:)

Why do we crave Junk Food ?

1. They are readily available Everywhere.
Supermarkets, malls, food courts, street food stalls, etc
All you have to do is grab them and start eating.
We tend to feel lazy even to peel a banana, let alone prepare a full healthy meal.
that's why we crave junk food, it's so easy and fast.

2. Everyone's eating them, even the beautiful people.
So it's kind of a social situation.
All your friends sitting there eating and you're the only one not eating junk food.
Here's a simple solution :
Bring your own food, Get a Take Away !!
that way you can still hang around with them and have your healthy meal.
What ?
Buying a bowl of salad doesn't look appetizing because everyone else is eating junk food and seem to be enjoying themselves, so you follow the crowd ?
You're craving junk food because of peer pressure ? kinda ?
Wrong, you should have your salad and show them you're the one enjoying your salad.
Show them a salad with a twist can be a totally great satisfying meal and make them envy you.

3. They are spoonfed at you over and over again.
We don't actually crave those processed food, we crave the thought of eating them.
Especially when those foods are repeteadly advertised in magazines, on TV, in the radio, everywhere.
And if everything is repeated a gazillion times, we tend to want it, it's all marketing.
That is why we crave junk food.
The truth is, Our bodies don't really crave them.
We crave Healthy Food.

4. There are so many variations and combinations of junk food.
How many variations and combinations of Healthy Food that you know ? that you've seen ?
Not much.
Healthy food equals to boring food to many. That is so untrue, there are so many variations and combinations and tastes in Healthy Food.
How can you see them as boring food when you don't even know them ?
How can you crave Healthy food if you haven't even tasted them.
If you want to be Healthy and have your best weight, you should really try to Eat Healthy Food, period.

Plus Junk food is presented in a cool graphic mouth-watering way, yup advertising.
so they're always Fun to look at and you're attracted to them.

5. They are mostly added with preservatives and artificial ingredients, such as artificial color, artificial flavor (MSG)
So you think they taste so much better, but they don't.


Having said all those reasons above.
You are craving junk food because they taste "good" and they are "fast" and they are readily available everywhere bla bla bla.
But you are in fact could be craving something else,
you're craving for something that's not in sight, yea if you don't see them you forget they exist,
(fruits and vegs)
you're craving for something else that might takes a little bit of preparations.
You're craving for Healthy Food.
If you're thirsty, drink water, don't drink soft drinks.
Get your sugar cravings from fresh naturally sweet fruits.
Have your bowl of fresh Rainbow colored salad when you're hungry.
If you're not Vegan, go ahead and add baked salmon, grilled chicken, all the healthy stuff.
Just enjoy your meal.
You'll feel a "lighter" after that meal, not the kinda of "heavy" feeling after a big meal of greasy fast food.

So.... Just give Healthy Food a try.
Just start today.
and hopefully You'll be craving Healthy Food always. :)

Trust me, If Yummy Healthy food are heavily advertised everywhere and they're easily found everywhere, You'll definitely crave Healthy Food above all others :D

How to Maintain your Healthy Weight ?

The thing is, it's all connected.

If you want to maintain your Healthy weight,
then you also have to maintain your :
> Healthy Diet (control what you eat)
> Healthy Lifestyle (exercising, no staying up too late, etc)
and
> Healthy State of Mind
seriously, being happy affects your whole well being :)

The "fun" part is, when you're trying to lose weight, or when you're trying a new diet/lifestyle.
It's all fun and experimental at first, then you start to lose weight, healthily.
Then you keep maintaining your Healthy Diet-Lifestyle-State of Mind
and then you finally get your Ideal Healthy Weight.
Of course you get excited :)

Then after a while,
you start to feel a bit bored, just a tad
and then you start slacking.
oh this is so classic.
You start to skip one day of exercise and it becomes three.
then you start to allow yourself that tiny scoop of ice cream.
Hey after 2 weeks, you still haven't gain weight.
So... you start slacking even more and at the end of that month
you've gain weight... yupp.... not the healthy one.
then you think to yourself "If I can do it before, I can do it again, I'll start tomorrow"
but then tomorrow becomes another tomorrow and another year.
and you end up the same as before, unhealthily overweight.
yes, we've all been there.

So what do you do ?
How do you keep fit and keep your best ideal weight without feeling bored ?
1. Variations in your Diet & Exercise
Always find stuff that get you more motivated and interested in continuing your Healthy Life.
yea yea.... we all know that... but being bored is being bored....
But seriously,
> Try out a new exercise, ballet dancing, taekwondo, taichi, body combat, wushu, anything.
Have Fun, you'll find yourself getting re-motivated once again, like that feeling of "I can't wait to do it again tomorrow, I wish tomorrow would come quicker"
> Try to eat different kinds of food, different spices, different cooking method.
It might seem cliche, but it actually works.
There are times when I'm super bored with my usual food, but then I tried different ethnic food and hey, I sometimes even experimented cooking in the kitchen, and they turned out to be one of the best satisfying meal ever.

2. Competition is sometimes a good thing.
Yup.... being competitive in a positive way makes you stay motivated.
Work out together. If your friends can stay so toned after a year, so can you.
Have a potluck dinner together and compete in preparing the best food, the weirdest food even.

3. Ask yourself what makes your mouth water ?
Imagine 2 things in your head.
a. Fresh Fruits and Vegetables
(Berries, sweet Watermelon, Figs, Oranges, Fresh Colorful Salads, etc)
b. Pale Processed & overly cooked food, Cold limp Fried food.
Which one would you choose ?
or which one would you eat more ??
The answer is obvious :)
Even when you think you're craving a sweet desserts, your body might actually be craving something else, Have a freshly sliced sweet cantaloupe or grapes or other fresh fruits, then you're good.

4. If you still crave junk food, really really crave junk food.
Allow yourself those junkfood, but Be in Control and Listen to your body.
So you've really really been craving those french fries.
Allow yourself to indulge but don't overeat.
This is when we usually lose control and start to overeat.
Listen to your body, if you haven't touched fried food for some time, eating it again won't feel right and your stomach will definitely let you know.
So really Listen to your body, Be in control, Have discipline :)
I know sometimes I allow myself some fried food & sugary desserts, I miss them and eating them makes me feel happy & satisfied, but I "pinch" myself to tell me to stop.
Just imagine all those months of Healthy Eating and now you're wasting all that efforts away by eating greasy TransFat/Saturated Fat/Bad Fat ???
what ?? Greasy yucky Fattening Unhealthy Bad Fat in your stomach ??
So be in control and if you can.... don't even start eating junk food again :)

Stay Motivated !!
Stay Having Fun !!
Stay Happy !!
:)

How to not get a cold ?

1. Don't share food with people who have a cold

2. Don't hang around too much with people who have a cold.

3. Don't spend long hours in an unventilated room.
Germs fly around over and over again ;p

you get the point ;)

But But But
Generally, You yourself can make yourself sick
So :

1. Don't stay up late or force yourself to stay up late.
Don't stay up for another 30 mins of TV or facebooking.
Don't try to finish all your work in 1 nite and end up sleeping at 5 am.
Take a rest, Sleep, Be in control.
Basically If you're tired, If you're sleepy --> Rest & Sleep.
Continue your work the next day.

2. Don't overeat, it overworks your system and makes you more tired and somehow it's easier to catch a cold. umm... kinda..... umm... just don't overeat ;p
Eat Healthy stuff !!!

3. Don't eat too much fried stuff, or Don't eat fried stuff at all.
The worst kind of cold/flu is when you also have a really bad sorethroat/cough.
It's the lethal torture of phlegm in your throat .... yuckkk... torture.... :(
so, when you feel like you're catching a cold.... fried food is a big no no.

4. If you're too tired
Don't force yourself to go to the gym or exercise.
Don't think you're "strong" enough and you'll feel better after sweating.
If you think you're kinda weak... then eat your healthy meal and Rest/Sleep
you'll definitely feel better afterwards.

5. Take a Vitamin C supplement
I don't take a daily dose of Vitamin C because I eat a lot of Fruits and Vegetables anyway.
But sometimes when I feel like I'm starting to kinda catch a cold, I take one capsule of Vitamin C.
The bottle says you are free to take up to a few tablets in a day when you're sick, but I always take just 1 tablet and I'm usually fine the next day.
( But If I'm already sick, I don't usually take in Vitamin C, though, coz it's kinda useless for me)
Choose what's best for you, some brands don't really work for me.
I only take a capsule of 500mg Vit C (Ester-C) , not a high dose 1000 mg one.
I tend to avoid high dose of everything.

6. Know that you're NOT getting a cold.
Know that you're Healthy.
Just KNOW it
and Repeat it to yourself and BELIEVE it.
You are well, you are healthy.

7. Feeling happy and Laughter will also makes you healthier and boost your immune system.
So start feeling happy :D and Laugh out loud.

How to cure a Cold / Flu the Natural Way ?

1. Eat Right
Eat lots of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables.
(you can also throw in some raw Vegs if you want)
No Fried Food
No Junk Food

2. Drink Right
Drink lots of Water
Drink Fresh Fruit Juice.
Herbal tea also helps : warm water + raw ginger + lemon,
warms my throat everytime, but I find it kinda yucky if it's not warm ;p
unless of course, if the raw ginger is in a fruit juice.

3. Breathe well
Take in a lot of Fresh Oxygen.
yes... stuffy nose... but at least try if you can :)

4. Sleep.... Total Rest.
Don't feel guilty for taking a rest........
Don't think of anything distressing, just take a rest, peacefully.
Leave everything behind, just focus on getting better :)

5. Get the morning sun if you can.
sunbathe a little... in the morning.... around 7-9 am

6. Air up your room.
Ventilate... open your windows and get some fresh air.

7. Kill time
- Watch a Really good funny movie to make you Laugh and Smile.
- Call up your friends/family
- Positive affirmation , "I'm getting better by the minute"
- Meditate, Pray, etc

8. I never take any medications when I catch a cold, and so far I'm doing fine.
But you know your body best.
So you decide what's best for you.

9. Know that you're getting better.
Just KNOW it
and Repeat it to yourself and BELIEVE it.
You are well, you are healthy.

10. Feeling happy and Laughter will also makes you healthier and boost your immune system.
So start feeling happy :D and Laugh out loud.

11. The best part of being sick ?
You get to boss people around
*HAEURHAHAHAHH HHAAEHHAHA*
*must control self*

Always chew your food !!

This is what I ate today


It's steamed carrot, sauted broccoli and raw long beans plus Deep fried tempeh coated in batter.

After having those 2 pieces of fried tempeh on my plate and taking a bite.
I didn't want them anymore, I don't know, today I just didn't feel like eating those 2 fried stuff.
and I actually listened to my body.
Good improvements right :)

So........ about chewing.........
We all know we need to chew well, right !!!!!!!
But most of us don't chew enough.
Why ??
Why don't we chew enough ?
1. We're way too hungry, so we eat really fast
2. We're always in a hurry , so we eat really fast
3. We eat over-processed food, so they're soft and don't require much chewing.

We need the enzymes in our Saliva to help digest and breaks down food.
If we don't chew well, the food doesn't get properly "enzymed" ;p
so the whole digestion process is not "well-executed"
thus digestion problems.
Okay so I didn't really explain that in a proper medical manner,
but you get the picture.

So......... in order to properly digest and absorb the nutrients from all the healthy fresh food you eat and be Healthy and Benefit from your diet,
We need to chew 30-40 times......... even better if more.
But who's crazy enough to count to 40 at every bite hey ?

So......
How do you chew that much time, without counting ??
How do you chew well and still enjoy your food ??
Here is what I just realized today,
while eating that food in the picture above. (minus the fried tempeh)
(sauteed brocolli, steamed carrot, and raw long beans)
When I eat, I mix them together so I get bits of everything at every bite.
While I was eating my food, I noticed that I chew way longer than usual.
Why ? because there are pieces of raw fresh long beans at every bite.

Yes.... the raw long beans are tougher and crunchier, so they actually require more chewing.
And as I counted how many times I chewed, I noticed it took me more than 40 chews at every bite. sometimes more than 50. I've lost count after 40 chews.

So It doesn't matter what your diet is like,
It's a very good thing to always mix your food with Fresh RawVegetables ,
it makes you CHEW !!!
plus you get all the live beneficial enzyme from the raw Vegetables !!
It could be anything, cucumber, parsley, lettuce, etc etc whatever is acceptable to you and makes you chew.

If you think it's crazy to chew that many times at every meal.
oh my jaw's gonna get tired, oh it's gonna take a long time to eat, oh I don't like raw food, oh the food's gonna go bland while chewing it, bla bla bla
Here's the Positive points of mixing your food with raw food :
1. It makes you chew, means your healthy food gets digested well and gets absorbed well, meaning Healthy you !!!
2. Raw food has more flavours,
The long beans, oh what ? it's also called string beans ? why thank you :)
So, the string beans didn't lose it's flavours when I was chewing it.
It still has the same flavour from chew 1x till chew 50x.
3. You won't over eat = Your ideal weight
Yes you'll take longer to finish your food. Yes the jaws will sometimes get tired.
But, you don't still have the "false hungry" feeling, because when it takes sometimes to chew and digest the food bla bla bla, your brain will tell you at the right time, that you are not hungry anymore, So you don't over eat, You will only eat just as much as you actually need, and You will have your ideal weight.

So... chew for a Healthy you :)

Don't eat too much !!!

Seriously..... Never ever overeat !!!!!!!!!

So... Here's what happened :
this is what I ate yesterday....



It's actually very tasty, not a very good color tho ;p
but the beans are so yummy..........
What's on the bowl :
- beans + carrot + chayote soup (didn't take the soup water)
- blanched morning glory aka kangkung
- sauteed tempe with sweet soy sauce
Yes that seemed healthy and just about right !!!

I also ate some cassava balls.......;p
that is cassava/tapioca grated and shaped into balls
filled with palm sugar
and then steamed
I didn't take a pic because they looked messy, but so chewy and fudgy and yummy
I ate like 10 balls.

and after that I ate some of those Aloe vera cubes plus sugar water, as a dessert.
And I was too full !!!

Then at night,
I had the same thing again...
yes you're not supposed to eat the same stuff for 1 whole day...
u need fresh food !!!!
Anyhoo... I ate the same thing again, plus the cassava balls, at 10 pm
yes 10 pm !!!
Why would I do that ??

I was sleepy at around 10 pm, but kinda hungry
I should've just eaten fruits
but Nooooo........
greedy me wanted more than just fruit.....

So......... after the same food... although with less quantity,
I was left feeling way too full....
I secretly think the cassava expanded in my tummy.

So I had a bulging tummy ;p
I couldn't lie down, because I'd feel all the food wanting to come back up my throat.
ewww right ;p
It was kinda difficult to breath.
I was so sleepy, but I couldn't sleep coz I couldn't lie down
It was torture !!!!!!
Silly meeeeeeeeeee..................

I was kinda gassy....
and I passed gas, and it was stinky.....
I also burped ;(
I'm sorry for all the details !!
But this would remind me never to overeat the next time.
I should always be in control on how much stuff I eat,
I should listen to my body and stop eating.

Then after a few hours....
Yes it was like 2 hours after.
*after 2 trips to the toilet ;p)
I could lie down, but then I wasn't sleepy at all !!
So I ended up reading some books and watching some TV to get sleepy again.

So here's the Negative parts :
- Not only did I "suffer"
- I messed up my sleep pattern which messed up my whole system.
(Chaos inside - balance/homeostatis is disturbed)
- Overeating also means the digestive system is working harder, the enzymes are trying to break down stuff, or something like that.
And some of the food doesn't even get digested and absorbed and the food got turned into poison, thus the smelly pass gass and burping.

There's no point in being a so-called-Healthy Vegan if I'm still overeating and messing up the balance in my body, right ?
But on the next meal / next day, this is when I usually fall back into the trap
"Oh I'm feeling good today, I can finish all that stuff in one go"
"I so wanna have another piece of that, maybe 3 pieces"
and I forgot how miserable and tortured I felt when I overate,
and before I know it, I'd overate once again, and I'd experienced the same (or worse) rituals of torturing myself and messing with my health.
So, I promise myself to always eat well, listen to my body and Be in control !!

Fortunately, The next morning, I woke up feeling fine,
I went to the toilet and afterwards, felt "Clean"
My tummy was back to flat ;p yeay
But that doesn't mean I'm free to overeat whenever I please.
I don't think I ever wanna feel "tortured" like that ever again.

In the past,
A few times, during the weekends,
when I was staying up in our family villa up in the mountain.
I ate way tooo muchhhhh................
So...... when everybody was asleep..... I had to sit up on my bed with a bucket next to me.
Yes.... I was too full I wanted to throw up, but couldn't and didn't want to.
Sometimes I did throw up and it's the worst feeling in the world.
Your stomach just "pumps" all the food out your throat and you have no control whatsoever.
then after throwing up the first time, just right after you take a breath, it repeats all over again.
Eeewwwwwwwwwww......... yuckkkkkkkkkk...........
no moreeeeeee........ never againnnnnn..........
I'm sowwy for all the details, but this will remind me to never ever repeat the same mistake.

So, guys.... seriously.......
Never ever over eat
Always eat just about enough !!
Some people say "Stop eating just right before you feel full"
Always be in Control of what you eat and How much you eat !!
And always Enjoy your food !!
:)

How to detox ?

It's been a while since I do a detox.
especially since now I've been a Healthy Vegan for almost 3 months ;)

But..............
I remember doing this...
(I was still eating everything... meat, dairy, sugar, etc etc)
- So I'd reduce meat, carbs and fried stuff and eat more vegetables for a few days.
(no sugary desserts, no dairy, no coffee)
- Then I'd just eat fruits for 1 day....
All kinds of fruits, watermelon, apples, bananas, melons, oranges, etc
As much as I want, everytime I'm hungry I just eat fruits.
- Then... if I could, I'd drink only fresh fruit juice for 1 day.
- I think that's about all, that's what I did.
- then the next day I'd start eating carbs (rice, noodles, pasta etc) and more vegetables
- then it's back to normal the next day

But I've always loved eating fruits all my life.
So no matter what I eat, I also eat a lot of fresh fruits throughout the day.

Side effects of Detoxing
well, it's not really a side effect,
But.... some people experience dizzyness, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, etc.
It doesn't mean you are getting sick,
It's a sign that your body is cleansing itself.
But as always, Don't force yourself, Listen to your body.
There are also different types of detoxing.
so Research on Detoxing.... Read read and read

Good Luck :)

ps. you've got to WANT to detox to really be able to detox your body ;)
pps. Adding Beet in your juice (carrot+beet juice or apple + beet juice) is a good way to help cleanse. you'll see that your poo becomes red ;p

How to do a Fast ?

This is my version, right now....
it might change later, but this is what I've gathered from books, the net, etc...
it may not be the best fast, but this is how I do it.

To fast.........
I need to "prepare" myself.
I Eat only "healthy" stuff,
Fresh Vegetables, raw if possible, for 1 day (or more.)
then Only Fruits for another day. (or more)
some people even only drink juice for 1 day.
(some for longer days... it varies and it depends on you.)
Then I fast, for 1 day only.
the first time I fast, (started at 10 pm the night before), I ate at 8 pm on the next day.
the second time, I ate at 5 pm.
I couldn't go on till the next sunrise and I didn't force myself.
I've wanted to fast from sunrise till the next sunrise.
But I never could hohohoho
After I fast.... I drink fresh fruit juice and eat fruits only
and if I get hungry, afterwards, I allow steamed vegetables or salad with olive oil and salt.

I do a total fast (No water - No food)
because I read that it gives a total rest to your digestion system.
But you should listen to your body and never force yourself.
You can do a No food fast and allow water if you want.
You can also do a half-day fast.
There are a lot of version of fasting.
Just listen to your body, it knows which types of fast is best for you.

But don't fast if your goal is to lose weight.... you'll only be doing yourself harm.
Fast if you wanna cleanse your system.
and Do it right !!

If you've never done a fast before.
I don't recommend you doing a fast right away.
You need to detox first
at least I think you need to detox first.
and don't drastically change your diet in 1 day, give it a few days to transition.
although you might experience nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, etc. which is totally a normal reaction.
It's a sign that your body is cleansing.
I didn't experience those things when I did my detox.
But my sis did.

How to detox ?
it's next :)

Another Fast

So....... on the 23rd of June 2009, I did another fast...
well... simply because I ran out of food.
that... and also I was too lazy to buy food and prepare food.
and I've also been wanting to do another fast to cleanse.

But.......
it's not a good one.
I ate fried food the day before.... and the day after !!!!
To fast.... and to cleanse...
I need to eat all healthy fresh food....
which means try to eat most fresh raw food (vegs n fruits)
and maybe only fruits the day before.
But hey...........it's done....

The fast started from the morning till 5 pm
(I last had water-food at 10 pm the night before)
no water no food
It was fine... I was kinda hungry during the day.... but not starving
so I took a nap hohohoho.....
and I listened to my body, which is important...
I didn't force myself to fast for longer duration.
it was just right. ;)

Fried Food is bad for you

huhuhuhu... I know I know...
but the crisp and the crunch.
It's just so hard to resist............
I've been really good for 1.5 months....
but lately, I've been having some deep fried tempeh coated in crunchy batter.
I knowwww.... one piece becomes 2 becomes 5 becomes everyday.

Even last time,
I was craving crunchy stuff and I didn't even have tempeh.
So I made a crunchy fried batter... yup... just that........
and ate it with salads.
Yesss... no nutrients whatsoever in that fried stuff.
It was good while eating those crunchy stuff,
but afterwards, my stomach started to have that feeling when you just ate a really greasy food, and it's not a good feeling.
And.... after day 2, I started to feel a bad sorethroat coming !!!!!!

Ugghhh.......
So I had some ginger tea and was fine the next day.

Today, at supper,
I had another fried batter with steamed vegetables. (spinach + seaweed)



Don't be fooled by the pale color.... they may not be golden brown, but they're really crunchy

Fried food are really addictive !!
well, to me they are.
and when you don't eat them, you don't want em at all,
but when you start....... you really can't stop.......
well, you can really........
Sooooooo......... no more fried stuff re-starting now !!!!
well.... every once in a while... they're allowedd....
umm... like once every month....... oh we'll see ;)

Must eat Lots of Fresh fruits and Fresh Vegetables !!